Classic Rock Album of the Day- Nine Inch Nails- The Downward Spiral (1994). ****
I know today's selection is going to roll some eyeballs. I understand that NIN is not everyone's level of enjoyment, and I have often said that this is maybe one of the most misunderstood, under-understood acts in history. I fully recognize that all of their work sounds like sountracks to psycho-thriller movies. They incorporate the bizarre more than anyone else in rock history by far. The Patron Saint of Industrial/Rock-Metal does if listened to in any detail, have an incredible amount of talent. And un-paralled at least during this era. No one during the time had the production values of Nine Inch Nails.
Like everyone else in the world, I was introduced to this band, by the "Closer" video being ran on MTV. It truly has some graphic and disturbing imagery ever made in modern music. Think Alice Cooper on 'roids. His stuff is truly mind boggling innovative, and yes again disturbing. If I was born in 1977 instead of 1957, I am guessing this would have been my favorite band. NIN checks all the boxes.... Musical virtuosity, Lyrical genius, beyond innovating, Shocking...and best of all? To the hook laden rubes out there...... NIN doesn't give a shit what you think. But be aware, if dark, despair, and shock are not in your musical lexicon..... I'd skip.
NIN is basically the brain trust Trent Reznor, and his side kick Atticus Ross, who basically carry the heavy lifting, while employing others while on tour. And as far as picking the proper NIN CD to cover???? I narrowed it down to 2. First I highy considered their debut "Pretty Hate Machine" (1989). Which while is a tad more toned down on the anger, has just that touch of rawness, that shows the listener that this is a brilliant and evolving act. Overall, the feel might be better, but I had to go with the more familar and polished "The Downward Spiral", and I will tell you that from the narrating the dangeously flawed human psyche, I don't think there has ever been better named one. One other thing I would like to cover is that I think NIN made from an artistic perspective the greatest music video ever made.... The Perfect Drug, which is well worth a YT visit, if you have the time.
Fun Fact: Want an idea how influential NIN became? Johnny Cash did a cover of a NIN song as pretty much his Swan Song. (Hurt)
Track
----------
1. Mr. Self Destruct- Ouch, the CD starts with a torture event, and blares into industrial blasthood focusing on mental madness. You also can get a sense that Reznor has upped his game on production ability. It is so fatiguing to listening to NIN, as not only do you have to focus on the music, you have become cognizant of the back-speak, and background sounds addition. I liken it to having to try to understand a Pollock painting. On the eyewashed surface it appears to be random splotches of paint, but if you can inwardly reflect, there is a lot more entailed, and in some cases it again is pretty disturbing and a spectacular example of self-decimation. 8
2. Piggy- Reznor slows down the pace into an incredibly repeitive phrasal exercise again focusing on mental dispair, and placed hate. 9
3. Heresy- More standard hard edged industrial that has a level of relgious anger I have never seen in any other rock songs. 3 Hail Mary's required after listening. 6
4. March of the Pigs- NIN Chaos at its best. All hell breaks lose, and in such innovative manner, "doesn't it make it feel better" hits you like a random slap. Reznor maybe catches the aspects of mental collapse as well as he can on this short but strange piece. 4
5. Closer- The most well known and recognized song in the entire NIN catalog. Speared also maybe one of the most disturbing mainstream music videos ever made too. What I find so amusing, is that Reznor absolutely despised what Closer had become, and how it was being understood. He didn't have a hook bone in his body, but if you want one, this is about as close at it will get. 1
6. The Ruiner- Kind of hard to put a finger, but this is quite a stylistic change from most of the band's other work. It works in movements, and sub-sected almost random levels of music. Overall, it works.... NIN always throws curve balls. 7
7. The Becoming- On some levels, at least on the surface, the most disturbing work ever by NIN- Back-sounds of masses sounding like they are they are in the process of death-throws is non for the faint of heart. Incredibly innovative though some of acoustical touches that abruptly tune into industrial-techno hell. Intense. I have never taken hallucogens but from a musical perspecitve, this is what I think it would be like. 5
8. I Do Not Want This- By this time, you are really wondering whether Reznor is the persona , or is Reznor the entertainer. It does take a strange sort to formulate this conglomerate of lyrically despair, and self loathing, along with a musical soundtrack that sounds. like it bubbled up from the depths of hell. By track 8, if you are like me, you are seeing musical comprehension fatigue unlike any other. Of course that fatigue may be influencing my ranking too. I am numb at this point. 14
9. Big Man With a Gun- Always thought though this had an anti- 2A slant, it after researching was Reznor's attack on Gangsta Rap. Good for him. Kind of inane, but of course he meant it that way. From the album listen-o-meter? Down at the bottom though. 13
10. A Warm Place- Just when you thought this album couldn't get any stranger, NIN puts together an absolutley etheral, new age sounding instrumental that is beautiful. The lushness and channel filling almost synth reverb aura is a work of art. An absolute testament of their versatiliy and talent. 3
11. Eraser- Again, maxing out the strangeness, but this work of syncopative complexity and a system of random crazy guitar strums, just gives another macabre vibe that we see over and over. Layered off-key orchestrations just add to the mayhem. Part 2, shifts into max industrial scream, in violent 2 word angry phrases. Insanity put to music. 12
12. Reptile- Toned down industrial, and maybe Reznor's lyrical point that the imaginery protaganist has shifted his dispair toward a love that now is in the line of site as a target. 10
13. Downward Spiral- Disturbing account of suicide, complete with the sounds of swirling flies, and a prelude into Hurt. Like I said much earlier, this music not for the faint of heart. 11
14. Hurt- So eery, so chilling, and maybe the most powerful song around despair ever made. When you listen to the contrasts of some of the earlier industrial screaming earlier ,you are perplexed that the same person could create such glaringly "frightening" vocals. When I first heard this album nearly 20 years ago, my first impression of Reznor was that he was one sick F___. I also thought someone with this level of darkness wouldn't live 10 years. Well I was wrong, and I guess the line of artist and man was not as blurred as I thought. 2
Note: NSF and parental warning aspects are obviously in effect with any NIN offering.
Track 11, amended.... Apparently p-e-g-g-i-n-g is censored.
I know today's selection is going to roll some eyeballs. I understand that NIN is not everyone's level of enjoyment, and I have often said that this is maybe one of the most misunderstood, under-understood acts in history. I fully recognize that all of their work sounds like sountracks to psycho-thriller movies. They incorporate the bizarre more than anyone else in rock history by far. The Patron Saint of Industrial/Rock-Metal does if listened to in any detail, have an incredible amount of talent. And un-paralled at least during this era. No one during the time had the production values of Nine Inch Nails.
Like everyone else in the world, I was introduced to this band, by the "Closer" video being ran on MTV. It truly has some graphic and disturbing imagery ever made in modern music. Think Alice Cooper on 'roids. His stuff is truly mind boggling innovative, and yes again disturbing. If I was born in 1977 instead of 1957, I am guessing this would have been my favorite band. NIN checks all the boxes.... Musical virtuosity, Lyrical genius, beyond innovating, Shocking...and best of all? To the hook laden rubes out there...... NIN doesn't give a shit what you think. But be aware, if dark, despair, and shock are not in your musical lexicon..... I'd skip.
NIN is basically the brain trust Trent Reznor, and his side kick Atticus Ross, who basically carry the heavy lifting, while employing others while on tour. And as far as picking the proper NIN CD to cover???? I narrowed it down to 2. First I highy considered their debut "Pretty Hate Machine" (1989). Which while is a tad more toned down on the anger, has just that touch of rawness, that shows the listener that this is a brilliant and evolving act. Overall, the feel might be better, but I had to go with the more familar and polished "The Downward Spiral", and I will tell you that from the narrating the dangeously flawed human psyche, I don't think there has ever been better named one. One other thing I would like to cover is that I think NIN made from an artistic perspective the greatest music video ever made.... The Perfect Drug, which is well worth a YT visit, if you have the time.
Fun Fact: Want an idea how influential NIN became? Johnny Cash did a cover of a NIN song as pretty much his Swan Song. (Hurt)
Track
----------
1. Mr. Self Destruct- Ouch, the CD starts with a torture event, and blares into industrial blasthood focusing on mental madness. You also can get a sense that Reznor has upped his game on production ability. It is so fatiguing to listening to NIN, as not only do you have to focus on the music, you have become cognizant of the back-speak, and background sounds addition. I liken it to having to try to understand a Pollock painting. On the eyewashed surface it appears to be random splotches of paint, but if you can inwardly reflect, there is a lot more entailed, and in some cases it again is pretty disturbing and a spectacular example of self-decimation. 8
2. Piggy- Reznor slows down the pace into an incredibly repeitive phrasal exercise again focusing on mental dispair, and placed hate. 9
3. Heresy- More standard hard edged industrial that has a level of relgious anger I have never seen in any other rock songs. 3 Hail Mary's required after listening. 6
4. March of the Pigs- NIN Chaos at its best. All hell breaks lose, and in such innovative manner, "doesn't it make it feel better" hits you like a random slap. Reznor maybe catches the aspects of mental collapse as well as he can on this short but strange piece. 4
5. Closer- The most well known and recognized song in the entire NIN catalog. Speared also maybe one of the most disturbing mainstream music videos ever made too. What I find so amusing, is that Reznor absolutely despised what Closer had become, and how it was being understood. He didn't have a hook bone in his body, but if you want one, this is about as close at it will get. 1
6. The Ruiner- Kind of hard to put a finger, but this is quite a stylistic change from most of the band's other work. It works in movements, and sub-sected almost random levels of music. Overall, it works.... NIN always throws curve balls. 7
7. The Becoming- On some levels, at least on the surface, the most disturbing work ever by NIN- Back-sounds of masses sounding like they are they are in the process of death-throws is non for the faint of heart. Incredibly innovative though some of acoustical touches that abruptly tune into industrial-techno hell. Intense. I have never taken hallucogens but from a musical perspecitve, this is what I think it would be like. 5
8. I Do Not Want This- By this time, you are really wondering whether Reznor is the persona , or is Reznor the entertainer. It does take a strange sort to formulate this conglomerate of lyrically despair, and self loathing, along with a musical soundtrack that sounds. like it bubbled up from the depths of hell. By track 8, if you are like me, you are seeing musical comprehension fatigue unlike any other. Of course that fatigue may be influencing my ranking too. I am numb at this point. 14
9. Big Man With a Gun- Always thought though this had an anti- 2A slant, it after researching was Reznor's attack on Gangsta Rap. Good for him. Kind of inane, but of course he meant it that way. From the album listen-o-meter? Down at the bottom though. 13
10. A Warm Place- Just when you thought this album couldn't get any stranger, NIN puts together an absolutley etheral, new age sounding instrumental that is beautiful. The lushness and channel filling almost synth reverb aura is a work of art. An absolute testament of their versatiliy and talent. 3
11. Eraser- Again, maxing out the strangeness, but this work of syncopative complexity and a system of random crazy guitar strums, just gives another macabre vibe that we see over and over. Layered off-key orchestrations just add to the mayhem. Part 2, shifts into max industrial scream, in violent 2 word angry phrases. Insanity put to music. 12
12. Reptile- Toned down industrial, and maybe Reznor's lyrical point that the imaginery protaganist has shifted his dispair toward a love that now is in the line of site as a target. 10
13. Downward Spiral- Disturbing account of suicide, complete with the sounds of swirling flies, and a prelude into Hurt. Like I said much earlier, this music not for the faint of heart. 11
14. Hurt- So eery, so chilling, and maybe the most powerful song around despair ever made. When you listen to the contrasts of some of the earlier industrial screaming earlier ,you are perplexed that the same person could create such glaringly "frightening" vocals. When I first heard this album nearly 20 years ago, my first impression of Reznor was that he was one sick F___. I also thought someone with this level of darkness wouldn't live 10 years. Well I was wrong, and I guess the line of artist and man was not as blurred as I thought. 2
Note: NSF and parental warning aspects are obviously in effect with any NIN offering.
Track 11, amended.... Apparently p-e-g-g-i-n-g is censored.
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