1992 - June: Rage Against the Machine "Rage Against the Machine"

What the Riff?!?

Rage Against the Machine recorded their eponymously named debut album in May-June of 1992 and released it in November 1992. The Los Angeles-based group consisted of Zack de la Rocha on vocals, Tom Morello on guitar, Tim Commerford on bass, and Brad Wilk on drums. The group was known for their anti-establishment and politically charged lyrics. Rage Against the Machine combined a lot of genres of music into a single hard-hitting sound. The influence of hard rock and metal is clear, and elements of rap, funk, hip hop, and punk rock are clearly infused into the sound.

This group was not just political in nature, every song is laced with revolutionary rants. The group draws inspiration from mondern revolutionary groups such as the IRA and the Black Panthers, and is highly critical of the policies of the United States, both foreign and domestic.

RATM's debut album is largely based on their demo tape released a year before, which contained seven of the ten songs appearing on the album. That demo tape was recorded prior to the group's first live show, and was used as a means to build awareness of the group in the days before their signing with Epic Records.

The album was a quick critical success and a slower commercial success. The group began to really take off on the strength of the single "Killing In the Name," and after their performance at the Lollapaloosa festival in mid 1993.

Lynch brings us this high energy album in this week's podcast.

Bombtrack
The opening track starts with a strong guitar riff, and deals with themes of social injustice and resistance against oppression.

Bullet In the Head
Media manipulation and control of information are the issues dealt with in this track, which became a staple of the band's live shows. "Just victims of the in-house drive-by / They say jump, you say how high."

Wake Up
This song will be familiar to fans of the 1999 film "The Matrix," as it is used at the conclusion when Neo calls the Matrix announcing he will reveal their existence. They lyrics are a critique of racism, the CIA and government corruption.

Killing In the Name
The big single from the album addresses police brutality and institutional racism.

ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:

Face to Face by Siouxie & the Banshees (from the motion picture “Batman Returns”)
This movie finds Michael Keaton reprising his role as the caped crusader, facing Danny DeVito's "Penguin" and Michelle Pfeiffer's "Catwoman."

STAFF PICKS:

Empress of Pop by Insane Jane
Wayne starts the staff picks with an underrated local Georgia band. This song is a screed against Sinead O'Conner. Insane Jane produced two albums, the first called "Each Finger," and the second (which contains this song) entitled "Green Little Pill."

Let's Get Rocked by Def Leppard
During a time when hard rock was on the downswing, it is nice to hear a solid rocker which would have been at home on any of Def Leppard's 80's albums. Rob's staff pick shows that there was still some solid rock music going on in the midst of the grunge movement.

57 Channels (and Nothin' On) by Bruce Springsteen
Bruce features a Springsteen song which reflects the proliferation of cable television, but not necessarily good content on the tube. While Springsteen considers this sone a bit of a "playful misfire," the song did go to number 68 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 6 on the Mainstream Rock charts.

Would? by Alice In Chains
Lynch closes out the staff picks with a song written as a tribute to Andrew Wood, the late lead singer of Mother Love Bone, who died of a heroin overdose in 1990. The lyrics deal with the aftermath of rehab and the uncertainty of the future.

NOVELTY TRACK:

Achy Breaky Heart by Billy Ray Cyrus
Long before his daughter began her career in "Hannah Montana," Billy Ray Cyrus was all over the charts with this cheesy country song.

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