Rage Against the Machine

小簡介
人們總是認為一支受大眾歡迎的，主流的樂隊是不可能持有極為左派的政治觀點的。然而來自洛杉磯的說唱/鞭擊重金屬樂隊Rage Against The Machine（“暴力反抗體制”）樂隊卻同時做到了這兩點，在他們的世界里金錢和激進的政治觀點根本就沒有關系。
????Rage Against The Machine（以下簡稱RATM）樂隊于1991年成立于洛杉磯，成員來自于美國各地：主唱是加州本地的一個名叫扎克·德·拉·羅查（Zack de la Rocha）的警察，之前他就發(fā)起成立過一支名為Inside Out的朋克樂隊；留著長發(fā)的吉他手湯姆·莫雷羅（Tom Morello）來自著名的哈福大學，他來自一個偏僻的鄉(xiāng)下；貝斯手蒂姆·科姆佛德（Tim Commerford）和莫雷羅來自同一個鄉(xiāng)下；鼓手布萊德·維爾克（Brad Wilk）這來自俄勒岡州的波特蘭。
????RATM樂隊一開始就將說唱、重金屬、朋克、以及舞曲巧妙的組合在一起，又將極端的舞臺力量與那些現(xiàn)代音樂禁忌的政治觀點用坦率的歌詞表達，RATM樂隊的影響力也遍布整個南加利福尼亞，共售出了超過五千份的卡式磁帶。 在與Epic唱片簽約之后，RATM樂隊于1992發(fā)行了他們的首張同名專輯《Rage Against The Machine》。初期他們被視為一支說唱樂隊，RATM樂隊與House Of Pain以及Cypress Hill樂隊一起進行了大規(guī)模的巡回演出，這次活動一舉將Rage Against The Machine的歌曲推入了BillBoard排行的前五十位。1994年初歌曲“Freedom”的MTV在電視上頻繁播放，這一切使得這張專輯的獲得了白金的銷量，這也確立了RATM樂隊九十年代中期著名另類搖滾樂隊的地位，也確定了樂隊以說唱為核心的風格。
????在經(jīng)過了精心的準備和漫長的等待之后，他們的第二張專輯《Evil Empire》面世了，在一場名為“Saturday Night Live”的演唱會中，他們將美國國旗倒插在擴音器頂上?！禘vil Empire》很快就成為專輯榜的首位并完成了白金級的銷量并產(chǎn)生了榜首歌曲“Bulls on Parade”。盡管RATM樂隊的這張專輯最終賣出了數(shù)百萬的銷量，可是RATM始終堅持自己的社會主義政治立場，他們用自己的歌聲支持墨西哥的反政府武裝恰帕斯國民解放軍，并且反對美國政府關押左派的非洲籍的新聞工作者Mumia Abu-Jamal以及美國白人左派領袖Leonard Peltier。在1996年他們和信仰天主教的U2樂隊在俄勒岡州舉行演唱會，籍以反對一些制服生產(chǎn)商利用工人們的制服進行廣告宣傳。RATM樂隊用自己的行動證明了可以利用財富和合理的公民基本權(quán)利來部分的改善社會而不一定要進行一次大規(guī)模的政治運動。
????在1999年11月，RATM樂隊發(fā)行了自己的第三張專輯《The Battle Of Los Angeles》。之后羅查突然宣布離去使得樂隊的前景顯出幾分黯淡。盡管有這樣的不確定因素，他們的又一張專輯《Renegades》還是于2000年秋季發(fā)行了。
Rage Against the Machine earned acclaim from disenfranchised fans (and not insignificant derision from critics) for their bombastic, fiercely polemical music, which brewed sloganeering leftist rants against corporate America, cultural imperialism, and government oppression into a Molotov cocktail of punk, hip-hop, and thrash. Rage formed in Los Angeles in the early '90s out of the wreckage of a number of local groups: vocalist Zack de la Rocha (the son of Chicano political artist Beto) emerged from the bands Headstance, Farside, and Inside Out; guitarist Tom Morello (the nephew of Jomo Kenyatta, the first Kenyan president) originated in Lock Up; and drummer Brad Wilk played with future Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder. Rounded out by bassist Tim Bob (aka Tim C., born Tim Commerford), a childhood friend of de la Rocha's, Rage debuted in 1992 with a self-released, self-titled 12-song cassette featuring the song "Bullet in the Head," which became a hit when reissued as a single later in the year.
The tape won the band a deal with Epic, and their leap to the majors did not go unnoticed by detractors, who questioned the revolutionary integrity of Rage Against the Machine's decision to align itself with the label's parent company, media behemoth Sony. Undeterred, the quartet emerged in late 1992 with their eponymous official debut, which scored the hits "Killing in the Name" and "Bombtrack." After touring with Lollapalooza and declaring their support of groups like FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting), Rock for Choice, and Refuse & Resist, Rage spent a reportedly tumultuous four years working on their follow-up; despite rumors of a breakup, they returned in 1996 with Evil Empire, which entered the U.S. album charts at number one and scored a hit single with "Bulls on Parade." During 1997, the group joined forces with hip-hop supergroup the Wu-Tang Clan for a summer tour and remained active in support of various leftist political causes, including a controversial 1999 benefit concert for death-row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal. The Battle of Los Angeles followed later in 1999, also debuting at number one and going double platinum by the following summer. In early 2000, de la Rocha announced plans for a solo project, and the band performed an incendiary show outside the Democratic National Convention in August. The following month, bassist Commerford was arrested for disorderly conduct at MTV's Video Music Awards following his bizarre disruption of a Limp Bizkit acceptance speech, in which he climbed to the top of a 15-foot set piece and rocked back and forth.
Plans for a live album were announced shortly thereafter, but in October, de la Rocha abruptly announced his departure from the band, citing breakdowns in communication and group decision-making. Surprised but not angry, the remainder of Rage announced plans to continue with a new vocalist, while de la Rocha re-focused on his solo album, which was slated to include collaborations with acclaimed hip-hop artists including DJ Shadow and El-P of Company Flow. December 2000 saw the release of de la Rocha's final studio effort with the band, the Rick Rubin-produced Renegades; it featured nearly a dozen covers of hip-hop, rock, and punk artists like EPMD, Bruce Springsteen, Devo, the Rolling Stones, the MC5, and more. By 2001, Morello, Wilk, and Commerford had formed Audioslave with former Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell, and the group released an eponymous album by the end of 2002. With a de la Rocha solo album still not announced, Epic finally released the long-promised concert album Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium on CD and DVD in time for Christmas 2003.