I suppose this was Rage Against the Machine's "difficult second album"; I certainly remember it being considered so back in the day. It was the start of 2000 when I properly got into Rage and by that point the three main albums had been released, with the covers album Renegades to appear a year later. We'd heard the self-titled album and everything we read told us that Evil Empire hadn't been so good but The Battle of Los Angeles was brilliant. Playing those albums now, I'd (controversially) say they're all as good as each other. Sure, RATM and LA have more of the big songs, but Evil Empire still packs a punch. I can see how people's viewpoints were different in 1996 and 1999, but here in 2013 Evil Empire is quite an incredible follow-up (despite taking four years to come out).
Evil Empire was the first RATM album I bought. I'd taped Hugh's copy of the debut album shortly after he bought it, but it was a year before I found the cd of Evil Empire in the MVC sale for £7 (I had way less disposable cash back then). A few months later I bought the other two albums too. It's funny how other people's opinions of music can affect yours - I remember thinking less of this album simply because I'd heard that other people didn't like it as much. It's a pretty irrational thing to do, but it happens all the time. I try not to read reviews of albums I'm excited about for that very reason, but sometimes it's the easiest thing to do. The other week I thought to myself that I should ask around to see if the Atoms for Peace album is actually any good before remembering that it's 2013 and I can probably find most of the songs on the internet and form an opinion of my own. Of course I haven't got round to doing that yet, but I can't afford to buy the album at the moment anyway, so it doesn't matter either way.
Anyway, I bought this LP on a huge record buying binge in Selectadisc in Nottingham on a trip to the city to see The Paper Chase for the first time (I was living in Lancaster and Nottingham was the nearest Paper Chase show to me; my sister lived in Derby so I dragged her along and disguised the whole thing (badly) as a visit to see her). I bought a lot of vinyl that day including this one for £7, yet again. Like I said in the post about the self-titled album, I don't play Rage very often these days because I played them so much back in the day. It's been great fun spinning this album today though. I wonder if there'll after be a time when Rage doesn't getting my moving in my seat and rapping along. People of the Sun and Bulls on Parade were always the big hits on Evil Empire (and Down Rodeo had some of Rage's smartest lyrics), but Revolver and Without a Face are equally huge songs too.
Format: 12", picture sleeve
Tracks: 11
Cost: £7 new
Bought: Selectadisc, Nottingham
When: 15/03/04
Colour: Black
Etching: none
mp3s: no
