From Roger Altizer,
Your Guide to PlayStation Games.
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SKATE has an uphill challenge if it plans to dethrone the current king of the virtual skateboarding hill, one Mr. Tony Hawk. Regardless, the official song-list EA has released for SKATE is both diverse and impressive. With artists ranging from the White Stripes to Agent Orange, EA has managed to represent most every genre of music that has any sort of edge in SKATE. At the same time, while I am a fan of devolution, since when have the cone heads ever been a "skater" band?

The SKATE soundtrack features 45 songs from some of the most influential and celebrated artists including David Bowie, Nirvana, N.W.A. and The Ramones. The game also includes 18 exclusive tracks from XXXChange, Tommy Guerrero, and other DJs. Steve Schnur, Worldwide Executive of Music and Marketing at EA (note to self, next time I try to take on Tony Hawk, hire a famous skater to speak rather than a corporate suit) had the following to say about the music featured in SKATE:

The soundtrack for SKATE is a direct reflection of true outlaw skateboard culture (skateboarding is not a crime! - ed.). It's a throwback to the days of underground skateboard videos when skaters created their own soundtracks that raided every genre of music. In that spirit, we talked to hardcore skaters around the country to help pick many of the songs for SKATE. Real recognizes real, and this soundtrack is a straight-up tribute to a culture like no other.

I leave it to you to decide how really "real" SKATE's soundtrack is:

ARTIST - SONG

• Agent Orange - No Such Thing
• Airbourne - Let's Ride
• Bad Brains - I Against I
• Band of Horses - The Funeral
• Beat Beat Beat - Sinking Slow
• Black Flag - Six Pack
• Booker T & The MG's - Green Onions
• Challenger - Input the Output
• Cheap Trick - Surrender
• Children of Bodom - Hate Crew Deathroll
• David Bowie - Queen B****
• Dead Prez - Hip Hop
• Devo - Gut Feeling/Slap Your Mammy
• Eddie Rap Life - Push Your Wood
• Eric B & Rakim - Juice (Know the Ledge)
• Escalera - Go It Alone
• Filthy Thieving Ba****** - ...Lords Of The Avenues
• Gang Starr - Now You're Mine
• H.I.T - Drama
• Mac Mall - Perfect Poison
• Motorhead - We Are Motorhead
• Nivarna - Lounge Act
• N.W.A - Express Yourself
• Renee Renee - Stand Up Talk Easy
• Rick James - Give It To Me Baby
• Rick Ross - Hustlin'
• River City - Tanlines Black Knight
• S.T.R.E.E.T.S - Georgia St.
• Sicker Than Others - Face Away
• Sister Nancy - Bam Bam
• Slayer - Raining Blood
• The Briefs - Poor and Weird
• The Coup - Ride the Fence
• The Dwarves - Massacre
• The Exploding Hearts - Your Shadow
• The Falcon - Blackout
• The Mag Seven - D*** Cemetery
• The Ramones Psycho - Therapy
• The Returnables - Teenage Imposters
• The Sex Pistols - Pretty Vacant
• The Stars Misplaced - Prophets And Kings
• The White Stripes - Girl, You Have No Faith In Medicine
• Trouble Andrew - Chase Money
• Valient Thorr - Man Behind The Curtain
• ZZ Top - Just Got Paid

SKATE is being developed by EA Black Box in Vancouver, British Columbia and is expected to ship in Autumn 2007.