Customer Reviews
a dying breed! 
2008-08-05
Although this album is more hip-hopish than the others it makes a great addition to the Rage legacy, Zack de la Roca is and excellent lead singer/rapper!! tom morello mastery of the guitar is excellent! good album!! a must have!!
The most original "cover" album i've ever heard. 2008-04-03
I do not agree with Rage's message in trying to take down the government but I LOVE their music. Tom Morello is a genius on the guitar, Brad Wilk is an amazing drummer, and Zach is a singer full of pure energy.
I grew up listening to RATM and even though I do not agree with all of their political views I still admire their music. This album is absolutely great, I understand most songs on this album are about a political view [Kick out the Jams, Ghost of Tom Joad, Streeting Fighting Man, Maggies Farm] but tying that in with other songs like [Microphone Fiend, Down on the Street, Pistol Grip Pump] is just brilliant. Listen to the original recording of one of these songs and then listen to RATM's cover. When most of the bands in todays time cover a song it sounds exactly the same as the song they are covering, Rage puts their own unique mix on the song. I think this album is amazing.
OK, but misses Rage's intense lyrics 
2008-02-15
While you won't find Rage's amazing lyrics or political fire on this, their final album, you will find something much more amazing. Rage's high-powered rock attack on the classics. The Ghost of Tom Joad. Amazing. Intense. Everything you would expect from a Rage song. There is so much fire and intensity on this album, and yet, it's often their most forgettable album. Probably because the Rage you expect to pummel you with their message, ultimately beat you into submission with their ability as musical artists. A must for any fan.
"No matter how hard you try, you can't stop us now." 2007-11-04
So Rage Against the Machine was a pretty popular rap/rock group for most of the 90's with a strong political message, and then they broke up. The singer did his own thing while the rest of the band played with Chris Cornell as Audioslave, although recently that act broke up too, and now Rage is playing shows again and people wonder if they're going to do some recording. Renegades was their last studio album, but it wasn't a normal one, as it's a collection of covers. Some are song by contemporaries like Cypress Hill, others are of more classic bands. Some of them are interesting, although most just transform it into a typical Rage song. That's fine, as a normal Rage song can be pretty awesome. But too much of the same thing can get pretty tiresome, and since they didn't really write these songs, they don't get much credit for crunching, angry guitars and rapping lyrics someone else wrote.
"Microphone Fiend" gets it started just the way you'd expect, a lot of attitude and a lot of bass. "Pistol Grip Pump" is one of the standouts. It's actually quite repetitive, but there's just something enticing about the riff and the beat. "Renegades of Funk" has a catchy sample and is a pretty good single. "Beautiful World" is about the only song on the album that doesn't sound like Rage Against the Machine, very mellow and respectful of the original version. "How I Could Just Kill a Man" is another enjoyable, hard rocking track. "Maggie's Farm" rounds out the album with a loud, angry, typical finish that you expect from a band that rages so much, especially against the machine. My copy is actually a special edition with two live bonus tracks, although neither is especially compelling and just stretch out the experience. They really just lessen the impact of ending on "Maggie's Farm" which was actually fairly good. It's a pretty decent album, although I think huge fans might have wanted a bigger last hurrah.
one of my personal faves 2007-10-12
Ill start out saying that i do truly love Rage with a passion. Sure there are a few songs that don't catch on as much as others, but i do love the political meaning and the attitude behind every one of their tracks. No going soft, even when doing covers for every song in Renegades. I honestly had no idea that Bob Dylan wrote "Maggie's Farm" since they pretty much only kept the lyrics and made it one of my favorite Rage songs. Others like "Pistol Grip Pump" and "How I Could Just Kill A Man" never EVER get old to me. Now all i have to do is find a way for Rage to have a concert in Hawaii, then i'm set.
Renegades 2007-08-30
If
Renegades proves to be the last Rage Against the Machine album to feature singer Zack de la Rocha, who quit the band after nine years, it's a cool way to go out. Produced by Rick Rubin,
Renegades is a salute to the artists who made Rage what they are--or were. While it's easy to hear Rage's rap roots in songs from Afrika Bambaataa, EPMD, and Volume 10, it's more interesting to see their take on rock in its classic and punk forms. Rage capture the raw spirit, if not the quite the intensity, inherent in the MC5 classic "Kick Out the Jams." A superior second live take appears at the CD's end, followed by a concert version of Cypress Hill's "How I Could Just Kill a Man," with help from B-Real and Sen Dog. Devo's "Beautiful World" is rendered quietly unrecognizable, while Minor Threat's "In My Eyes" is given a wonderfully melodic, ultra-aggro treatment. The Rolling Stones' "Street Fighting Man" takes on a techno vibe that's unsettling and Bob Dylan's "Maggie's Farm" is also effectively modernized. Ultimately,
Renegades is a must-have for its song selection, musical execution, and the unhappy fact that it's likely the ultimate offering from one of rock's most musically and politically relevant lineups.
--Katherine Turman
Reun1te / Political Agenda 2007-02-14
When I heard Zack had left the band due to 'creative differences' I was not happy but continued to live with hope that it was not the end of the Rage. Seven years later, they are doing a 1 off concert & just like many out there lets hope they re-ignite the sparks & reform the magical chemistry that in my opinion has never died!
Does anyone own the live & rare Rage cd, if you listen to it, Zack states lets bombard this Leonard Paltere's (SP) mail box until we win, maybe all us Rage fans need to bombard the record company's or the members of Rage themseleves until they do what they again do what they do best & that is make music as Rage Against The Machine.
Yo Check it, as I listen to their material daily even today I can find more passion in Rage than a run down mill scrap band that is Audioslave (namely due to Chris Cornell's semi attempted alright vocals), most of their mateiral in their first 2 albums could have easily been reworked for Rage as a lot of Rage was coming through & the only difference is Chris Cornell was on lead vocals & I am glad I did not see them live when they started playing Rage material (what kind of hypocracy is that?) - man he would have ruined all meaning & destroyed the funk blast!
So cut the chord & get this musical act of RATM back on track, you guys would with ease be no. 1 (not that you lot would care about the fat checks due to the political nature/agenda of the band).
Tom Morello - you are an outstanding guitarist, I could not believe those sounds could be made by guitar but a lot of what you did in Audioslave was just borrowed from Rage, however the rhythm section of Audio is great (esp. Brad he really takes drumming to new levels).
Hopefully the panther the brother De La Rocha has in his 7 year absence written some stronger much needed material due to the musical junk out there today & if there is any hope & in life if I saw a mission that is accomplished it would be Rage reformed & continuing on til their last breath/s.
Not everyone is gifted as musicains so why throw it away guys for a half rate band Audislave? Give me the mic so I can scream "COME ON...AAARRRGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!"
When I think Rage I can with ease think of their song titles:
Bombtrack, Killing in the Name Of, Take the Power Back, Know Your Enemy, Wake Up, Township Rebellion, Freedom, People of the Sun, Bulls on Parade, Vietnow, Revoler, Snakecharmer, Down Rhode, Without a Face, Year of the Boomerang, Testify, Guerrila Radio, Mic Check, Sleep Now In The Fire, Voice of the Voiceless, Maria, Ashes In The Fall, War Within A Breath, No Shelter, Microphone Fiend, Pistol Grip Pump, Renegades of Funk, How I Could Just Kill A Man, Street Fighting Man, Maggies Farm...Wow!!!
Zack - we need & long for you in the music industry more than ever as there has been no one out there able to spit truth like it needs to be done on a microphone only you as the front man of Rage Against The Machine can pull this off.
Peace out my panthers my brothers!
Rage Keep On Rockin' 'Til The Morning Comes 2007-01-25
Even though "Renegades," Rage Against The Machine's last album, was merely a cover album, it still solidifies the band's career and legendary status as the most active and unique protest rock band for Generation X and as innovators of the ill-fated rap-rock movement. All 12 covers -- spanning from hip-hop to punk to classic rock -- fit perfectly into Rage Against The Machine's songbook, keeping a clear message and not sacrificing one ounce of intergrity or energy. Although the rumors of frontman Zach De La Rocha's disdain for the release of the album have been blamed for the break-up of the band, "Renegades" still stands as yet another exercise in fist-pumping power and excellent and inventive musicianship. Truly, Rage Against The Machine in top form once again.
Hearing Zach spit out rhymes on hip-hop classics such as "Microphone Friend" and "How I Could Just Kill A Man" sounds only natural, but it's when the band ventures into other, less predictable territories that this album really shines. Perfect example would be their cover of Devo's "Beautiful World," a haunting, moving and surprisingly melodic commentary on the state of the world that still holds up today, just as it did in the 80's, and takes the Rage sound into a new realm. On the flipside, "Kick Out The Jams" (originally by MC5), is a brilliant merger of the signature Rage style with the fury of old-school punk. One of the more energetic tracks, this song is truly the point where the album takes shape. "In My Eyes" (originally by Minor Threat) takes on the same tone as "Kick Out The Jams," and remains another highlight, but elsewhere, on the Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen covers, "Maggie's Farm" and "The Ghost Of Tom Joad," the band shows some true influences that never really stood out before. The 12 song set is supported by two bonus live tracks: "Kick Out The Jams" and "How I Could Just Kill A Man," which just further solidify Rage's reputation as one of the best live bands of their time. The latter even features a guest appearance by B-Real and Sen Dog of Cypress Hill.
Overall, "Renegades" is a proper goodbye, that shows it's true roots and honors the band's influences with large amounts of respect and excellent musicianship. It's a shame that their last studio album wasn't original material, but this is just as good. With a Rage Against The Machine reunion on the horizon, who knows what the future will bring. But even if they don't make another album, "Renegades" still shows the band at their best, turning some classics into new anthems for the new millennium.
Rage Covers It All 2006-12-16
This is a monster cover album. Not many bands can do an album of cover versions and do justice to many songs, but Rage make these songs their own.
Zach's crisp strong vocals are gripping as always and the band is peaking here.
Highlights are Microphone Fiend, Beautiful World, In My Eyes & Maggies Farm.
Pure heavy funk, not just for Rage fans....
The Original Artists 2006-02-03
1. Microphone fiend - Eric B and Rakim
2. Pistol grip pump - Volume 10
3. Kick out the jam - MC5
4. Renegades of funk - Afrika Bambattaa
5. Beautiful world - Devo
6. I'm housin' - EPMD
7. In my eyes - Minor Threat
8. How could I just kill a man - Cypress Hill
9. The ghost of Tom Joad - Bruce Springsteen
10. Down on the street - The Stooges
11. Street fighting man - The Rolling Stones
12. Maggies farm - Bob Dylan
