Rage Against the Machine (album)

Rage Against the Machine
Studio album by Rage Against the Machine
Released	November 10, 1992
Recorded	April–May 1992 Sound City, Van Nuys, CA; Scream Studios, Studio City, CA; Industrial Recording, North Hollywood, CA
Genre	Rap metal, alternative metal, funk metal
Length	52:56
Label	Epic
Producer	Garth Richardson and Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine chronology
Rage Against the Machine (demo tape) (1992) Rage Against the Machine (1992) Evil Empire (1996)
Singles from Rage Against the Machine
"Killing in the Name" Released: November 12, 1992 (1992-11-12) "Bullet in the Head" Released: 1992 (1992) "Bombtrack" Released: June 20, 1993 (1993-06-20) "Freedom" Released: November 10, 1993 (1993-11-10)

Rage Against the Machine is the debut studio album by rap metal band Rage Against the Machine. The album was released on November 10, 1992. It went to #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart, and #45 on the Billboard 200 chart.

"Know Your Enemy" features Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan on "additional vocals", and also features Jane's Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins on trashcan percussion. Keenan has been known on occasion to appear onstage with the band to perform the song.

Critical recognition

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Alternative Press
Melody Maker	(10/10)
Ultimate Guitar	(9.6/10)
Sputnikmusic
Q
Kerrang!
Robert Christgau
Rolling Stone
BBC	(very favourable)

In 2001 Q magazine named Rage Against the Machine as one of the 50 Heaviest Albums Of All Time. The album is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. In 2003, the album was ranked number 368 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Music critic Piero Scaruffi includes Rage Against the Machine at number 11, just after Electric Wizard's Come My Fanatics... and before Cathedral's Forest of Equilibrium, in his classification of the best metal albums of all times.

The album is known for its high production values, which are almost to the strictest audiophile standards. Some audiophile sites and magazines even go as far as using the album — in particular the song "Take the Power Back" — to test amplifiers and speakers.

Acclaimed BBC Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe named Rage Against the Machine as one of four 'Masterpieces'. This was his best album, on December 2, 2008.

In October 2011, Rage Against the Machine was ranked number five on Guitar World magazine's top ten list of guitar albums of 1992.

Artwork and sleeve notes

The cover features a photo of Thích Quảng Đức, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, burning himself to death in Saigon in 1963. The monk was protesting President Ngô Đình Diệm's administration for oppressing the Buddhist religion. The photograph drew international attention and persuaded U.S. President John F. Kennedy to withdraw support for Ngô Đình Diệm's government. It was taken by Associated Press correspondent Malcolm Browne; a similar photograph earned the award of World Press Photo of the Year in 1963.

The songs on Rage Against the Machine all feature political messages. Activists such as Provisional IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands and Black Panther Party founder Huey P. Newton are listed in the "Thanks For Inspiration" section. Also thanked were Ian and Alec MacKaye – de la Rocha was straight edge at the time, though he later took up smoking.

The lyrics for each song were printed in the album booklet with the exception of those for "Killing in the Name", which were omitted; the booklet reads "2. KILLING IN THE NAME", skips the lyrics and continues with the next song.

The statement "no samples, keyboards or synthesizers used in the making of this record" can be found at the end of the sleeve notes. Similar statements were made in the band's subsequent albums. The band also refer to themselves as "Guilty Parties" for each album.

Track listing

All songs written and arranged by Rage Against the Machine and all lyrics by Zack de la Rocha.

1. "Bombtrack" – 4:05
2. "Killing in the Name" – 5:14
3. "Take the Power Back" – 5:37
4. "Settle for Nothing" – 4:48
5. "Bullet in the Head" – 5:09
6. "Know Your Enemy" – 4:55
7. "Wake Up" – 6:04
8. "Fistful of Steel" – 5:31
9. "Township Rebellion" – 5:24
10. "Freedom" – 6:06

"Wake Up" is featured in the credits of The Matrix, in the video game Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2 and in the credits for GAA Beó on TG4, while "Killing in the Name" is featured in the video games Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Guitar Hero II (as a cover version) and Guitar Hero Smash Hits (using the master track). Edits of "Bombtrack" and "Take the Power Back" are featured in the Oliver Stone film Natural Born Killers.

Anger Is a Gift bonus disc - released with the 1995 Australian CD re-release

1. "Darkness" – 3:40
2. "Year of tha Boomerang" – 4:02
3. "Freedom" (Remix) – 6:14
4. "Take the Power Back" (Live) – 6:12

Bonus Maxi 12" from the "Limited Tour Edition" red vinyl 1993 European re-release included this second LP labeled sides C and D

1. C1 "Freedom" (Live) – 6:13
2. C2 "Bombtrack" (From Mark Goodier's "Evening Session") – 4:08
3. C3 "Bullet In The Head" (Remix) – 5:40
4. D1 "Darkness Of Greed" – 3:40
5. D2 "Bullet In The Head" (Live) – 5:44
6. D3 "Bombtrack" (Live) – 5:33

All songs from both bonuses are the versions from previously released singles and promos, except C1 which is from a different performance. No information is given on the 12" about the date nor venue.

Singles, B-Sides and Promos

Killing in the Name (CDS, 7", 12")

• "Darkness" - 3:40 (on 12" and CD only)
• "Clear the Lane" - 3:48

Both tracks taken from the demo tape and digitally remastered.

Bullet in the Head (CDS, 7", 12")

• "Bullet in the Head (Remix)" (on 12" and CD only)
• "Bullet in the Head (Live)" (on 12" and CD only)
• "Settle for Nothing (Live)"
• "Bullet in the Head (Sir Jinx Mix)" (on CD only)

Both the "Remix" and "Sir Jinx Mix" are identical.

Promo CD and 7" has "Darkness" instead and a slightly different mix of "Bullet in the Head" called "Special Version" which added echoes on Zack's vocals during the chorus and "standing in line" portion and the guitar which precedes this portion has been somewhat muted.

Bombtrack (CDS, 7", 12")

• "Bombtrack (Live)"
• "Bombtrack (from Mark Goodier's "Evening Session")" (on 12" and CD only)

"Evening Session" is on side A of the 12" and has completely different music and an extra verse that later became the second verse in "Without a Face".

Promo CD and 7" includes "Settle for Nothing (Live)" only.

Later in 1994, after the "Freedom" single, a maxi-single of "Bombtrack" titled "Special Pink Pop Edition" was released in Holland featuring all the b-sides from all four singles except for "Clear the Lane".

Freedom (CDS)

• "Freedom (Live)"
• "Take the Power Back (Live)"

Promo version does not include the live "Freedom". In place of the album version of Freedom it includes a "Remix" which seems to be the same as the original except for Zack saying "yea check this shit out" before the first verse begins.

After an online campaign to get Rage Against The Machine to Christmas Number One in the UK, the track "Killing In The Name" reached Number One on the singles chart during Christmas 2009.

Personnel

• Rage Against the Machine – co-producer, art direction

• Zack de la Rocha – vocals
• Tim Commerford – bass guitar, backing vocals
• Brad Wilk – drums, percussion
• Tom Morello – guitars

• Maynard James Keenan – additional vocals ("Know Your Enemy")
• Stephen Perkins – additional percussion ("Know Your Enemy")

• Garth 'GGGarth' Richardson – producer, engineering
• Andy Wallace – mixing
• Bob Ludwig – mastering
• Stan Katayama – engineer
• Craig Doubet – assistant engineer
• Jeff Sheehan – assistant engineer
• Steve Sisco – mixing assistant
• Nicky Lindeman – art direction

Chart positions

Album

Year	Chart	Peak position
1993	Billboard Top Heatseekers	1
1994	Billboard 200	45
	UK Album Chart	17