Renegades is the fourth and final studio album by the American rock band Rage Against the Machine, released on December 5, 2000, by Epic Records. It consists of covers of songs by Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Afrika Bambaataa, Minor Threat, Eric B. & Rakim, the Stooges, MC5, the Rolling Stones, Cypress Hill, Devo and others. The cover is a take on Robert Indiana's Love artwork series.

Unlike other Rage Against the Machine albums, Renegades was not accompanied by a supporting tour due to the band splitting up almost two months before its release. It was certified platinum a little over a month after release. Shortly after the release, the band members, with the exception of lead vocalist Zack de la Rocha, formed a new band, Audioslave, with then-former Soundgarden vocalist Chris Cornell.

Critical reception

AllMusic critic John Bush wrote that the record "works well with just a bare few exceptions, in part because Rage Against the Machine is both smart enough to change very little and talented enough to make the songs its own." Alternative Press described the record as "a tour through three decades of sonic recalcitrance" and "the genome map of seditious sound". Entertainment Weeklys Rob Brunner described the record as "a remarkably diverse, if not exactly surprising, mix of heavy rock, hip-hop and protest music". He said it "would still be a raging success even if this disc does nothing but introduce a new generation to the joys of Bob Dylan and Minor Threat".

Mojo wrote: "This crisp, Rick Rubin-produced outing packs away a machine that was well-oiled to the last." Kitty Empire of NME labeled the record "a brilliant archaeology" and "a sonic history lesson". The Rolling Stone critic Tom Moon said the band executed "diverse tracks" such as Bruce Springsteen's "The Ghost of Tom Joad", the Rolling Stones' "Street Fighting Man", Afrika Bambaataa's "Renegades of Funk" and Bob Dylan's "Maggie's Farm" with "the roaring, fearless spirit that’s been missing in action since these songs were new", while Select regarded it as their "most satisfying record since their debut".

Renegades has appeared in lists ranking the best cover albums, including by The Independent in 2013 and NME in 2019.

Track listing

Personnel

Rage Against the Machine – co-production, art direction Zack de la Rocha – lead vocals Tom Morello – guitars Tim Commerford  – bass, backing vocals Brad Wilk – drums Sen Dog – vocals on the live version of "How I Could Just Kill a Man" B-Real – vocals on the live version of "How I Could Just Kill a Man" Rick Rubin – production Brendan O'Brien – production on "The Ghost of Tom Joad" Jim Scott – engineering David Schiffman – engineering Rich Costey – mixing D. Sardy – mixing on "The Ghost of Tom Joad" and "Street Fighting Man" Katie Teasdale – assistant engineering Darren Mora – assistant engineering Matt Marin – assistant engineering Mike Scotella – assistant engineering Geoof Walcha – assistant engineering Rich Veltrop – assistant engineering Greg Fidelman – digital editing Mark Moreau – digital editing Aimee Macauley – art direction Lindsay Chase – production coordination Jake Sexton – political coordination Jake Koppell – inside booklet

Charts

Weekly charts + Weekly chart performance for Renegades Chart (2000–2001) Peakposition Polish Albums (ZPAV) 33

Year-end charts + 2000 year-end chart performance for RenegadesChart (2000)PositionCanadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)157 + 2001 year-end chart performance for Renegades Chart (2001) PositionUS Billboard 200 121

Certifications

References

External links