Happy 10th Birthday, Ghosts I-IV!!

[Prettybrokenspiral]

A shame there were never any siblings..

Seems like only yesterday ol' TR was waylaying us with this sprawling, spontaneous masterpiece of clanking instrumental doom. It was a shock to get an album as brilliantly conceived as Year Zero less than two years after WT, but I don't think anyone saw this coming. 2008 was the year TR officially eschewed his lengthy creative gestation periods and became a prolific auteur...of instrumental collections, anyway. I believe this is also the point where the oft-quoted "2 weeks!" officially entered the NIN lexicon.

Got a favorite Ghost track? Or a Ghost-related memory you'd like to share? Post it here! I'm especially fond of Ghosts II-10, Ghosts III-27, as well as the first time I saw this epic mindfucker pop up on the LED during the LITS tour..



Also...HAPPY 24TH BIRTHDAY, DOWNWARD SPIRAL...STILL THE GREATEST ALBUM EVER MADE!!

[sonic_discord]

Holy shit. ALREADY?! I can't believe it's been a decade. I used to go on late night walks with headphones on and smoke cigarettes while walking through my old NE Minneapolis neighborhood with Ghosts as my soundtrack. Maybe it's time I did that again for old time's sake (minus the cigs though, because I quit).

[thevoid99]

Definitely an underrated album from NIN as I think it has some of their best work. I'm waiting for V-VIII and with guest appearances from Adrian Belew, Robert Fripp, Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Brian Viglione, Josh Freese, Pino Palladino, Mike Garson, Josh Homme, and anyone else that would take part in a monumental instrumental project.

[ninlive]

I can't believe it's been 10 years... I remember losing my shit when I opened my laptop before class. I called my brother and told him a new album dropped. I ditched school that day and drove home to try and download the album with my brother, but the server kept dropping out. We finally got it at like 5 in the afternoon or something like that.

Great album. I too am waiting for V-VIII. That would be amazing.

[BRoswell]

Happy Birthday to a great album!

Also, I have my doubts that there will ever be a sequel now that Trent and Atticus are doing film scores.

[sonic_discord]

Definitely an underrated album from NIN as I think it has some of their best work. I'm waiting for V-VIII and with guest appearances from Adrian Belew, Robert Fripp, Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Brian Viglione, Josh Freese, Pino Palladino, Mike Garson, Josh Homme, and anyone else that would take part in a monumental instrumental project.

Hell yes to Dave Grohl, Josh Freese, Pino Palladino, Mike Garson, and Josh Homme! I know that Tapeworm never panned out, but wouldn't it be awesome if TR started a new Tapeworm-esque project that included some of these people, in addition to original collaborators like Maynard James Keenan, Billy Howerdel, Danny Lohner, & maybe even Phil Anselmo? There's no reason that he couldn't resurrect the idea of the project, but with new songs (since he wasn't happy with the original material), right? I gave up on Tapeworm so long ago that it never occurred to me that it could still happen someday in a re-imagined incarnation with a different lineup. Anyway, my favorites have always been Ghosts 35 (Although I prefer "A Familiar Taste" from The Social Network), 31, 29, 24, & 12.

[sonic_discord]

Happy Birthday to a great album!

Also, I have my doubts that there will ever be a sequel now that Trent and Atticus are doing film scores.

The scores do seem to have put to bed any hopes of a proper sequel (Ghosts V-VIII). At the same time, I must admit that the abundance of score work has sufficiently quenched my thirst for NIN instrumentals. It would be nice if they did a new Ghosts installment during a year that they had little-to-no score releases.

[thevoid99]

Hell yes to Dave Grohl, Josh Freese, Pino Palladino, Mike Garson, and Josh Homme! I know that Tapeworm never panned out, but wouldn't it be awesome if TR started a new Tapeworm-esque project that included some of these people, in addition to original collaborators like Maynard James Keenan, Billy Howerdel, Danny Lohner, & maybe even Phil Anselmo? There's no reason that he couldn't resurrect the idea of the project, but with new songs (since he wasn't happy with the original material), right? I gave up on Tapeworm so long ago that it never occurred to me that it could still happen someday in a re-imagined incarnation with a different lineup. Anyway, my favorites have always been Ghosts 35 (Although I prefer "A Familiar Taste" from The Social Network), 31, 29, 24, & 12.

I would go for that. Have Charlie Clouser be involved as well. The idea of having multiple drummers is just to have them play with a drum kit of their own and go nuts on it.

[afors]

I would go for that. Have Charlie Clouser be involved as well. The idea of having multiple drummers is just to have them play with a drum kit of their own and go nuts on it.

I was just listening to The Social Network last night such a heavily Ghosts influenced album (including a few crossover tracks), took me right back to listening to Ghosts. Ghosts has had such an influence on all Trent and Atticus' soundtrack work since then, including so many Ghosts tracks making a re-appearance in The Vietnam War TV documentary. Timeless masterpiece, but you can describe a lot of NIN/Trents work as that. Can't believe it's been 10 years already.

[sonic_discord]

I was just listening to The Social Network last night such a heavily Ghosts influenced album (including a few crossover tracks), took me right back to listening to Ghosts. Ghosts has had such an influence on all Trent and Atticus' soundtrack work since then, including so many Ghosts tracks making a re-appearance in The Vietnam War TV documentary. Timeless masterpiece, but you can describe a lot of NIN/Trents work as that. Can't believe it's been 10 years already.

Yeah, there is a direct correllation between that "experiment" of an album and their Academy Award-winning career as film score composers that will likely continue to bring them success long after they've hung up the NIN moniker. That was one gamble that paid off handsomely.

[Krazy]

+1 for Ghosts 31 being awesome during LITS.

As great as collaborations look on paper, they more often then not disappoint. But would be up for something different than what we’ve seen from the TR/AR era.

[ryanmcfly]

I wish I wasn't a kid when this came out. If I had a job then, I would have went for the deluxe edition.

[thefragile_jake]

Man ... 10 years? I was a sophomore in college and I can remember listening to this sooooo much.

My favorite track still has to be Ghosts 14.

[Helpmeiaminhell (is now in hell)]

Our friends at pitchfork were none too pleased with the album

a 5.0 rating

https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/11289-ghosts-i-iv/

"There's not a song to be found anywhere on Ghosts; nearly every one of the untitled instrumental sketches here feels emaciated and half-finished. What we're left with is two hours' worth of really good soundtrack music for American remakes of Japanese horror films. If I were one of those early deluxe-pacakge customers, I'd want my $300 back."

[sonic_discord]

Our friends at pitchfork were none too pleased with the album

a 5.0 rating

https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/11289-ghosts-i-iv/

"There's not a song to be found anywhere on Ghosts; nearly every one of the untitled instrumental sketches here feels emaciated and half-finished. What we're left with is two hours' worth of really good soundtrack music for American remakes of Japanese horror films. If I were one of those early deluxe-pacakge customers, I'd want my $300 back."

No surprises there. I think someone who worked there had an ax to grind when it came to NIN, but they've been much more kind to more recent releases.

[Shadaloo]

I remember the day well.

"Hey, there's a new NIN album out".

"Uh, yeah, that was like last year."

"No, go online now and check. brand new."

"Wtf"

[Helpmeiaminhell (is now in hell)]

No surprises there. I think someone who worked there had an ax to grind when it came to NIN, but they've been much more kind to more recent releases.

Whats odd is they have given great reviews to the film scores...Yet they couldnt grasp Ghosts...

[joplinpicasso]

A big part of the experience was going through the PDF that came with the download, and checking out Graybill's and Sheridan's photos in comparison with the tracks. Good memories.

[nmitchell86]

A big part of the experience was going through the PDF that came with the download, and checking out Graybill's and Sheridan's photos in comparison with the tracks. Good memories.

Speaking of that pdf... anyone got a link to get a copy of that? I lost the file years ago.

[ZootZap]

Listenend today to some NIN music for the first time in a long while... and now being on ETS since a while und saw this....
10 years Ghost.... this was my very first start with NIN.... still a fascinating album!

PS. and I'm glad ETS still exists

[eversonpoe]

ghosts & the fragile are still tied as my favorite NIN albums.

i don't think i've ever dropped so much money so immediately as i did to get the deluxe version. i always have it out on display because it's so simple and yet so striking. and the music contained within is just so incredible. literally my only complaint is that i wish the songs had actual titles. i know which ones are my favorites as soon as i hear them, but i have a hard time keeping the numbers straight in relation to the songs themselves.

[Prettybrokenspiral]

ghosts & the fragile are still tied as my favorite NIN albums.

i don't think i've ever dropped so much money so immediately as i did to get the deluxe version. i always have it out on display because it's so simple and yet so striking. and the music contained within is just so incredible. literally my only complaint is that i wish the songs had actual titles. i know which ones are my favorites as soon as i hear them, but i have a hard time keeping the numbers straight in relation to the songs themselves.

Agreed. Considering the album came with a plethora of visuals for the tracks, it's amazing that as obsessive as NIN fans can get, no one ever applied names to the tracks based on the accompanying visual material. I know at some point after it's release (also 24 years ago today ), names were applied to the untitled tracks on Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works Vol. II, and they became somewhat-accepted as canon..

[Kulerage]

10 years ago was probably the first time I remember hearing The Hand That Feeds. Was a little kid then...


Anyway, as for the album I've used this as studying music so often, so thank you Trent and Co. for this great atmosphere.

[eversonpoe]

Agreed. Considering the album came with a plethora of visuals for the tracks, it's amazing that as obsessive as NIN fans can get, no one ever applied names to the tracks based on the accompanying visual material. I know at some point after it's release (also 24 years ago today ), names were applied to the untitled tracks on Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works Vol. II, and they became somewhat-accepted as canon..

i think maybe it's partly because the images attached the the digital files were different than the ones on the blu-ray, so no one would have known which was the "correct" image to use as a title. and also that some of the images are a lot more complex than the SAW vII images. but it sure would be nice. i tend to think of them by how they sound. for example, 5 ghosts I always makes me think of the movie Broken Arrow because of the tremolo baritone guitar (the score for broken arrow featured duane eddy on guitar), so i think of it as the "desert" song. it's weird.

[BenAkenobi]

I love Ghosts, this music really helped me a lot to get through tough time (if it sounds cheesy so be it). I agree with saying it belongs together with Fragile, it's a journey rather than destination, and I think anyone who calls self a nin fan shouldn't disregard it. I don't regret spending every dollar of that higher price on a box set (not the ultra however). It's been a while since I gave the whole thing a spin, but I'll do that today

[ManBurning]

And "The Slip" will be celebrating its 10 years in a couple months as well... now I am officially old!

[chuckrh]

1 of my favorite records of all time by anybody. I hope there is more work with Adrian Belew in the future.

[afors]

And "The Slip" will be celebrating its 10 years in a couple months as well... now I am officially old!

Good time for a DE release then!

[paul_guyet]

I remember finding out 34 Ghosts IV was nominated for a Grammy...and lost to Zappa Plays Zappa.

[Endlessly]

You know how AinR put out In A Frozen Sea as well as the deluxe editions for Ghosts? They used to also sell a photobook-only version of the former, although I think it finally sold out a couple of years ago. I've always wished they'd do the same for Ghosts, although that was probably more of a NIN camp decision than AinR's. I love Phillip Graybill's work on both of them (and Rob's too).