(Used) RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE cd collection Bulls On Parade Evil Empire The Battle Of Los Angeles
Rage Against the Machine brought together the force of heavy metal, the rhythmic attack of hip-hop and an uncompromising political message. Formed in Los Angeles in 1991, the band featured Zack de la Rocha’s urgent vocals, Tom Morello’s inventive guitar work, Tim Commerford’s muscular bass and Brad Wilk’s powerful drumming.
Morello frequently made his guitar sound like a turntable or synthesiser without relying on samples, while de la Rocha confronted war, racism, economic inequality and political oppression. The result remains one of rock music’s most distinctive and confrontational sounds.
1. Bulls on Parade (CD Single)
Released in 1996, “Bulls on Parade” was the first major single from Evil Empire. Built around a crushing riff and Morello’s famous scratch-style guitar solo, it became one of the band’s defining songs.
The second track, “Hadda Be Playing on the Jukebox,” is an eight-minute live performance based on Allen Ginsberg’s poem. Its spoken-word structure gradually develops into a tense, heavy instrumental workout.
With only two tracks, this is primarily a collector’s release—but the non-album performance makes it especially worthwhile.
“Bulls on Parade” – 3:50
“Hadda Be Playing on the Jukebox” – 8:03
2. Evil Empire
Released in 1996, Evil Empire arrived four years after the band’s landmark debut. Its production is leaner and more abrasive, with a stronger emphasis on funk rhythms, unusual guitar textures and de la Rocha’s tightly delivered lyrics.
“People of the Sun” and “Bulls on Parade” provide an explosive opening, while “Vietnow,” “Tire Me,” “Down Rodeo” and “Year of tha Boomerang” maintain the album’s intensity. “Tire Me” won the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance.
A fierce and uncompromising album that rewards listeners prepared to go beyond the obvious singles.
3. The Battle of Los Angeles
The Battle of Los Angeles was released in 1999 and presented the band at its most focused and polished. The production is powerful without softening their attack, and the songs combine immediate hooks with politically charged subject matter.
“Testify,” “Guerrilla Radio” and “Sleep Now in the Fire” became major favourites, supported by “Calm Like a Bomb,” “Born of a Broken Man,” “Maria,” “Ashes in the Fall” and “War Within a Breath.”
If Evil Empire captures Rage Against the Machine at their rawest, The Battle of Los Angeles shows them at their most precise—an essential late-1990s rap-metal album.