Music Discussion #6 - Nine Inch Nails

[Requiem]

http://www.9inchnails.cz/archiv/wallpapers/official/cell_phone/nin-logo1.jpg

Trent Reznor's birthday was today, so I thought it appropriate to get around to posting this.

Hard to believe NIN has been around since 1988, only a year after I was born. Reznor started his career as a janitor in a music studio. He got permission to use the studio in his spare time, and crafted his first album, Pretty Hate Machine, almost entirely by himself. He regularly records all instruments except drums by himself, though he does have help from various band members at times.

Since the formation of Nine Inch Nails, he has put out 8 offical albums, and roughly 27(?) official releases labeled Halos for chronology purposes, consisting of remixes, first mixes, soundtrack work, alternate versions, etc.

NIN is more than just music. It is Trent Reznor's brand. It is his brainchild, and he has allowed his music to be altered and enjoyed by anyone over the years through the use of the creative commons license. He has created a community of listeners that keep the music alive long after a release. At one time, he encouraged his fans to pirate his music after he found out his label was overcharging his Australian fans for his music.

To me, NIN evokes such raw emotion that I've simply never felt from any other music. Reznor obviously loves and appreciates his fans with everything he does with his music. He released Ghosts I-IV and The Slip for free on his own label, and always encouraged fans to do whatever they wanted with his music. For Christmas a couple years ago, he released some 400gigs of raw HD footage to the fans so they could make a live DVD from his tour since his label at the time wouldn't come to an agreement about a DVD for the tour. So many years after the band was formed, and he still put top effort into every single show they played.

He's doing other projects now, and has said NIN is on hiatus but will eventually make a return. Him being the only official member, it's not as if they have broken up or anything. My only regret is that I never got to see them in concert.

Albums:

1989 - Pretty Hate Machine

Head Like A Hole
<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2RiEy4es6lU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Down In It
<iframe width="640" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Sq7QiWqdFZ0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Something I Can Never Have
<iframe width="640" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/UEW8riKU_tE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

1992 - Broken (EP)

Pinion/Wish
<iframe width="640" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/SjsfKBESoL4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Last
<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/jL7iGw5nm1k" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


1994 - The Downward Spiral

Piggy
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/rZCnMb_HvxA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Closer
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZbMvZYRK_w0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

The Becoming
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/rKSInoRXHew" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I Do Not Want This
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/FPHmJuaBAmc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Hurt
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/AvJKVKglIRs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

1999 - The Fragile

The Day The World Went Away
Song starts about 3:18 in
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/QSrpdH6ODS8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

The Frail/Wretched
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/xCPrzZE7F5k" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Into The Void
<iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-ga3gLqXL24" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

2005 - With Teeth

You Know What You Are
<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/fhCfba__WDk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Love Is Not Enough
<iframe width="640" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/8ulwvhpwDXs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

With Teeth
<iframe width="640" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/cslxqOqno1k" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Only
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/AJ4RsIw4Cg4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Right Where It Belongs
<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/OAttxBfC8oI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

2007 - Year Zero

The Beginning of the End
<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/mTVzQ2aXhzU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

The Good Soldier
<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/6QEVnODIdIg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Me, I'm Not
<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/oYgGVayymYs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

The Great Destroyer
<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/06hCku23WiE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

In This Twilight
<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/D5PDDcTM0P8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

2008 - Ghosts I-IV

Huge collection of instrumental music. Didn't feel like finding any from it.

2008 - The Slip

1,000,000
<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/SToOccPytl8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Discipline
<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/PQmG_D9AGdE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Echoplex
<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/q-dbu6RuL8c" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Lights in the Sky
<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/77nKUv6JwtI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

After a decent start with his first 2 albums, NIN gained notoriety with the release of The Downward Spiral. It was in 1994 that NIN put on one of the craziest performances Woodstock has ever seen.

Woodstock '94 - Full Show - 1:16:40 long
<iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/1mWWsJnUbIc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Kane Knight]

NiN was one of my favourite acts in the 90s. Slipped a bit down the charts now, but Trent is still pretty fucking awesome and he always had a solid stable of musicians.

[Requiem]

Plan on getting a NIN tattoo eventually as my first tattoo. Has just influenced me a lot, and helped me through some really hard times in my life. Allowed me to handle emotions I was never taught how to deal with, by being sucked into something bigger than myself and letting it sweep them all away.

[Seth82]

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[El Fangel]

Most excellent choice. To think I considered for a second if you would choose another.

[CSL]

biggg meh although I very much enjoy being around the female specie whenever "Closer" is played anywhere

[whiteyford]

Either love their stuff or hate it with the fiery passion of a thousand burning suns, usually stuff off soundtracks i tend to enjoy.

[GD]

Unlike most NIN fans, The Slip is my favorite album.

[dronepool]

My 2nd favorite band of all time. I saw them live 3 times. Once with Peaches and Bauhaus and another with Janes Addiction and then I saw them perform the ENTIRE Downward Spiral+10 more songs in 2009.

The Fragile is one of the best albums EVER. The Slip is super mediocre (it's good because it's NIN, but it feels too rushed. I know that was the point, but still nothing has yet to beat the Downward Spiral and Fragile.

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[stultiloquy]

An integral part of my formative years, and still the best live show I've ever seen.
Also met my wife at that same concert while this song was playing.
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/pev0dINRaok" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[El Fangel]

NIN is one of the few bands I can't claim to be a big fan of in the way that I know their/his (what is the correct usage here anyway?) but I can say I haven't found a song yet that I dislike.

The Perfect Drug and Hurt are my two favorite songs for sure and it is quite endearing to me that the person who got me to listen to more of their stuff to begin with is the author of this thread.

[Corporate CockSnogger]

Me likey

[Seth82]

I don't consider myself a huge fan of NIN

however I do enjoy quite a few of their songs

[Requiem]

My 2nd favorite band of all time. I saw them live 3 times. Once with Peaches and Bauhaus and another with Janes Addiction and then I saw them perform the ENTIRE Downward Spiral+10 more songs in 2009.

The Fragile is one of the best albums EVER. The Slip is super mediocre (it's good because it's NIN, but it feels too rushed. I know that was the point, but still nothing has yet to beat the Downward Spiral and Fragile.


The Fragile is a masterpiece. I love it. The Slip is good yeah, but definitely the weakest NIN album. Some good songs, but mostly forgettable and doesn't hold as much meaning as older NIN.

[Requiem]

Also, for anyone who might happen to be unfamiliar with NIN or has only heard a couple songs.. That Woodstock video is as good an introduction as any. :)

[Kapoutman]

I like a few of their songs, and think that Trent Reznor is pretty awesome, but a lot of his stuff is really not up my alley. I prefer songs like The Perfect Drug and Something I Can Never Have. Stuff like March of the Pigs is middle of the road. Can't stand songs in the style of Starfuckers Inc. Closer is good but has been overplayed for me.

Still, I really respect Reznor as an artist.

[The Destroyer]

Big fan of NIN, was always very disappointed I never managed to catch them live.

[Requiem]

Still remember the first time I heard NIN. Don't recall how old I was, but my mom had been dating this guy for a couple months and we were going over to his house for dinner. His son was older than me, in High School already, and was wearing a NIN shirt. They were making dinner and told us to go do something for a while (ugh). Went outside and the kid asked if I wanted to just go for a drive. So we got in his car and he circled the apartment complex for 15 minutes with NIN going full blast. Had no idea what the music was, as I was still pretty sheltered and had just BARELY heard MTV. Wasn't really a big fan at the time. It was fucking loud, Trent Reznor was screaming about something, and I didn't see what the big deal was. Now, years later, they're my favorite band and I can't imagine life without NIN. Don't know what else could have filled the void that NIN eventually filled.

Thought more about a tattoo today. I want the NIN logo, but I want the last letter to be deformed and getting sucked into a downward spiral, all in black. And in the center of the spiral I want a lifelike heart in color. If I wasn't such a hairy bastard, I'd get it on my chest with the heart right over my heart. But I'll probably end up getting it on my upper arm.

[Buzzkill]

I've never gotten into NIN at all, but Trent Reznor is an "insane talent"

[GD]

I like the fact that Trent Reznor uploads his own albums to torrents. For those who don't know, you can download some of his work on this website

http://nullco.com/

My other NIN favorites

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<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/mKW-fpx_Hw0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/kuoFiIFkdAA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Requiem]

As far as all the albums go, Year Zero is my personal 'favorite'. The Fragile is better, and TDS is fantastic. But Year Zero is underappreciated IMO. Fantastic concept that isn't far from the truth in its execution. It's more like the soundtrack to a story than it is simply a music album. The style is a little different from the rest of his music, and I love it. And also Y34RZ3R0R3M1X3D is probably the coolest remix album ever.

[El Fangel]

Really think they should make a story such as Pink Floyd did with the wall.

[Requiem]

Trent has been in the works with HBO to do a miniseries based on Year Zero. Got the go-ahead years ago, dunno what's been up though with it since then.

[Kane Knight]

Really think they should make a story such as Pink Floyd did with the wall.

They kinda already did . Unless you mean, a movie based around it or something.

[El Fangel]

Yeah, meant a movie based around it. Would be pretty cool I think.

[Seth82]

Pretty Hate Machine is probably my favorite album

[Hornicane]

I'm indifferent to favourable toward NIN. I can't really think of any of their songs I've heard that I don't like, and I liked Only and Hand That Feeds enough to buy With Teeth (which I also enjoy), but that run on sentence basically sums up all of my feelings towards NIN.

[Requiem]

Hope people are checking out the videos I posted. They are good stuff. There were so many amazing live videos that it wasn't hard to make a solid list of good ones. NIN is a hell of a fucking live act.

[El Fangel]

I would but I haven't had time to watch them again after the first time I did.

What was the one they were covered in mud?

[Requiem]

Woodstock video at the bottom. Pretty fantastic. Crowd is fucking insane. Don't think I would have survived at that concert. lol

[El Fangel]

I remember seeing a step by step instruction poster on how to get a girl naked once and I can't find it but it was basically.

1) Get her alone somewhere.
2) Play Closer by NIN.
3) Why are you reading this.

[GD]

Discipline, Echoplex and Head Down were the only songs that I heard (for about 2-3 weeks) when I was working in Pittsburgh. I was ridiculously obsessed.

[mitch_h]

Just got into them in the past couple years or so after I heard Trent's scores for the past couple Fincher films.

[Kane Knight]

I remember seeing a step by step instruction poster on how to get a girl naked once and I can't find it but it was basically.

1) Get her alone somewhere.
2) Play Closer by NIN.
3) Why are you reading this.

I find "Get Down, Make Love" to work better. And there's even a NIN version.

[Requiem]

Get Down, Make Love (studio and live)

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