Rage Against the Machine
Renegades of Funk
(Epic)
By: Jeff Leisawitz - ModernRock.com
It appears that Rage Against the Machine has broken down for good. At least with the line-up that made them famous. Singer Zach de la Rocha recently bailed the band although the remaining members promise to rock forward without him.
Luckily for the fans, two new records are still coming through the pipelines. Renegades, the first of the two, wasn't supposed to be a full length LP. But after the studio time was booked with master producer Rick Rubin, the plan to record two studio tracks for the upcoming live record was abandoned. The fire was hot. Instead of two bonus tracks, the guys put down twelve cover songs by artists as diverse as the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, The Stooges, Devo, Bruce Springsteen, Minor Threat, Cypress Hill and others.
As you might suspect, the guys take all these innocent songs, distill them with the essence of the punk/ hip hop vibe, and crunch it all up with a little extra pepper and that bloodthirsty Rage sound.
Cypress Hill's "How I Could Just Kill a Man" twists and turns in unusual directions while still holding true to the original spirit. "Streetfighting Man," the Stones' classic, folds electro beats with blistering guitarwork and thumped up basslines. This one revs hard. It's way cool, but I seriously doubt Mick was anywhere near that pissed off when he laid it down the first time.
Another highlight of the record is the re-version of Bruce Springsteen's "The Ghost of Tom Joad." Originally borrowed from a character in John Steinbeck's 1938 novel, The Grapes of Wrath, old Tom once again rises up from the mess of America with renewed hope and a punk rock attitude. And this time he ain't playin' no acoustic guitar.
Two additional live tracks, MC5's "Kick out the Jams" and the above mentioned "How I Could Just Kill a Man" are included only in the first pressing of Renegades. So hurry, hurry, kids! Pick up this Rage disc and battle the injustices of the modern world. Or hold your breath for the upcoming live CD. Or crank up the tunes and rock out. Or pray that Zach changes his mind.
Check out Rage Against the Machine's web site at ratm.com
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