Rage against the machine (first album)

I loved it when it was released (I was 15) but haven't listened to it in years. The last time I listened to it I didn't think much of it, which is unusual for me as most of my favourite albums now are the same ones I loved as a teenager. I don't think it's aged as well as other music from the early 90s.

 

Their debut sounds very, very good on cd. One of the few 'audiophile' metal albums. The rest of their catalogue doesn't sound good imo.

 

Really? I always thought the original cd sounded great.

 

Evil Empire sounds pretty decent but a bit on the raw side hence it was recorded at their rehearsal space for the most part. Now The Battle of LA and Renegades unfortunately became victims of the loudness war, especially Renegades. BoLA sounds a bit on the louder side but Renegades is full of distortion.

 

It does !

 

I love the first two RATM records and have been listening to them both a lot lately. I kind of get into a routine where I listen to a band for a certain period of time (I might on the spectrum quite honestly) so those two have been in heavy rotation. I really like RATM's vibe on the first two albums. I can't say I like The Battle for Los Angeles as much, but that's probably because I haven't listened to it as much.

I think the thing I like about RATM the most is the rhythm section. Brad Wilk and Tim Commerford are both really excellent feel players. I really like what they do. I love Commerford's tone; it's just so ballsy and borders on almost being distorted. He doesn't funk out much, but plays with a tight, controlled groove which I like a lot. Wilk has a great command on what he does as well.

I can't say I appreciate Tom Morello to the same degree as I find some of his guitar playing kind of gimmicky (and geeky), but he certainly came up with some excellent riffs. De La Rocha is pretty much an acquired taste as a "vocalist" (he's angry ya know). Not every song knocks it out the park, but for the first one, I really like almost everything (I'm listening to it right now as a matter of fact). I agree with @Dissidence that "Township Rebellion" is a great song. The breakdown in that tune is sublime. I think my favorite tune from the first one is probably "Freedom". I love the ending.

I don't like Audioslave much at all; maybe a couple of songs off the first album. That's it.

 

You really can't go wrong with any version of the self-titled RATM album that uses its original mastering, although I've also heard a lot worse from Vlad The Impaler, to be fair!

I see the familiar hippos, but someone needs to give Tom a red marker pen ASAP...

Now, here's my favourite of his iconic guitars:

 

The original cd is great, no kidding.

 

RATM = Mall Marxism.

 

I like this album a lot but I like Evil Empire even more. There’s so much intensity in the playing and the vocals. Tom Morello does some pretty inventive stuff with his guitar. It still sounds fresh to me today. Wish I saw them live when they were in their prime.

 

Is it just me or did Morello borrowed quite heavily from Alex Lifeson ?

 

Of their studio albums, Evil Empire is the only one that's still yet to fully click with me. Also, I feel that both The Battle Of Los Angeles and Renegades suffer from losing momentum roughly halfway through, but at least the former is redeemed (in its import form) by having such a strong ending in War Without A Breath followed by No Shelter. I've never thought of either as a victim of the loudness war, though has always slightly annoyed me that Tom's two distorted guitar tracks at the beginning of Born Of A Broken Man come in at slightly different times. Saying that, is this really the kind of music where you want perfection over intensity? They couldn't match the recreate original demo for Bullet In The Head, and I prefer "BOABM" from the Live At The Grand Olympic Auditorium DVD. I remain hopeful for another reunion some day...

Tim once mentioned Geddy Lee as an early influence on his decision to create unique bass sounds, and there's a further Rush connection in this video:

 

a big reason why I like Evil Empire so much is that it doesn’t lose steam or dip in the middle like the others. I can listen straight through and never feel like it lags.

I finally bought a copy on LP a couple months ago and found that the most recent reissue has an alternate version of “roll right”! Apparently by accident. Roll Right: An Origin Story

 

Boy, I don't hear that much at all.

 

Been listening to this album since it was released. A top 20 of the 90s for me. I always add on the track Darkness from Crow Soundtrack as song #11 when putting it on an IPod. Fistful Of Steel is my fav track. “Slammin’ like Shaquille”

 

This gym I went to a lot between 2006-2010 played Killing In The Name frequently. I’ll never forget the image of a gym full white guys from the Canadian suburbs bobbing the heads to this track.

 

Absolutely fantastic album. This cassette did not leave my walkman for a year - everything on this album is perfect. I have the European 2015 Sony Legacy LP which also sounds quite good.

 

It was an album that was played incessantly at teenage parties I attended aged 15-17 so I love it for nostalgia reasons.
I’ve just listened to it again in full for the purposes of this thread and whilst my musical tastes have massively moved on it still holds up as a piece.

 

I’m been listening to this album a lot lately. I’m going to be honest rap metal is one my favourite genres of music.

Stuck Mojo is one of my favourite bands of all time.

 

When i first heard it in the 90s I thought they were trying to be badasses droping an F-bomb every second. Also the singer screaming I also didnt like much. Though i loved cobain's screaming

Never bought the album even though my friend kept telling me it was good.

I actually really liked bulls on parade when that single came out and i actually bought the evil empire album. My recollection is the only 2 good songs were the two radio hits and the rest was meh.

fast forward 15 years and now i collect vinyl plus i have 90s nostalgia. Decided to listen to the first album again and found myself thinking it kicks ass. I also have 2 live vinyl albums now. the RSD one and live at olympic auditorium.

Havnt bought any studio albums aside from the first one though. Everytime i get an urge for RATM the first album is always enough.

 

I love this album and a lot of other RATM.

 

I have the original 1992 self-titled US vinyl that was mastered by Bob Ludwig. He mentioned in an interview it's one of the best sounding records that worked on. I agree, everything from the music to sound of the instruments is on point, and it's one of the best sounding records I own.

 

Fantastic album. Will continue to stand the test of time in my opinion.

 

Agree completely. It's in my personal top 10-20 best sounding rock CDs of all time, in fact.

 

Agreed! Bob Ludwig did a fantastic job mastering the album for the original CD and vinyl release.