Metal Machine [Import]

Metal Machine [Import]

Track Listings

1. Metal Gods

2. Distorted Eyes

3. Metal Will Stand Tall

4. Keepre Of The Gate

5. Steel To Steel

6. Metal Machine

7. Fight

8. Dungeons

9. Your Blood Burns In Hell

10. Temple Of The Graal

11. Genesis (Bonus)

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
Japanese edition of the metal act's 2001 release includes one exclusive bonus track 'Genesis'.

Tracks:

Bombtrack
Killing In The Name
Take The Power Back
Settle For Nothing
Bullet In The Head
Know Your Enemy
Wake Up
Fistful Of Steel
Township Rebellion
Freedom

Amazon.com

Not since the days of the Clash and the MC5 has rock seen such political force as in the uncompromising debut from this L.A. quartet. Expanding the hip-hop/metal style of bands such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rage tap the spirits of vintage Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, coupled with hardcore punk intensity and Public Enemy-style grooves. "Bombtrack" opens the LP with a shot of adrenaline and singer Zack de la Rocha's infuriated chorus of "Burn, burn, yes, you're gonna burn!" The intensity doesn't let up an inch on the militant "Killing in the Name" (with the inspiring chant, "Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me!"), the ultrafunky "Bullet in the Head," and the engrossing "Fistful of Steel." Tom Morello combines time-honored metal guitar riffs with sounds that suggest a hip-hop scratcher over a rhythm section that simply takes no prisoners. Intelligent and aggressive, this is unimpeachably one of the best hard-rock records ever made. --James Rotondi

Customer Reviews:

great.......2007-07-29

I am not generally a fan of this type of music but I love this album. Sure some of the lyrics are a little silly but it sounds great cranked up in the car.

Rage brings a new outstanding element.......2007-07-04

Rage Against the Machine hits a grand slam with their first effort. The anger and aggression with the vocals and the hard hitting guitar riffs make a unique combination of style and force not seen in the music industry with this type of flair for a long time. This album is intense, heavy and angry, what more could you want. Outstanding work by Rage Against the Machine.

(Not a kid)The music is still good but...........2007-04-22

....I listened to this when I was very young, it was definitely groundbreaking. As far as infusing rock and rap, Rage did it better than anybody. Better than rivals Downset and Stuck Mojo(who both suck), better than Biohazard, better than Public Enemy and Anthrax. Everything came together and meshed so well. However, the politics....

I'm neither right nor left wing, I dunno what I am....perhaps libertarian? Either way, as I got older, I really found Zach De La Rocha's politics distasteful. In a nutshell, it appears to be this:

-White people: Bad
-Successful white people: Even worse!
-Capitalism: Bad, even though it pays the bills and puts money in RATM's pocket and allows their families to prosper instead of waiting for government handouts
-Education: Bad, although by "bad" they mean it isn't a bunch of Noam Chomsky/Howard Zinn claptrap that enforces white guilt and American self-hate

-Communism: Good, even though it has shown to be a failure
-Socialism: Good, though people seem to rather live in America than Venezuela(why is that Hugo?)
-Illegal immigrants: Good, even though they take jobs, drive down wages, exhaust schools and hospitals and bring their third world crime culture to quiet American communities
-Mumia Abu Jamal: Good, even though the evidence for him murdering a police officer is about as strong as the evidence that Bush invaded Iraq on the basis of lies and greed

In any case, I still enjoy the music, but try and keep an open mind when you listen to this stuff.

The Landmark Heavy Album of the 1990's.......2007-04-03

Classic debut and easily one of the best albums released in the '90s, Rage Against The Machine set the ball rolling for the inevitable mash-up of metal and rap. Granted, this mutation was both for better (RATM themselves) and for worse (Limp Bizkit, Korn, et al), but at the time and even hearing it now, it was an exciting album of possibilities. No, most listeners weren't inspired to change the system or the world, but they undeniably learned a little about what was going on outside of their homes and cities. Like good gangsta rap, one could get a snaphot of things going on in other people's lives. Anyway, if you haven't been ruined by the likes of overdone Korn or Limp Bizkit and want a great album with a point, you could do far worse than to start here.

Still awesome.......2007-04-02

Rage is still one of my all time favorite bands. I bought this CD again after A co-worker brought in this CD. It still kicks ---. If you like a good musical groove and powerful thought provoking lyrics, then check out this CD.

Average customer rating:

The Best Rage Album...?
"Don't mothers make good fathers?"
Raging With the Metal?
best Rage album
DUDE its RAge

Evil Empire
Rage Against the Machine
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Rage Against the Machine
The Battle of Los Angeles
Renegades
Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium
Superunknown

ASIN: B0000029D9
Release Date: 1996-04-16

Tracks:

People Of The Sun
Bulls On Parade
Vietnow
Revolver
Snakecharmer
Tire Me
Down Rodeo
Without A Face
Wind Below
Roll Right
Year Of Tha Boomerang

Amazon.com

As the vitriol spewed from Evil Empire, Rage Against the Machine's long-awaited follow up to their 1993 debut owes much to Chuck D.'s polemic fury and rapid-fire urgency--though as always the band rages without hip-hop machinery in favor of the heavy-duty power tools of rock. But no matter if Rage against the Machine amounts to revolutionary rap, protest metal, or a combination of the two, the band's command of sonic rage makes Evil Empire a powerful assault in any musical language.

But wait, there's more to the name. Raging against the machine, like yelling at the TV, is woefully misdirected. Lyricist Zack de la Rocha is clearly someone with strong political views--particularly when it comes to the plight of fellow Mexicans on both sides of the border. He vents his indignation sharply at times ("Vietnow," "Without a Face"), rather clumsily and artlessly most others. Music this angry should be aimed at something more specific than an entire race or nation or government, or else it risks sounding like the empty rants of confused postpubescent rebellion. If only Rage against the Machine's raw musical muscles were grinding over a focused message, lord knows how potent they could be. --Roni Sarig

Customer Reviews:

The Best Rage Album...?.......2007-07-30

Of their three studio albums, this one is the most experimental. The riffing isn't as repetitive as the first album, and the lyrics aren't quite as juvenile as that release either. (Yes, I realize that their first album is considered a modern classic--but that doesn't mean it isn't without its faults.) "Evil Empire" is the only Rage album that stands up to repeat listenings, in my opinion. It's too bad that they've been out of commission in the post-9/11 era, because we need them now more than ever.

"Don't mothers make good fathers?".......2007-06-13

Inspired for the most part by the mobilization of the anti-globalisation, anti-neoliberalism, anti-imperialist Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Naçional (EZLN) on January 1st 1994, Rage Against the Machine's second album deploys the impoverished Mexican state of Chiapas as the spiritual locale of vocalist Zack de la Rocha's tirade against contemporary America.

Given the frontman's Chicano heritage it is valid to identify Evil Empire as de la Rocha's most personal work, no mean feat for an artist not known for keeping his emotions bottled-up.

The album opens with 'People of the Sun', a spiky number documenting the hardships of the Mexican people and their oppression throughout history at the hands of colonial powers, corruption and bureaucracy, and their neighbour to the north.

Fundamentally connected to the opener are the staccato 'Vietnow' and 'Without a Face', the former condemning the bellicose ideology of right-wing neoconservatism and the expansionist maxim prevailing in Occidental discourse, and the latter detailing individual small-scale delinquency as a simile for larger-scale dissidence and insurgency (as in the case of the Zapatista movement) engendered by colonial signification eroding indigenous identity.

Elaborating on the theme of colonial subjugation, Evil Empire's hit 'Bulls on Parade' underlines the machinations of dominant capitalism, pointing an accusatory finger at the US administration's military-industrial complex whilst disparaging of a governmental inability to identify any correlation between arms production and violent crime.

Musically, Evil Empire is informed more by hip-hop modes than the band's other two original works (1992's Rage Against the Machine and 1999's The Battle of Los Angeles), with the stop-start aesthetic allowing more scope for Tom Morello's typically innovative, often atonal guitar. Bassist Timmy C and drummer Brad Wilk (both of whom went on to become members of Audioslave, along with Morello) are the key players on Evil Empire's propulsive instrumentals however, combining to thunderous effect on 'Revolver' and 'Tire Me' in particular.

Evil Empire is de la Rocha's story though, and despite the polemic subject matter, he delivers each line with a cohesion and clarity superseding Rage's other work.

In these troubled times a lot of people need Rage Against the Machine to lend a voice to their discontent, we can only hope that new material follows their much-vaunted reunion shows. If ever there was a time for Rage to reclaim their vacant mantle of Most Imporant Band in the World, unfilled since they disbanded in 2000, it is surely now.

Raging With the Metal?.......2007-03-04

Released in 1995, funk-metal's Rage Against the Machine released their second album "Evil Empire" after a three year wait (supposedly due to rapper Zack de la Rocha's perfectionist tendencies, as the next album would take four years). The only album that I feel I can fairly make comparisons to is Rage Against the Machine's self-titled, so bear with me. I understand that following up such a classic is impossible, but there are several aspects they failed to capture that made the first album a classic.

Many people have claimed that this album sounds similar to or follows the same formula as 1992's self-titled album, but I disagree; it sounds very different, much slower and darker. There were significant changes in how it was mixed; Zack de la Rocha's vocals are distant, not as clear or up-front as before; Brad Wilk's drums are louder and more expansive, as he tries out different rhythms; Tim Commerford's bass is higher and more frequently distorted in the mix, and isn't nearly as funky or bright, making each song darker; Tom Morello's guitar is almost always heavily distorted, making it sound more like a machine than a string instrument. In fact, this sounds more like a rap-metal album than a funk-metal album. There's pretty much no melody here. Each of the instruments, including the vocals, sound almost audibly equal in volume, blending together into a mush of sound, while their self-titled was careful in making each instrument distinct and bright. The pace has also been slowed significantly and, subsequently, most of the energy has been sucked from this album. This is a bleak listen, and it isn't nearly as colorful or fun as their previous effort. Surprisingly, the only thing different here is producer Brendan O'Brien, with Andy Wallace still behind the mixing tables, so it's possible that the band wanted it this way.

I must give Tom Morello some mention, of course, since his solos are interesting and innovative as always. The highlight here is "Bulls on Parade", where his solo sounds like a DJ scratching a turntable; the fact alone that the man has to duplicate this live is insane. He also adds another dimension to their sound with his electronic playing, creating very unique metallic textures, but it doesn't sound soulful or organic. At times it simply sounds a machine, plowing through the music.

The lyrics were great, and the subjects have become more varied; social commentary seems to share as much of the lyric sheet as the anti-government sentiment. However, Zack's slogans aren't nearly as catchy or energizing as in the debut, maybe because it's so hard to hear them. The biggest problem here would be the vocals; they aren't clean or clear, and they're actually brought down in the mix to the levels of the instrumentation. Zack's vocals add power to the band's sound, but because they seem to blend right in, they don't stand out as much. When he screams, the rhythm section drowns him out, making each scream pointless. Why scream if you can rap normally at the same volume?

This isn't packed with instant rock classics like in their self-titled, with the whole CD feeling more like a rap-oriented metal album, and some of the tracks are a real drag (I struggled to get through "Wind Below" without switching tracks; the whole carnival guitar effect is sweet, but listening to it trudge on is so damn borning). If you're a first-timer, I advise you get their self-titled debut if you want to see the band at their prime. If you're a fan, I definitely recommend this, although I suggest you keep your mind open and brace yourself. There are some moments where this album really shines, like "Bulls on Parade", "Revolver", and "Snakecharmer", but other times I found songs to be bland (especially "People of the Sun" and "Vietnow"). Don't get me wrong, I love this band and I tried like hell to get into this CD, but "Evil Empire" just doesn't do it for me. Thankfully, they recapture their sound on their next album, "The Battle of Los Angeles".

People of the Sun (6/10)
Bulls on Parade (10/10*)
Vietnow (6/10)
Revolver (8/10)
Snakecharmer (9/10)
Tire Me (8/10)
Down Rodeo (8/10)
Without a Face (7/10)
Wind Below (5/10)
Roll Right (5/10)
Year of tha Boomerang (7/10)

* Favorite track

best Rage album.......2007-02-23

This is one of the best Rage Against the Machine albums ever. If your a Rage fan or not you should know the words to almost all the songs on this album.

DUDE its RAge.......2007-02-19

Evil Empire Is One of the best albums of all time without a doubt

Average customer rating:

The Battle For Los Angeles
If you like Rage, this is the best album
Fantastic Album
Better than "Evil Empire."
Worth owning for one song, but the rest are very good too

The Battle of Los Angeles
Rage Against the Machine
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Evil Empire
Rage Against the Machine
Renegades
Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium
Audioslave

Accessories:

Sonny Bones

ASIN: B00002MZ2C
Release Date: 1999-11-02

Tracks:

Testify
Guerrilla Radio
Calm Like A Bomb
Mic Check (Once Hunting, Now Hunted)
Sleep Now In The Fire
Born Of A Broken Man
Born As Ghosts
Maria
Voice Of The Voiceless
New Millennium Homes
Ashes In The Fall
War Within A Breath

Amazon.com

Having successfully fused music and politics from their start, inspiring both moshing and young minds in the process, Rage Against the Machine emerges in peak form with merely their third album in seven years. Guitarist Tom Morello is one of the most distinctive and innovative players of his era, and his foil, vocalist/lyricist Zack De La Rocha, is as unrelenting and inspiring as ever on The Battle of Los Angeles. Rage, whose past antics include performing naked with duct tape over their mouths to protest censorship, released Battle on Election Day, but the politics of the group can be separated from the sounds. Indeed, the 45 minutes of mayhem heard here can be enjoyed solely as rousing aggro hip-hop rock. There's more variety found on Battle than on its predecessors, however. "Sleep Now in the Fire" is one of their most straight-ahead rock tunes. The trippy guitar on "Calm Like a Bomb" is out there even for the adventurous Morello. And "Born a Broken Man" serves up lovely musical interludes. Overall, the more finely honed Rage heard on Battle may not inspire a generation of young revolutionaries, but they still stir up more mutinous spirit than the rest of the current rock pack. --Katherine Turman

Customer Reviews:

The Battle For Los Angeles.......2007-04-24

Rage Against The Machine-The Battle For Los Angeles *****

Many a Rage fan as well as critic well tell you that The Battle Of Los Angeles is the very best album that Rage ever made. Is this the case, is this really better then the self titled debut Rage Against The Mahine, probably. But you will have to be the judge of that one. One thing is for sure if this isnt the bands all time best effort it is a vert close second. The bands cover album Renagades was good, but this is better, Evil Empire was a killer album but once again this takes the cake of that one as well. The bands only equal comparason is the debut.

The Battle Of Los Angeles is a solid album through and through, not a bad track to be heard. Being released in late 1999, early 2000, at the dawn of a new millenium when the band was reaching its breaking point and on the eve of spliting they managed to hold it together and create one of the best rock albums of the last 25 years. Zack De La Rochas lyrics were the most focust and coherent they had ever been, and his vocal delivery is insane. Tim C, and Brad Wilk who may make up the greatest rhythm section in all of rock n' roll hold the album together as a whole. Then there is Tom who once again raised the bar as far as what is possible with the guitar. Tom Morello is easily one of the greatest guitarist ever to pick up the six string. Not only with his effects pedels but without them as well.

Songs like the major hit singles 'Testify' 'Guerrilla Radio' and the phenomenol 'Sleep Now In The Fire' helped to propel the album to the number one spot and sell millions of copies. Those three songs have gone on to become radio staples still seven yers after the album was released. 'Calm Like A Bomb' 'Mic Check' and 'Born As Ghosts' are similure and slower songs that really are nice for a change of pace. 'Born Of A Broken Man' is one of the better songs the band ever recorded. You can really here the punk influence on this song. The album closes with 'War Within A Breath' which is the prefect song to close the album.

Once you end the album all the messages in the songs come together into one and you can really here the cry for the great state of California that they love and how it has gone so far down hill. And in the end The Battle Of Los Angeles is an amazing album by on eof the greatest rock bands of all time.

If you like Rage, this is the best album.......2007-04-03

I like all of the Rage albums, but this one is better than the other two. More metal-oriented guitar and the songs are more political. If you had to buy one Rage album, this is the one to get.

Fantastic Album.......2006-08-21

Rage Against the Machine is a band I only started listening to out of curiosity. I'd never heard any of their music, but I had gotten into Audioslave and wanted to see what these guys were like. Rage is a unique band in many ways. First off, this album (their final album, which was called Album of the Year by many Rock magazines; Even Time Magazine in fact) is amazing. Every song is good and not just in the sense, it's not bad. You can listen to each of these songs a few times over, there's not one track I'd skip over while listening to it. Tom Morello (who does stuff with a guitar that the best guitar players in the world couldn't do) is in top form; Tim Commerford cranks out some great basslines here (most notably in "Calm Like a Bomb"), and Brad Wilk is of course great. Zack De La Rocha's vocals and lyrics are very angry and very political here; He makes some genuine points though. That's one of the things I find most impressive about Rage. A lot of bands that do political songs, wind up with good lyrics and bad songs. It doesn't even matter if you're listening to the lyrics on this album; The music is still completely enjoyable. If you're looking to buy a really good CD, then get this. Here are the tracks and occasional in-depth commentary:

1. Testify-5/5
2. Guerilla Radio-5/5-One of my favorite songs on the album.
3. Calm Like a Bomb-5/5-One of my favorite Rage songs. It's really catchy and you can't beat Tom Morrello's riffs.
4. Mic Check-5/5-I love the lyrics; I love the chorus. Great song.
5. Sleep Now in the Fire-5/5-The guitar riff in this song is awesome. As are the lyrics; One of my favorite songs on here.
6. Born of a Broken Man-5/5-Zack De La Rocha speaks the verses and then pours energy into the chorus. I know some people who don't like this song, I love it.
7. Born as Ghosts-5/5-My 2nd favorite song on the album.
8. Maria-5/5
9. Voice of the Voiceless-5/5-It's short, but it's a great song.
10. New Millenium Homes-5/5-This probably ties as my 2nd favorite song. It sounds a little like Bulls on Parade, but the lyrics and music are awesome.
11. Ashes in the Fall-5/5-The music is awesome. De La Rocha whispering "Like ashes in the fall" is kind of creepy; Angry lyrics that definitely get their point across.
12. War Within a Breath-5/5-And a very impressive album closer. Some of the best drumming is on this track.
GRADE: A

Better than "Evil Empire.".......2006-04-08

This is a definite improvement from "Evil Empire," which incorporated too much alternative elements, these tracks are more hard-rockish than on the previous album but not quite at the level on their self-titled. Tom Morello touched up his unique style of solos into something that sounds good rather than weird in EE, especially in "Guerilla Radio." If you're a big fan of Timmy C.'s basslines, this is where he shines the most. Zach's lyrics and rhyming are really centered around the problems in Mexico and the 2000 Presidential Election, these have also improved from their sophomore slump.

The only annoying track on here was "Mic Check," everything else was good, especially "Guerilla Radio," "Ashes in the Fall," "Maria," and "Voice of the Voiceless."

Its not great, but its defitely better than "Significant Crap" from Limp Bizs**t.

If you're a Rage' fan, I suggest you pick this up.

Worth owning for one song, but the rest are very good too.......2006-03-29

I'll keep this short and sweet since, while I think this album was excellent, I don't view "The Battle of Los Angeles" to be the band's finest work. I think that's a toss-up between their debut and the nigh-perfect "Evil Empire." This band told it like it was, is, and will likely, unfortunately, continue to be each and every time they released an album.

However, this one digs into the band's favorite topics a little deeper and what it uncovers is hideous and depressing. From songs ranging about the destitution-to-desperation of the poor in Mexico ("Maria") to the us-against-them nature of abandoned/forgotten ethic groups/gangs in the inner city ("Born As Ghosts") to a song about one of their biggest causes, the freedom of (perhaps wrongly) convicted cop-killer Mumia Abu-Jamal and other so-called criminals that may be in the same boat ("Voice of the Voiceless"), this album doesn't relent until the CD ends.

However, the one track that has always stuck out in my mind as the glimpse behind the curtain to which all others should be compared is the masterful "Ashes in the Fall," perhaps the band's most gut-wrenching, soul-searing track in its entire career.

The song takes an unflinching look at poverty and the plight of the lower class, immigrants and homeless: the very people that the government should be taking care of that it instead allows to fend for themselves. Starving, desperate, abused, and neglected, these people see no other way out of their situation than resorting to violence and crime...actions for which they are arrested and imprisoned, if not killed outright. The song's most gripping moment is when Zach de la Rocha mockingly screams, "Ain't it funny how the factory doors close 'round the time that the school doors close? 'Round the time that the doors of the jail cell open up to greet you like the Reaper?"

In other words, while most children are entering/leaving school, the pvverty-stricken are walking into factories where they can be promised low wages and grueling work until the whistle blows. If not that, then finding trouble and expending what little life is left inside them in the confines of a prison cell. It is a bleak image and all too true in the darker corners of every city in the United States.

As others have said, the reference to the new sound being just like the old sound is a snide reminder to the listener that the grandiose speeches of the government's appointed representatives are just echoes of all that was said by those who came before them. And all the while, a voice can be heard in the undercurrent calling for the expulsion of all "non-natives" in favor of the so-called "chosen" people of God, a direct contradiction to everything the founders of the nation believed it should be about, according to the Constitution.

It is an exceptional song on the strength of its lyrics alone, but the band truly outdid itself with the music, from the high-pitched cry of the guitar to the soft rhthym of the bass during the build to the song's final crescendo.

I don't know if there's a human being that can listen to this song and not feel his or her soul quail in horror at the images it creates. If such a person exists, I hope we never meet.

Average customer rating:

Reun1te / Political Agenda
Rage Keep On Rockin' 'Til The Morning Comes
Rage Covers It All
The Original Artists
Music Orientated When Hip-Hop Originated, Fitted Like Pieces Of Puzzles....Complicated...

Renegades
Rage Against the Machine
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Battle of Los Angeles
Evil Empire
Rage Against the Machine
Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium
Live & Rare

ASIN: B000053EZW
Release Date: 2000-12-05

Tracks:

Microphone Fiend
Pistol Grip Pump
Kick Out The Jams
Renegades Of Funk
Beautiful World
I'm Housin'
In My Eyes
How I Could Just Kill A Man
The Ghost Of Tom Joad
Down On The Street
Street Fighting Man
Maggie's Farm
Bonus Track 01
Bonus Track 02

Amazon.com

If Renegades proves to be the last Rage Against the Machine album to feature singer Zack de la Rocha, who quit the band after nine years, it's a cool way to go out. Produced by Rick Rubin, Renegades is a salute to the artists who made Rage what they are--or were. While it's easy to hear Rage's rap roots in songs from Afrika Bambaataa, EPMD, and Volume 10, it's more interesting to see their take on rock in its classic and punk forms. Rage capture the raw spirit, if not the quite the intensity, inherent in the MC5 classic "Kick Out the Jams." A superior second live take appears at the CD's end, followed by a concert version of Cypress Hill's "How I Could Just Kill a Man," with help from B-Real and Sen Dog. Devo's "Beautiful World" is rendered quietly unrecognizable, while Minor Threat's "In My Eyes" is given a wonderfully melodic, ultra-aggro treatment. The Rolling Stones' "Street Fighting Man" takes on a techno vibe that's unsettling and Bob Dylan's "Maggie's Farm" is also effectively modernized. Ultimately, Renegades is a must-have for its song selection, musical execution, and the unhappy fact that it's likely the ultimate offering from one of rock's most musically and politically relevant lineups. --Katherine Turman

Customer Reviews:

Reun1te / Political Agenda.......2007-02-14

When I heard Zack had left the band due to 'creative differences' I was not happy but continued to live with hope that it was not the end of the Rage. Seven years later, they are doing a 1 off concert & just like many out there lets hope they re-ignite the sparks & reform the magical chemistry that in my opinion has never died!
Does anyone own the live & rare Rage cd, if you listen to it, Zack states lets bombard this Leonard Paltere's (SP) mail box until we win, maybe all us Rage fans need to bombard the record company's or the members of Rage themseleves until they do what they again do what they do best & that is make music as Rage Against The Machine.
Yo Check it, as I listen to their material daily even today I can find more passion in Rage than a run down mill scrap band that is Audioslave (namely due to Chris Cornell's semi attempted alright vocals), most of their mateiral in their first 2 albums could have easily been reworked for Rage as a lot of Rage was coming through & the only difference is Chris Cornell was on lead vocals & I am glad I did not see them live when they started playing Rage material (what kind of hypocracy is that?) - man he would have ruined all meaning & destroyed the funk blast!
So cut the chord & get this musical act of RATM back on track, you guys would with ease be no. 1 (not that you lot would care about the fat checks due to the political nature/agenda of the band).
Tom Morello - you are an outstanding guitarist, I could not believe those sounds could be made by guitar but a lot of what you did in Audioslave was just borrowed from Rage, however the rhythm section of Audio is great (esp. Brad he really takes drumming to new levels).
Hopefully the panther the brother De La Rocha has in his 7 year absence written some stronger much needed material due to the musical junk out there today & if there is any hope & in life if I saw a mission that is accomplished it would be Rage reformed & continuing on til their last breath/s.
Not everyone is gifted as musicains so why throw it away guys for a half rate band Audislave? Give me the mic so I can scream "COME ON...AAARRRGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!"
When I think Rage I can with ease think of their song titles:
Bombtrack, Killing in the Name Of, Take the Power Back, Know Your Enemy, Wake Up, Township Rebellion, Freedom, People of the Sun, Bulls on Parade, Vietnow, Revoler, Snakecharmer, Down Rhode, Without a Face, Year of the Boomerang, Testify, Guerrila Radio, Mic Check, Sleep Now In The Fire, Voice of the Voiceless, Maria, Ashes In The Fall, War Within A Breath, No Shelter, Microphone Fiend, Pistol Grip Pump, Renegades of Funk, How I Could Just Kill A Man, Street Fighting Man, Maggies Farm...Wow!!!
Zack - we need & long for you in the music industry more than ever as there has been no one out there able to spit truth like it needs to be done on a microphone only you as the front man of Rage Against The Machine can pull this off.
Peace out my panthers my brothers!

Rage Keep On Rockin' 'Til The Morning Comes.......2007-01-26

Even though "Renegades," Rage Against The Machine's last album, was merely a cover album, it still solidifies the band's career and legendary status as the most active and unique protest rock band for Generation X and as innovators of the ill-fated rap-rock movement. All 12 covers -- spanning from hip-hop to punk to classic rock -- fit perfectly into Rage Against The Machine's songbook, keeping a clear message and not sacrificing one ounce of intergrity or energy. Although the rumors of frontman Zach De La Rocha's disdain for the release of the album have been blamed for the break-up of the band, "Renegades" still stands as yet another exercise in fist-pumping power and excellent and inventive musicianship. Truly, Rage Against The Machine in top form once again.

Hearing Zach spit out rhymes on hip-hop classics such as "Microphone Friend" and "How I Could Just Kill A Man" sounds only natural, but it's when the band ventures into other, less predictable territories that this album really shines. Perfect example would be their cover of Devo's "Beautiful World," a haunting, moving and surprisingly melodic commentary on the state of the world that still holds up today, just as it did in the 80's, and takes the Rage sound into a new realm. On the flipside, "Kick Out The Jams" (originally by MC5), is a brilliant merger of the signature Rage style with the fury of old-school punk. One of the more energetic tracks, this song is truly the point where the album takes shape. "In My Eyes" (originally by Minor Threat) takes on the same tone as "Kick Out The Jams," and remains another highlight, but elsewhere, on the Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen covers, "Maggie's Farm" and "The Ghost Of Tom Joad," the band shows some true influences that never really stood out before. The 12 song set is supported by two bonus live tracks: "Kick Out The Jams" and "How I Could Just Kill A Man," which just further solidify Rage's reputation as one of the best live bands of their time. The latter even features a guest appearance by B-Real and Sen Dog of Cypress Hill.

Overall, "Renegades" is a proper goodbye, that shows it's true roots and honors the band's influences with large amounts of respect and excellent musicianship. It's a shame that their last studio album wasn't original material, but this is just as good. With a Rage Against The Machine reunion on the horizon, who knows what the future will bring. But even if they don't make another album, "Renegades" still shows the band at their best, turning some classics into new anthems for the new millennium.

Rage Covers It All.......2006-12-16

This is a monster cover album. Not many bands can do an album of cover versions and do justice to many songs, but Rage make these songs their own.
Zach's crisp strong vocals are gripping as always and the band is peaking here.

Highlights are Microphone Fiend, Beautiful World, In My Eyes & Maggies Farm.

Pure heavy funk, not just for Rage fans....

The Original Artists.......2006-02-03

1. Microphone fiend - Eric B and Rakim
2. Pistol grip pump - Volume 10
3. Kick out the jam - MC5
4. Renegades of funk - Afrika Bambattaa
5. Beautiful world - Devo
6. I'm housin' - EPMD
7. In my eyes - Minor Threat
8. How could I just kill a man - Cypress Hill
9. The ghost of Tom Joad - Bruce Springsteen
10. Down on the street - The Stooges
11. Street fighting man - The Rolling Stones
12. Maggies farm - Bob Dylan

Music Orientated When Hip-Hop Originated, Fitted Like Pieces Of Puzzles....Complicated..........2005-11-28

In My Opinion this is just another work of pure genious by RATM, the fact that every song on here is good only adds to that...

Every thing here is pretty well perfect, the bonus tracks are pretty cool, and feature, "How I Could Just Kill A Man" with some other arttists.

Every thing here is near perfect, there isn't much more to say.

Album Highlights...

Microphone Fiend
Housin'
How I Could Just Kill A Man
Renegades Of Funk

Average customer rating:

Totally Awesome
Hands down best album of their career (and best album of the last few years, at least for me)
The Blackening !!
The solo are great but...
Heavy..., but boring

The Blackening
Machine Head
Manufacturer: Roadrunner Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000N3ST9I
Release Date: 2007-03-22

Tracks:

Clenching the Fists of Dissent
Beautiful Mourning
Aesthetics of Hate
Now I Lay Thee Down
Slanderous
Halo
Wolves
A Farewell to Arms

Album Description

Bay Area metal masters Machine Head are back with The Blackening, a glorious follow up to the critically acclaimed Through The Ashes of Empires. An evolutionary album, The Blackening features Machine Head staying true to their roots with some of the heaviest riffs ever recorded while incorporating many beautiful, melodic choruses. Produced by Robert Flynn (Machine Head vocalist/guitarist) and mixed by Colin Richardson (Fear Factory, Cradle of Filth, Bullet for My Valentine), The Blackening marks Machine Head's strong return to the forefront of the metal world. A heavy, technical album that, while rooted in 90s metal, pushes the boundaries of hard music well into the future with songs like "Aesthetics of Hate," "Halo," "Now I Lay Thee Down," "Beautiful Mourning" and more. Machine Head are Robert Flynn (vocals/guitar), Phil Demmel (lead guitar), Adam Duce (bass/harmony vocals), Dave McClain (drums)

Customer Reviews:

Totally Awesome.......2007-07-31

Awesome is the only word that I can think of to describe The Blackening, the music and the vocals are really incredible, this album as far as heavy goes is simply pure metal and brutality from the opening of "Clenching the Fists of Descent" to the end of "A Farewell to Arms"also I would like to add that the melodic parts of the album are great, but it's still heavy. Overall I would rate this album 10/10 because the musicianship is tight on the album, the speed of the guitar, bass, and drums mixed in with the melodic parts are incredible, and also the way the vocals range growls and screams to the clear singing is really good. I would highly recomend this album to anyone who would ask me about itand to those who check this album out you will not be disappointed.

Hands down best album of their career (and best album of the last few years, at least for me).......2007-06-25

Everyone wants to talk about a return to form; back to the days of "Burn my Eyes". I think they re molded that form into something completely different. The energy on this album is insane.

Best album since since Heaven Shall Burn's "Antigone" - for me at least.

The Blackening !!.......2007-06-20

This is hands down the best metal record this century. Metal fans of old will embrace this and newer metal fans should be influenced by this.

The solo are great but..........2007-06-18

If you want to hear through the ashes... with great solo guitar you should get this album, but what makes this album get 2 star from me is after the song title "now i lay thee down" you only get song that sound sooo nu metal, yes i only like the first three song from this album, man this album is dissapointing me

Heavy..., but boring.......2007-06-14

I had read all about Machine Head's "The Blackening" album as a "return to their thrashing ways...", so I went out and bought it. Boy, was I disappointed! While the album is indeed heavy metal, it's just dull, with very few interesting guitars and vocals that just bore the heck out of me. I loved Robb's old Vio-lence stuff, and was hoping for more (maybe that's my own fault).

While I don't discourage others from getting this album, it won't be in my collection. Already traded it in... Sorry.

Average customer rating:

Classic Rock Collection
Heavy Metal Classic!
Do I even need to go "In-Depth"?
A guilty pleasure
Simply The Best

Machine Head
Deep Purple
Manufacturer: Warner Bros / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Fireball
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Who Do We Think We Are

ASIN: B000002KHB
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Highway Star
Maybe I'm A Leo
Pictures Of Home
Never Before
Smoke On The Water
Lazy
Space Truckin'

Amazon.com

Home of "Smoke on the Water" and "Highway Star," Machine Head blends proto-metal density with epic arrangements, resulting in a record that's far more grandiose than the sum of its parts. --Jon Wiederhorn

Customer Reviews:

Classic Rock Collection.......2007-07-04

This is a must have to round out your classic rock collection. Highway Star and Smoke on the Water were big hits in the early 70s. Really enjoy listening Highway Star while riding my Harley.

Heavy Metal Classic!.......2007-02-08

Deep Purple hit their peak with this one...Every song's a winner.
Too bad "Smoke on the water" gets so much airplay, at the expense of the other songs. Did you EVER hear "Lazy" on the radio? Blackmore, Gillan, Paice, Glover & Lord - The whole was greater than the sum of its parts.
The drumming is unbelieveable on this album!

Do I even need to go "In-Depth"?.......2007-01-07

Seriously, 3 of the 7 songs on this album are classic hard rock anthems! Smoke On The Water, Highway Star, and Space Truckin'! Nuff said!!!! Deep Purple pretty much invented heavy metal. It was either them or Ozzy.

A guilty pleasure.......2006-11-29

Best hard rock album ever? Uh, NO. I'm sorry, but I fail to see what the big deal about this record is. Smoke on the Water's cool (obviously), and I like Highway Star, Lazy and Space Truckin' too. But this is a disposable album, I mean listen to songs like Maybe I'm a Leo, Never Before or Pictures of Home and you'll see what I mean. Ritchie Blackmore lacks the creativity, sheer virtuosity, and personality of Jimi Hendrix, but he's a passable guitarist, and he has a way with a riff (Smoke on the Water, for instance). The rest of the group's faceless, though, and the record offers no surprises. with the exception of the harmonica solo on Lazy. I'll admit that caught me off-guard. And the less that can be said about the lyrics, the better. But if you're willing to look past all those flaws (and trust me, there are lots), you'll find it's a fun headbanging indulgence meant for occasional spins.
Recommended listening for hard rock fans (I hate the term metal - it calls to mind those awful hair-metal, death-metal and nu-metal bands)
Back in Black (AC/DC)
Appetite for Destruction (Guns 'n' Roses)
Paranoid (Black Sabbath)
Houses of the Holy (Led Zeppelin)
Are You Experienced? (Jimi Hendrix)
Disraeli Gears (Cream)
All are miles ahead of this.

Simply The Best.......2006-11-21

Ahh, Machine Head! I remember when this came out. I bought the cassette, and within 4 years had literally played it to shreds. Then I bought another cassette. It was one of the first cd's I ever bought, but the first cd was pretty poor sound quality. I found a German cd at a used record store, and the sound quality was excellent. Then, there was the 25th anniversary cd, which was top notch, too. All in all, I figure Deep Purple owes me a gold record for the amount of money I've spent on Machine Head. And it's been worth every penny.

"Highway Star" is a great way to start an album Awesome. All of the songs are great here. "Smoke On The Water" and "Space Truckin'" are the popular ones, but I've always been partial to "Maybe I'm A Leo."

This is one awesome album. If you don't own it, why not?

Average customer rating:

A Masterpiece...
Still a great album more than a decade and a half later
Revisiting Pretty Hate Machine: when Reznor wrote well
Trent kicks in the door
Nine Inch Nails - The Early Years

Pretty Hate Machine
Nine Inch Nails
Manufacturer: Rykodisc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000BWHE6K
Release Date: 2005-11-22

Tracks:

Head Like A Hole
Terrible Lie
Down In It
Sanctified
Something I Can Never Have
Kinda I Want To
Sin
That's What I Get
The Only Time
Ringfinger

Customer Reviews:

A Masterpiece..........2007-07-02

This one still pleases after what, 10 or so years? "Pretty Hate Machine" was my intro to NIN. Previously I would never have chosen to listen to it, but my then-boyfriend (now husband) was a huge fan.

I'll never forget the first time he played it -- we were in his room at his townhome, hanging out with a bunch of friends. It was on a six-CD changer, and when it started I was just mesmerized. To say that this kind of music had NEVER been in my repertoire before would be a serious understatement! However, as foreign as that industrial tech sound was to my ears, I was hooked.

Fast forward 10 years -- boyfriend is now my husband -- and now we have 3 kids; still, we bring out this CD a LOT (well, when the kids are in bed, LOL). It is just as good now as it was back then. Never tire of it.

There are many NIN songs that I love, but what stands out about "Pretty Hate Machine" is the fact that every song on there hits the ball out of the park. That is sooooo rare for any album -- there are always those "quick, skip to the next track" songs on most albums.

Love Trent, Love NIN. Love "Pretty Hate Machine". Coming from a person who usually thinks industrial-tech music is irritating as hell, this is a big compliment!

Still a great album more than a decade and a half later.......2007-06-08

I'm just about the last person on earth you'd expect to find listening to harsh industrial rock, but I've loved Pretty Hate Machine since I first heard it waaaaay back in college. The innovative sound of this album introduced people like me to a whole new kind of music. More than a decade and a half later, I still love listening to it. At a time when the music world was having a difficult time figuring out what to do after the 1980s, Reznor blew the doors wide open for all kinds of new sounds and set the stage for a broad range of music that appeared during the 1990s. It's amazing that a debut album could have that big of an impact, but it truly did. Great stuff.

Revisiting Pretty Hate Machine: when Reznor wrote well.......2007-06-06

Pretty Hate Machine is the soundtrack of an adolescent emotional crisis. I don't just mean that it's loud, angry and self-absorbed. That would hardly be interesting. No, much more than that, it very accurately depicts the feelings and mindset of that time in a person's life. And because Trent Reznor really did make it big by being loud, angry and self-absorbed (on The Downward Spiral, in 1994), it became easy to forget just how accurate his writing is on his first album.

Musically, The Downward Spiral is superior to Pretty Hate Machine. Actually, Pretty Hate Machine doesn't have all that much music. There is a musical backdrop for Reznor's voice, but it mostly consists of straightforward dance rhythms and some keyboard textures that don't really stand out. Very few songs on the album have stand-alone musical hooks.

But that's fine, because the album is all about Reznor. His voice is the one stand-alone hook. In almost every song, the lyrics are arranged into extremely catchy rhythms, occasionally with elaborate rhyme schemes and metric structure. And Reznor always delivers them with extremely clear, forceful diction. The best example of this is "Sin." The music is fairly forgettable, just a simple house beat, some industrial noises and one keyboard line, but the vocals are striking. When I first heard the album, I couldn't remember any of the music, but the vocal rhythms immediately became ingrained in my memory.

Nine Inch Nails is an industrial band, but this particular album has more in common with new wave than with industrial. In fact, it greatly resembles another debut album by an angry young man, Soul Mining by Matt Johnson. Both albums have very similar introspective and emotional subject matter, down to the obsession with god and betrayal, and both are dance-inspired and almost completely electronic. It's no surprise that Reznor is an admirer of Johnson's work, and Johnson's The The was briefly signed to Reznor's Nothing label around 2000.

Reznor's melodramatic grandstanding is on full display here. "Head Like A Hole" describes a conflict with some vague, faceless "god money" who wants to "control" everything. In "Terrible Lie," Reznor states, "I'm on my hands and knees / I want so much to believe," which he repeats almost verbatim on his most recent album Year Zero. Unsurprisingly, these are the most famous songs from the album, and the ones most frequently performed live, because they're the closest in style to Reznor's later work. But his delivery in these songs is perfect, so they still remain his best expressions of this kind of sentiment.

But in the less famous songs on the second side, Reznor shows a different worldview. Let me quote the first verse of "Ringfinger" in full: "Well, you've got me working so hard lately / Working my hands until they bleed / If I was twice the man I could be / I'd still be half of what you need / Still you lead me and I follow / Anything you ask, you know I'll do / This one act of consecration / Is what I ask of you." This is actually good writing. None of the rhymes are forced and the verse makes perfect sense (unfortunately, the second verse adds a tired Christ metaphor, but whatever). Now, what's Trent talking about? That's right: he's asking the girl he likes to marry him!

You see, he doesn't do this on The Downward Spiral, because on The Downward Spiral he presents himself as a suffering poet and artist, a tormented larger-than-life rock-god. Tormented larger-than-life rock-gods do not make marriage proposals, that can only be the act of an ordinary man, one who has to work hard every day. And that is why Pretty Hate Machine is the better album: because it depicts the same dramatic emotions realistically, from the perspective of an ordinary man who just wants to settle down with a nice girl, and worries that she'll refuse his proposal.

"That's What I Get" is written in the same way: "How could you turn me into this / After you just taught me how to kiss you?" This is melodramatic, but it's exactly how a bewildered, sensitive teenage boy would feel upon finding out that the girl he loves has been around. On The Downward Spiral, Trent already knows how to kiss you, in fact he wants to boink you like an animal because it makes him feel closer to god. "Closer" is how sensitive teenage boys want to be, and "That's What I Get" is how they really are.

"The Only Time" has a simplistic screaming chorus, but the verses are brilliant. Dig this: "I'm drunk and right now I am so in love with you / and I don't want to think too much about what we should or shouldn't do," and then the sensual and perceptive addition, "I swear I've just found everything I need / The sweat in your eyes, the blood in your veins are listening to me." It's such a shame that he doesn't write this way anymore, because there are so few rock lyricists who can (actually Matt Johnson is one). Instead, they over-dramatize themselves, much like Reznor on the later Nine Inch Nails albums.

Perversely, the ballad "Something I Can Never Have," which is much more famous, is actually much weaker than these songs, because it's so much more vague. But somehow the "honest" songs make the "vague" songs sound more convincing. So, on the whole, the album sounds sincere and intelligent.

The reissue of the album is disappointing, because it could have included a significant amount of totally original unreleased material, songs like "Maybe Just Once," "Purest Feeling," and "Now I'm Nothing," as well as the Queen cover that came out on the "Sin" single. Hopefully the next reissue will fix that problem. But even as it is, this album features Reznor's best writing, which is much better than his later work might lead one to believe.

Trent kicks in the door.......2007-04-30

Pretty hate machine is one of the best debuts. With a reggae influance on Head like ahole terrible lie Kinda i want to Thats what i get and The only time Phm stood out and set the tone for NIN.Ringfinger is great the heaviest song on here. Something i can never have is a sad ballad it is emotional and deep. Sanctified is good with the chant reminescent of the popular chant cd from back then. Sin is still a highlight of a NIN concert. Pretty hate machine opened the door and set the stage for change in a then stagnant music scene.

Nine Inch Nails - The Early Years.......2007-04-13

Coming from a band better known for the dense soundscapes and industrial grit of, say, The Downward Spiral, the minimalist style of Nine Inch Nails' first full-length album will surprise fans more familiar with the band's later work. The term "band" should be used loosely though, since, save for a few guests, all the music is written and performed by frontman Trent Reznor. All the more impresseive then, that Pretty Hate Machine is the album that first introduced industrial (in some form) into the mainstream by blending it with with pop sensibilities and producing memorable singles like Head Like A Hole and Terrible Lie. Of course, that all depends on how one defines "industrial", but the new wave / Depeche Mode feel comes on strong. Trent himself sites 80's electronic icon Gary Numan ("Cars") as a major influence, and it's most noticable on this early material. Programmed drum beats, presumably reconstructed from sampled old school hip hop loops (think Run DMC - keep in mind it was 1989) snap, crackle and pop from under layers (but not many layers) of beeps, trippy synthesizers, and blasts of distorted guitar (or more likely distorted synth). The most noticeable deviation is Something I Can Never Have, a piano-driven piece that starts out quiet and builds to an emotionally-wrought crescendo. Other noteworthy tracks include the singles Sin and Down In It. For someone who's new to the band, I'd recommend starting with The Downward Spiral or maybe The Fragile. Pretty Hate Machine sounds like a pretty dated machine by today's standards, but it's a great album, especially for Nine Inch Nails fans.

Average customer rating:

Good songs, good look.
The best NIN album ever
lost the cassette tape
Not a kid, just don't have my own Amazon account.
Great Album, but the domestic version

Pretty Hate Machine
Nine Inch Nails
Manufacturer: Umvd Import
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000025WXZ
Release Date: 2005-10-04

Tracks:

Head Like a Hole
Terrible Lie
Down in It
Sanctified
Something I Can Never Have
Kinda I Want To
Sin
That's What I Get
Only Time
Ringfinger

Amazon.com essential recording

Considered the breakthrough album that delivered a more palatable version of industrial music to the commercial audience, Pretty Hate Machine left its dingy mark on pop culture. The abrasive "sonarchy" of the album was first churned by despondent club-goers who roiled with the rhythms and aligned with the angst-ridden convictions. Since its release, the album's tempered deviations came to signify an aesthetic reverie for machine-driven martyrdom. Permeated by hissing engines and dissonant strains, the tracks cascade outside channels of modern complacency. Hits like "Head Like a Hole" and "Down in It" are recognized by the acidic beats, piercing riffs, and lyrical hostilities which snare the listener with disparaging rhapsody. Not for the light-headed, Pretty Hate Machine afflicts the inner sanctum and strikes a nerve. --Lucas Hilbert

Album Description

Unavailable domestically for a number of years and with his new album 'With Teeth' due at the end of April, there is bound to be renewed interest in his ground-breaking debut. Originally released in 1989, this Interscope Import version features the same 10 tracks as the TVT edition. Includes the singles, 'Head Like A Hole', 'Sin' and 'Down In It'. Nothing/Interscope.

Album Details

Trent Reznor and Company's Groundbreaking Album that Includes the Hit Singles "Head Like a Hole" and "Sin".

Customer Reviews:

Good songs, good look........2007-05-13

Since it's an import, I would think there's something different from it and the US version. turns out when I purchased it, I got a colored cd! It doesn't make much of difference to most people, but it did to me. The scheme is bascially the same as the album art is, so it's matching somewhat.

The best NIN album ever.......2007-04-23

PHM started my love affair with NIN. Yes, I found it on cassette and to this day I do not know how. I remember being fascinated with the lead single, as it was something new and different on the radio. This album changed everything (on the radio), saving us from the prevalent 80's girly-man bands whose perpetual whining about love and how they couldn't get enough (sex - although they used more "romantic" terms to hide their desires) was destroying brain cells among the general populace. This album came out and changed all of that.

Side One (a cassette experience that is unduplicatable on CD) was the more commercially viable, with the opening track "Head Like a Hole," which is one second shy of five uninterrupted minutes of some of the finest anger every channeled into musical form, "Terrible Lie," "Down in It," and "Sanctified." These songs gave the album an explosive beginning that forced you to let the album play in its entirety, to see what was coming next, which undoubtedly was the basis for its commercial success, and the future of Trent Reznor. Much harsher and angrier than his follow-up albums, this is his best effort to date, and a must-have for any industrial music fan.

lost the cassette tape .......2007-03-15

i got this cd because i lost the cassette tape

Not a kid, just don't have my own Amazon account........2007-03-15

If I had to choose only one word to describe this album, the only word to come to mind would be "Wow.."

Pretty Hate Machine is one of my favorite albums, from Head Like A Hole all the way to Ringfinger, this album is perfect. Not to mention that Head Like A Hole is the perfect closing song for a concert.

My favorite tracks from this CD would have to be.. Head Like A Hole, Terrible Lie and Sin. I usually don't like music that's been around as long as I have, but.. My God, I just love this CD.

HIGHLY recommended.

Great Album, but the domestic version.......2007-03-06

Why pay extra for an import. Save some money and buy domestic (if you can). One of the greatest albums ever...mainly because this album is all Trent. He did everything on this CD. It is a little dated, but still stands out, even after almost 18 years.

Average customer rating:

Sometimes good sometimes great...
Great CD
(4.5 stars) Not a Greatest Hits album--better!
potente pero con un sonido deficiente
I'm dying 4 a R.A.T.M reunion

Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium
Rage Against the Machine
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Renegades
Evil Empire
Rage Against the Machine
The Battle of Los Angeles
Live & Rare

ASIN: B0000DJEQZ
Release Date: 2003-11-21

Tracks:

Bulls On Parade
Bullet In The Head
Born Of A Broken Man
Killing In The Name
Calm Like A Bomb
Testify
Bombtrack
War Within A Breath
I'm Housin'
Sleep Now In The Fire
People Of The Sun
Guerrilla Radio
Kick Out The Jams
Know Your Enemy
No Shelter
Freedom

Customer Reviews:

Sometimes good sometimes great..........2006-03-02

but never bad. Buy it just to play loud and feel like you're not really a complete sell-out (even though you are).

Great CD.......2005-11-09

I loved Rage Against the Machine before this album, but this album made them my favorite band ever. It blew me away right from the start with "bulls on parade". The intro to that song works perfectly with the bass that would later start it off. This album might have been the worst thing that has happened to Rage. Because after listening to all those songs live, it made their studio versions sound quieter and not as energetic and fun. Especially songs like "born of a broken man" and "know your enemy". Most of the songs were nailed perfectly like "killing in the name", "calm like a bomb", and "testify". I think that is just a tribute to the band and shows how talented they are. Zack is very explosive and i love how he changes his singing styles. I could just feel all of his emotion in "FREEDOM!"
The one song that I did not think was too good was "kick out the jams" i thought his singing was way faster than the music and sounded sloppy.
I also recommend the DVD, so you can see their performance at the 2000 Democratic National Convention.

(4.5 stars) Not a Greatest Hits album--better!.......2005-11-05

A couple of years ago, I was beginning to wonder if Rage Against the Machine were ever going to release a Greatest Hits album. After all, they were a very popular and influential and innovative group, and I'm sure Zach de la Rocha misses the income (no matter how much he is against money/greed/wealth).

Well, only a short while before these political rap-rockers disbanded (because Zach left), Rage were busy touring in support of their latest album, 2000's covers disc, "Renegades." While touring, they made a stop over in their hometown (Los Angeles) and played a show which was actually recorded and was to be released as a live album which wouldn't see the light of day for three years.

Unless the record label decides to cash in and releases a Greatest Hits album for Rage's anniversary, "Live At The Grand Olympic Auditorium" is as close to being a greatest hits album that you're going to get. But, at the same time, this live C.D. is much better than a Greatest Hits release. Why? Well, RATM's live shows were quite powerful, energizing, and inspirational. Thus, some of the songs on here are so intense, they actually make the studio versions sound calm and restrained (for proof, see "Bulls on Parade" and "Testify")!

The rhythm section (composed of Tom Morello, Tim Cummerford, and Brad Wilk), coupled with Zach's angry vocals and inspired lyrics, makes every one of these songs detonate like a grenade. Tom, not surprisingly, pulls off a flawless performance. As "Testify," and the aforementioned "Bulls On Parade" show, he makes noises on the guitar that I couldn't even make with my mouth! His guitar swoops, beeps, punches, crunches, chugs, creaks, wails, and about everything in between. Also, Tim's bass (which hums, grumbles, and makes a wah-wah sound) is a lot more audible, here, than originally. Finally, drummer Brad Wilk fills in the remaining gaps and anchors the songs, making them as solid and impenetrable as a brick wall.

Even though the whole set is great, my personal favorite songs are "Bulls on Parade," "Bullet In The Head" (where Zach switches off vocal parts with the crowd), "Sleep Now In The Fire" (which also features some great bass riffs), the exciting, adrenaline-pumped and very catchy renditions of "Guerilla Radio" and "Kick Out The Jams," and the perfect album/concert closer, "Freedom" (which has a few impromptu, added lyrics).

Ultimately, it's just a hair away from being perfect. Zach can't complete the whole rendition of "Killing In The Name" without pausing to take a breath, and he forgets part of the ending to "Know Your Enemy." And, I, overall, prefer Rage's "Live and Rare" album to this. But, even still, "Live At The Grand Olympic Auditorium" is more than a welcome inclusion in your collection and a great snack if you're tired of listening to the same four Rage C.D.'s again and again.

potente pero con un sonido deficiente.......2005-09-29

El disco tiene fuerza pero le falla la calidad de grabación. es una pena

I'm dying 4 a R.A.T.M reunion.......2005-08-29

This band is obviously necessary these days considering who we
have for president for God's sake. Right now ever since rage broke up we've been left with cheap imitations of them like System Of A Down. This band needs to return so many more people can begin to analyze their situation and get the chance 2 see them live like I did. In conclusion rage is necessary so we don't have to be stuck with crap metal like Evanescence and once again be able to listen to relevant music

Average customer rating:

Smoke in the headphones, and fire in the drive!
great album..and a greater one.
If You're Looking for the Best Sounding Machine Head...
a classic made even better.
Essential for any fan of hard rock music.

Machine Head
Deep Purple
Manufacturer: Rhino / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

In Rock: 25th Anniversary (UK)
Who Do We Think We Are
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Fireball
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ASIN: B00000DGRX
Release Date: 1998-11-17

Tracks:

Highway Star
Maybe I'm A Leo
Pictures Of Home
Never Before
Smoke On The Water
Lazy
Space Truckin'
When A Blind Man Cries (B-Side)
Maybe I'm A Leo (Quadrophonic Mix)
Lazy (Quadrophonic Mix)

Tracks:

Highway Star
Maybe I'm A Leo
Pictures Of Home
Never Before
Smoke On The Water
Lazy
Space Truckin'
When A Blind Man Cries

Amazon.com

Deep Purple were on the eve of breaking wide open when the quintet made Machine Head, a record that launched a heap of hard-rock hits, not to mention the bulk of the live album Made in Japan. No fewer than three classics were unveiled here: "Highway Star," "Space Truckin'," and their biggest hit ever, "Smoke on the Water." Ritchie Blackmore's crunchy guitar was becoming the group's trademark, and the throb that opens "Smoke on the Water" went miles in concretizing his place in the pantheon of 1970s guitar deities. But the story here is the second disc, which is composed of remixes by Roger Glover that introduce long-dormant, more-energized variations on the originals and revive separate solos. --Andrew Bartlett

Customer Reviews:

Smoke in the headphones, and fire in the drive!.......2007-07-24

Back in 1972 when this album was first realeased, I had no idea it existed. I got my first "hi fi" around 1975, and by then this album and it's legendary "Smoke on the Water" song was already part of the FM hard rock canon and considered a classic. I came of age cranking "Highway Star" and "Space Trukin'", but I wasn't a "hard rock" fan per se so I never actually purchased this album or even listened to it all the way through.

Fast forward to 2007, and I've got this thing in my CD drive at work just rockin' out and being productive at the same time. Even the songs whose titles I didn't recognize sounded like old friends, and the historical notes included in this deluxe anniversary edition put a historical context around the music, which made it all interesting even on an intellectual level.

Then there's the bonus disk! The same think only different, and different in a really cool way! I think I listen to the bonus disk almost exclusively now when I haul this jewel out of my CD drawer. All that's left to do now is to remember to bring it home and crank it up on my main stereo system. What a find!

great album..and a greater one........2007-02-26

This album was one of the first hard rock albums I ever heard. I found a cassette tape of this one day and listened to it. I was only 13 at the time, but I loved it! It stayed in my tape collection for years. I had bought the original CD and now I've bought this. Is it worth it? YES!

Disc one is the original album and its never sounded better. Needless to say, i have sold my original CD of this. The second disc is remixes. There is a noticeable difference especially in the bass and the drums. The vocals sound much cleaner and the music is more balanced and a bit deeper.

'Highway Star' has always been a great song and in its remixed version sounds much better. The beginning intro here should really have been left on the original. There is only one small bit of melody during the solo here that i wish they would have kept in. And its good to hear that the cymbal crash on the end has been left to ring out. The original always seemed to be get clipped off a bit too soon.
'Maybe I'm A Leo' is a bit of a slower song and has a great riff. I remember listening to this intro 100 times when i first heard this because the drums sounded so strange and off beat to me. When my ears finally got used to it, I loved it.
'Pictures Of Home' is my favorite. The lyrics were always incredible and the remixed version here is much better. 'Never Before' always seemed like a weak song to me. It's a bit too much like a pop song and why this was ever considered as a single is beyond me. A decent song, but not as great as the others.

'Smoke On The Water' is, of course, the best known song here. This remix features a different guitar solo, but i still prefer the original. There is a reason this solo was replaced. But it is interesting to hear nonetheless.
'Lazy' had a great organ solo intro that eventually turns into a great blues song. This is another highlight of the album.
'Space Truckin' is a bit of a simple song, but it does have interesting lyrics and this remix makes it sound like a new song.

This CD is a must buy. The remixes for the most part are superior to the original and this is just a great hard rock album anyway. Buy this. This is a five star album all the way!

If You're Looking for the Best Sounding Machine Head..........2007-01-02

A hybrid SACD version is also available here on Amazon. It will play on standard CD players as well as SACD players, and the standard CD layer sounds even better than this anniversary edition. I have both since I want the best sounding Machine Head available and the second disc of Roger Glover remixes in this anniversary edition. This is a good sounding remaster of the original album, but it can't hold a candle to the hybrid remaster.

a classic made even better........2006-12-17

Machine Head needs no introduction. It is THE album with THE song. You know which one I'm talking about. Anyway, the first disc is the original album along with When A Blind Man Cries, an excellent bluesy B-side, and quadrophonic (whatever that means) remixes of Lazy and Maybe I'm a Leo. I didn't notice much difference between those remixes and the originals. The first disc would be worth five stars by itself, as anyone who's heard it knows.

But then there's the second disc, with each of the eight songs remixed by Roger Glover, DP's longtime bassist. There are some pretty noticeable changes, but they aren't bad by any means. On most of the songs, you get to hear the band warming up for a few seconds before doing the song, and the original faded out endings are played through till the band stops. Oh yeah, there are a few new guitar solos in there too. The new version of Smoke on the Water beats the old one by a mile, and I really like that I can hear Ian Gillan screaming at the end of Highway Star. And don't forget there's a bunch of liner notes detailing the story of how the band made the album.

Buy this. If you just own the original version, you're missing out.

Essential for any fan of hard rock music........2006-10-16

Deep Purple's Machine Head is essential for any fan of hard rock music.

Buying this two disc version is worth every penny. To hear these songs remixed was amazing. It made the album sound as if they recorded it just yesterday. Simply stunning!

Highlights: The remix, of course. Get it and enjoy!

Music Info:

Music Info

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