POO: Nine Inch Nails

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The only song which ever hit me by Trent Reznor was the opener from Broken which is called Pinion. It starts slowly and the admittedly banal riff comes from nowhere but it is a blast. The other five pieces on that album are awful. I am no expert though. Besides that mini album I only know Fixed and The Downward Spiral which has its moments if I remember well.

Which is your fave NIN "song"?

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Friday, 4 August 2006 18:58 (eighteen years ago) link

'"song"'

― a name means a lot just by itself (lfam), Friday, 4 August 2006 19:08 (eighteen years ago) link

NIN really aren't terrible, just irritatingly average. For a man of his sound manipulation talents Reznor could've really been FAR more ambitious with his songwriting.

My favourite song of his is probably We're In This Together, or Right Where It Belongs, pretty average, stereotypical songs I'll admit, but this only goes to show how dull most of his album tracks are. Those two at least show a certain grandeur and sense of progression missing elsewhere.

I'm quite partial to the Physical (You're So) cover, Just like You Imagined and The Day The World Went Away (which is rather catchy despite its awfulness) as well. The Downward Spiral as a whole I need to hear a bit more of before judging but Closer and Hurt are renowned as good songs for an understandable reason, I can tell you myself.

― Louis Jagger (Haberdager), Friday, 4 August 2006 19:08 (eighteen years ago) link

As far as quasi-instrumentals (it has a spoken bit), "the downward spiral".

― Marmot 4-Tay: The root cause of dragon hatred among power metal bands. (marmotwo, Friday, 4 August 2006 19:10 (eighteen years ago) link

Without giving it too much thought I'd say "Happiness in Slavery", but he's got a lot of great "songs".

― LeRooLeRoo (Seb), Friday, 4 August 2006 19:12 (eighteen years ago) link

"March of the Pigs" because I always thought the video (a live performance) was fucked up. Especially seeing it in middle school or thereabouts

― sovietpanda (sovietpanda), Friday, 4 August 2006 19:13 (eighteen years ago) link

"Closer". I'm sorry. I think the production's really really good.

― less-than three's Christiane F. (drowned in milk), Friday, 4 August 2006 20:41 (eighteen years ago) link

Tons of great songs. The best? "wish."

― chadbeck (squirrel boy), Friday, 4 August 2006 21:32 (eighteen years ago) link

"Hand That Feeds" (DFA Remix)

― Grand (grand), Friday, 4 August 2006 21:35 (eighteen years ago) link

The "Get Down Make Love" cover. His Soft Cell and Gary Numan covers are miserable, though.

― Telephonething (Telephonething), Friday, 4 August 2006 21:39 (eighteen years ago) link

"Maybe Just Once"

― Fetchboy (Felcher), Friday, 4 August 2006 21:49 (eighteen years ago) link

HAHAHAHAAHA

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 4 August 2006 21:49 (eighteen years ago) link

Hey Fetchboy, I presume you mean the mix finally released on Buttfuck Parlour Time.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 4 August 2006 21:50 (eighteen years ago) link

Perfect Drug! Though I kind of suspect that all the parts of that song that I really (like the drill and bass (?) interlude) were probably not created mostly by trent reznor.

I second the Adam and the Ants cover.

I think nine inch nails gets a pretty bum rap. I really like a lot of the stuff up to the perfect drug, but NOTHING afterwards.

― Dan I. (Dan I.), Friday, 4 August 2006 22:27 (eighteen years ago) link

argh, fuck, honestly no pun intended there.

― Dan I. (Dan I.), Friday, 4 August 2006 22:28 (eighteen years ago) link

xpost--Hua...!

i'm going to say "a warm place"...Reznor's attempt at Ray Lynch. It was just like an island amid Downward Spiral

― J. Grizzle (trainsmoke), Friday, 4 August 2006 22:30 (eighteen years ago) link

I used to be a big fan in junior high / early high school but now I can't stand any of it.

― polyphonic (polyphonic), Friday, 4 August 2006 22:31 (eighteen years ago) link

xpost--yeah, i guess the honest way for me to answer this question is to dig up a binder from 6th grade and see what NIN lyrics dominate the front

― J. Grizzle (trainsmoke), Friday, 4 August 2006 22:33 (eighteen years ago) link

Mogwai totally ripped-off A Warm Place for Sine Wave. Honestly, listen to the two songs next to each other and prepare to hate NIN for nicking something a far better band would use so much more successfully years later. ;-)

― Louis Jagger (Haberdager), Friday, 4 August 2006 22:34 (eighteen years ago) link

"Gave Up"

― de latebloomer's 2015 youth crew revival (latebloomer), Friday, 4 August 2006 22:39 (eighteen years ago) link

Yeah, maybe I prefer "a warm place" to "the downward spiral".

― Marmot (marmotwolof), Friday, 4 August 2006 22:39 (eighteen years ago) link

I was always rather partial to "Mr. Self Destruct" off of The Downward Spiral. They used to be my favorite band, but haven't heard anything from them in months. I may revisit this weekend.

― Ivan Gallardo (Ivan), Friday, 4 August 2006 22:42 (eighteen years ago) link

one thing i have to say in Reznor's defense: the boy knows how to compose an album well...that is to say, the songs are very complimentary and interdependent. Also, I always enjoy the closing tracks on his albums--they tend to close up perfectly (such as 'Hurt' and 'right where it belongs' which is a beauty in my opinion.)

― J. Grizzle (trainsmoke), Friday, 4 August 2006 22:45 (eighteen years ago) link

Well, the thing about RWIT is that the actual sounds he coaxes out of his production system are perfect for the song's composition. Forget about the patently shitty lyrics (all NIN lyrics are patently shitty, without exception), the way the guitar noise opens out and BILLOWS, almost, at around 3:05, is just perfect...

― Louis Jagger (Haberdager), Friday, 4 August 2006 22:50 (eighteen years ago) link

xpost--yes yes yes...the lyrics have always seemed sophomorish. but the production and instrumentation...well put

― J. Grizzle (trainsmoke), Friday, 4 August 2006 22:52 (eighteen years ago) link

the downward spiral is easily one of my favorite albums. such a great production sound, catchy songs, harsh but creative textures and sampling, flawless album dynamics. the lyrics are pretty sophomoric for the most part, but it all works as a unified whole.

one of the best underground meets mainstream collisions of the 90's, IMO.

― de latebloomer's 2015 youth crew revival (latebloomer), Friday, 4 August 2006 22:52 (eighteen years ago) link

xx-post

― de latebloomer's 2015 youth crew revival (latebloomer), Friday, 4 August 2006 22:52 (eighteen years ago) link

I wouldn't mind having instrumental mixes of all the albums.

― Marmot (marmotwolof), Friday, 4 August 2006 23:00 (eighteen years ago) link

"The Becoming", but really most of the stuff on Downward Spiral - such a lovely sounding record.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Friday, 4 August 2006 23:16 (eighteen years ago) link

yeah "The Becoming" sounds like a Heironymus Bosch painting come alive

― de latebloomer's 2015 youth crew revival (latebloomer), Friday, 4 August 2006 23:21 (eighteen years ago) link

"Where Is Everybody"
That Adrian Belew fuzz guitar loop is stellar.

― ZionTrain (ZionTrain), Friday, 4 August 2006 23:42 (eighteen years ago) link

Damon Albarn + Trent Reznor collaboration.

It HAS to work...

― Louis Jagger (Haberdager), Saturday, 5 August 2006 00:03 (eighteen years ago) link

1. happiness in slavery
2. ruiner
3. march of the pigs
4. closer
5. perfect drug

dude had a lot of exciting ideas - if a new band put out a single employing the billy joel mash-up gimmcik reznor employed on march of the pigs, i'd think it was stellar.

we just started getting sick of him because we saw too much of him. future generations that will be able to hear his best records without knowing anything about him will be far better off.

― james brooks (j_brooks), Saturday, 5 August 2006 00:35 (eighteen years ago) link

I remember when I had to stop listening to nin for a while. I had Pretty Hate Machine and Broken when they came out. In 9th grade every mallrat MTV girl in my class had The Downward Spiral, and me being a little punk-ass snob, I couldn't bring myself to buy it.
When I finally heard it in '97 or so I enjoyed it quite a bit, silly me.

― Marmot (marmotwolof), Saturday, 5 August 2006 00:54 (eighteen years ago) link

Mostly poo.

But, there's the whole block of Ruiner, The Becoming, and I Do Not Want This. Also, Help Me I Am in Hell.

― Ryan Reid (crunkwithchrist), Saturday, 5 August 2006 01:53 (eighteen years ago) link

The only song which ever hit me by Trent Reznor was the opener from Broken which is called Pinion. It starts slowly and the admittedly banal riff comes from nowhere but it is a blast. The other five pieces on that album are awful.

you are an idiot

― de latebloomer's 2015 youth crew revival (latebloomer), Saturday, 5 August 2006 01:57 (eighteen years ago) link

er, rather you are wrong in your opinion. broken is awesome.

― asshole (latebloomer), Saturday, 5 August 2006 02:05 (eighteen years ago) link

hahaha

― Marmot (marmotwolof), Saturday, 5 August 2006 02:06 (eighteen years ago) link

i apologize for calling him an idiot, that was uncalled for.

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Saturday, 5 August 2006 02:07 (eighteen years ago) link

i'll be mr. obvious dude and say "head like a hole". i guess i like him punky. also, i got tired of him pretty quickly, so pretty hate machine is my de facto favorite nin album.

― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Saturday, 5 August 2006 02:36 (eighteen years ago) link

"Wish". But my favourite moment on any NIN album I've ever owned (first three) is the THX-1138 sample that Downward Spiral leads off with. (I roffle every time I see the scene in question.)

― Monty Von Byonga (Monty Von Byonga), Saturday, 5 August 2006 03:01 (eighteen years ago) link

All these years and I never knew what that was from. And I did wonder!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 5 August 2006 04:26 (eighteen years ago) link

"Reptile"

― Picnics and Pixie Stix (Charles McCain), Saturday, 5 August 2006 15:13 (eighteen years ago) link

i got tired of him pretty quickly
same with me but even more so. i am tired of him after listening to one song. no way could i listen to a complete album. his shtick goes on my nerves very quickly. probably to do with the robotic lifelessness of his stuff.

i actually started the thread because my girl-friend wanted to listen to something hard last night. we got bored of broken soon. and then i thought one song could go on my mp3 jukebox as a good wake-up surprise when listening on shuffle.

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Saturday, 5 August 2006 17:05 (eighteen years ago) link

Wanted to listen to something hard, eh? *resists obvious joke*

― Louis Jagger (Haberdager), Saturday, 5 August 2006 18:55 (eighteen years ago) link

actually ned, im not familiar with buttfuck parlour time. im referring to the track from the "purest feeling" bootleg

― Fetchboy (Felcher), Saturday, 5 August 2006 19:06 (eighteen years ago) link

"Hurt"

― Jesus Dan (Dan Perry), Sunday, 6 August 2006 20:37 (eighteen years ago) link

Mogwai totally ripped-off A Warm Place for Sine Wave

And "A Warm Place" is just "Crystal Japan" by David Bowie, anyway.

I pick "The Perfect Drug", although I suspect it is to NIN what "Lay Lady Lay" is to Dylan - a song that people who aren't really fans of the singer in question can agree on.

― LC (Damian), Sunday, 6 August 2006 20:43 (eighteen years ago) link

actually ned, im not familiar with buttfuck parlour time.

Strictly speaking, nobody is. (And I am familiar with both that other bootleg and the track, and I think it's a brilliant choice -- "Hey, everything I expect out of an NIN lyric and delivery but with, uh, *different* music.")

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 6 August 2006 21:48 (eighteen years ago) link

march of the pigs. awesome beat

― 6335 (6335), Monday, 7 August 2006 19:46 (eighteen years ago) link

"Closer".

― Sean Robison (yaratnam), Monday, 7 August 2006 23:16 (eighteen years ago) link

What's that funky one on "The Fragile:" "Into the Void?" That's a good one. So's "Wish" and "Gave Up." "We're In this Together?" "La Mer?" "The Collector?" I like lots of his stuff, and they all sound great. So, sure, yeah, whatever. "Into the Void." I like that one, off the top of my head. "Wish" if I'm grouchy.

― Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Monday, 7 August 2006 23:33 (eighteen years ago) link

i didn't particularly get into them in the 'day' and probably now isn't the time to do a retrospective.

that said, 'ruiner' from i believe "the downward spiral" is a good song

― Charlie Howard (the sphinx), Thursday, 17 August 2006 08:19 (eighteen years ago) link

three years pass...

FYI, Alessandro Cortini, NIN's keyboard player, has a new project called Sonoio. There's an associated synth for sale as well. http://www.sonoio.org

― StanM, Saturday, 31 July 2010 15:59 (fourteen years ago) link

I am kind of obsessed with "Every Day Is Exactly The Same" and the remix of "The Great Destroyer" these days.

― Mayor Hickenlooper and the liberal agenda (HI DERE), Saturday, 31 July 2010 17:10 (fourteen years ago) link

I get this image of you relistening to your first choice at the same time every 24 hours in your own personal industrial Groundhog Day.

― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 31 July 2010 17:58 (fourteen years ago) link

"Physical"

also "Piggy (Nothing Can Stop Me Now)" & "Closer To God"

― billstevejim, Sunday, 1 August 2010 17:10 (fourteen years ago) link

"ruiner" has a pretty dope beat while still managing to be overly creepy. one of the few bands i enjoyed in my angsty middle-school years i still appreciate today.

― um okay (kelpolaris), Monday, 2 August 2010 01:48 (fourteen years ago) link

eleven years pass...

“Ruiner”

― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Monday, 4 July 2022 02:02 (two years ago) link

Ruiner (Version) from Further Down The Spiral (v2), too

― StanM, Monday, 4 July 2022 05:09 (two years ago) link

two years pass...

https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1151733789655739&id=100044573853266

classy. tour dates have leaked, they confirmed, but will delay the full announcement until the LA situation improves + they link a number of organisations to donate to.

― StanM, Tuesday, 14 January 2025 06:01 (three weeks ago) link

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