For NIN fans: "Head Like a Hole" CD single vs. _Fixed_ vs. _Further Down the Spiral_ vs. "The Perfect Drug" remix single vs. _Things Fall Apart_ vs. _Still

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In otherwards, which adjunct collection of revamps/remixes/remakes etc. by Trent and his merry elves works the best for you? Or worst or whatever.

(This was brought on by deciding I was in a NIN mood but I wanted to avoid just doing the albums straight up.)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 13 May 2005 14:10 (twenty-one years ago)

none of the above! the March of the Pigs single pwnz (especially "Reptillian").

― Al (sitcom), Friday, 13 May 2005 14:12 (twenty-one years ago)

(Ned, did you just say "in otherwards"?)

― Al (sitcom), Friday, 13 May 2005 14:13 (twenty-one years ago)

With respect to alternate interpretations.

(The singles are also a great collection of goodness but I was generally focusing on the vaguely album length releases of such things. You are right about "Reptilian" of course.)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 13 May 2005 14:16 (twenty-one years ago)

"GET DOWN MAKE LOVE" from "It's a Sin"!

Probably his best cover ever.

― donut debonair (donut), Friday, 13 May 2005 14:22 (twenty-one years ago)

hahaha, I'm mixing up my NIN and my PSB...

"HEY, you're mixing up my PSB with my NIN!"

― donut debonair (donut), Friday, 13 May 2005 14:23 (twenty-one years ago)

nine inch pets.

― donut debonair (donut), Friday, 13 May 2005 14:23 (twenty-one years ago)

That one mix of "Head Like A Hole" (fucked if I can remember the name of it) that has the proto-schaffel outro is a thing of beauty indeed.

― Tantrum The Cat (Tantrum The Cat), Friday, 13 May 2005 14:25 (twenty-one years ago)

That would actually be a BEAUTIFUL image, donut.

His various covers over the years would make a good EP:

"Get Down Make Love"
"Memorabilia" (Soft Cell)
"Metal" (Numan)

...there's at least one other one.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 13 May 2005 14:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Anyway while the "Head Like a Hole" single collects most of the earliest remixes (aside from what popped up on "Sin," as noted), it's a *bit* too samey to work, eventually ends up sitting on your head. Since most of the mixes were by Trent and Flood (aside from the two Sherwood/LeBlanc ones at the end), it's more like they're generally experimenting with stuff long established rather than pulverizing it.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 13 May 2005 14:28 (twenty-one years ago)

He covered Adam Ant too remember!

― Hari A$hur$t (Toaster), Friday, 13 May 2005 14:30 (twenty-one years ago)

i always dug the "down in it" demo on the "head like a hole" single. but yeah, not enough of it stood out.

'further down the spiral' was always my favorite, especially with those two ace aphex twin tunes! in fact "at the heart of it all" was the song that got me into aphex.

― rajeev (rajeev), Friday, 13 May 2005 14:34 (twenty-one years ago)

"Fixed" PWNS ALL

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 13 May 2005 14:38 (twenty-one years ago)

He covered Adam Ant too remember!

Duh. *smacks self upside head* The ultimate in post-punk revivals and he was doing it before all those young whippersnappers!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 13 May 2005 14:40 (twenty-one years ago)

Ned, I can't believe you even started this thread when Further Down Teh Spiral is the clear winner; it's so good that I own the U.S. AND U.K. versions. I dunno if Trent will ever put out a better remix record.

― Raymond Cummings (Raymond Cummings), Friday, 13 May 2005 14:42 (twenty-one years ago)

it's so good that I own the U.S. AND U.K. versions

Remind me what the exact difference is again -- there's the live "Hurt" on the UK one, right?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 13 May 2005 14:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Lemme get back to you on that, I don't have them on hand...

― Raymond Cummings (Raymond Cummings), Friday, 13 May 2005 14:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh, you OFFER praise but can't even back up your claims. ;-)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 13 May 2005 14:45 (twenty-one years ago)

My memory isn't THAT great!

― Raymond Cummings (Raymond Cummings), Friday, 13 May 2005 14:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Later tonight:

---

I was wrong. My favorite choice is Things Fall Apart. I liked it. It was much better than Cats. I'll listen to it again and again.

-- Raymond Cummings (gracefulasp @ hotmail.com), May 13th, 2005. (later)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 13 May 2005 14:47 (twenty-one years ago)

I feel another gut-busting belly laugh comin’ on...as TFA that’s the worst piece of aluminum ever to have the NIN logo stamped on it.

― Raymond Cummings (Raymond Cummings), Friday, 13 May 2005 14:53 (twenty-one years ago)

It's been so long since I listened to it I can't say (but I'll rectify that ignorance later today).

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 13 May 2005 14:54 (twenty-one years ago)

I went through the US and UK Further Down... track by track a while ago, decided the UK one was hands down the best version. It has the Chris Vrenna mixes of Heresy and Ruiner which both ruuuuuule.

― ledge (ledge), Friday, 13 May 2005 15:00 (twenty-one years ago)

Maybe we need to compare all those tracklistings to the 10th-anniversary bonus track respiffed Downward Spiral

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 13 May 2005 15:02 (twenty-one years ago)

The "Closer To God" CD single should be considered too ... IIRC, it was split into two singles for the UK market but in the US was available as one nine-track single.

Ned OTM about "Head Like A Hole"'s sameness, so I'd rank "Closer to God" above that.

I've always found "Further Down the Spiral" and "Fixed" to be a bit underwhelming. I don't think I've ever heard "Still". But if I had to pick one, it would be "Further Down the Spiral". It's probably the darkest, moodiest NIN release ever (and that's including the proper albums).

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Friday, 13 May 2005 15:05 (twenty-one years ago)

No fans of "The Perfect Drug" single then, eh?

(I haven't heard it, so I'm just curious if it's worth picking up at all.)

― sugarpants: baby's face on football! (sugarpants), Friday, 13 May 2005 15:10 (twenty-one years ago)

The best remix album IMO is Further Down the Spiral, closely followed by Fixed.

Further Down the Spiral gets som bonus points for introducing me to Aphex way back in the day.

― latebloomer: the rebel sound of grits and bacon (latebloomer), Friday, 13 May 2005 15:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Fixed... well the Coil mix of Gave Up is absolutely mindblowing of course, but I've never got anything out of the rest of it.

― ledge (ledge), Friday, 13 May 2005 15:43 (twenty-one years ago)

I have fond memories of Further Down the Spiral from back in the day, and Head Like a Hole for that matter (which I had long before Pretty Hate Machine, because it was cheaper of course).

I haven't heard Things Fall Apart, but I'd still love to hear the Telefon Tel Aviv remixes from that (and kudos to Trent for giving them their break).

I've only heard Still once, but it sounded fantastic. NIN unplugged!

― Jordan (Jordan), Friday, 13 May 2005 15:49 (twenty-one years ago)

well the Coil mix of Gave Up is absolutely mindblowing of course

And indeed I am listening to it now. Now those are vocal chop-ups.

I do like the mentions of Further being the Aphex introduction; in my case I was already a fan so I was very excited to hear what he would do with NIN.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 13 May 2005 15:52 (twenty-one years ago)

"It took YOU make me REALIZE!" on loop over frenetobeats = yowsa.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 13 May 2005 15:54 (twenty-one years ago)

The perfect drug single is second only to Things Fall Apart in terms of bad NIN releases. Avoid at all costs.

I'll take Still out of this lot. The concluding three tracks are the best hes done post-TDS. The stripped down Fragile tracks are better than the originals too. I think ill have another listen right now.

― jason., Friday, 13 May 2005 16:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Hmm, I haven't heard many of these, but I remember quite liking Further Down the Spiral. Currently wondering if I bought it and lost it, or borrowed it from someone, because I don't seem to have a copy. Weird. I did just discover that I hadn't disowned this phase of my life completely, as I went in the trunk and found my "Head Like a Hole," "Sin," and "Closer to God" singles, not to mention an Einsturzende Neubauten remix album and a live Devo disc that I didn't know I still had. Hooray!

Why am I thinking that Richard James didn't like the NIN material and just went and did his own thing for this reason?

― daria g (daria g), Friday, 13 May 2005 17:21 (twenty-one years ago)

he supposedly never heard it!

― latebloomer: the rebel sound of grits and bacon (latebloomer), Friday, 13 May 2005 17:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Or dreamed or whatever. In listening to "At the Heart of It All" now, you get the sense that there's the same looming drone/factory/doom noise that arcs in from time to time in the original "Eraser," but treated in a much different fashion. The proto-glitch beats equally sound like/unlike from something Trent would have done.

Further, in relistening, does definitely hold together extremely well as its own fever dream experience.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 13 May 2005 17:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Also, I had completely forgotten about "Eraser (Polite)" -- gods bless Coil.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 13 May 2005 17:31 (twenty-one years ago)

In Praise of.....the BROKEN e.p. by Nine Inch Nails

Failing that, i'd for the "Sin" cd single.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 13 May 2005 17:32 (twenty-one years ago)

gods bless Coil.

Heartily seconded, thirded and fourthed.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 13 May 2005 17:33 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh yeah, remembered another cover -- "Dead Souls," Joy Division. So five songs, there's your covers EP.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 13 May 2005 18:49 (twenty-one years ago)

Anyone else notice that Reznor is now Hulk-huge?

― Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Friday, 13 May 2005 21:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, I saw that in the video. I guess getting off the smack hooked him to the Nautilus.

Things Fall Apart is nowhere near as bad as some people are claiming above, I should note. At points it's a touch indifferent but there are worse ways around things.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 13 May 2005 21:29 (twenty-one years ago)

the "metal" cover on it is pretty good.

― latebloomer: the rebel sound of grits and bacon (latebloomer), Friday, 13 May 2005 22:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, Things Falling Apart was mostly pulled down by the fact that there are three remixes of Starfuckers. The other album stuff gets reworked decently, and I like "10 Miles High" and the "Metal" cover.

I'm currently looking all over my place for any NIN album outside the new one and coming up short. I wonder where the hell these albums are.

― mike h. (mike h.), Friday, 13 May 2005 22:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Also, I had completely forgotten about "Eraser (Polite)" -- gods bless Coil.

Indeed. I remember that one. I went out and got Love's Secret Domain after hearing some of their NIN remixes.

Yeah, TR looks like he could tear someone's head off, and it's weird, but he was kind of excessively skinny and wasted looking back in the day. As long as he keeps making disco songs and doesn't do something that sounds like the Rollins Band.

― daria g (daria g), Saturday, 14 May 2005 01:36 (twenty-one years ago)

Fixed gets my vote. Gave up (Coil w/Danny Hyde) and both Thirlwell remixes are better than the originals. Yum.

― John Justen (johnjusten), Saturday, 14 May 2005 02:17 (twenty-one years ago)

I agree with the consensus that puts Fixed and Further Down The Spiral first. I'm another person for whom "At The Heart of it All" was my intro to Aphex.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Sunday, 15 May 2005 23:38 (twenty-one years ago)

I've always adored the Charlie Clouser remixes of "Heresy" and "Ruiner" on Further Down Ther Spiral. He seemed to realise the secret truth that "The Becoming" is the best track on The Downward Spiral (give or take "Closer"). Has this guy done anything else?

On "The Becoming", I listened to TDS for the first time in ages the other day and it struck me how much this track sounds like a slowed-down techstep track! Specifically the best bits of the first Dom + Roland album - which is maybe why Dom called that album Industry...

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Sunday, 22 May 2005 01:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Another cover, though only live: "Scary Monsters" with Bowie, incl. Trent on sax (school band paid off). Awesome.

I love the Perfect Drug remix, but I'm a freak.

― VegemiteGrrl (VegemiteGrrl), Sunday, 22 May 2005 01:25 (twenty-one years ago)

For your viewing pleasure, I present more than you ever wanted to know about Charlie Clouser...

http://www.9inchnails.net/remix-files/

That should keep you busy for a while...

― John Justen (johnjusten), Sunday, 22 May 2005 01:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Interesting call on "The Becoming" (it IS absolutely wonderful) -- I remember when it came out somebody compared it to Gary Numan, which got me thinking, "Hm, so maybe I should check him out more thoroughly." It's not an unplaced comparison -- tortuous lyrics for one thing, but also in the emphasis on forced, compressed rhythms.

John stepped up with the Charlie stuff so I don't have to. ;-)

Another cover, though only live: "Scary Monsters" with Bowie, incl. Trent on sax (school band paid off). Awesome.

I have the essential Children of the Night soundboard bootleg from a 1995 show with Bowie, which ends with that plus them duetting on "Reptile" and "Hurt." GEE I WONDER IF I LIKE THIS. ;-)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 22 May 2005 01:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Ned, based on my stated preferences above what other industrial should I get? I don't have that much.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Sunday, 22 May 2005 01:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Honestly I don't know how much of it you would necessarily need if you're getting the brutalist factor via other channels (referring to your take once about how you appreciated the 'not-rock' relentlessness of Depeche's "Behind the Wheel"). Since you like Black Strobe a lot you might or might not find Front 242 unnecessary, I forget what you said about knowing their stuff.

Dan and donut to thread with more, of course, but right now I'm thinking you should at least check out Numan's Replicas, The Pleasure Principle and Telekon as roots music (they're essentially the Kraftwerk to a whole lot of different things these days), similarly with the DAF albums without question, early My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult as camptastic death disco in extremis...Severed Heads I hope you already know about from being down in your neck of the woods. ;-) Einsturzende Neubaten as extended art project, of course. Skinny Puppy I don't think would entirely be your thing because you might think it...drags? (I mean, I don't, I'm just guessing what you would think.) Ministry you could probably easily ignore. I would also definitely check out Apoptygma Berzerk if you've not already. I could go on...

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 22 May 2005 01:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Ha ha after Front 242 I was thinking of checking out Ministry and Skinny Puppy!

It really is shocking that I don't have much Gary Numan.

Thanks for the suggestions! I think what I'm looking for is the stuff that combines the pop-aggression with that aesthetic of, er, groove precision (i do get it from other sources eg. techstep but I want more!) Yeah Black Strobe do this a bit but that's probably because they've been listening to industrial anyway!

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Sunday, 22 May 2005 02:03 (twenty-one years ago)

Ministry in their late eighties/early nineties form will mostly sound like the origin of the non-rap side of nu-metal to you, I suspect. ;-) Tread as you will. Skinny Puppy really are fantastic but insidious rather than totally immediate (Dan might highly disagree) and should be treated as such. Pop aggression with groove precision = TRUST me on the Numan recommendations. Think of it as rock being taken apart by an inspired amateur thanks to the synth encounter but who also never forgot the beats.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 22 May 2005 02:12 (twenty-one years ago)

And Apoptygma Berzerk should be right up your alley, it's essentially when one industrial-goth dude with a serious Depeche jones decides to go rave and does so brilliantly. (Siegbran thinks otherwise but Dan highly agrees with me, so use that as a guide.)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 22 May 2005 02:14 (twenty-one years ago)

I refuse to check out an artist called "Apotygma Berzerk" Ned!

Okay maybe I will.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Sunday, 22 May 2005 03:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Those crazy silly industrial band names! Good thing everyone else in music opts for the queen's English! ;-)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 22 May 2005 03:44 (twenty-one years ago)

On "The Becoming", I listened to TDS for the first time in ages the other day and it struck me how much this track sounds like a slowed-down techstep track!

I was just listening to TDS today (I hadn't played it in a long time either) and you're right that "The Becoming" is the best track on there. I never thought of it but weirdly, part of it does have that kinda techstep feel, and I always loved that stuff - the doomier drum and bass got, the better. I had searched all over the place, on GEMM and everything, for a copy of that Ed Rush and Optical album and could never find it.

Here's a Goth Shame moment for you, though I wasn't a real goth - I used to know how to play the horn section bit from "My Monkey" by Marilyn Manson. On sax. School band is so fucking boring. How I wish I'd had that David Bowie record instead!

― daria g (daria g), Sunday, 22 May 2005 05:00 (twenty-one years ago)

Fixed and anything related to the perfect drug.

― Dan I. (Dan I.), Sunday, 22 May 2005 10:52 (twenty-one years ago)

three years pass...

...vs. the "Only" CD single vs. Year Zero Remixed.

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 28 October 2008 20:57 (seventeen years ago)

I think Year Zero Remized is rapidly becoming my favorite NIN release. It's really really really really great (esp. "The Great Destroyer" and "Capital G").

― Black Seinfeld (HI DERE), Tuesday, 28 October 2008 21:00 (seventeen years ago)

Yeah, I need to dig it out again for a relisten. I'll be interested to see if he does something similar for Ghosts or The Slip, maybe in terms of 'favorite' remixes from the fan community since he just releases the multitracks to everyone these days.

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 28 October 2008 21:02 (seventeen years ago)

oh that reminds me that I never picked up Ghosts, oops

― Black Seinfeld (HI DERE), Tuesday, 28 October 2008 21:04 (seventeen years ago)

JEEZ

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 28 October 2008 21:05 (seventeen years ago)

Still's nice, I'd like him to record more stuff like that one day. Maybe after he does the sleazy disco album I've been dreaming about for a while.

― chap, Tuesday, 28 October 2008 22:36 (seventeen years ago)

seven months pass...

Does a cover of Head Like a Hole featuring a string quartet and a sweet voiced female singer exist, or did I dream it?

― chap, Wednesday, 17 June 2009 15:03 (sixteen years ago)

threads like this are why Ned is the man.

But seriously, I didn't have to think about this for longer than five seconds: gimmie Further Down The Spiral everytime. I think I've listened to that remix platter (UK and US versions both) more than to any other NIN release. It just sucks you into the pathos and industrial swirl, coddling you like a precious child before kicking you around a bit like an ingrate.

― Beatrix Kiddo, Wednesday, 17 June 2009 16:16 (sixteen years ago)

all of that said, Fixed is nice.

― Beatrix Kiddo, Wednesday, 17 June 2009 16:17 (sixteen years ago)

came in here to rep for the March of the Pigs CDS, see that i already did so 4 years ago.

― best of the badman log (some dude), Wednesday, 17 June 2009 16:27 (sixteen years ago)

hahaha i just bought a Apotygma Berzerk CD for .99 yesterday because of some vague memory of something positive being said about it, turns out it was prob this thread.

― ecstatic i poisoned u with nachos t(:Dt) (jjjusten), Wednesday, 17 June 2009 16:28 (sixteen years ago)

Which CD? I've only got one but it's great (cheesy in all the good ways)

― HIS VAGINA IS MAKING HIM CRAVE SALAD. (HI DERE), Wednesday, 17 June 2009 16:30 (sixteen years ago)

Apoptygma Berzerk - "Spindizzy"

more info

― HIS VAGINA IS MAKING HIM CRAVE SALAD. (HI DERE), Wednesday, 17 June 2009 16:32 (sixteen years ago)

Further Down the Spiral is the only NIN I listen to on any regular basis. Everything else, I've had it long enough that I start to notice how retarded the lyrics are.

― THESE ARE MY FEELINGS! FEEL MY FEELINGS! (I eat cannibals), Wednesday, 17 June 2009 16:57 (sixteen years ago)

After many years of practice I've become quite good at ignoring Trent's lyrics and annoying vocal tics.

― chap, Wednesday, 17 June 2009 17:00 (sixteen years ago)

apoptygma berzerk album is "7". havent listened to it yet, so...

― ecstatic i poisoned u with nachos t(:Dt) (jjjusten), Wednesday, 17 June 2009 17:06 (sixteen years ago)

fixed still wins this for me

― ecstatic i poisoned u with nachos t(:Dt) (jjjusten), Wednesday, 17 June 2009 17:06 (sixteen years ago)

head like a hole - opal mix
at the heart of it all
perfect drug - plug mix

those 3 are solid

― bnw, Wednesday, 17 June 2009 17:41 (sixteen years ago)

fixed has a great spastic remix of gave up that is also pretty good.

overall i would put on the perfect drug if I were Ned in 2005.

― bnw, Wednesday, 17 June 2009 17:44 (sixteen years ago)

Time time time, see what's become of me, etc.

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 17 June 2009 17:45 (sixteen years ago)

now you're down in it :(

― bnw, Wednesday, 17 June 2009 17:49 (sixteen years ago)

three years pass...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahHoc1eRGr4

― Black_vegeta (Hungry4Ass), Thursday, 28 June 2012 21:29 (thirteen years ago)

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For NIN fans: "Head Like a Hole" CD single vs. _Fixed_ vs. _Further Down the Spiral_ vs. "The Perfect Drug" remix single vs. _Things Fall Apart_ vs. _Still_