Rage Against the Machine Albums (5)
What The Critics Say
Rush released after the late-2000 split between Zack de la Rocha and the rest of Rage Against the Machine, the covers album Renegades salutes the band's musical and philosophical roots, ranging from the old-school Bronx to the hard-rockin' Motor City to protest-central Greenwich Village to gangsta-ridden L.A. As could be expected, the set works best when the group focuses on material from its most recent forebears: rappers and hardcore bands. Indeed, Renegades begins with a pair of powerful hip-hop covers -- Eric B & Rakim's "Microphone Fiend" and Volume 10's "Pistol Grip Pump" -- that spotlight Rage's immense strengths: Tom Morello's clean, heavy riffing and vocalist de la Rocha's finely tuned spray of vitriol, just this side of self-righteous. Another hip-hop blast (and the one closest to home), Cypress Hill's "How I Could Just Kill a Man," is even more devastating, an easy pick for the highlight of the album. Listeners familiar with the originals, however, may have trouble with Rage's covers of EPMD's "I'm Housin'," the Stones' "Street Fighting Man," and Dylan's "Maggie's Farm," a trio of original versions whose anger and emotion were conveyed more in the lyrics than the performances. Still, drummer Brad Wilk sets an appropriately frenetic hardcore tempo for the excellent version of Minor Threat's "In My Eyes," and de la Rocha stretches out well on the MC5's "Kick Out the Jams." With just a bare few excepions, Renegades works well, in part because Rage Against the Machine is both smart enough to change very little and talented enough to make the songs its own. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
'Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium'
Release Date 11/14/2000
Tracks 16
Label Sony
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What The Critics Say
Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium documents the last two shows from Rage Against the Machine, recorded in September 2000 for a planned November release, but canceled when the band broke up, and postponed for the second time one year later after three-fourths of the band formed Audioslave with Chris Cornell. Featuring highlights from the two shows, recorded September 12th and 13th, this delayed version of Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium also downplays the cover material that comprised the band's last studio album, Renegades, which is a good thing for the fans who agree that Rage performed better with originals than covers. Early on, the band storms through three of its career highlights -- "Killing in the Name," "Bulls on Parade," and "Bullet in the Head" -- with intense performances that capture its combination of heavy metal strut and punk rock disdain. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
'The Battle of Los Angeles'
Release Date 1/1/1999
Tracks 12
Label Epic
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What The Critics Say
Rage Against the Machine isn't really the only metal band that matters, but their aggressive social and political activism is refreshing, especially in an age of blind (or usually self-directed) rage due to groups like Limp Bizkit, Bush, or Nine Inch Nails. Recorded in less than a month, The Battle of Los Angeles is the most focused album of the band's career, exploding from the gate and rarely letting go the whole way through. Like a few other famous revolution-in-the-head bands (most notably Minor Threat), Rage Against the Machine has always been blessed by the fact that the band is spewing just as much vitriol as its frontman. Any potential problems created here by Zack de la Rocha's one-note delivery and extremist polemics are smoothed over by songs and grooves that make it sound like the revolution really is here, from the single "Guerrilla Radio" to album highlights like "Mic Check," "Calm Like a Bomb," and "Born of a Broken Man." As on the previous two Rage Against the Machine albums, Tom Morello's roster of guitar effects and vicious riffs are nigh overpowering, and are as contagious as the band has ever been since their debut. De la Rocha is best when he has specific targets (like the government or the case against Mumia Abu Jamal), but when he attempts to cover more general societal problems, he falters. If anything less than one of the most talented and fiery bands in the music world were backing him, The Battle of Los Angeles wouldn't be nearly as high-rated as it is. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Rage Against the Machine spent four years making its second album, Evil Empire. As the title suggests, their rage and contempt for the "fascist" capitalist system in America hadn't declined in the nearly half-decade they were away. Their musical approach didn't change, either. Lead vocalist Zack de la Rocha is caught halfway between the militant raps of Chuck D and the fanatical ravings of a street preacher, shouting out his libertarian slogans over the sonically dense assault of the band. Guitarist Tom Morello demonstrates an impressive palette of sound, creating new textures in heavy metal, which is quite difficult, and de la Rocha's dedication to decidedly left-wing politics is admirable, simply because few other performers of the '90s had made any sort of political stance. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'Rage Against the Machine'
Release Date 1/1/1992
Tracks 10
Label Epic
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Rage Against the Machine released this self-titled DVD in 1997. The disc collects live concert footage and music videos of some of their best material. Rage Against the Machine starts with a passionate rendition of Bruce Springsteen's "Ghost of Tom Joad" live from the Irvine Meadows in Irvine, CA. The well-filmed performance captures Rage near the top of their game. (Will listeners ever see a collection that includes the concert from the Democratic Convention?) Seeing Zack de la Rocha interact with a large crowd and the band work a tight, incendiary groove is required to understand the appeal of the now-defunct political rock band. This is underscored by "People of the Sun" and four other songs live from the Rock Am Ring Festival in Germany, where Rage plays before what must be 100,000 people. Rage Against the Machine also includes three songs from the 1996 Redding Festival and a blistering "Killing in the Name Of" from the 1994 Pink Pop Festival. The second half of the DVD is filled with six music videos, including "Freedom" and "Memory of the Dead (Land and Liberty)." Overall, the quality of the video is fine, but the music mix is low and a bit muddy. This is a problem for viewers who want to understand every word de la Rocha says. But there is a lyrics function, which is like subtitling. What musical crispness they lack in concert, Rage makes up for in intensity and energy. The real plus of the collection is that the videos are the uncensored versions, so getting this collection is not like replicating an MTV experience. The best moment of the DVD is a concert appearance by Tom Morello's mother, who plugs boycotting record stores that censor albums and introduces the "best band in the f*cking universe: Rage Against the Machine!" A must-own for fans of Rage Against the Machine and a useful 80 minutes for people who are complacent politically. ~ JT Griffith, All Music Guide
