RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE

Ah, nu-metal, don't you just love it? Er, no. It is, in fact, shite. All of it. Well I guess the Deftones are alright but they aren't really nu-metal in the typical Limp Bizkit sense. Anyhow we owe all of our congratulations for the nu-metal wave to this seminal motley crew. Now, to be fair, I doubt Rage are any keener on the "monsters they created" than I am but there is no mistaking the then revolutionary fusion of rap, hip-hop and the all-conquering riffs of Zeppelin and Sabbath as the Rage trademark. Still it is a formula that has endless opportunities to be done badly, most of which people seem to have embraced, and Rage are probably the only band to do it entirely successfully. Just think, if I was writing this page a year or so ago the whole tone would have been so different. All praise and positivism but alas, Fred Durst and co. have seen that that naive optimistic mood will never be recreated. Still what about the band itself? Let's pretend this is 1999 and the emergence of nu-metal is just a faint rumbling in the distance...

Ach, no, I can't do it. But still, let's try and concentrate on Rage the band, rather than what they spawned. Rage are/were a fantastic, revolutionary band. Their first album is one of the greatest rock/metal albums ever. And I mean it. The guitarist, Tom Morello, took all the right cues from Led Zeppelin and merged them with his distinctly unique style to make him, along-side Radiohead's Johnny Greenwood, one of the two great guitarists of the nineties. I'm not a massive fan of hip-hop, but equally I have nothing against it, but it is Morello's guitar work that keeps (or kept) Rage at the very forefront of contemporary rock. Equally their uncompromising political stance was a refreshing change from the flippancy of cock-rock or the dreariness of guilt-rock. Obviously it is hard to be militantly leftwing (communist even) and be in a successful rock band on a major label (Sony) but Rage seemed to handle it well enough not to come across as complete hypocrites. Obviously the fact that Morello came from Harvard doesn't strike you as very "salt of the earth" but then that is not an essential of militant politics. I'll avoid, as best I can, from being drawn into a discussion on Rage's politics but suffice to say they took up many worthy causes and for all their posturing they did actually go out and get things done. Probably the best political band ever. There are some that claim they only exist as political activists rather than as a rock band in their own right but I say "bollocks".

The vocalist, Zack, has recently quit the band so their future is in doubt. At the time of writing they are working with Soundgarden's singer Chris Cornell so we'll see what comes of that. At the moment I mostly consider them as a past force but, maybe, I'll update this page if or when they emerge back onto the scene.

From: Stacy Ramirez

i was just wondering why you don't really talk about the politics to RAGE in your reviews? i hate to say it ,but somehow i thin that you aren't really sure what their politics were(are)most of my family has listened to at least some of RAGE's work and loved it. they sought through the music and into their politics. they went in deep and since my family are revolters themselves they thought that it was great that this band made it big and are still going on strong even though all is fucked now in our government. i find myself listening to them even more now because of all the fuck-ups that america is going through.welll that's all i had to ask and comment about i hope that you take in mind on what i have written

The great debut. As you may have seen elsewhere on this site I hold this album in very, very high regard. As do many other people. I rate it as one of the best, most explosive debut rock albums ever released. Superior, maybe, to Appetite for Destruction, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, etc. I haven't really thought about the ins and outs of it but it certainly seems to me to be worthy of such lofty praise. What's so good about it? Well, first of all, the songs. Every song on here, bar "Settle for Nothing" is an absolute belter. I was close to listing the best tracks as "everything except 'Settle for Nothing'", but I didn't. It spoils the sentiment a bit. Still, allow me to reiterate, every single song (bar one) on here is a great song taken in context, taken out of context, taken any fucking way you like. Even "Settle for Nothing" isn't that bad, just a bit lethargic. It lacks the explosive power of some of the other numbers like "Killing in the Name" or "Wake Up". The riffs are some of Morello's best whilst the actual song-writing is surprisingly top-notch. This isn't just rap 'n' riffs but supremely great songs. Be it the primitive funk of "Bullet in the Head" or the corrosive power of "Killing in the Name". "Bullet in the Head" was apparently recorded without ever playing live, according to the sleeve-notes. Similarly we're told "no samples, keyboards or synthesisers used in the making of this recording", both of which seem like boasting to me. Telling us they were great from day 1 and that Morello's so great that what you think is a complex keyboard part is actually just him on his guitar. Hardly in the spirit of communism is it? Still, fuck it, it's not important. The opening track, "Bombtrack" is one of the most straightforward rock songs on here. Beginning with some clean guitar picking the song soon erupts into its riff-tastic groove. The chorus is practically sing-along, if you are so-inclined. Certainly the most commercial number on here, although that's probably not their primary aim. The second song "Killing in the Name" is their trademark track. The moshers' favourite. An obviously climatic song, it repeats itself twice, same lyrics, same verses and choruses before Morello plays a succinct solo. Upon the solo's end the song breaks down with de la Rocha repeating in an undertone "fuck you I won't do what you tell me" before the riff comes crashing in, Zack raises his voice and the moshers reach their own form of paradise. As I once heard a DJ sagely comment, "a lot of kids are pissed off with their parents". Obviously the song is meant to be about the racist police but try telling that to the average Limp Bizkit fan. "Know Your Enemy" I really wanted to include on the best tracks list but it would have been one too many. Which is a shame as it probably deserves to be. It is more funk orientated, riff-wise anyway, with one of Zack's best quick-paced delivery over an expansive riff. It also features James Maynard Keenan of Tool fame on backing vocals for a little section. It ends with a list of attributes such as conformity, submission, ignorance, brutality, etc. all of which, apparently, are American dreams. Some great, insightful lyrics. "Bullet in the Head" is also funk-driven and it certainly doesn't sound like it was recorded before they'd ever played live, the whole song seeming surprisingly polished. Still Nick Drake was too nervous to ever play live and that certainly didn't hinder his studio recordings. "Take the Power Back" has its roots more in hip-hop but obviously with a rock driven sound. Good bit of cow-bell action as well. The climax of the album is the superior "Wake Up". It's opening riff, an obvious "homage" to "Kashmir", soon gives way to the prominent rapping of de la Rocha. Some of the best rapping on the album, though, with great lyrics about political assassinations and propaganda in general. The highlight of "Fistful of Steel", the following song, is the great crunching chorus. Morello's screaming guitar during the verses is pretty effective as well. Similarly the chorus to "Township Rebellion" is a cracker. I guess I ought to mention the last track "Freedom" given that I've mentioned every other. Mainly just the average-fantastic track on the album its highlight is when the song stops for de la Rocha to practically whisper "anger is a gift" before the song continues on its charge. You really need the volume on a significant volume to hear the whisper but it is well worth it. This record should be played loud. Right then, you get the picture? One of the classic albums of the nineties. Every rock fan and communist alike should own a copy.

From: Tim Commerford

Jack- great site. One of the best review sites on the web.
I agree that RATM's debut is one of the best albums of all time, along with Darkside of the Moon, Who's Next, and Zeppelin 1 and 4.

Not the most prolific band in the world it took Rage four years to release a successor to their barn-storming debut. The difficult second album. With this album many critics took swipes at the band for releasing a more, well understated isn't really the word, but "different" album from the first. The riffs are less enormous and the production is more lo-fi. If Rage were a commercial sort of band this would certainly be seen as far less commercial than the first. Still I like the album title, a quote of Reagan's describing the Soviet Union. Lyrically, as well, it is less naive militantism and more specific criticisms, mainly, it seems, of southern America. The inlay also features a photograph of a spread of militant books as radical as Joyce's "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" and a Sartre book with its title obscured. But enough of the chit-chat what about the album? Well there's certainly less outstanding tracks on here. That said there are still plenty of good ones. In fact, only two, "Without a Face" and "Wind Below", I would label as of a lower quality, and they're still decent. The opening gambit of "People of the Sun" immediately marks this album out as a different effort from the first. The repetitive riff starts up unaccompanied before the rest of the band join in, one by one, before finally Zack starts rapping which, given the repetition of the music, forms the focal point of the song. Lyrically it is also instantly noticeable there has been a shift in angle as it forms a story about rebels in Mexico rather than the naive generalisations of the first album. Not that the naive generalisations weren't without resonance. "Bulls On Parade" was the first single from the album which has a very bass-heavy riff which gives it a very ominous feel. A good cut from the album. The best song on here may well be the last, "Year of tha Boomerang". It certainly features one of de la Rocha's best deliveries on the album and the production seems clearer as well. It is most like a song from the first album which is certainly a good thing. My other best track is "Vietnow" which again is quite repetitive but has a grind to it that is very infectious. The stop-start nature of the verses only heighten the crunch of the chorus ("fear is your only god"). Other tracks that I enjoy? I guess "Snakecharmer" and "Down Rodeo" are my two favourites that didn't make the list. "Snakecharmer" boasts one of the best riffs from the album with an unrelenting, quick-paced vocal delivery from de la Rocha. "Down Rodeo" is a Neil Young-esque rant at the fucking Southern hicks. You know the types that sodomise city folks and play banjos before Jon Voight and Burt Reynolds give 'em what for. Or as Zack puts it "these people ain't seen a brown skin man since their grandparents bought one." Fucking hicks. One of the redeeming aspects of university is seeing these hicks around concrete buildings for the first time in their life. Mind you they think York is a bastion of entertainment. It ain't though, I'll tell you that for free. Ahem. "Revolver" seems a bit contrived with a quiet verse before the crunching, grunge-esque chorus. "Tire Me", on the other hand, speeds along but never really ends up anywhere. Although the middle-eight about Jackie Onassis is quite fun. "Roll Right" lacks a discernable form with a fairly non-existent riff and uninteresting rap, although the congas on the second verse are inspired. So, despite being a very good album it lacks enough hooks or great song-writing for it to achieve classic status. Still, I applaud them for not retreading the same ground and trying something different for their second album. Funnily enough, it was this exact re-treading that also prevents their third album from being a classic. But if you want to read about that you'll have to scroll down...

Another three years flew by before the lads stopped appearing naked on stages and released this album instead. After the arguable failure of Evil Empire the group tried to return to their former glories by releasing a second follow-up to their debut album. Some of it works, some of it doesn't. None of it sounds new or fresh. This is what caused people to remark they are now more a political group that an actual rock group. A case only strengthened by a list of political internet sites contained in the sleeve-notes. Still there is plenty of good material on here but nothing inspired enough to mark it out as a classic album. "Testify", "Guerrilla Radio" and "Sleep Now in the Fire" are obvious commercial songs that could have been lifted from Rage Against the Machine seven years earlier. Indeed I heard strains of "Guerrilla Radio" at a fashion awards ceremony that only goes to show their words obviously speak louder than their actions. Still I guess the record label might have gone over their heads. To be honest, though, I don't know whether it's because I've heard them so often in night clubs and the like but "Testify" and "Sleep Now in the Fire" just seem a bit tired and cliched. That's not to say they are not good songs, as they obviously are, but for all their hooks and catchy grungy choruses it just feels like I've heard them a million times before; maybe because I have. I always say the mark of a really good song is that no matter how often you hear it you still love it (eg. "Like a Rolling Stone", "Stairway to Heaven") and sadly, that is not the case here. I'd say only "Guerrilla Radio" is a truly great song with another of Morello's prime riffs. I also like the underrated "Ashes in the Fall". The guitar is much removed from its trademark crunch with piercing notes being played high up the fretboard and with a great echoey, diving effect. The rapping is top-notch and a great spoken section about fascists. It is a rare stroke of subtlety from a band not known for being understated. Speaking of which the video for "Sleep Now in the Fire" is quite famous and deservedly so. Directed by political satirist/activist TV reporter Michael Moore it switches between a spoof of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" and live coverage of Rage playing a set in Wall Street, bringing the stock market to a premature close for the first time in it's history. Brilliantly confrontational. Anyway, "Maria" is quite a good song as well. The others? Well... Some go for a funk/hip hop feel with the guitar less prominent like on the forgettable "Mic Check". Others sound quite contrived although still stand up as quite good songs. The whole thing is just such a inferior retread of Rage Against the Machine. A classic artistic mistake. Most of the songs are all pretty good but it is such a much of a muchness that means poor old Rage, unless something spectacular happens, are left with only one classic album under their belt. Both "Calm Like a Bomb" and "Voice of the Voiceless" reek of contrived grunge. The quiet but quick verse with a crunching chorus and screaming by Zack. The markedly similar "Born of Ghosts" and "Born of a Broken Man" also follow the same path to little effect. Thus the real lack of artistic development shows badly on this album. Although some of the material is shit-hot, none of it is fresh or original and what we are left with is a stale retread of their explosive debut album.

From: Darryl Bordeleau

Well< I'd say that it is reasonabily fair, except for the rating and your option on The Battle of LA. From a hip-hop stand point De la's lyrics and rimes are at their hight in that one. His metaphors are powerful yet deep. They come acroos on a level that the '92 albume could mot match. During the eniotre paper you seem to go into a big speil about how you hate nu-metal (I personally hate that turm, but any way) but it find this strange becuase the '92 was the most nu-metal (lyrically atleast, defeintly not musically) of all Rage's albumes. "Killing in the Name" and other are simple swear fests that remind me alot of bizket and other crap bands like them (of course de la does it better and that's why the albume is still awesome).
As far as polticle smarts go, The Battle of LA is the most powerful out of any of there albumes. It is a great show peice to show Zack's progression as a polticle activist and how much he learned. Every song from "Testify" to "War Within A Breath" takes very complicated issues and breaks them down to a simple level that still leaves a lot of room of anayles (although I don't mind if people don't see this too, i am a polticle science major and see things in their songs that others can't) "Maria" is my personal favorite and I am surprised that it wasn't on your 'best tracks' listing, but what ev . . . .
My last beef is this sentance "Every rock fan and communist alike should own a copy."
I think you have grosly missed the averag Rage listener (you cetainly missed me and most of my friends) Yes Rage is very left winged rock. But that is not their main message, esepaically off the '92 albume. If you look at most of the songs they are geared towards saying that american's need to open their eyes. "Killing in the Name", "Take the Power Back", "Settle for Nothing", "Bullet in ya Head", "Know Your Enemy", "Wake Up", "Fistful of Steel", "Township Rebellon", "Freedom", "Snake Charmer", "Wind Below", "Roll Right", "Testify", "New Millennium Homes" and "War Within a Breath" are all songs that in some way or another mention or make it the main point that Americans need to think for themselves and open there eyes. I won't get into it lyrically but trust it's there. That (not soclaism) is their main message. How else could a capitalist such as myself get into them.
Well . . . taht's my peice I'll go away now
My rating of their albume 92---10/10, Evil Empire--9/10, Battle of LA---11/10, Renagades----8/10

Much like Guns n'Roses, after an incendiary, ground-breaking and plain brilliant debut album the band's decreasing quality in output sees them peter out with a covers album. However, unlike with Guns n'Roses and their half-baked "The Spaghetti Incident?" this covers album is actually surprisingly good and certainly not the worst album of their all-too-unproductive career. At the time they, rather arrogantly, claimed that this was more than a mere covers album but just other people's lyrics set to brand new Rage Against the Machine arrangements. In some cases, they are more or less right (mostly the "classics" by the Stones, Dylan and Bruce Springsteen), and obviously I presume the hip-hop covers were not as rock-based originally but they couldn't tell me, with a straight face, that "Kick Out the Jams" or "Down On the Street" are "new" arrangements. Actually, the two rebel rock covers of the MC5 and Stooges' songs are the two most disappointing tracks on the album. Lyrically neither are particularly political so it seems more as if they just wanted to name-check some cool bands so they covered their most famous songs. Zack's vocals are no match for Tyner's or, particularly, Iggy Pop's and both versions lack the energy, passion and excitement of the originals which, given that was their main strength in the first place, is fairly unforgivable. Similarly, de la Rocha's reliance on one emotion (anger) means the sly, sarcastic wit of the Stones' "Street Fighting Man" and, especially, Dylan's "Maggie's Farm" is unfortunately nowhere to be found. On the other hand, the new arrangements are actually quite interesting and although neither are stand-out tracks at least they warrant an inclusion, unlike the Detroit pair. The main strength of this album, though, lies in the hip-hop covers (although perhaps because, in their case, I haven't heard the originals). Zack seems far more comfortable rapping than actually trying to sing (I believe part of the reason he left the band was because he was tired of rock music) and his heart seems far more in it. The opening "Microphone Fiend" features a scorching vocal delivery, whilst for the almost equally as good "Renegades of Funk" Morello almost matches de la Rocha's superiority with a brilliant riff. Cypress Hill's take on gangsta rap, "How I Could Just Kill a Man", I imagine is played quite similar to the original but it stands out as one of the more amusing hip-hop songs I've had the pleasure to hear. I've fuck all idea who originally did "I'm Housin'" but, again, Rage's cover seems pretty sound with more good riffing from Morello. I particularly like the self-correction in the second verse - "go to a party... no, better yet, disco"; although I guess that's a personal preference. The main disappointment regarding the hip-hop covers is actually an exclusion, rather than an inclusion, namely "Fuck Tha Police". Apparently Rage were particularly fond of NWA's incendiary classic, often covering it live, but, for whatever reason, it slipped the net on here. On the other hand, their other famous cover served, more or less, as the whole inspiration for this project. Due to its popularity when played live Rage's drastic reworking of Bruce Springsteen's dark folk song - "The Ghost of Tom Joad" - was originally recorded as a b-side before finding its way on here with subsequent studio covers for company. Obviously the music is entirely different from Springsteen's version but the rumbling bass line, funky riff and dramatic vocal delivery make this a reinterpretation along side Hendrix's infamous reworking of "All Along the Watchtower". Obviously, neither the original nor cover match the quality of Dylan's number but it sure is a successful rendition. Although I'm not sure if it is a direct quote from The Grapes of Wrath (I think Springsteen was paraphrasing, although it's been a long time since I've read the book) the final coda contains some of the greatest lyrics I've ever heard. New Wave and hardcore punk are also referenced with a decent rendition of Devo's "Beautiful World" (with easily Zack's most subtle performance to date) and a run-through of Minor Threat's "In My Eyes" (which sounds like it set the template for the Icarus Line's career). Certainly, this album is not a disappointing finale of Rage's career and most of it serves as an excellent tribute to their influences. Just when nu-metal was starting to blur the differences (you can easily imagine Fred Durst singing lines like "fuck you, I won't do what you tell me") Rage came out and showed themselves to be more than knucklehead frat-boys, with a vast and diverse musical heritage. After all, show me a nu-metal band that would sing the final coda from "The Ghost of Tom Joad": "Whenever ya see a cop beatin' a guy. Wherever a hungry new born baby cries. Wherever there's a fight against the blood and hatred in the air. Look for me ma', I'll be there. Wherever somebody's strugglin' for a place to stand. For a decent job or a helpin' hand. Wherever somebody is strugglin' to be free. Look in their eyes ma, You'll see me."

From: James Parrish

On Renagades, EPMD originally did "I'm Housin'" Get your facts straight, don't review an album of mostly hip-hop covers while not knowing a thing about hip-hop.

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