A handful of years ago if a musician sold the rights to his song for use on a television show or, God forbid, a commercial, they were labeled a sellout, immediately to be shunned as a musical pariah. Remember the stink that was created when the Rolling Stones let Microsoft use "Start Me Up" to launch Windows 95? Now, not only is it accepted, artist's are signing away their first born to get their tracks exposed to the receptive, hip audiences of television's elite shows. Bands like Telepopmusik and Citizen Cope probably wouldn't exist if it weren't for the launching pad of television. Grey's Anatomy isn't just one of the hottest new commodities on the tube, it also features some of the best new music. It is consistently a savvy mix of unknown, up-and-coming artists that seem tailor fit for the scene they are serenading. Now its time to take these hundred or so songs and find the most compelling musical candy that Grey's has sweetened our life with. I only wish they had taken as much care assembling this soundtrack as they do in their weekly duties laying down episode tracks.

Now critics are always getting knocked for pointing out the flaws yet offering few solutions. Well today I'm going to do a little revisionist history, giving you a quick taste as to what is good and not quite so concerning the selected crop of songs chosen to represent Grey's Anatomy in its musical form. Then, I'm going to turn around and give you the ultimate Grey's Anatomy soundtrack, culled from the episode song lists. This way you can collect them all in their commemorative wrappers from AllofMp3, iTunes or your favorite download site. Whoala, you have all the fun without the filler.

The mix, as it stands, is merely a shade better than decent. They got a handful right on the first try (Rilo Kiley, Inara George, The Postal Service), others they got the right artist but overlooked the proper track (Tegan and Sara), a few show interesting potential (The Eames Era) yet others are bland to flat out bad (Roisin Murphy). That's a C+ for all of you keeping tabs with the scorecard. Now that you've been given tour of all these well-manicured rooms, let's take the wrecking ball to this joint. No, not that room! Here's what the Grey's Anatomy soundtrack could have been. Queue everybody's favorite 80s mall rocker, Tiffany.

>The Postal Service: Such Great Heights - Truthfully, this track is more than a little overblown at this point so the last thing we need to be doing is spraying additional fuel on the fire. Yet if we left it out, there'd certainly be that top 40, viewer subset who would bemoan our existence for excluding it. It's a good track people, but its in desperate need of a cooling off period.
Album: Grey's Anatomy Soundtrack
>KT Tunstall: Suddenly I See - This is one of the best tracks off one of the year's best releases, Eye to the Telescope. Its light and airy pop beat just unfold, waiting for the spunk to rear up. It's got a great looping rhythm, KT's voice is chuck full of character, and it's fun without being surface level. The music supervisor for Grey's was paying attention when KT put the world on notice, yet he just failed to follow through.
Album: Eye to the Telescope
>Way Out West: Don't Forget Me - I remember hearing this for the first time on Grey's a handful of weeks ago. It was a very apt song, alluding to Meredith's dealing with her mother's struggle with Alzheimer's. I immediately went and scoured the message boards to find out who this alluring siren was. Thirty minutes later, I had this great track that was very close in context to Frou Frou. The remaining album is mostly slick trance beats, but "Don't Forget Me" and a couple other tracks really feature the greatness of the album. Its omission from the soundtrack has to be a low-grade felony.
Album: Don't Look Now
>Rosie Thomas - Let Myself Fall - Rosie's music makes you think she is a delicate dandelion, waiting to be blown away with the spring. Seeing her live several years ago, her voice barely rises to the point of being audible, then she breaks out her comedic routine as Shelia and all bets are off. "Let Myself Fall" is a great primer to introduce you to Rosie.
Album: Only With Laughter Can You Win
>Josh Rouse - Sad Eyes - After Rouse's "Directions" got the choice slot on the Vanilla Sky soundtrack, stardom and imminent greatness seemed a given. Three years later, he's still toiling away in relative obscurity, upping the bar with each release. On an album feverous with great tracks, "Sad Eyes" stands out for its quiet melancholy that's ultimately swept into happiness by the final act. It almost reminds you of a nostalgic, early 80s track ready for play on Family Ties.
Album: Nashville
>Rilo Kiley: Portions for Foxes - Wisely included, "Portions for Foxes" is smart pop, backed by indie credibility. Jenny Lewis' vocals are scrumptious, married to this fierce hook. The song is the animal-like magnetism she feels for the guy who's all wrong for her. Sums up the Derek, Meredith love ping-pong debacle pretty soundly.
Album: Grey's Anatomy Soundtrack
>Jem: Save Me - While a couple notes shy of her best, "Save Me" is a slow, careful groove by the evolution of Dido. Jem is looking to dispel all those myths created by her 80s cartoon, pink haired counterpart. She's definitely an artist on the rise, straddling pop and smart dance to create her own blend of melody. After featuring several of her tracks on Grey's, I'm surprised she got shutout of this collection.
Album: Finally Woken
>Keane: Somewhere Only We Know - I have trouble hearing this song without visualizing lovely Victoria Secret models in gravity defying bras. Come to think of it, that could go a long way towards explaining why I love this song so. Keane may just turn out to be the heir apparent to Coldplay and yes this song is a bit overplayed, but it's a great epic sounding piece that doesn't let you forget it.
Album: Hopes & Fears
>Tegan and Sara: You Wouldn't Like Me - Tegan and Sara upped the pop dressing on their latest effort So Jealous and amazingly didn't sacrifice their well-crafted sound in the process. Most of the collection is strangely upbeat heartbreak pieces, affording us lyrical depth without the depressive weight. The included Tegan and Sara track "Where Does the Good Go" isn't a bad track. It just doesn't pack quite the same wallop as "You Wouldn't Like Me."
Album: So Jealous
>Sia: Sunday - I'm a few short weeks away from crowning Sia's "Breathe Me" as the track of the year. It was chosen to close the final moments of the moving series finale of Six Feet Under. "Sunday" doesn't pack as affecting a punch, but it is a very solid track that serves as one of the few standouts on her rather tepid release. It works based on its shifting crosscurrents of light and dark that cover over this track.
Album: Colour the Small One
>Ivy: Edge of the Ocean - Pulled off of one of the greatest albums of all time, Long Distance, "Edge of the Ocean" is a dreamy meditation, fronted by the luscious Dominique Durand. Ivy seems to be a media magnet, showing up in every Farrelly Brothers movie, as well as numerous commercials and television shows. In fact, I noticed this song just the other day hocking insta-coffee. Really no soundtrack is complete without a little ivy creeping through the cracks, and it's never been truer than it is here.
Album: Long Distance
>Iron & Wine: Naked As We Came - "Naked As We Came" has been featured in films like In Good Company. It was only after seeing Tarnation that I've never quite saw this song the same. It has a very relaxing, almost haunting, feel to it. Its lilting quality is just a notch above sleep, but the subtleties Sam Beam creates in this short space mark the track of his career.
Album: Our Endless Numbered Days
>Psapp: Cosy in the Rocket - There's no real way to put together a television soundtrack without including its theme song. It's pretty good on the whole, very reminiscent of the aforementioned Jem. It does use a little too much lead-in for my tastes though.
Album: Grey's Anatomy Soundtrack

Stream full cuts off all these tracks now at All of Mp3. For more quality play lists checkout my Internet radio station, Innovative Radio on Live365.