Evil Empire (album)

For use of the phrase by Ronald Reagan and United States' conservatives, see Evil empire.
Evil Empire
cover illustration derived from "Crimebuster"
Studio album by Rage Against the Machine
Released April 16, 1996 (1996-04-16)
Recorded March, 1995 – February, 1996
Studio Cole Rehearsal Studios, Los Angeles, CA
(see Studios)
Genre Rap metal[1]
Length 46:34
Label Epic
Producer Brendan O'Brien
Rage Against the Machine chronology
Rage Against the Machine
(1992)Rage Against the Machine1992		 Evil Empire
(1996)		 The Battle of Los Angeles
(1999)The Battle of Los Angeles1999
Singles from Evil Empire
  1. "Year of tha Boomerang"
    Released: December 17, 1994
  2. "Bulls on Parade"
    Released: February 9, 1996
  3. "People of the Sun"
    Released: August 22, 1996
  4. "Down Rodeo"
    Released: November 16, 1996
  5. "Vietnow"
    Released: October 10, 1997
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Chicago Tribune[3]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[4]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[5]
Los Angeles Times[6]
NME5/10[7]
Q[8]
Rolling Stone[9]
Spin8/10[10]
The Village VoiceA−[11]

Evil Empire is the second studio album by American rap metal band Rage Against the Machine, released on April 16, 1996 by Epic Records, four years after the band's debut album. The album's title is taken from the phrase "evil empire", which was used by former U.S. President Ronald Reagan and many conservatives in describing the former Soviet Union.[12] Evil Empire debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart. The song "Tire Me" won a 1996 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance. The tracks "Bulls on Parade" and "People of the Sun" were also both nominated for Grammy Awards for Best Hard Rock Performance. The album was certified 3x platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America on May 24, 2000.[13]

Background

The cover is the altered image by Mel Ramos and features Ari Meisel as the subject.[15] The caption "EVIL EMPIRE" and letter "e" on the boy's costume were originally "c" and "CRIME BUSTER".[16] Additional themes for the album were created by Barbara Kruger, and some of her artwork appears in the video clip for "Bulls on Parade", which became the second single for the album. As with their debut, five singles were released in total.

The inside of the CD booklet shows a picture of a pile of various political and philosophical books including A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn, Capital, Volume I by Karl Marx, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce, and The Anarchist Cookbook by William Powell.[17]

Promotion

In 1995, the band sent a free 7″ record to promote the upcoming album to everyone who signed up for the Rage Against the Machine fan club promoted in the liner notes of the debut CD as an apology for never having received anything. It came in a plain cardboard colored fold-out with a black-and-white American flag on the cover and the title "Evil Empire" and the band's name all in capitals. On the back was a UPC with marker scribble on the barcode. The A-side was a reissue of the "Evening Session" version of "Bombtrack" listed as "Bombtrack (Live on the BBC)" and the B-side was the then unreleased cover of N.W.A's "Fuck tha Police" recorded live on August 13, 1995 at a benefit concert for Mumia Abu-Jamal at the Capitol Ballroom in Washington, D.C.

Track listing

All lyrics written by Zack de la Rocha; all music composed by Rage Against the Machine.

No.TitleLength
1."People of the Sun"2:30
2."Bulls on Parade"3:49
3."Vietnow"4:39
4."Revolver"5:30
5."Snakecharmer"3:56
6."Tire Me"3:00
7."Down Rodeo"5:20
8."Without a Face"3:36
9."Wind Below"5:50
10."Roll Right"4:22
11."Year of tha Boomerang"4:02
Total length:46:34

Personnel

Rage Against the Machine

Technical

Artwork and design

Recording locations

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
Canada (Music Canada)[45] Platinum 100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[46] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[47] 3× Platinum 3,000,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Awards

See also

References

  1. ↑ Lipkin, Gregg (November 18, 2009). "Masters of the Form: Rage Against the Machine 1996 - Evil Empire". PopMatters. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  2. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Evil Empire – Rage Against the Machine". AllMusic. Retrieved February 15, 2012.
  3. ↑ Kot, Greg (April 25, 1996). "Saved By a Guitar". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  4. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2011). "Rage Against the Machine". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-85712-595-8.
  5. ↑ Sinclair, Tom (April 19, 1996). "Evil Empire". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 15, 2012.
  6. ↑ Cromelin, Richard (April 14, 1996). "Rage Against the Machine 'Evil Empire' Epic". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  7. ↑ Cigarettes, Johnny (April 13, 1996). "Rage Against the Machine – Evil Empire". NME. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Rage Against the Machine: Evil Empire". Q (170): 130. November 2000.
  9. ↑ Wiederhorn, Jon (April 18, 1996). "Evil Empire". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
  10. ↑ Gold, Jonathan (May 1996). "Rage Against the Machine: Evil Empire". Spin. 12 (2): 103. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
  11. ↑ Christgau, Robert (July 23, 1996). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  12. ↑ Staff report (May 3, 1996). Rage Builds "Evil Empire" MTV
  13. ↑ RIAA RIAA Certification search results Archived June 26, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. Note: type “Evil Empire” (without quotation marks) in field "Title:"
  14. ↑ de la Rocha, Zacarías Manuel "Zack" (May 3, 1996). "Rage Builds "Evil Empire"". MTV. MTV.com. Retrieved 7 April 2013. The title "Evil Empire" is taken from what Rage Against The Machine see as Ronald Reagan's slander of the Soviet Union in the eighties, which the band feels could just as easily apply to the United States. Rage is currently finishing up a European tour but they'll be back on our evil U.S. soil for a tour in late July.
  15. ↑ Rage Against The Machine “Evil Empire” Album Cover Art Was Originally Called “Crime Buster”
  16. ↑ Mark Malazarte Crime Buster by Mel Ramos 1993
  17. ↑ http://www.ratm.net/book.html
  18. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Rage Against the Machine – Evil Empire". Hung Medien.
  19. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Rage Against the Machine – Evil Empire" (in German). Hung Medien.
  20. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Rage Against the Machine – Evil Empire" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  21. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Rage Against the Machine – Evil Empire" (in French). Hung Medien.
  22. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Rage Against the Machine – Evil Empire" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  23. ↑ "Rage Against the Machine: Evil Empire" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
  24. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Rage Against the Machine – Evil Empire". Hung Medien.
  25. ↑ "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH.
  26. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Rage Against the Machine – Evil Empire". Hung Medien.
  27. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Rage Against the Machine – Evil Empire". Hung Medien.
  28. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Rage Against the Machine – Evil Empire". Hung Medien.
  29. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Rage Against the Machine – Evil Empire". Hung Medien.
  30. ↑ "Rage Against the Machine | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart
  31. ↑ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
  32. ↑ "Rage Against the Machine – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Rage Against the Machine.
  33. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Rage Against the Machine – Bulls on Parade". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  34. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Rage Against the Machine – Bulls on Parade" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  35. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Rage Against the Machine – Bulls on Parade" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  36. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Rage Against the Machine – Bulls on Parade" (in French). Les classement single.
  37. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Rage Against the Machine – Bulls on Parade". Top 40 Singles.
  38. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Rage Against the Machine – Bulls on Parade". VG-lista.
  39. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Rage Against the Machine – Bulls on Parade". Singles Top 100.
  40. ↑ "Archive Chart: 1996-04-13" UK Singles Chart.
  41. ↑ "Rage Against the Machine – Chart history" Billboard Alternative Songs for Rage Against the Machine.
  42. ↑ "Rage Against the Machine – Chart history" Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs for Rage Against the Machine.
  43. ↑ "Rage Against the Machine – Chart history" Billboard Radio Songs for Rage Against the Machine.
  44. ↑ "Archive Chart: 1996-09-07" UK Singles Chart.
  45. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Rage Against the Machine – Evil Empire". Music Canada.
  46. ↑ "British album certifications – Rage Against the Machine – Evil Empire". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Evil Empire in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
  47. ↑ "American album certifications – Rage Against the Machine – Evil Empire". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
Preceded by
Jagged Little Pill by Alanis Morissette		 Billboard 200 number-one album
May 4-May 10, 1996 		Succeeded by
Fairweather Johnson by Hootie & the Blowfish
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