Maps of Music

Renegades (2000)

Where the lyrics of Renegades take you, and where it was really made.

Renegades came out after the band had already split up, so the album never had a supporting tour.

Key places

Recorded at The Village Recorder (2000)

Recording site Village Recorders — The album's credits list The Village Recorder in Los Angeles as one of its recording studios, alongside Cello Studios in Hollywood. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Renegades: fourth and final studio album by Rage Against the Machine
• Released December 5, 2000 by Epic Records
• Made up entirely of covers of songs by other artists
• Covers include Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Afrika Bambaataa, Minor Threat, Eric B. & Rakim, the Stooges, MC5, the Rolling Stones, Cypress Hill and Devo
• Album cover takes its design from Robert Indiana's Love artwork series

Background

• Released after the band split up, almost two months before the release date
• No supporting tour, unlike other Rage Against the Machine albums
• Shortly after release, the members except lead vocalist Zack de la Rocha formed Audioslave with Chris Cornell, then a former Soundgarden vocalist

Recording

• Recorded at Cello Studios, Hollywood, CA and The Village Recorder, Los Angeles, CA
• Mixed at Sunset Sound Recorders and Larrabee Studios (East), both in Hollywood, CA
• Mastered at Sony Music Studios, New York
• Produced by Rick Rubin, except The Ghost of Tom Joad, produced by Brendan O'Brien

Cover

• The cover is a take on Robert Indiana's Love artwork series
• Two versions exist: one with red letters on a black and blue background, the other with green replacing the blue

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com · es.wikipedia.org

Artist

Formation

• Formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1991.
• Formed after Tom Morello's former band Lock Up broke up; the name came from a song Zack de la Rocha wrote for his former hardcore punk band Inside Out.
• Signed with Epic Records after releasing a self-released demo cassette.

Members

• Zack de la Rocha (vocals), Tim Commerford (bass), Tom Morello (guitar), Brad Wilk (drums).

Career

• Debut album Rage Against the Machine (1992) was a critical and commercial success; ranked 221st on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2020).
• Commercial breakthrough came after the 1993 Lollapalooza performance.
• Evil Empire (1996) and The Battle of Los Angeles (1999) both topped the Billboard 200.
• Disbanded in 2000 after de la Rocha quit; Morello, Wilk and Commerford formed Audioslave with Chris Cornell.
• Reunited in 2007, toured internationally, went on hiatus in 2011, and formed Prophets of Rage in 2016.
• Second reunion in 2019 led to the Public Service Announcement Tour, cut short by de la Rocha's injury in 2022.
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2023; Wilk confirmed in 2024 the band had disbanded again.
• Sold more than 16 million records worldwide as of 2010; influenced the nu metal genre.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Metacritic: generally favorable reviews, weighted average 78 out of 100 from 15 critic scores
• AllMusic (John Bush): said the record works well with only a few exceptions
• Alternative Press: described the record as a tour through three decades of sonic recalcitrance and the genome map of seditious sound
• Entertainment Weekly (Rob Brunner): called it a remarkably diverse, if not exactly surprising, mix of heavy rock, hip-hop and protest music
• Mojo: called it a crisp, Rick Rubin-produced outing
• NME (Kitty Empire): called it a brilliant archaeology and a sonic history lesson
• Rolling Stone (Tom Moon): said the band played diverse tracks with a roaring, fearless spirit
• Select: called it the band's most satisfying record since their debut

Reappraisal

• The Independent (2013) and NME (2019) included the album in lists of the best cover albums

Records

• Certified platinum a little over a month after release
• Peaked at number 14 on the US Billboard chart
• Platinum for US sales

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album was recorded at The Village Recorder in Los Angeles, one of the studios named in its credits.
• Renegades of Funk was nominated for a Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance in 2002.
• Pistol Grip Pump contains portions of More Bounce to the Ounce by Roger Troutman.
• Every track was produced by Rick Rubin except The Ghost of Tom Joad, which Brendan O'Brien produced.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com · es.wikipedia.org

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