Here is the best box set of the holiday season. It’s been 20 years since Rage Against The Machine released their self-titled studio album in November of 1992. It still is the perfect mix of hard rock supplied by guitar virtuoso Tom Morello with hip-hop influences offered up by vocalist Zack de la Rosa.
If you were too young to remember, the No. 1 rap album of that year was Dr. Dre’s “The Chronic” and Alice In Chains’ “Dirt” was topping the rock charts. RATM was as close as you could get combining these two projects, making it a win-win for all.
This album still holds up with its politically induced lyrics and brilliant hard rock production values. “Rage Against The Machine XX” (Epic/Legacy) is being released in many configurations, starting with the original album with three bonus live-era tracks and concluding with a four-disc Deluxe Box Set.
That set has the original album, remastered by Vlado Meller, and a second CD of the band’s previously unreleased 1991 demo that was sold at their shows on cassette for $5.
The first DVD of the set includes their free concert at Finsbury Park in the U.K., as well as a ton of music videos. The second DVD includes the band’s first public appearance and a bunch of various era performance clips. The set also includes a great essay by Chuck D of Public Enemy.
All that aside, these box sets are pretty useless if the album doesn’t carry any cred. Rage Against The Machine is a pioneering album musically and lyrically. Morello is as much as a guitar innovator as Jimi Hendrix or Les Paul and de la Rosa picked up the social conscience message that guys like Dylan abandoned years ago.
Standouts are still “Know Your Enemy,” “Bullet in the Head,” “Killing in the Name,” “Township Rebellion” and the live b-side version of “Take the Power Back.” Rage Against The Machine XX is a well worthy re-visit to a very important album. Merry Christmas indeed!
This is such a disappointment. Aerosmith has finally gotten around to releasing their first album of new material since 2001, “Music From Another Dimension!” (Columbia). It sure doesn’t sound like an album 11 years in the making.
I understand the youngin’s complaints about how ‘geezers’ elbow their way into the limelight that should be reserved for new and exciting musical acts. Truth be told, record companies make more money on albums by these guys than by say new, original bands like the Grammy-winning Civil Wars.
Produced by Jack Douglas, who helmed their most successful albums, the 15 tracks here not only mimic the group’s signature hooks and gimmicks, they do it emotionlessly. While musically the band hits most marks, Steven Tyler’s vocals sound limp. Screaming doesn’t equate emotion.
Outside of the album’s second track, “Oh Yeah,” written by guitarist Joe Perry, I’d rather listen to their back catalog than this stuff. Let’s hope they take another 11 years before they attempt something this inept again.
While we’re talking box sets another one that’s making the rounds is Led Zeppelin’s “Celebration Day” (Swan Song), documenting the band’s triumphant 12/10/07 one-time performance at London’s O2 Arena.
The Deluxe four-disc set includes the concert on two CDs, the full performance on Blu-ray and a bonus DVD of the band’s full rehearsal at Shepperton Studios. As the headlining act for the Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert, we were previously led to believe that with the 1980 death of drummer John Bonham, they would disband. This is simply an amazing performance.
The band was the first to successfully combine blues with a real hard-edged guitar rock sound, though fans of The Jeff Beck Group would argue. They released only eight albums during their brief career, all of them considered classics, not a dud in the lot.
Robert Plant’s lead vocals have had better days, but who at 64 years of age sounds like they did at 21? Jason Bonham, the son of original drummer John, is the key here, keeping the band perfectly in sync.
The gem here though is the band’s dress rehearsal recorded at Shepperton Studio the previous day. As good as the O2 show was, they were without question better in rehearsal. They sound like they were playing in their garage for themselves as opposed to the rabid sold-out crowd.
Standouts include “Black Dog,” “Kashmir,” “Good Times Bad Times,” “In My Time of Dying” and “Dazed and Confused.”
One more thing, the best thing on the Blu-ray is watching the band in amazement as Jason Bonham perfectly nails his father’s drum solo at the end of “Rock and Roll.” The look of pride on their faces is worth the price of the set all on its own.
Here’s a cool little stocking stuffer. Elvis Costello, who has used many different genres to his benefit during his career, has released a pretty hip little compilation. “In Motion Pictures” (UME) puts together 15 of his more popular tracks to appear in motion pictures.
Songs include the likes of “Seven Day Weekend,” “You Stole My Bell,” “A Town Called Big Weekend,” “She,” “Life Shrinks” and “Accidents Will Happen” from the likes of “The Big Lebowski,” “Notting Hill,” “Grace of My Heart,” “ET” and “The Godfather III.”
Elvis Costello – In Motion Pictures (UME)
Pirnted Version (MATC Times)
