Favourite Rage Against the Machine song

Hudu Gurusingha

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Look out its the forum police

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Jun 23, 2008
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RATM were my favourite band in late primary school and early high school, late '90s/early 2000s. I didn't quite get or buy into the politics, but they sounded like the most awesome thing out. Seeing them at the BDO in 2008 was a bit of closure to that fandom though. Really haven't listened to them since.

Do recall 'The Battle of Los Angeles' being my favourite album of theirs, followed by 'Evil Empire'. Unpopular opinion, but I didn't like their debut as much as those two later releases. I remember getting a copy of 'Renegades' at Christmas in 2000 (having gotten TBOLA at Christmas the year before), and not realising at first that it was a covers album :p

My favourites:









 
Jul 14, 2005
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I remember getting a copy of 'Renegades' at Christmas in 2000 (having gotten TBOLA at Christmas the year before), and not realising at first that it was a covers album :p

I'd listened to it for years before ever realising..

As for this thread my favourites would be Down Rodeo, War Within A Breath, Sleep Now In The Fire, Born of a Broken Man and Bullet In The Head.
 
Nov 28, 2011
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It's kinda sad how they were so good that they ended up crossing ever so subtly into a mainstream spotlight that their message ended up being eroded away -

I remember one of my cousins' 21st birthday - They're country lads, which is fine, but even calling them A-political is a stretch because that maybe somehow implies they've thought about something once or twice... I don't know. Anyway, they're farmers and I'm sure as f*ck they voted for Abbott..

anyway, it's the birthday party, the local hall has been hired out - There's a tab on the bar - There's finger food all around, my aunty helped put balloons out, they even hired a jukebox thing for the nights music...

anyway, at one point during the night, someone discovered 'Killing In The Name Of' was on the music rooster, and duly put on the song... it was truly an odd experience..

a bevy of country lads, conservative farmers who would play a bit of footy, drink beer on weekends, and who would otherwise give myself and my brother friendly stick about being too 'book wise' because we dared to take an interest in socio-political and economic issues, roared into chorus as the opening chords of the song rang out...
.
Up to the dance floor they went, showing off the 'mosh moves' they had learnt through watching MTV-sque shows and film clips (because they sure as f*ck had never been to see any live music before) in a type of primative show of strength that apes were likely to perform before being able to mate with a female..

as the outro blared out and the now legendary lyrics of '* you, I won't do what you tell me' repeated ad naseum, these farmer boys squared off against each other in some kind of lyrical battle that featured them saying exactly the same thing back and forth to each other...

I looked over to my brother and we kinda shrugged, and sighed deep inside, knowing that Rage Against The Machine now no longer ceased to mean anything significant - Their shock value lyrics had been lost on a whole generation who seem to lamely take them on board as if it was to be directed at our high school principal .....

That would have been about 12 years ago....
 

Hudu Gurusingha

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It's kinda sad how they were so good that they ended up crossing ever so subtly into a mainstream spotlight that their message ended up being eroded away -

I remember one of my cousins' 21st birthday - They're country lads, which is fine, but even calling them A-political is a stretch because that maybe somehow implies they've thought about something once or twice... I don't know. Anyway, they're farmers and I'm sure as f*ck they voted for Abbott..

anyway, it's the birthday party, the local hall has been hired out - There's a tab on the bar - There's finger food all around, my aunty helped put balloons out, they even hired a jukebox thing for the nights music...

anyway, at one point during the night, someone discovered 'Killing In The Name Of' was on the music rooster, and duly put on the song... it was truly an odd experience..

a bevy of country lads, conservative farmers who would play a bit of footy, drink beer on weekends, and who would otherwise give myself and my brother friendly stick about being too 'book wise' because we dared to take an interest in socio-political and economic issues, roared into chorus as the opening chords of the song rang out...
.
Up to the dance floor they went, showing off the 'mosh moves' they had learnt through watching MTV-sque shows and film clips (because they sure as f*ck had never been to see any live music before) in a type of primative show of strength that apes were likely to perform before being able to mate with a female..

as the outro blared out and the now legendary lyrics of '**** you, I won't do what you tell me' repeated ad naseum, these farmer boys squared off against each other in some kind of lyrical battle that featured them saying exactly the same thing back and forth to each other...

I looked over to my brother and we kinda shrugged, and sighed deep inside, knowing that Rage Against The Machine now no longer ceased to mean anything significant - Their shock value lyrics had been lost on a whole generation who seem to lamely take them on board as if it was to be directed at our high school principal .....

That would have been about 12 years ago....

Heavy
 

Hudu Gurusingha

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I listened to Battle of Los Angeles on repeat trying to study for TEE exams with a face of zits whilst on roaccutane - sour, angry memories ruining a great album for me.

Maria is my favourite from that album.
 
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Hudu Gurusingha

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The debut album is beyond epic

Wake Up is such a strong song lyrically. Brilliant.

"Come on, although ya try to discredit
Ya still never edit
The needle, I'll thread it"


I love how its so radically poetic
 

volcboy

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Always love RATM, both musically and politically. My favorite lyrics (and I have many) are from No Shelter:

The main attraction - distraction
got ya number than nnumber than numb
Empty ya pockets son; they got you thinkin that
What ya need is what they sellin
Make you think that buyin is rebellin
From the theaters to malls on every shore
Tha thin line between entertainment and war
The frontline is everywhere, there be no shelter here
Spielberg the nightmare works so push it far
Amistad was a whip, the truth was feathered and tarred
Memory erased, burned and scarred
Trade in ya history for a VCR

Cinema, simulated life, ill drama
Fourth Reich culture - Americana
Chained to the dream they got ya searchin for
Tha thin line between entertainment and war


And a few lines from Bulls on Parade:

Weapons not food, not homes, not shoes
Not need, just feed the war cannibal animal
I walk tha corner to tha rubble that used to be a library
Line up to tha mind cemetery now
What we don't know keeps tha contracts alive an movin'
They don't gotta burn tha books they just remove 'em
While arms warehouses fill as quick as tha cells
Rally round tha family, pockets full of shells
 
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Rage against the machine is my favourite band of all time. Impossible to pick a favourite song. Favourite album is self titled followed closely by Battle of LA.
I don't think their message has eroded at all, sure Killing in the name of has become a somewhat well known song and everyone loves to sing along to the classic "* you I wont do you what ya tell me". But anything artistic, movies, poems, stories, songs are always going to be misunderstood and misinterpreted, that is the nature of the beast. But I think their songs and the messages they hold are as strong as ever. I wish Zach would return from whatever he is doing and bring out new music, could use his voice more than ever these days and plenty to write about that's for sure.
 

Dan Moody

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It's kinda sad how they were so good that they ended up crossing ever so subtly into a mainstream spotlight that their message ended up being eroded away -

I remember one of my cousins' 21st birthday - They're country lads, which is fine, but even calling them A-political is a stretch because that maybe somehow implies they've thought about something once or twice... I don't know. Anyway, they're farmers and I'm sure as f*ck they voted for Abbott..

anyway, it's the birthday party, the local hall has been hired out - There's a tab on the bar - There's finger food all around, my aunty helped put balloons out, they even hired a jukebox thing for the nights music...

anyway, at one point during the night, someone discovered 'Killing In The Name Of' was on the music rooster, and duly put on the song... it was truly an odd experience..

a bevy of country lads, conservative farmers who would play a bit of footy, drink beer on weekends, and who would otherwise give myself and my brother friendly stick about being too 'book wise' because we dared to take an interest in socio-political and economic issues, roared into chorus as the opening chords of the song rang out...
.
Up to the dance floor they went, showing off the 'mosh moves' they had learnt through watching MTV-sque shows and film clips (because they sure as f*ck had never been to see any live music before) in a type of primative show of strength that apes were likely to perform before being able to mate with a female..

as the outro blared out and the now legendary lyrics of '**** you, I won't do what you tell me' repeated ad naseum, these farmer boys squared off against each other in some kind of lyrical battle that featured them saying exactly the same thing back and forth to each other...

I looked over to my brother and we kinda shrugged, and sighed deep inside, knowing that Rage Against The Machine now no longer ceased to mean anything significant - Their shock value lyrics had been lost on a whole generation who seem to lamely take them on board as if it was to be directed at our high school principal .....

That would have been about 12 years ago....
tl;dr
Bulls on Parade
 
Jun 23, 2008
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Rage against the machine is my favourite band of all time. Impossible to pick a favourite song. Favourite album is self titled followed closely by Battle of LA.
I don't think their message has eroded at all, sure Killing in the name of has become a somewhat well known song and everyone loves to sing along to the classic "**** you I wont do you what ya tell me". But anything artistic, movies, poems, stories, songs are always going to be misunderstood and misinterpreted, that is the nature of the beast. But I think their songs and the messages they hold are as strong as ever. I wish Zach would return from whatever he is doing and bring out new music, could use his voice more than ever these days and plenty to write about that's for sure.

Pretty amazing to think of the material they could have had during the Bush era. Probably the most political rock band of the past 20 years, and they broke up right before the most political era in the past 20 years of world history.
 
Jun 23, 2008
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Just re-listening to a lot of their stuff now because of this thread. Haven't properly listened to them for a good decade really.

F*ck me, that rhythm section was tight, and Tom Morello would have to be the guitar god of the '90s. Riffs, solos, and all manner of sounds coming out of his axe and that Whammy pedal.
 
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Not a fan of RATM but Tom Morello played the best solo I've seen with my own eyes when he toured with Springsteen. It was absolutely incredible.

From 5.20

Blew my mind.



Epic solo.

I love The Boss as much as anyone, but the RATM version of this song blows away his original IMO:



Such intensity.
 
Aug 16, 2011
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Epic solo.

I love The Boss as much as anyone, but the RATM version of this song blows away his original IMO:



Such intensity.

I'm sure you don't love him as much as me.

Don't really rate Morello's voice, but he adds to the track when he sings it with Bruce. The intensity goes up several notches. Watch the whole clip above, pretty great.

Do not like that arrangement at all, purely because it's not the stuff I listen to though.
 
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