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The Downward Spiral (Deluxe Edition)

Nine Inch Nails

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iTunes Review

Recorded in a home studio that occupied the same L.A. hillside residence where the infamous Sharon Tate murders were executed by the Manson family, The Downward Spiral (Nine Inch Nails' second album) is one of the Goth-Industrial Complex’s most formidable achievements. It's rich in sonic color and devastating in its use of dynamics. The dark, sexually charged “Closer” quickly became NIN’s resilient breakthrough hit, while “March of the Pigs” underscored Reznor’s unlikely pop sensibility. The ‘Deluxe Edition’ improves the dynamics and overall sound, but is most welcomed for its generous addition of bonus material.  Two Joy Division covers (“A Violet Fluid,” “Dead Souls”), a Soft Cell cover (“All the Pigs, All Lined Up”), early alternate versions and demos of familiar tunes (“Hurt (Quiet),” “Ruiner,” “Liar,” “Heresy”) and cuts from various soundtracks (“Burn” from Natural Born Killers) all paint a better picture of the mid-90s era when Reznor was restructuring the influence and musical reach of this previously difficult-to-access genre. Reznor broke down the resistant barriers without compromising industrial music’s inherent ferocity and impact.

Customer Reviews

A Modern Classic

If you are new to Nine Inch Nails, this is the collection that you need to get first. NIN is best known for "The Downward Spiral", a nihilistic concept album that ends in violent tragedy. Every song serves a purpose and does its job very well. When you start the CD, you hear a man being brutally beaten (from the movie "THX 1138"). This serves as metaphor for the rest of the dark CD's mood and tone. The sounds of the man gasping for air in between hits quickly fades away into the grinding beat of "Mr. Self Destruct", an amazing song worth the multiple remixes on "Further Down The Spiral". The album plays with you, going from the harsh "Mr. Self Destruct" to the jazzy "Piggy", where singer Trent Reznor repeats "Nothing can stop me now" (this is repeated multiple times throughout his Halos). After, "Heresy" loudly proclaims "God is dead and no one cares" and "March of the Pigs" is a frenzied song about pigs being lined up for slaughter. Progress through the disc and you'll hear funky pop beats ("Closer") and scathing guitars ("Eraser"). The protagonist's journey ends in "The Downward Spiral", a soft melody of guitar music that becomes a powerful chorus of screams as the protagonist shoots himself. "Hurt", arguably one of NIN's best songs, serves as an epilogue. It is worth noting that this album is not kid appropriate at all. It is more than just cursing. Sex, rape, religion, and suicide are all discussed somewhere on this CD. Perhaps the 'worst' song (by conservative standards) is "Big Man With a Gun", where the protagonist threatens to murder and rape an unknown character. All of this should not turn you away from the album, though. Although TDS can be unsettling, with its mechanical sounds and (occasionally) disturbing lyrics, it has a unique, incredible sound and a good story. It is a classic that will play in my iPod for many years to come. The additional mixes on the Deluxe Edition serve to enhance the experience. They have many experimental qualities and are very interesting to listen to.

In response to "Ruined a Classic"

To the person who wrote the review entitled "Ruined a Classic": I would first like to say that this is one of the greatest albums ever. Upon browsing through these reviews I came across yours, which stated "How could these guys cover Johnny Cash? They ruined a classic". Before reviewing a song or album do some research, some homework. This album came out in 1994. Therefore, Johnny Cash himself, covered Nine Inch Nails, because his version of Hurt came out only a few years ago, maybe 3 or 4. And besides. If Johnny Cash, is covering someone else, you know its damn good. Shame on you for being so ignorant. Anyways, amazing album. Strongly reccomended.

27 great songs for 12 dollars? Sold!

This is a great album. It's got a lot of anger, with pounding electric guitars torn through with electronic noises. Here's a run-through. Mr. Self Destruct: A great opener, probably the fastest song in the album with a hardcore riff and electronic noise wiping it all out in the end. Piggy: Probably my least favorite, but it's still pretty good. Kind of swingy, and it's got some great drums by Trent Reznor about halfway through. Heresy: One of Nine Inch Nails' songs that combine electric guitar with a danceable, electronic beat. March of the Pigs: Another fast song in 7/8 beat that sticks out from all the others. Uber cool Closer: You've heard it. At first it sounds kind of simple, but the more you listen to it, the more layers of sound you hear. A masterpiece. Ruiner: Another dance/metal song. The Becoming: Probably my favorite NIN song. It's 13/4 beat melds with the drums and gives an uncomfortable feeling until the choruses. I Do Not Want this: Feels like something is closing in on Reznor. PWN! Big Man With a Gun: Chaotic, fast, and short. That's pretty much all of it. A Warm Place: Gives you a breather, it's beautifully ambient and quiet. Eraser: Cool 6/4 beat and great drums. You almost get lost in it until the vocals come in. Reptile: Cool machine sound and beat. One of my definite favorites. The Downward Spiral: A precursor to the end, it's got a lot of ambience. The ending riff type thing from Closer is on acoustic. Hurt: It's got a cool background effect where it's very staticky. Beautiful. Trent isn't singing in this song, it's his soul. Burn: Very electronicy. It takes a while to get fast enough, but once it does, it takes off. Closer (Precursor): A remix to closer. It feels like you're underwater or something in this song. Piggy (Nothing Can Stop Me Now): A remix to Piggy. The pig noises at the beginning are annoying, but then it picks up to speed hardcore! A Violet Fluid: It's a way cool loop instrumental. If only it was longer and it had more effort into it. Dead Souls: In my opinion, it's a bit boring. It's a Joy Division cover. Hurt (Quiet): It's hurt, without the static. Closer To God: Teenage angst that you can dance to. Closer+Dancing=uber cool. All the Pigs, All lined Up: It's March of the Pigs in a 4/4 beat. After listening to MOTP so many times, it feels like it's dragging a bit. Memorabilia: Another dance track. It's a cover of Soft Cell. The Downward Spiral (The Bottom): When I downloaded the album, it didn't download properly so I don't know what's up with this song. Ruiner (Demo): It's a demo of (Wait for it) ruiner. Trent basically whispers the chorus so you can't hear it at all. Liar (Reptile Demo): It's a lot like the original. The drums and vocals sound a bit different. Heresy (Demo): It's Heresy, but slower. Well, I hope you enjoyed this. If you're reading this you're probably way back in the reviews, so I appreciate you reading all of this and letting my opinion be heard.

Biography

Formed: 1989 in Cleveland, OH

Genre: Alternative

Years Active: '80s, '90s, '00s, '10s

Nine Inch Nails were the most popular industrial group ever and were largely responsible for bringing the music to a mass audience. It isn't really accurate to call NIN a group; the only official member is singer/producer/multi-instrumentalist Trent Reznor, who always remained solely responsible for NIN's musical direction (he was, however, supported in concert by a regular backing band). Unlike the vast majority of industrial artists, Reznor wrote melodic, traditionally structured songs where lyrics...
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