Where should I start with Nine Inch Nails?

Did anyone ever listen to the album that Reznor did with Rob Halford? I remember this one getting thrashed in goth clubs:

And Reznor's remix of the Megadeth song 'Symphony of Destruction' is awesome:

i always compare nin to ministry not sure why... anyway i always end of with the opinion that ministry is just superior to nin, not that i am knocking nin because both artists have STINKERS, but i just feel jorgensen and crew got closer to the raw industrial sound than nin (pretty much twitch through psalm 69), whereas nin had the better quieter moments, something i can never have, kind of i want to, hurt, a warm place, all of still etc..

the louder nin stuff now has lost some of its power over me. the whole broken ep suffers from this, imo.

  On 3/26/2012 at 8:37 PM, mcbpete said:

If you (like me until last year) thought that NiN produced tracks just for angsty middle class teenagers who have nothing to get angry about apart from their parents, I suggest checking out both of the semi-official compilation albums: Quiet Tracks & Still. They're both bloody ace !

Trent's lyrics used to be much more about being angry at yourself. Until you truly despise yourself and everything you do, you will never truly appreciate the lyrics of The Downward Spiral and The Fragile.

  On 3/26/2012 at 5:32 PM, Joyrex said:

The question is, where should you STOP with NIN - basically anything after Further Down the Spiral, IMO. The Fragile, WIth Teeth, Year Zero, etc. just doesn't stand up well compared to pre-1994 NIN.

lol true. but drinking protein shakes and taking steroids will change that for you. you're just in the wrong mindset.

The Fragile is a top notch album, I don't get the hate for it. Probably one of Reznor's most accomplished work. The stuff after that is on the weaker side. And as for Reznor produced albums, still think Manson's Antichrist Superstar is a great album.

actually I do agree about the fragile. awesome album. if it were condensed to one long disc, I would rate it higher than tds.

Instrumentally the Fragile is real strong, but the lyrics are pretty wonk. I can chalk that up to him being high on drugs & mega-depressed all the time, though.

yeah, the lyrics on a couple of songs on the fragile make me cringe. i am always reminded of "somewhat damaged" when talking about the lyrics of the album, because it has this gem: "tear a hole exquisite red, fuck the rest and stab it dead." sorta summarizes the lyrical quality of the rest of the fragile.

the composition is still top notch though. la mer, the great below, the day the world went away... i even liked starfuckers.

also, i think and all that could have been came around the same time as the fragile (or right after?) and it has some good material.

definitely start with the downward spiral though. indisputably his best album.

I've never paid much attention to vocals in any music, mostly taken it as just another instrument.

  On 3/27/2012 at 4:28 PM, azatoth said:

I've never paid much attention to vocals in any music, mostly taken it as just another instrument.

Occasionally terrible lyrics can ruin a song for me. But generally either the song or the lyrics can be good for me to like a song, and often songs that are about the lyrics are actually better with simpler music (like Andrew Jackson Jihad or the Mountain Goats).

  On 3/27/2012 at 4:18 PM, Hoodie said:

yeah, the lyrics on a couple of songs on the fragile make me cringe. i am always reminded of "somewhat damaged" when talking about the lyrics of the album, because it has this gem: "tear a hole exquisite red, fuck the rest and stab it dead." sorta summarizes the lyrical quality of the rest of the fragile.

 

the composition is still top notch though. la mer, the great below, the day the world went away... i even liked starfuckers.

 

also, i think and all that could have been came around the same time as the fragile (or right after?) and it has some good material.

 

definitely start with the downward spiral though. indisputably his best album.

Starfuckers was the song that really, really disappointed me - I was all excited, still giddy over the greatness of The Downward Spiral/Further Down The Spiral, eager to see what Trent had come up with - and as soon as I put the CD in, I really felt bad and embarrassed for buying the single for 3.00. First CD I ever used as a drink coaster and didn't give a crap what happened to it.

Even the title is immature and cringe-worthy.

At least Starfuckers is tolerable compared to later output on With-a Teeth-a and whatever else. Though The Slip was quite interesting I think.

It should have stayed a single and not been put on The Fragile imo.

Starfuckers is the worst track on that album hands down.

well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.

I remember liking the chopped up vocals at the start of it

It's actually been a long-arse time since I've heard most of the NIN albums (not counting the recent soundtracks). I've been meaning to go through them all again because I imagine my perception of what's good & what's shiddy may have changed since highschool

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ctv5uYcI8M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLoBZWA1xn8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxrf4ZzzrA8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-GwX5x1cio

indisputably his WORST TRACK ever....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3WxYSltHGc

I've always loved this remix of it though (IMO The Orb's best era) -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81vwEvpZVpQ

  On 3/28/2012 at 12:53 PM, mrgypsum said:

indisputably his WORST TRACK ever....

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3WxYSltHGc

I'd say that this, hands down, beats The Perfect Drug in terms of being his worst track ever

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBFwXoyjU2E

i still think perfect drug was but i am not putting up any argument against that track, the downward spiral, it was followed up with perfect drug, thats a huge drop off. people are saying they liked the fragile, its a good effort, but i think its uneven, some tracks on that one are great, please, la mer but theres some crap on there.

"deep" sounds like it could have been on that album, but so does "perfect drug"

Woah, what? Perfect Drug is one of my favourite NIN tracks! The drum solo is amazing!

I've asked it before in some NIN thread, but never really gotten a satisfying answer, so here goes again. I've noticed that there is something really distinct in the sound of Reznor productions, but especially everything NIN. I don't know what it is, since my knowledge of musicology is limited. Is it the tuning, chord progressions, instruments used, what is it? Anyone know what I am talking about. Or am I talking out of my ass.

  On 3/28/2012 at 2:52 PM, azatoth said:

I've asked it before in some NIN thread, but never really gotten a satisfying answer, so here goes again. I've noticed that there is something really distinct in the sound of Reznor productions, but especially everything NIN. I don't know what it is, since my knowledge of musicology is limited. Is it the tuning, chord progressions, instruments used, what is it? Anyone know what I am talking about. Or am I talking out of my ass.

No you're right, there is usually something about Reznor's work that is very definitively 'Reznor'

A lot of the time it's the production, at least that's what I hear. Although there is definitely something musically there that is very Reznor.

  On 3/28/2012 at 1:14 PM, oscillik said:

  On 3/28/2012 at 12:53 PM, mrgypsum said:

indisputably his WORST TRACK ever....

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3WxYSltHGc

 

I'd say that this, hands down, beats The Perfect Drug in terms of being his worst track ever

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBFwXoyjU2E

ummm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSwKpbGZe5Y

  On 3/28/2012 at 8:39 PM, Hoodie said:

  On 3/28/2012 at 1:14 PM, oscillik said:

  On 3/28/2012 at 12:53 PM, mrgypsum said:

indisputably his WORST TRACK ever....

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3WxYSltHGc

 

I'd say that this, hands down, beats The Perfect Drug in terms of being his worst track ever

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBFwXoyjU2E

 

ummm

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSwKpbGZe5Y

But....that's brilliant. And actually in context with the concept album that TDS is.

Deep is just a lone track that just sits there as a thing that was used in Tomb Raider.