Zack De La Rocha VS Chris Cornell: Musically

[LostInAnomie]

VS

[Dave Reynolds]

1. I vote for Chris,

since he is still active commercially. I have not heard anything regarding Zack since RATM disbanded.

[HughBeaumont]

2. Is this even a contest?

Man, RATM is another band to add to my "Required to Like, but dislike" thread. Decent message, but they played the same three songs over and over for three albums.

Cornell is involved in some of the best damned rock songs of the late 80s - early 90s. "Nothing to Say". COME on. Sadly, he and that Audioshite band he's in now are pissing me off.

[LostInAnomie]

3. Then you are a fool.

RATM RULED!

[HughBeaumont]

24. Yeah, I guess because I don't like what you like

that makes me a fool.:eyes:

RATM played the same three goddamned songs over and over again and made very few activists out of their millions of meathead fratboy fans . . . all of whom pretty much say the same thing you just did when one calls RATM for their repetitiveness.

[LostInAnomie]

28. Do you have any idea what they hell you are talking about?

"RATM played the same three goddamned songs over and over again..."

Prove it. What songs sound alike? You can't say, "Well Zack sounds the same in all the songs" either. He is a rapper, not a singer, of course he is going to sound the same. That would be like complaining that Chuck D sounded the same in all of Public Enemy's songs.

Musically they were one of the more innovative bands of the 90's. Tom Morello is probably the most talented and innovative guitarist of his generation, and Zack is a brilliant lyricist. Of course they aren't going to have any sappy love songs or incoherent crap that is supposed to have meaning. They were RAGE their songs were about anger at the system.

"made very few activists out of their millions of meathead fratboy fans "

That's kind of an ignorant generalization about their fans. I'm sure the thousands of their fans here on DU would disagree about who their fans are.

As for the, "making very few activists" line. I wonder if you would hold bands like The Clash or Public Enemy to the same standard. I wonder how many activists they made out of their fan base.

It was never the point of their music to make millions of activists out of their fans. It was to reach as many as possible, and raise social awareness. In that respect they were immensely successful.

[ghostsofgiants]

4. Apples and oranges

[DS1]

5. Indeed

.

[tjdee]

6. Word to your mother.

Can't compare the two.

[ghostsofgiants]

7. Well if you're bringing Vanilla Ice into the equation, there's no contest

[Tafiti]

8. Right on, P1.

OK, "musically". Chris plays guitar, writes music and lyrics, and sings. Zack writes lyrics and raps them. Nothing wrong with that, it's just not a fair comparison.

I just wish Soundgarden and RATM still existed.

[ghostsofgiants]

9. Me too...

And I'm still waiting for Zack to release a damn solo album as well.

[Tafiti]

10. Is he supposed to?

I haven't heard a goddamn thing about him since they broke up.

Maybe I'm cynical, but it just won't be the same without Brad, Tom, and Tim. Especially Tom.

[ghostsofgiants]

12. He was working on a hip-hop album...

With DJ Shadow, El-P (two of my favourite hip-hop producers) and a few others. I read an interview with Shadow where he said he'd be surprised if their sessions ever saw the light of day. They put one track, "March Of Death" online to protest the war back in '03. Good track, Zack's vocals go well with Shadow's production style (and presumably would with El-P's as well), so I was really looking forward to it.

[Tafiti]

13. Is that track still accessible?

I'd love to hear it, and I had no idea. x(

So, basically, what you're saying is, nothing will ever materialize? Why they hell not? I don't get it - music industry bureaucracy? Fuck that.

[ghostsofgiants]

14. No idea why...been a while since I read the interview...

But I don't think Shadow went into detail as to why anyway.

I don't think the track's online anymore. I could email it to you if you'd like. PM me, if you're interested.

[Tafiti]

16. Fuck yeah, dude.

PM is coming...

By the way, I've had Frances the Mute cycling in my car CD player for days now, and I love it now. Thanks for the tip. :thumbsup: I really did need to just listen to it more.

HOWEVER, I still say it doesn't beat De-Loused. I don't think I'll ever tire of that album, even though I listen to it way too much.

I'm already feenin' for their next one.

[ghostsofgiants]

17. I am too, haha...

I think the main difference comes down to the feel of the album. De-loused has a more sci-fi epic vibe. Frances has a more organic (for lack of a better word) feel, I think. Cassandra Geminni might be the most epic song ever though, haha.

You should get the track "Frances The Mute". It wasn't included on the album, but I think it was a B-Side on "The Widow" single. I can't believe it was a B-Side, because it's probably my favourite song by them.

[Tafiti]

18. Yeah, been meaning to get that track.

I haven't heard it yet.

Who decides what tracks are going to be b-sides? I find that to be pretty common. I'll hear an "unreleased" track and go :wtf: Why the hell is that not on an album?!

Besides, it makes sense to include "Frances The Mute" on Frances The Mute. :crazy:

As per your album comparison: I have the exact opposite view. Listening to FTM, the entire album is like a mural to me, so it takes you on a journey, with musical treasures along the way, sometimes when you don't expect it. Whereas De-Loused is a little more accessible in the conventional sense, in that there are basically "songs", with little transitional threads in between the beginnings and ends. (As you probably know, the band thinks that having silence between songs is a "distraction", and doing so would be like having short, blank periods in between movie scenes.)

[ghostsofgiants]

19. Yeah, I agree in that sense...

I just mean organic in terms of the feel and sound of it. Much less spacey, I guess.

Also: check your email, the song should be good to go now.

[Tafiti]

21. Right on.

I see what you mean.

(Check your inbox).

[Mr. Blonde]

11. I think Chris does better with the other members of RATM

than Zack. RATM was great, but I think Audioslave takes it to another level. Saw them in concert two weeks ago it was awesome. And whats even better they are expecting to have another cd out in the spring. RATM was great, but there is just more to write about than politics. Of course at the concert "Killing in the Name of" got the best response. But it is hard for any song to compete with a song that has a chorus of "Fuck you I won't do what you tell me" lets face facts on that one.

[Merrick]

22. Respectfully disagree

I think Zach had much better chemistry with the RATM guys. I've never much cared for the Audioslave stuff. It seems they were just built for the political hip-hop/metal sound, while Chris had an equally awesome synergy with Soundgarden but doesn't seem to mix well with Morello and co.

[Mr. Blonde]

26. I think they are starting to branch out some

a la the acoustic "Doesnt Remind Me" for the React concert. I think it would be great for some acoustic stuff to be on the next album. They seem to mesh well, and certainly they get along better with Cornell than Zack because they are promising to have their third album out next year which gives them 3 in 5 years (the first one came out at the end of '02) where Rage had three 8 years. And in all the interviews they say overall the songwriting experience is much more enjoyable. Of course this could have to do with the difference in the style of music. RATM music had to be confrontational where Audioslave is much more introspective.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

25. I gotta agree with that.

Cornell is definitely better, but Rage fucking ROCKED in concert.

[flvegan]

15. Not even apples to oranges. More apples to elephants.

Both bands and vocalists are SO different. However, to compare Rage against Audioslave? Oh, please.

I like Cornell... I like Soundgarden. Hell, I like Mother Love Bone that gave birth to them all.

However, RATM had a different sound. A bigger message. Well delivered. Seething anger, Public Enemy style. Political, make you think, and if you didn't, here's a haymaker for you, lyrically.

Sorry, style, talent, ability...all goes to Rage.

[jonnyblitz]

29. did you like temple of the dog?

i like mother love bone also. i haven't listened to them for awhile..makes me think of my navy days...when i was a wee lad..

[Broken_Hero]

20. Cornell for sure...

Temple of the Dog, Soundgarden and now Audioslave...i never liked RATM, well, i can't say that, the music, and lyrics of RATM were great, but i never liked zach at all, he just wasn't my style of singer at all, but to each their own, apples and oranges really, it almost seemed a sin for me to say Zach wasn't good or even close to average (singing voice wise)....but when i did voice my opinion quite a few people agreed...people almost seemed afraid to say he wasn't good...

[ghostsofgiants]

23. That's because Zack isn't a singer...

He's an emcee. A rapper. Which he is quite good at.

[mtnester]

27. They are each good at what they do, but Chris Cornell, vocally

is so damn amazing, there is no comparison at all to Zach... I forget which artist said his vocals can peel paint off walls. So True.