Renegades is Rage Against The Machines 2000 album. Being the technical, Internet centric guy I am, I always take instant prejudice to the bands name :). Then I remember they're not a bunch of angry farmers playing homemade banjos, and are in fact a very clever group of people, producing some very hard emotional tracks, and raging against the system.
Ok, so the groups roots are stuck deeply in political activism, and it could easily turn away many potential listeners before you can say "party political broadcast". But don't leave yet! These boys are strong anarchists, but never try to shove it down your throat, and are very subtle most of the time. I don't pretend to understand all the political issues and I just listen to the albums for there musical qualities.
I've been a Rage fan since their commercial Bulls On Parade single, that most people will recognise if they heard it. I've now collected 4 of they're most popular albums and have been pleased by all of them. The first albums I purchased were a bit iffy, some tracks were good, whilst others were not so good. But the more albums they release, the better the overall quality becomes, and this latest album is defiantly their best yet.
So whats the music like? Actually its quite hard to describe. If I was forced at gunpoint to pigeon hole the music I'd probably drop them in the rock and rap fusion category, but in a good way (not in the Aerosmith and RunDMC way). Most of the tracks have a hard edge to them, and some explicit lyrics, this is not the type of music to play in the background at your family dinner party, unless you wanna inspire your granny to pop over to the US and start burning some flags.
So whats the Renegades album all about? Well, its actually a collection of cover songs. Most cover albums aren't worth the plastic they're burnt on, but this one is a very special exception. It covers great tracks like "Kick Out The Jams" and "Street Fighting Man", and stamps the Rage style all over them. The songs work very well together, and I usually listen to the album from start to finish.
Theres also some quite diverse tracks on this album. Track 5, Beautiful World, isn't really something I'd expect from RATM, but it is a wonderfully peaceful and emotional track. Especially compared to the first track, Microphone Fiend, that instantly jumps down your throat and gets your head bopping.
So I highly recommend this album. I'm not sure how new RATM listeners will view it. Its not completely representative of previous albums. If you want a typical album maybe you should try "Battle Of Los Angeles" or "Evil Empire". But if you just want a decent album that stands up on its own, then give this a try.
Also check the Rage website at www.ratm.com where you can get more info and download free instrumental tracks as mp3s.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Advantages: The best track by far is the version of Bob Dylan's 'Maggie's Farm.' Sheer class. Disadvantages: Innovative though it may be, 'Beautiful World' doesn' belong.
Advantages: The best track by far is the version of Bob Dylan's 'Maggie's Farm.' Sheer class. Disadvantages: Innovative though it may be, 'Beautiful World' doesn' belong.
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