Listening to this for only the third or fourth time ever (private session turned on in spotify so the discover playlist doesn't get the wrong idea). Disc 1 sounds in parts very Downward Spiral redux, but less intricate. Some classic angry Trent but my days of angry Trent appreciation are long behind me, I'm mostly digging the later quieter tracks although I do appreciate the machines that sound like guitars that sound like machines chewed up and spread between two intact machines that sound like guitars that sound like machines, and "the clouds will part and the sky cracks open and god himself will reach his fucking arm through just to push you down, to hold you down" is an A+ lol. We're in This Together I already knew was fucking immense. Disc 2 up next...
― ledge, Thursday, 15 October 2015 13:00 (eight years ago) link
Disc 2 may be more to your taste, it tends more towards quiet/tripped-out Trent.
― the joke should be over once the kid is eaten. (chap), Thursday, 15 October 2015 13:04 (eight years ago) link
Sounds to me like it tends more towards funky Trent! RHCP rather than Parliament funky obv, but still. Nah disc 1 is the winner here, I would save We're in This Together, Just Like You Imagined, Even Deeper, La Mer, & The Great Below, maybe Into The Void and Complication from disc 2.
― ledge, Thursday, 15 October 2015 15:19 (eight years ago) link
I really like I'm Looking Forward to Joining You (or whatever it's called) and The Big Comedown from disc 2, but they took a while to grow on me.
Also check out the 'Still' version of the The Day the World Went Away, it's gorgeous and miles better than the album mix.
― the joke should be over once the kid is eaten. (chap), Thursday, 15 October 2015 15:23 (eight years ago) link
My (Right) surprise "oh I should play this more" tracks were "The Mark Has Been Made" and "I'm Looking Forward To Joining You, Finally"
― I Am Curious (Dolezal) (DJP), Thursday, 15 October 2015 16:10 (eight years ago) link
Into the Void doesn't get enough love (only one vote here!), love the groove and the million-Trent final chorus
― the naive cockney chorus (Simon H.), Thursday, 15 October 2015 16:31 (eight years ago) link
There's also that bit at the start the instrumental break which sounds like the song is being sucked into a wormhole then spat out backwards.
― the joke should be over once the kid is eaten. (chap), Thursday, 15 October 2015 16:33 (eight years ago) link
My 15 track edit I made many moons ago I recently unearthed. Some had custom transitions. Definitely interested in revisiting this and putting together a leaner cut closer to 10-12 songs in the same vein as the other examples above.
01 the way out is through02 the day the world went away03 somewhat damaged04 into the void05 just like you imagined06 the fragile07 the frail08 the big come down09 complication10 the mark has been made11 10 miles high12 pilgrimage13 underneath it all14 la mer15 the great below
― octobeard, Wednesday, 20 April 2016 06:08 (eight years ago) link
I'm finally relistening to this and large chunks of Right are actually good, but "Starfuckers, Inc" is such a bad song that if I play the whole thing in sequence, I end up not enjoying anything that comes after it because I'm mad that I listened to it.
― this iphone speaks many languages (DJP), Friday, 14 July 2017 20:32 (six years ago) link
"starfuckers inc" is one of my favorite songs to sing at karaoke. it is still bad
― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Friday, 14 July 2017 20:37 (six years ago) link
it is SO BAD
― this iphone speaks many languages (DJP), Friday, 14 July 2017 20:54 (six years ago) link
I am greatly enjoying DJP livetweeting listening to the entire NIN discography.
― Mr. Snrub, Friday, 14 July 2017 21:34 (six years ago) link
Aw, thanks!
― this iphone speaks many languages (DJP), Friday, 14 July 2017 21:53 (six years ago) link
Not everything on this record hits the mark, but I still really like it - the highlights are still quite strong.
― The Anti-Climax Blues Band (Turrican), Friday, 14 July 2017 21:58 (six years ago) link
it's hard to believe starfucker exists on the same album as the frail/the wretched
― Yoni Loves Chocha (VegemiteGrrl), Friday, 14 July 2017 22:01 (six years ago) link
Listening to it today, it is definitely too much of a good thing; I was severely running out of steam by the end of (Right) even though in the abstract I was enjoying most of what I heard. Also, it is 100% criminal that "Starfuckers, Inc" made it onto the album because I strongly suspect the end of (Right) wouldn't feel like such an unholy slog if you skipped over that thing shitting into your ears.
― this iphone speaks many languages (DJP), Friday, 14 July 2017 22:02 (six years ago) link
In the abstract of how you see yourself?
*a With Teeth joke, I'll see myself out*
― The Harsh Tutelage of Michael McDonald (Raymond Cummings), Friday, 14 July 2017 22:08 (six years ago) link
Take that to the With Teeth poll thread, mister
― this iphone speaks many languages (DJP), Friday, 14 July 2017 22:12 (six years ago) link
"Starfuckers" is super out of place on the album, but I like it in the same way I like Andrew WK. Big, fun and dumb. I like when Trent undercuts his usual seriousness with playfulness, though this song does it a bit... unsubtly
― Vinnie, Saturday, 15 July 2017 01:09 (six years ago) link
i don't actually remember the last time i listened to the fragile straight through. shouts out to the piano solo in "just like you imagined" which i completely forgot about
― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Saturday, 15 July 2017 22:01 (six years ago) link
there's some superb piano on this album imo
― Yoni Loves Chocha (VegemiteGrrl), Saturday, 15 July 2017 22:39 (six years ago) link
Yeah, the lengthy coda of We're in This Together is gorgeous.
― chap, Sunday, 16 July 2017 15:08 (six years ago) link
enya should cover "the great below"
― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Sunday, 16 July 2017 17:30 (six years ago) link
i guess this is still my favorite nin record. even my one-disc digest of this record kinda proves it should be two discs (i agonized over cutting "pilgrimage," "i'm looking forward to joining you finally," and "please")
― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Monday, 17 July 2017 12:41 (six years ago) link
incidentally it's
the way out is throughsomewhat damagedthe day the world went awaythe frailthe wretchedwe're in this togetherthe fragilejust like you imaginedinto the voidthe mark has been madethe big come downunderneath it allla merthe great below
about as long as the downward spiral in this configuration
― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Monday, 17 July 2017 12:44 (six years ago) link
No Even Deeper smh.
― chap, Monday, 17 July 2017 12:45 (six years ago) link
yeah srsly
― imago, Monday, 17 July 2017 12:57 (six years ago) link
Even the less good songs mostly have some textures and atmospheres I would miss. This is one of my favourite sounding albums.
― jmm, Monday, 17 July 2017 13:29 (six years ago) link
"Even Deeper" is a slog imo
― a serious and fascinating fartist (Simon H.), Monday, 17 July 2017 13:31 (six years ago) link
you're a slog
― this iphone speaks many languages (DJP), Monday, 17 July 2017 13:34 (six years ago) link
oh yeah it also hurt me a lot to cut "even deeper," sorry bros
― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Monday, 17 July 2017 13:38 (six years ago) link
you're a slogharsh but fair
― a serious and fascinating fartist (Simon H.), Monday, 17 July 2017 13:44 (six years ago) link
Hello.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PW_Ws04Vs_0
Per an NIN Hotline tweet:
Check out this youtube "album" of Fragility (1999-2000) performance recordings assembled by ETS member mauro995. "I made a heavier-than-aatchb live album of the Fragile era with some recordings from the NIN Live Archive" says mauro995.
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 22 January 2018 17:20 (six years ago) link
Briefly read that as "heavier than abacab."
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 22 January 2018 17:33 (six years ago) link
this album finally clicked for me, there'd been moments i'd loved before but it was just too dense/too heavy/too abstract/not pop enough for me before, but none of that was an issue today
it's totally too much to listen to all as once, but taken as two separate-but-related albums it's fantastic, which feels pretty unusual for a double album? like the typical modes of double albums are 'overwhelming messy stylistic grab bag' or 'too long to be a single album but not quite enough to be two separate things' but this doesn't fall into either of those? and the sequencing is perfect
the right disc is a little less fully-formed than the left and has the album's only dud in "starfuckers, inc." (but even that has the nice quiet part in the middle) but you could totally cut it without losing anything?
― ufo, Friday, 2 July 2021 01:30 (two years ago) link
"the day the world went away" is the best thing on this even though it's probably the most straightforward. a gorgeous wall of guitars
― ufo, Friday, 2 July 2021 03:04 (two years ago) link
actually "the perfect drug" would have been the perfect replacement for "starfuckers" wouldn't it? i should give that a try
― ufo, Friday, 2 July 2021 05:59 (two years ago) link
its abrupt end doesn't quite work there but otherwise it's exactly what the album needs
― ufo, Friday, 2 July 2021 07:48 (two years ago) link
are there non-nin bands that encapsulate the "just like you imagined" vibe?
― Western® with Bacon Flavor, Sunday, 28 August 2022 05:33 (one year ago) link
Maybe my favorite album? today, anyway.Also “Into The Void” still goes <3https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8LEheSUTGE
― werewolves of laudanum (VegemiteGrrl), Sunday, 10 March 2024 02:53 (two months ago) link
lol @ the one disc versions upthread YOU BABIES jk jk
― werewolves of laudanum (VegemiteGrrl), Sunday, 10 March 2024 02:55 (two months ago) link
the big comedown also gooeeesss
― werewolves of laudanum (VegemiteGrrl), Sunday, 10 March 2024 03:19 (two months ago) link
agreed into the void is top shelf
was a freshman in highschool when this came out, thought it was pretty cool after listening to downward spiral a million times but I very clearly remember talking to the class goth about it and he was absolutely scandalized, "his music used to mean something, man" too pop I guess?
granted this guy was the real deal, 100% black wardrobe, tortured soul, piercing his ears with a lighter and a safety pin in between class, wonder what he's up to now
really like big comedown too and also please
― Florin Cuchares, Sunday, 10 March 2024 03:31 (two months ago) link
i have a reformed mega-goth friend who apparently got off the NIN boat after Downward Spiral! too commercial. lol there’s just no pleasing ppl The Fragile is so perfectly sequenced, i love how the instrumentals balance the before & after songs so well in terms of mood as well as just sounds also i love the way he uses strings & piano so much on this album, adds some really gorgeous textures
― werewolves of laudanum (VegemiteGrrl), Sunday, 10 March 2024 05:25 (two months ago) link
imo i think piano is his secret weapon, so many of his best hooks are on piano
― werewolves of laudanum (VegemiteGrrl), Sunday, 10 March 2024 05:26 (two months ago) link
agreed, and that wouldn't surprise me if that helped lead him to doing movie scores.
i remember my mind being blown as a teenager when this was released and reading the liner notes that dr. dre was involved. i just reread them and had absolutely no idea steve albini had a small bit in it and wonder what's the story on that.
― Western® with Bacon Flavor, Sunday, 10 March 2024 07:02 (two months ago) link
This album rules.
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 10 March 2024 12:20 (two months ago) link
XP IIRC, Albini just recorded some drum/percussion tracks.
― an icon of a worried-looking, long-haired, bespectacled man (C. Grisso/McCain), Sunday, 10 March 2024 13:12 (two months ago) link
I think that's right, they tracked the drums, or at least some drums, with him. Wouldn't be surprised if that was for future use as samples, too.
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 10 March 2024 13:19 (two months ago) link
This version of The Big Comedown -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9b7K1D2z74
― chap, Monday, 11 March 2024 17:12 (two months ago) link