Review of Rage Against The Machine

Introduction

I first got into the band with the track, "Bullet in the Head", replete with its swearing and `rage` sound. RATM have been around for more then ten years and their self titled debut album sold millions. It was a change in sound and opinion, not since the likes of the Sex Pistols have a band been motivated to the core by its beliefs and expressed itself as widely as RATM.

RATM`s live performances are recorded and presented on this 80 minute DVD together with video clips and I have to say that I was rather enthralled at watching the live performances. I`ve never seen the band play live, so it was interesting to watch and reminds me very much of watching live rock gigs in small sweaty venues. The video here captures that intimacy and sound. Especially if you pump up the sound really loud.

Video

Presented with a fullframe transfer, the video transfer seems to be quite good. The concert is shot on film under all sorts of lighting conditions so it can seem a little dark in places but is perfectly watchable. It`s a shame this wasn`t shot in widescreen, or if it was, it`s not presented as such. There`s lots of movement on stage and in the crowd, this would definitely benefit from a wider image just to capture some more of the feeling of being there. I couldn`t spot any problems with the transfer at all, it`s quite good.

Audio

There`s a choice of two soundtracks here, DD5.1 and a plain 2 channel PCM track. The DD5.1 track sounds pretty good to spread the sound evenly across the front three speakers. It`s bassy, punchy and sounds good with the volume pumped up. The PCM track is the original sound mix and sounds okay, but sounds a little disconnected from the onscreen performances since there`s no centre channel.

Features

The back of the box mentions some of the Special Features as DD5.1, Digitally Mastered, English Lyrics, Interactive Menus and Instant Chapter Access. These are the least special features ever and are standard on most DVDs. The only special features here are: Reading List, List of Contacts and a bonus track.

The Reading List is a list of books used in the sleeve for Evil Empire (the bands second album). A number of titles on such subjects as fighting censorship, the anarchist cookbook, The Black Panthers Speak, Capital, Chicana Lesbians and Guerrilla Warfare and loads more. In fact if you`re interested in any of this, you`re better off visiting the Reading List on the official RATM website, http://www.ratm.com.

The Contacts List is U.S. biased and features information on contacts for diverse organisaions such as those dealing with HIV/AIDS, activists on death row, support for women`s rights on abortion and a few more. While I have nothing against promoting organisations which are here to help raise awareness, it might have been useful to include one or two relevant UK organisations too since this is a UK DVD.

The bonus track, "The Ghost of Tom Joad", is an audio track with a still graphic on screen. I would have expected some info on the band just to satisfy my curiousity, and to find out where their beliefs stemmed from. Interviews with the band members would have been cool, but thinking about this, perhaps this is just about the message in the music, man.

Conclusion

There are songs here from the first album and later ones too, most have lyrics as well which I`m thankful for since everything is so LOUD! RATM isn`t going to be to everyone`s taste since its politics might put some people off, while its punky brash sound may attract others, but one thing is for sure. The band have been around for over ten years and looks like it`ll be around for a long time to come. If you want to know more about what the band supports and look up the recommended reading list, check out the official band website: http://www.ratm.com.

Those that are familiar with the bands music are better off with CDs rather than this DVD. There`s nothing visually striking here to make you want it. Even if you want to see the bands performances, I think after the first time around you won`t bother watching it for a very long time. The DVD isn`t what I`d call background music either, unlike other music DVDs. Not worth buying.