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Rage Against the Machine
official website
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Track List:
1. Microphone Fiend
2. Pistol Grip Pump
3. Kick Out The Jams
4. Renegades Of Funk
5. Beautiful World
6. I'm Housin'
7. In My Eyes
8. How I Could Just Kill A Man
9. Ghost Of Tom Joad, The
10. Down On The Street
11. Street Fighting Man
12. Maggie's Farm
13. Kick Out The Jams - (live, hidden track)
14. How I Could Just Kill A Man - (live, featuring Sen Dog/B-Real, hidden track)
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Rage Against the Machine - Renegades
(Sony/Epic)
Rage Against the Machine no longer exists in its original formation. Prior to the release of Rage's latest record, Renegades, frontman Zach de la Rocha announced he was leaving the band to pursue solo interests, leaving the remaining members in limbo. It is truly unfortunate to see one of the most honest and all-around talented rap-metal bands call it a day, especially in a market where second and third generation imposters run rampant. It also seems downright unjust that a band as gifted and forward thinking as Rage Against the Machine would offer an album full of cover songs as its final "group" statement. Renegades is an enigma—it also borders on brilliant.
Although there are no new Rage tunes in the mix, Renegades is a superb collection of songs selected by a band well versed in the history of both hip-hop and rock—two genres Rage melded into a fresh sound as long ago as 1992. The songs comprised here make for an unlikely assemblage that focuses on like-minded socio-politically thinking artists (Bob Dylan, Minor Threat, Devo), as much as it offers insight into the bands that influenced Rage's sound (MC5, The Stooges, Afrika Bambaataa). Renegades is the amalgam of Rage's personality on every level imaginable.
Much like virtually every move the band has made to date, Renegades appears to be yet another controversial proclamation. Take, for example, the fact that Rage has the audacity to position a Cypress Hill song ("How I Could Just Kill a Man") next to a Bruce Springsteen cut ("The Ghost of Tom Joad"). Few artists have shown the ability to stack an album with songs from such diverse sources; the results are usually laughable messes, at best (see Duran Duran's Thank You). Somehow, Rage makes it work. Beyond the eclectic choice of tracks, the treatment each is given makes this album tick. By adding a bass-heavy groove to "Maggie's Farm," playing a full, metallic rendition of Eric B & Rakim's sparse "Microphone Fiend," and totally removing the signature hook from the Stones' "Street Fighting Man," Rage successfully uses other artists' material to further its own vision. Ultimately, Renegades serves as a perfect eulogy for a band that has rightfully earned its place in rock history.
by Bret Booth
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