i recently heard some stuff off Fragile and dugged it. Just wondering if there are any other NIN albums that are essential to the collection. i'm thinking about picking up Pretty Hate Machine next. Would that be a good choice?

my favorite is broken followed by downward spiral and then pretty hate machine. no matter how you do it, the first three records are the best.

there aren't a whole bunch of "proper" NIN albums out there, so i'd recommend all his LP releases, along with 'broken'. after that, if ya like a particular album, look for the remix EPs that came out after the album was released and you'll find some interesting stuff.

i figured i started off in the wrong place, though, i like what i've heard off of 'Fragile'.

magnificentpentatonic said:

the only one i wouldn't recommend right off the bat is the newest one. it's not bad, but it's not great, either. i think you can appreciate 'with teeth' a little better if you dig into 'downward spiral' and 'pretty hate machine' first. i think 'the fragile' was a departure for him, but only within the boundaries of his own musical lexicon.

Pretty Hate is definitely my favorite. I enjoyed what came after, but never as much as that first one.

Anxiety said:

How would you say it was a departure? Is it tamer than the other albums? i'm loving some of the grooves he has on Fragile.

sinisterpentatonic said:

i think 'the fragile' focuses more on textures and soundscapes and a filmic vibe, as opposed to crafting thrashy/dancy pop songs. not that there aren't pop songs on that album, and not that there aren't filmic vibes on his other albums. but i think he let himself navel-gaze a bit more, musically speaking, on 'the fragile', than he has on other albums. i think the latest album is a response to how most fans reacted to 'the fragile', which was not altogether favorable (though i think 'the fragile' is quite nice, really). i see 'with teeth' as kind of a petulant, "you don't want me to get artsy? FINE." statement.

Pretty Hate Machine
is required listening









(man, it's so....hot...)

sinisterpentatonic said:

With Teeth is a hell of a lot less layered and has a more straight-to-the-point sort of thing to it. I like it, although some of it's songs lack lyrically.
Personally I think you should start with The Downward Spiral before you pick up Pretty Hate Machine. PHM hasn't aged too well. Don't get me wrong, it's still a great album, but The Downward Spiral is probably the best thing Trent has done.

Anxiety said:

i like the cinematic vibe. Though, i don't think i'll have any trouble sinking my teeth into his other material. Oh and yeah that was one of the things i enjoyed about 'the fragile' were the textures he used.

thanks for the insight, i guess i'll head on out and pick up 'pretty hate machine', now.

sinisterpentatonic said:

You should have started with "Pretty Hate Machine" and worked your way up from there...
But now "The Downward Spiral" would be best... If you like that you'll like the rest even more...

Neversin.

sinisterpentatonic said:

GET IT IMMEDIATELY

And everything else you can find, like Anxiety says, get the remixes.

NIN RULES!!!!

Skip NIN and get straight into good stuff like CONVERTER. -> www.ant-zen.com

Pretty Hate Machine is amazing especially when you put the date on it. When it came out, nobody was into NIN, it was almost as good as Alien Sex Fiend.

I have the live album that came out a few years ago and there is nothing like his live drummer. I've heard a couple of songs off the new album and he went back to live drums and less programed stuff,

Anxiety said: