September 22, 2002

‘Kickin out the jams’

To abuse a cliched term, Rage Against The Machine were a revolutionary band. Not only was their music a concrete union of rap, punk and metal, the subject matter of their fiery protest songs, too, was a highly flammable molotov cocktail of leftist propaganda peppered with black power references that served as a call-to-arms to all armchair guerrilla warriors. Alas this talented foursome is no more. But they have left us with four albums’ worth of pounding music that has been profiled in RATM: The Very Best Of.

Testify from Rage’s last original studio album, The Battle of Los Angeles, gets the show on the road. Killing in the name of, from their self-titled 1992 debut, is a rant against police brutality. Tom Morello’s hair raising guitar work — arguably the most innovative since Jimmy Hendrix, Tony Iommi and Pete Townshend were in their heyday — shrieks and wails in perfect tandem with Tim Bob’s solid bass.

In Guerrilla Radio, the unholy alliance between blood, oil and dollars is discussed, as Zack De La Rocha raps in his unmistakable East Los Angeles Chicano homeboy flow. Renegades of Funk is the first offering from Renegades, Rage’s fourth and last album that consisted exclusively of covers. This track salutes leaders of the NYC old school, Afrikaa Bambaata and the Soulsonic Force. Rage’s second — and in our opinion best album, Evil Empire — is represented by People of the Sun, a vitriolic burst of bass and Morello’s screeching/hammering guitar dynamic. Bulls on Parade, the lead single from Empire, was the track that put Rage on the map as Tom Morello’s epic mimicry of a turntable on his guitar left many a headbanger with his/her jaw agape.

How I could just kill a man is another expletive filled cover, this time paying homage to Cypress Hill. Of course the manic conga breakdown of the original is missing, but not many will be complaining. Wake Up contains more of that funked up scud missile sound of Morello’s guitar. The tune waxes the poetry on the murder of Malcolm X, mind control and the CIA. The Ghost of Tom Joad comes near the close of the record, as Rage breathe new life into Springsteen’s surreal nightmare. One can actually feel the desolation of Steinbeck’s primal anti-hero through this menacing piece of metal expressionism.

This was a band that was trailblazing the rap-meets rock sound long before meatheads like Limp Bizkit were making complete fools of themselves. To quote the colloquial — they most definitely rocked hardcore. —QAM

The very best

Take the combined talents of six successful vocalists and what do you have? An amalgamation that consists of both desi and western pop, besides bhangra numbers. The Top Five Star Hits is a new album which features Adnan Sami Khan, Sajjad Ali, Ibrar-ul-Haq, Hadiqa Kiani and Rahim Shah.

No album is complete without the presence of Adnan Sami Khan, nowadays. He contributes with his two remixes and one original. Kabhi tau nazar milao is as touching and romantic as it was when first heard in 1998, while his remixes — Lift Karadey and Bheegi Bheegi shows the artist’s huge talent. There are very few people in the world who can do remixes of their own songs far better than the original version. Veteran Sajjad Ali, who has been enjoying the success of his last album Cinderella, joins the show with the sweet melody of Paniyon mein and the street funk Pata batado. Sajjad’s brother Waqar Ali has composed both the songs, which have an R.D. Burman touch.

Hadiqa Kiani’s Intezaar follows up with the cyber fast Dupatta. Both these songs have played an important role in making Hadiqa the leading pop lady of the industry. Ibrar-ul-Haq with his Jat and December captivates the listeners gradually. While Jat is a Punjabi-bhangra number, December is probably Ibrar’s best effort in Urdu. The song is a tragic rendition and a treat for slow music listeners. The fifth and last star of the album is Rahim Shah who walks in with two of his recent hits — the slow and sweet Payal and the dainty folk, Tap Tap. Rahim displays his immense potential in this collection even in the presence of veterans like Adnan Sami, Sajjad Ali and Ibrar.

The soulful and sentimental numbers in a single audio cassette or CD tempt you to go out on a long drive, alone with your beloved moon and stars. —Omair Alavi