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I've been listening to this band for about seven or eight years, and having just scanned the forum I cannot see any threads on the subject, so I will just say that this band were the greatest writers of love songs of all time!
Anyone who has seen the Matrix films (1 and 2) will recognise the tunes "wake up" and "calm like a bomb" from these men, and their whole oeuvre reflects the spirit of the seeker of truth, and the dreadful absence of it in our culture.
They were, as many bands with teeth have been over the years, pigeonholed to a certain extent, and their combination of hip-hop and hard rock, funk, and thrash punk has been imitated with diminishing returns countless times by inferior bands such as the tragic Limp Bizkit (the clue is in the name), but imho no-one has come close to the sheer purity of the Rage aesthetic. They are exhilarating and cathartic, whilst also being intellectually precise and questing. Their second album "Evil Empire" features a reading list for interested listeners, which includes "A Yaqui Way of Knowledge" by our good friend Castaneda, among others.
The lyricist/vocalist, Zach de la Rocha, had a very tempestuous upbringing, involving being kept indoors by his possesive and religiously bonko father, praying constantly behind drawn curtains. Naturally, mother had split the homestead many moons before. Zach eventually ran away and the rest is rock history. His father also had a breakdown and they have subsequently reconciled some of their differences, which can be discerned in many of the lyrical allusions to broken homes in their songs.
The band's political activism is open knowledge to most rock fans, and although it can sometimes veer on the precipice of being pro-guerilla, the spirit is one of love and justice above all other things. Oh that justice could manifest in this world. They love the world, and hate the tyrants that have laid waste to it; hence, every song by this band is a love song. They know their world and sing about what they know.
Not exactly musical workaholics, they released just three studio albums, all of which are tremendous, and a couple of curios for the commited, a covers album (featuring songs by Springsteen, Dylan, the Stones and the MC5) and a stirring record of their final gigs from 1999.
1:Rage Against the Machine (1992)
2:Evil Empire (1996)
3:The Battle of Los Angeles (1999)
4:Renegades (covers-2000)
5:Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium (2003)
There seemed to be a split in terms of philosophy within the band in the aftermath of 9-11, as their website closed down very soon after, and then the band announced that they were to split. Zach worked with UK renegades Reprazent and LA hip-hop sound collage pioneer DJ Shadow (I am still trying to get a hold of their collaboration "March of Death"), while the guitarist and drummer are currently treading water in the less than mind blowing Audioslave (again, the clue is in the name).
I am sure that this truly monumental band needs no introduction, but if there is anyone out there interested in something both powerful and positive, acquaint yourself with the Wachowskis of music. They'll leave you thinking that most contemporary music sounds castrated, in more ways than one.
Anyone who has seen the Matrix films (1 and 2) will recognise the tunes "wake up" and "calm like a bomb" from these men, and their whole oeuvre reflects the spirit of the seeker of truth, and the dreadful absence of it in our culture.
They were, as many bands with teeth have been over the years, pigeonholed to a certain extent, and their combination of hip-hop and hard rock, funk, and thrash punk has been imitated with diminishing returns countless times by inferior bands such as the tragic Limp Bizkit (the clue is in the name), but imho no-one has come close to the sheer purity of the Rage aesthetic. They are exhilarating and cathartic, whilst also being intellectually precise and questing. Their second album "Evil Empire" features a reading list for interested listeners, which includes "A Yaqui Way of Knowledge" by our good friend Castaneda, among others.
The lyricist/vocalist, Zach de la Rocha, had a very tempestuous upbringing, involving being kept indoors by his possesive and religiously bonko father, praying constantly behind drawn curtains. Naturally, mother had split the homestead many moons before. Zach eventually ran away and the rest is rock history. His father also had a breakdown and they have subsequently reconciled some of their differences, which can be discerned in many of the lyrical allusions to broken homes in their songs.
The band's political activism is open knowledge to most rock fans, and although it can sometimes veer on the precipice of being pro-guerilla, the spirit is one of love and justice above all other things. Oh that justice could manifest in this world. They love the world, and hate the tyrants that have laid waste to it; hence, every song by this band is a love song. They know their world and sing about what they know.
Not exactly musical workaholics, they released just three studio albums, all of which are tremendous, and a couple of curios for the commited, a covers album (featuring songs by Springsteen, Dylan, the Stones and the MC5) and a stirring record of their final gigs from 1999.
1:Rage Against the Machine (1992)
2:Evil Empire (1996)
3:The Battle of Los Angeles (1999)
4:Renegades (covers-2000)
5:Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium (2003)
There seemed to be a split in terms of philosophy within the band in the aftermath of 9-11, as their website closed down very soon after, and then the band announced that they were to split. Zach worked with UK renegades Reprazent and LA hip-hop sound collage pioneer DJ Shadow (I am still trying to get a hold of their collaboration "March of Death"), while the guitarist and drummer are currently treading water in the less than mind blowing Audioslave (again, the clue is in the name).
I am sure that this truly monumental band needs no introduction, but if there is anyone out there interested in something both powerful and positive, acquaint yourself with the Wachowskis of music. They'll leave you thinking that most contemporary music sounds castrated, in more ways than one.