Rage Against The Machine - XX

OK ladies and gents, you know what's coming on November 27th, 2012.  Next week will be the official release of the legendary debut album of Rage Against The Machine, remastered and with all kinds of bonus material to mark the 20th anniversary.

This has been marked in the calendars for some time, as fans were anticipation what was to come about for this epic release.  Has it been 20 years already?  Holy shit does time fly by, especially when discussing one of the most critical albums to be released in the 90's.  Argue however way you want it, but this was a crucial album for the music industry in the early 90's.  Along with the grunge move and fellow big name acts such as Soundgarden, Pearl Jam and Nirvana, RATM was forging their own path in the industry.

The flawless (and unmistakable) vocals of Zach De La Rocha, the instant classic riffs of Tom Morello, and backed by the groove of Tim C and Brad Wilks easily made these guys an instant pioneer of rap, hip hop and rock all fused into one.  From "Bombtrack" to "Freedom", you hear the anthem of many fans with middle fingers, screaming "FUCK YOU I WON'T DO WHAT YOU TELL ME!".  I can only imagine the energy and intensity of a live show with these guys in their prime.  Hell, I'll even settle for seeing them now, as all that  time of built up aggression I'm sure resonates through these guys, even 20 years afterwards.

So, as you can see the album artwork hasn't changed.  The epic photo of the Buddhist monk setting himself on fire is a constant reminder of the dangers and catastrophes we suffer in times of war (aka Vietnam) and the political turmoil we seem to dig up as a country.  The album (like I stated before) itself has been remastered with modern technology to give those classic tunes a lil more "umph" if you will, to hear more of them 'kickin out the jams'.

There is a lot of information here folks so, pay attention.   The track listings for the various 'Rage Against the Machine - XX' editions are as follows:

Rage Against the Machine - XX (20th Anniversary Edition Deluxe Boxset)
- 2 x CDs + 2 x DVDs + 180g LP
- 12-inch lift-off box
- 40-page booklet
- two-sided poster

CD 1 - 'Rage Against The Machine' (Remastered)
'Bombtrack'
'Killing In The Name'
'Take The Power Back'
'Settle For Nothing'
'Bullet In The Head'
'Know Your Enemy'
'Wake Up'
'Fistful Of Steel'
'Township Rebellion'
'Freedom'

Bonus Tracks (B-sides)
'Bombtrack' (live, taken from 'Bombtrack' single)
'Bullet In The Head' (live, taken from 'Bullet In The Head' single)
'Take The Power Back' (live, taken from 'Freedom' single)

CD 2 – 'The Original Demos' (first official commercial release, except where noted)
'Bombtrack'
'Take The Power Back'
'Bullet In The Head'
'Darkness Of Greed' (previously released)
'Clear The Lane' (previously released)
'Township Rebellion'
'Know Your Enemy'
'Mindset's A Threat'
'Killing In The Name'
'Auto Logic'
'The Narrows'
'Freedom'

DVD 1
The Battle of Britain - previously unreleased (FINSBURY PARK, LONDON ENGLAND, JUNE 6, 2010)
'Testify'
'Bombtrack'
'People Of The Sun'
'Know Your Enemy'
'Bulls On Parade'
'Township Rebellion'
'Bullet In The Head'
'White Riot'
'Guerrilla Radio'
'Sleep Now In The Fire'
'Freedom'
'Killing In The Name'

MUSIC VIDEOS
'Killing in the Name' (1992)
'Bullet In The Head' (1993)
'Bombtrack' (1993)
'Freedom' (1993)
'Bulls On Parade' (1996)
'People Of The Sun' (1996)
'No Shelter' (1998)
'Guerrilla Radio' (1999)
'Sleep Now In The Fire' (2000) - first official commercial release
'Testify' (2000) - first official commercial release
'Renegades Of Funk' (2000) - first official commercial release
'How I Could Just Kill A Man' (2000) - previously unreleased

LIVE MATERIAL FROM 1997 VIDEO COMPILATION (first time on DVD)
'The Ghost Of Tom Joad'
'Vietnow' - Irvine, CA – 1997
'People Of The Sun'
'Bulls On Parade'
'Bullet In The Head'
'Zapata's Blood' - Rock Am Ring Festival, Germany – 1996
'Know Your Enemy'
'Bombtrack'
'Tire Me' - Reading Festival 1996
'Killing In The Name' - Pink Pop Festival – 1994

DVD 2 (all previously unreleased)
First Public Performance
CAL STATE NORTH RIDGE, CA (OCTOBER 23, 1991)
'Killing In The Name'
'Take The Power Back'
'Autologic'
'Bullet In The Head'
'Hit The Deck'
'Township Rebellion'
'Darkness Of Greed'
'Clear The Lane'
'Clampdown'
'Know Your Enemy'
'Freedom'

PINK POP 1994 - 'Freedom'
VIC THEATRE 1993 - 'Take the Power Back'
JC DOBBS 1993 - 'Fistful Of Steel'
SOUNDSTAGE PERFORMANCE 1992 - 'Bombtrack'
Halfway House 1992 - 'Wake Up'
Castaic 1992 - 'Settle For Nothing'
San Luis Obispo 1992 - 'Clear The Lane'
CWNN 1992 - 'Untitled"
Zed's Records 1992 - 'Darkness Of Greed'
NOMADS 1992 - 'Wake Up'



"We're really psyched to be putting this out for the fans.  We are blessed with having perhaps the most passionate fans to ever listen to a bootlegged recording or mosh at a show, so I want to really give them a motherlode of Rage Against The Machine history, past and present." -Tom Morello

Rage Against The Machine - XX (20th Anniversary Special Edition - Oversized soft pack)

CD 1 - Rage Against The Machine (Remastered)
'Bombtrack'
'Killing In The Name'
'Take The Power Back'
'Settle For Nothing'
'Bullet In The Head'
'Know Your Enemy'
'Wake Up'
'Fistful Of Steel'
'Township Rebellion'
'Freedom'

Bonus Tracks (B-sides)
'Bombtrack' (live, taken from 'Bombtrack' single)
'Bullet In The Head' (live, taken from 'Bullet In The Head' single)
'Take The Power Back' (live, taken from 'Freedom' single)

CD 2 – 'The Original Demos' (first official commercial release, except where noted)
'Bombtrack'
'Take The Power Back'
'Bullet In The Head'
'Darkness Of Greed' (previously released)
'Clear The Lane' (previously released)
'Township Rebellion'
'Know Your Enemy'
'Mindset's A Threat'
'Killing In The Name'
'Auto Logic'
'The Narrows'
'Freedom'

Bonus DVD:
Music Videos:
'Killing In The Name'
'Bombtrack'
'Freedom'
'Take The Power Back' (Vic Theatre) - previously unreleased
'Bombtrack' (Soundstage performance) - previously unreleased
'Wake Up' (Nomads) - previously unreleased



"It doesn't feel like 20 years, but at the same time it's sobering that it is.  There's no crystal ball that we could've looked into when we were writing these songs in 1991 that would have told us we'd be talking about this record over two decades later. And I will say that 20 years later we're able to take pride in the fact that in the history of rock music there has never been a more popular band with as radical politics as Rage Against The Machine, nor has there been a band with more radical politics than Rage Against The Machine that has been as popular. That is the lasting testament to the first shot fired by this album and how it continues to resonate with rebels around the world." -Tom Morello

Rage Against The Machine - XX (20th Anniversary Edition - Jewel Case)

'Rage Against The Machine' (Remastered)
'Bombtrack'
'Killing In The Name'
'Take The Power Back'
'Settle For Nothing'
'Bullet In The Head'
'Know Your Enemy'
'Wake Up'
'Fistful Of Steel'
'Township Rebellion'
'Freedom'

Bonus Tracks (B-sides)
'Bombtrack' (live, taken from 'Bombtrack' single)
'Bullet In The Head' (live, taken from 'Bullet In The Head' single)
'Take The Power Back' (live, taken from 'Freedom' single)

Merch and album pre-orders can be purchased here:

Merchandise | Standard Edition | Deluxe Edition

Now that I have finished my rants and info section, I want to hear about your memories of RATM.  When did you hear them first?  What were you feeling/thinking?  What was the first song you ever heard from them?  Have you seen them live?  Give us some insight into one of their live performances.  Cheers and have a great week!  Everyone look out for November 27th!

For more information and release snippets for the XX reissue, check out some of the following links:

Rage Against the Machine Take a Test Run Through 'Freedom' - Premiere

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, ‘KNOW YOUR ENEMY’ (DEMO) – EXCLUSIVE PREMIERE

Exclusive: Rage Against the Machine — "Killing In the Name" Demo

Hear Rage Against the Machine's 'Mindset's a Threat' Demo, Win a Deluxe Box Set

Rage Against The Machine Stream Early Track “Auto Logic”