It's subtle, but telling, that the cover of Audioslave's eponymous debut is designed by Storm Thorgerson, the artist behind Pink Floyd's greatest album sleeves. Thorgerson, along with Roger Dean, epitomized the look of the '70s, the era of supergroups, which is precisely what Audioslave is -- a meeting of Rage Against the Machine, minus Zack de la Rocha, with former Soundgarden vocalist Chris Cornell. Though both bands were leading lights of alt-metal in the '90s, the two came from totally separate vantage points: Rage Against the Machine was fearlessly modern, addressing contemporary politics over Tom Morello's hip-hop-influenced guitar, while Soundgarden dredged up '70s metal fueled with the spirit of punk. That these two vantage points don't quite fit shouldn't be a surprise -- there is little common ground between the two, apart that they're refugees from brainy post-metal bands. Of the two camps, Chris Cornell exerts the strongest influence, pushing the Rage Against the Machine boys toward catchier hooks and introspective material. Occasionally, the group winds up with songs that play to the strengths of both camps, like the storming lead single "Cochise." For Cornell fans, it's a relief to hear him unleash like this, given the reserve of his brooding solo debut, but this is hardly a one-man show. The Rage band, led by the intricate stylings of guitarist Tom Morello, gets their chance to shine, including on numbers that are subtler and shadier than the average Rage tune. Which brings up the primary fault on the album: Perhaps Morello, and perhaps the rest of RATM, are technically more gifted than, say, Soundgarden, but they never sound as majestic, as powerful, or as cinematic as what Cornell's songs need. His muted yet varied solo album proved that he needed muscle, but here it's all muscle, no texture or color. Consequently, many of the songs sound like they're just on the verge of achieving liftoff, never quite reaching their potential. There are moments, usually arriving in the first half, where Audioslave suddenly, inexplicably clicks, sounding like a band, not a marketer's grand scheme. Still, these moments are few and far between and it's hard to get through this album as a whole. By the end, it's clear that this pairing was a clever idea, but not an inspired one.
First off, I love Audioslave. Side note: I loved Rage and Garden even more.When the first album came out I was conflicted, but after a few listens I started to get into it. There was something, though, that kept me from truly enjoying the album fully, and a week ago I discovered the reason: Too many songs. I found that after removing a few songs makes this 3 star album into a 4. What songs to s...
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Set it off...Jack flicked his cigarette butt into the air, when suddenly a rogue wind carried it into the back of a cheverolet dump-style pick-up truck, which just happened to be filled with $1,500 worth of fireworks bought to entertain the neighborhood for the night...do I need to go on???? Well, Jack's cigarette butt set off the whole truck into a blinding magnesium flash and a 3 minute dange...
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Shadow on the sun....go figure that my media player firewall doesn't allow me to get album info from the internet, so I went to Audioslaves official website to get the names of all their songs, and they put shadow of the sun, so I copied it wrong....but now I am jamming to Sublime's Santeria...I want to listnen to Bally-HOOthough,Jack's love of Ska-rock,Tyler Durden
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Like a Stone...feels as if sometimes you watch the world go round, but you are sitting still and getting nowhere, watching everyone being happy and having places to go and people to see, and you feel like you could die right there and no one would care...don't be like that, I'm here for you, just let me know what you need...Jack's shoulder to lean on,Tyler Durden
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Show me how to live...believing in a higher power is good, if you know who that higher power is, and if you learn what he teaches....and yes, since he gives life, you should try to learn from him how to live it!!!!Jack's greenstick fractured tibia,Tyler Durden
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Bring 'em back Alive...nothing like a man left behind on the battlefield to make your stomach go sour...Jack's purple heart,Tyler Durden
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Getaway Car...best car for getaways...'69 Mustang Boss 420, lava rock black, wide slicks on the back, OOOWWWW...Jack's wildest dreams,Tyler Durden
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Hypnotize...tried hypnosis as a child, it was actually the first thing I downloaded and printed out when the internet came around...me and my friend Adam tried it like a hundred times, and as far as I know it didn't ever work...but there is this one thing though, every time someone happens to say the fuk-a-doodle-doo I pee in my pants, coincidence??? I think not...Jack's out of body experience,...
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Exploder...I have been reading Stephen Hawking's "theory of everything, and a book called "Simply Einstein"...very curious that a lot of people know what black holes are, but scientists to this day have not proven the existence of a black hole, they are just a very good theory...If a light star's gravity keeps compressing the matter, the gravity keeps increasing until it is too strong for light...
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Last Remaning light...oh, the last installment of Audioslave from me...Jack's signing off,Tyler Durden
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Gasoline...I have been starting fires with shredded newspaper and twigs and sticks for my whole life...one piece of advice my Dad gave me was, never use gasoline to start a fire because it's the fumes that are flamable...I know a few friends of friends who lit themselves on fire using gas, even though they didn't splash any on their clothes, the more you pour, the more fumes latch to your cloth...
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I am the Highway...always fun to drive down the highway and see stupid bill-boards, especially when they are selling hooter's girls or escort services....get a life...Jack's bill to outlaw bill-boards,Tyler Durden
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Who you are...finally got my C: drive repartitioned and a new memory chip to double the size of my memory, so I can finally load up some music!!!!Jack's piece of crap Dell optiplex,Tyler Durden
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Light my way...some of us are called lights in this world...as a christian, I am a light for others who will choose to never read a bible or go to church, so I must make sure to represent Christ as best I can, because I may be the only bible someone reads...don't want to scare them off or anything...Jack's little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine,Tyler Durden
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Cochise...when I first got this album years ago, this kid Ryan says to me, "man, that really sounds like Chris Cornell and Rage against the machine."....to which me and my friend Chris thought he was joking, but oh no, he was serious....Jack's friends sometimes lack common sense,Tyler Durden
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 Cochise |
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| 2 Show Me How to Live |
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| 3 Gasoline |
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| 4 What You Are |
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| 5 Like a Stone |
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| 6 Set It Off |
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| 7 Shadow on the Sun |
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| 8 I Am the Highway |
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| 9 Exploder |
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| 10 Hypnotize |
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| 11 Bring Em Back Alive |
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| 12 Light My Way |
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| 13 Getaway Car |
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| 14 The Last Remaining Light |
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 "Audioslave")
