Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13336 in DVD
• Released on: 2002-01-21
• Rating: Exempt
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 78 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
This imaginatively titled release contains both footage of Rage Against the Machine in concert and uncensored versions of six of the group's videos. This isn't quite the value for money it might sound, since most of their videos are heavily reliant on concert footage anyway, and in a couple of cases it's difficult to tell one from the other.

That said, the concert footage, taken from a few different RATM shows, is crisply shot and conveys enough of RATM's intoxicating (if one-dimensional) ferocity to be effective. A couple of the videos are also worth seeing, if only because they wouldn't have much hope of getting played on television: the clip for "Freedom", especially, is a clever and acute retelling of the story of American Indian Movement activist Leonard Peltier, shortly to complete his third decade of imprisonment.

On the DVD: Rage Against the Machine on disc has a choice of stereo sound or Dolby Digital 5.1. English subtitles are available on most tracks. Special features include a track selector, contacts for organisations with which RATM are sympathetic, and a book list largely comprising indigestible polemical tracts of the sort often bought, but rarely read, by the earnest students who constitute Rage Against the Machine's core audience. However, given that most bands use any spare capacity on their DVDs to flog T-shirts, RATM deserve credit for trying something different. --Andrew Mueller

Special Features
English
Region 2
PCM Stereo English\Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround English
PCM Stereo
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
Interactive Menus\Instant Chapter Access To Songs\Lyrics In English\Reading List\List Of Contacts

Synopsis
Their name is fairly self-explanatory -- a hard rock-punk band with leftist political leanings. Simply put, Rage Against The Machine are, well, angry. This volatility and passion has lead the band to make music that is both moving and important, and an active and dedicated fan base attests to this. This great video release contains concert footage and uncensored videos from Rage's vault, including a live cover of "The Ghost of Tom Joad," a performance of "Killing in the Name" from the Pink Pop Festival, and videos for "Bulls on Parade," "People of the Sun," and more.

Customer Reviews

Rage Live: Unbridled Fury, A Must See!
If you never had a chance to see Rage Against the Machine live, you really missed out. There was a time when Zach de la Rocha was the most frightening performer in the land. I caught them twice in '93, just as they were hitting - the shows were incendiary. Zach was wrath in the flesh, a live wire, ready to strike at any moment with unbridled fury. The pit was as wild as any I've ever experienced (I almost had a tooth knocked out!)

I saw them once again in 1999 during "The Battle of Los Angeles" tour. The band was much tighter, and Zach got down, but I felt like they had lost much of their menacing edge. Still, they were absolutely captivating.

This DVD captures Rage somewhere in between these two states. Most of the performances are from 1996/1997, their "Evil Empire" tour, with the exception of a couple from 1994 (pre-"Evil Empire"). Zach comes off as monstrous in '94, and more human in 1996/1997. Throughout, his intensity is at peak, especially on "Freedom" and "Tire Me" where he just goes absolutely nuts. It will give you shivers. Tom Morello is an extraordinary guitar player and is fascinating to watch as well.

The live stuff is the reason to get this, but they've also included six music videos as a bonus. The early videos, like "Killing in the Name", are so poorly dubbed and low budget that they're almost painful to watch. The later videos border on jaw dropping they're so good (my favorite is "Bulls on Parade".)

Unfortunately the special features are a little bland. One, for example, is a reading list. Another is a list of non-profit organizations that the band supports. Noble, sure, but both are already available on the Rage web site, where they are more legible. The best special feature is the ability to view the lyrics during the songs - all music DVDs should have this feature! The biggest thing lacking from this DVD is behind-the-scenes footage. I'm sure it's out there - why not include it?

If you were lucky enough to see Rage live, this DVD will bring back memories and have you pining for a reunion. If you missed them, brother/sister, I can't help you. In fact, you probably should avoid this - your envy for those of us who saw them could easily grow to unbearable proportions. Anyways, if you're a big fan, this DVD is a must-own. Don't hesitate to purchase it.

This isnt live at the grand olympic auditorium
Many, but not all, reviewers seem to be confusing this DVD with Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium. This is a DVD re-release of a much earlier video. So Cypress Hill aren't on it, and there actually are no songs from Battle of LA because that hadnt be made at the time. Personally it is my favourite Rage DVD, the performances seem to me to be stronger than on Battle of Mexico City/Live at Grand. But it could just be because i prefer the material. By the end of their existence Rage were playing very little from the underrated Evil Empire. Live versions of tracks like Vietnow and Tire Me are therefore only on this release and not the later two, which have more emphasis on the Battle of LA album which i think is a bit weaker. Of course, the self-titled first album gets a good showing on all their DVDS. This one also starts with Ghost of Tom Joad, a brilliant cover, and a better version than the one that would appear on the Renegades album.

As Tom said: "A good song should make you wanna tap your foot and get with your girl. A great song should destroy cops and set fire to the suburbs. I'm only interested in writing great songs." This is full of great performances of great songs

In One Word, THE-BEST-DVD-EVER!!!! I hyphonated, didn't I?
Well, it is RATM, so what would you expect? This is the closest I have got to seeing them live as I only started getting into them when they split up. It does a damn good job as well. You really feel like you are there. I also saw a review earlier on that said that there weren't any from Battle Of Los Angeles, well actually the majority of the songs are from there. Also the people at Amazon have no taste in music as they said that this was bad and Renegades was shoddy too when I think it was their most original album (even though it is all covers... its hard to explain and I can't be bothered...). Well whatever, this is the best DVD ever and there is also a special performance with Cypress Hill which is very good. The only flaws are the videos for How I could Just Kill A Man and Bombtrack (alternate video) as they were not made too well and HICJKAM just relies on live performances... but it is not too big a flaw as they are great songs. Special features include their performance at the Democratic National Convention 2000, two special performances and the two vids i mentioned earlier. Overall Zach's storng political voice is brought out in songs so well, Tim's thumping bass is great, Brad's nimble hands on the drums just blow you away and Tom; well, lets just say he wasn't voted best guitarist of the year at the Grammy's 4 years running for nothing...