Rage Against the Machine
"The Ghost of Tom Joad" b/w "Vietnow"
scum stats: limited fan club only thingy, purple vinyl, probably thousands of 'em
You wanna know where my faith in the mail-ordered 7-inch emanates from? Look no further than this tasty purple slab here.
At some point around age fourteen, I took ALL the CDs I had (maybe two or three dozen) and scoured the liner notes for any/every mailing address I could find. I then hand-wrote letters to each and every one of those addresses.
The Super Stinky Puffs and Foo Fighters didn't respond. I didn’t hear anything from the address in the “Evil Empire” CD that said “For Rage propaganda and merchandise write…”
Well, I didn’t hear too quickly...
What felt like years later but probably was more like 6-8 months I received an unsolicited package in the mail. And in that package was this single.
I had paid no money. Maybe I was supposed to? I'm not entirely sure. But their fan club put me on a list to receive their vinyl mail outs. I was at the time (and still to this day) utterly dumbfounded at the gesture. Never before has a perfunctory inclusion on a mailing list felt so genuine and heartfelt. Most certainly set me on the path that I'm still following today. Write a letter and get free records? Shit, I wish I could continue that sort of generosity today. Hell, write a letter to me...maybe I just will.
Undoubtedly, this is the first 7-inch I ever received in the mail. And with a b-side that was recorded live at a performance I actually witnessed (Rage at the Palace of Auburn Hills, August 23rd 1997) it's no wonder I'm still enamored with all of this...vinyl, singles, mail order, live recordings. The recording is exact. I prefer this version to the one that was ultimately included on the "Renegades" album and I think this was originally on the "No Boundaries" compilation, a fund raiser for Kosovar refugees. This song was even getting radio play then...I recorded it off the 89x "Top Nine at 9" daily countdown show. I thought I was so slick back in '97. It would be a decade before I ever heard the original by Bruce Springsteen and I've gotta say...totally different but still completely kicks ass.
And listening today...my opinion has not changed or wavered in the least. Much respect due to these guys being so committed to fans and mail and vinyl in an era where they absolutely did not have to. Thank you.
(side note: Sub Pop wrote back with some stickers, guitar picks and a personalized letter answering my specific questions regarding vinyl availability of classic titles. Seems weird that "Bleach", "Screaming Life" and "Superfuzz Big Muff" were all not in print on vinyl back then)
That’s awesome, I saw them in 96 or 97 at Cobo Arena. …that was a killer show I will never forget, afterwards me and my friends went behind Cobo and the door was open, I saw Zach walk by them Tom came out with an armful of shirts and gave them to about 20 people who where back there and autographed it then Brad came and autographed the shirt. Definitely one of my favorite bands
I once wrote a letter to Peter Faulk a few years before he passed away. He sent an autographed flat. Cheers to Colombo.
hey!?! … did i apologize this week yet? hmm… i dont think i did… i am on a steady diet of apologies in this community …. i apologize for my outrageous timing and delivery and my perfunctorily bad sense of humor as pertains to people who are honestly working through creative means to come to a better and more complete sense of self and respect for others… yeah… so… i apologize this week to all of you and you and me
What’s the over under on how many fuckin letters blackwell gets? I’ll take the over
Oh! I like this! Thanks!
Years ago I wrote the Rolling Stones a fan letter, not requiring any kind of response, and they sent me back a letter with all of their autographs (which looked real, even though I now realize they probably weren’t). I was so surprised and thrilled I immediately spent every penny I owned on joining their fan club, and my loyalty has remained unwavering ever since. So I understand the feeling (even though I didn’t get any free records).
Hey, a record I actually own.
Man…those were the days weren’t they? long ago and in a galaxy far away there was a hope that some pre-recorded message might inspire us to try again…. music and the world of freshly expressed ideas might actually impact the minds and choices of people who wanted to see the world become a better place…. sigh…. I worry that the time has come to surrender to the idea that individuals might be honored for the sake of defining a vision which inspires others but does not coopt their own sense of creative self…. it would seem that we are subject to the whims of the moribund industrial complex destined to render our individual inspiration obsolete as the cost of repairs and affording time to enjoy such things becomes an aesthetic struggle in and of itself… sad to say but as I see it todays kakistocratic truths indicate that the process of sending letters and emails such as these carry little weight if any and now measure only but some joy for those who are leisured to peruse their collections and deny the slow erosion of humanity by a red tide of competitive dysfunction in almost every area of life outside of creative exploration…. one cheer for the efforts of the inspired …. two cheers for creative function … three cheers for a future which sustains individuals dedicated to presenting their ideas and inspired beliefs in hopes of a return to a future where kids can dance and laugh and not fear recrimination of bullys and hate
This was the single that introduced me to ratm.
There’s also a 7’’ of Bombtrack Live at the BBC b/w a live cover of Fuck The Police. Also worth the money.