Not So New Release Tuesday: Rage Against the Machine

It's fall of 1993. I'm a senior high school. Kurt Cobain is still alive. Beavis and Butthead rule MTV. Sega Genesis is the gaming system of choice. Zach de la Rocha is pissed off. My friends and I are filled with angst. We are a perfect match.

I'll never forget the first time that I heard Rage Against the Machine's debut album in full. Back then, a parental advisory sticker actually meant something. My friends and I were dying to get this CD. I was the first of us to turn 18, so I purchased about 5 copies as soon as I did. There weren't a lot of CD players in cars at that point, so I waited until I got home to put it on. I put it on in my room and cranked it up, not knowing that Bombtrack builds. Mike (yes the one that used to run the Austin side of this site) was in the next room and as soon as the song kicked in, he heard me scream. And I heard him laugh. While my ears may have hurt, I immediately fell in love. To this day, this CD can bring out the angst that I had believed to be long gone.


Bombtrack
Know Your Enemy
Freedom