Length 46:34 Release date 16 April 1996 Producer Brendan O'Brien | Artist Rage Against the Machine Label Epic Records | |
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Released April 16, 1996 (1996-04-16) Recorded March, 1995 – February, 1996 Studio Cole Rehearsal Studios, Los Angeles, CA
(see Studios) Evil Empire
(1996) The Battle of Los Angeles
(1999) Genres Heavy metal, Rap metal, Alternative rock, Alternative metal, Funk metal Similar Rage Against the Machine albums, Alternative rock albums | ||
Rage against the machine evil empire full album 1996
Evil Empire is the second studio album by American rap metal band Rage Against the Machine, released on April 16, 1996 by Epic Records, only 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. 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.
Contents
Ratm people of the sun
Background
The cover is the altered image by Mel Ramos and features Ari Meisel as the subject. The caption "EVIL EMPIRE" and letter "e" on the boy's costume were originally "c" and "CRIME BUSTER". 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.
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.
Personnel
Rage Against the Machine
Technical
Artwork and design
Recording locations
Awards
Songs
1People of the Sun2:30
2Bulls on Parade3:51
3Vietnow4:39