Rage Against the Machine (demo album)

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Rage Against the Machine
North Hollywood)
Genre
Length57:51
LabelN/A (self-released)
ProducerRage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine chronology
Rage Against the Machine
(1991) 		Rage Against the Machine
(1992)

Rage Against the Machine (also known as American Composite) is the original

record deal with Epic Records on the strength of the demo's success.[4]

As well as being sold at early live shows, the demo tape was sent to a number of record companies to showcase the band. Atlantic Records was sent one and produced a number of copies which the label sold under its own name. The band later discovered this but decided not to take action.[5] The Atlantic Records issued cassette tape features an entirely different cover than the band's self-released tape, with an artistic rendering of a man with a distorted and zippered face and the band's Rage Against the Machine moniker made apparently of lettering taken from different newspaper headlines.[1]

Tracks

Seven of the 12 songs on the demo tape became part of the band's

Take the Power Back" on the demo, for example, is much slower and has a different final verse. The record is notable for the first appearance of the song "Bullet in the Head", which became a hit when reissued as a single later in the year after being transferred intact (with re-recorded vocals for the verses only) from the demo to the album.[4]

The song "Darkness of Greed" hails back to vocalist de la Rocha's previous band

RoIOs exist of those performances. (RATM later re-recorded the song as simply "Darkness" for The Crow
soundtrack.) Another significant indicator of Inside Out's influence on RATM's initial direction is the fact the name "Rage Against the Machine" is also the title of an Inside Out song.

The main riff from "The Narrows" would later be reused as the main riff for "Fistful of Steel" and parts of "Mindset's a Threat" would later become a part of "Wake Up" and are present in "Freedom" and in the solo on "Bullet in the Head". The main riff for "Clear the Lane" is nearly identical to that used on their 2000 cover of The Rolling Stones' "Street Fighting Man".

The songs "Darkness of Greed" and "Clear the Lane" were both digitally remastered and included as B-sides on the "Killing in the Name" single and have both been reissued on singles and promos many times since.

The artwork features images from a newspaper's

match taped to the inlay card.[6] The statement, "No samples, keyboards or synthesizers used in the making of this recording", can be found on the cover, and the band also refer to themselves as "Guilty Parties" as they did on each subsequent original studio album.[8][9][10]

Early songs omitted from the demo

Songs titled "Hit the Deck" and "Clampdown" (the latter of which is a

California State University Northridge
on October 23, 1991, but neither song was added to the demo; neither song is known to have been recorded in a studio.

Track listing

The songs on the demo are as follows:[1]

  1. "Bombtrack" – 4:14
  2. "Take the Power Back" – 5:52
  3. "Bullet in the Head" – 5:17
  4. "Darkness of Greed" – 3:45
  5. "Clear the Lane" – 3:54
  6. "Township Rebellion" – 4:28
  7. "Know Your Enemy" – 4:22
  8. "Mindset's a Threat" – 4:03
  9. "Killing in the Name" – 6:38
  10. "Auto Logic" – 4:07
  11. "The Narrows" – 4:39
  12. "Freedom" – 5:44

Personnel

7-inch EP

Sometime after their debut CD was released, an unofficial white label 33 RPM 7-inch vinyl was produced, simply titled Rage Against the Machine; it featured 3 tracks from the demo tape.

Both catalog numbers are etched into both sides; RELAPSE-3 L-41056 appears as RELAPSE-3 L-41056-X on the B-side. A paper sleeve shows a xeroxed image of the band name and a portion of the debut CD's front cover; backside has track titles and newspaper clip images, reminiscent of the demo tape artwork. Some copies have the band's name in all capital letters ink-stamped on the white label.

This is apparently a Japanese-issued fan club pressing.

The versions of the B-sides are, in fact, the original rough demo productions and not the remastered versions previously appearing on the "Killing in the Name" single.

Track listing

  1. A "Mindset's a Threat" – 3:59
  2. B1 "Darkness of Greed" – 3:42
  3. B2 "Clear the Lane" – 3:50

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Rage Against the Machine: Discography". Ratm.net. Archived from the original on 2008-07-25. Retrieved 2008-08-02.
  2. ^
    ISBN 0-8264-8217-1
    .
  3. OCLC 57625671
  4. ^
    AMG
    . Retrieved 2008-08-02.
  5. ^ "the complete RATM site". Musicfanclubs.org. Archived from the original on 2012-04-14. Retrieved 2012-01-11.
  6. ^ a b "Rage Against the Machine". Rage Against the Machine. Archived from the original on 2023-09-25. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
  7. ^ https://www.discogs.com/search/?type=all&artist=Rage+Against+the+Machine&track=Genocide
  8. ^ Rage Against the Machine (Media notes). Rage Against the Machine. 1992.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ Evil Empire (Media notes). Rage Against the Machine. 1996.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ^ The Battle of Los Angeles (Media notes). Rage Against the Machine. 2000.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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