PHM Demos (not Purest Feeling)

[unheard78]

A few years ago someone posted some snippets of early/rough mixes of PHM tracks from a supposed demo tape they were trying to sell. I know that the snippets were well archived, but did the full-length tracks ever show up online? Thanks.

[sheepdean]

Nope. If you find them, that'd be cool

[jaypayton]

martin atkins was selling them on ebay....who knows what happened to them...probably hoarded in some guy's basement

[sheepdean]

Atkins originally said he'd release the files after the sale, but he didn't - I tweeted him about it once and he was vague and unhelpful, though he may really just have no idea where the files are now.

The winner I did drop a message to on eBay but they never replied, so that's a dead end imo.

[SM Rollinger]

Ha, im constantly posting about these too. Good to see that im not the only one thats obsessed with em.

[darkjuice]

I wonder if they were post "Purest Feeling" or pre. It would suggest they were post, but I'm curious.

[W.O.R.M]

I know exactly what your talking about because I posted those snippets!
I remember Martin asking me to come down to the studio to listen to the tape.
It did look like a old school demo tape. And I remember some of the story that went with it.
I also remember a picture he showed me a while back of him and Trent hanging dry wall at an older studio?? Or his place??

Martin was pretty spot on with what he had, I do remember wanting the version of twist that was on it. Clearest copy I ever heard. I wish I could remember what the other 3 songs were right now....
i want to say
down in it
sanctified
sin
????

Its been a while. I only had the 2 snippets, I couldn't get all the tracks from him either, so I tried to forget about it since I knew I would never hear it again.

[SM Rollinger]

Terrible Lie was one of em, if i remember correctly.

[katara]

Any chance anyone can point me towards said samples? I seem to have missed out.

[Leviathant]

Sure - http://soundcloud.com/prettytapemachine

[katara]

Thank you, Levi. ♥

It's strange that nothing like this was released with the deluxe re-issue. I hope that the full tracks will one day surface. Fingers and toes are crossed.

[sheepdean]

Technically, PHM never had a deluxe. PHM Remastered was never billed as a deluxe edition iirc

[BenAkenobi]

First when the news about the tape dropped, it felt awesome. All those speculations on whether or not Trent is going to take over and "leak" full recording himself.
But as he didn't and never even reacted to it on forums or twitter... it became fairly apparent it's no big deal. Same songs slightly less professionally recorded.
I think when it comes to unofficial material, i only listen once or twice and stick to album versions anyway. What would i do if these Sin or Terrible lie were available?
I guess they'd simply gather virtual dust on some distant clusters of hard drive space.
Same as i could never fully be able to tell a difference between all the mixes of Head like a hole. Are there five or six of those twin brothers?
Today i could name them - this is Copper mix, this is Clay mix, but eventually i'd make a mistake. Hell, even the record company mislabeled them on UK single, right?
Also Empathetic and Sympathetic mixes of Terrible Lie - i'm still convinced it takes a master of nin-fu to blindly tell those apart. Are you* the one? I salute you*, you'll make better use of OMG_TEH_DEMOZ if they ever will surface

______
*you is a generalization

[Ryan]

Who has the tape? Direct me to them and I'll get it out of them. Money talks.

[SM Rollinger]

sheepdean mite still, he was the one who tried to contact the winner. i doubt it was anybody on here though

[jaypayton]

1. Do we know if these are demos with different vocal tracks or just "rough mixes"
2. We will never see these in our lifetimes
3. Terrible Lie (Empathetic) stands apart because the volume levels are upped for the "I give you everything, my sweet everything" which you cant even hear on the album version. And Head Like a Hole "Opal" sounds like a totally dif recording, much like Closer To God"....The other remixes from those era's are nothing special

[TheBang]

Its been a while. I only had the 2 snippets, I couldn't get all the tracks from him either, so I tried to forget about it since I knew I would never hear it again.

Are you still in touch with Martin? Can you ask him again? Or get the contact info for the buyer from him?

[KingBacon]

This is what I was able to dig up: nin.com

Best bet is probably approaching Martin Atkins with money. I've thought about it.

[fillow]

I remember reading a relatively recent interview with Vrenna where he recollects his earliest days in NIN, including Skinny Puppy tour. I can't, however, remember exactly if he mentioned any pre-PHM studio work or not, but he could've. The interview was from Manson's THEOL era, I think.

[SM Rollinger]

This is what I was able to dig up: nin.com

Best bet is probably approaching Martin Atkins with money. I've thought about it.

See what he wants for them. I would throw down on these, and i bet alot of people on this site would too (Uncoiled).

[Conan The Barbarian]

Can we trust the guy?

[SM Rollinger]

Martin? I would assume so

[jaypayton]

Martins facebook page

http://www.facebook.com/martin.atkin...ref=ts&fref=ts

[KingBacon]

Shouldn't we come up with a plan? One of the last articles published on the web about Martin Atkin's PHM demo: here.

The final price on the auction was $1,025.

Apparently the songs featured on Atkins' demo tape of PHM are:

1. Sin (4:06)
2. Terrible Lie (4:55)
3. Sanctified (5:33)
4. Ringfinger (4:32)
5. Down In It (4:26)

Whats that? Roughly two hundred and ten bucks a song if we're trying to match that price?

[Conan The Barbarian]

Mesh, I mean if a lot of people got in this it wouldn't be so bad. But 1 grand plus for that many songs is asking a lot .

[KingBacon]

Not really if you think about it. I mean, I'd have no problem throwing down a hundred dollars personally. Christ, I've spent a hundred dollars on one track nin promo cds before. Its not that bad. It just takes nine more equally committed people.

Honestly, I was quite mad to find that I missed out on the auction when it first appeared. A thousand dollars isn't that much. And I think its a shame that whoever bought the tape didn't at least share it digitally with the rest of the fans. Who in good conscience would hoard this stuff?!

[BenAkenobi]

with that logic, KingBacon, five grand isn't that much either, or twenty grand like it was in the first auction (if i remember correctly). i'm not stopping you, but let me remind you — the guy ALREADY got a, dare i say, SIZABLE chunk of money while you want to give him more without guarantee that he fucks you over. he sends you 160 kbps mp3 files and says you're lucky. i'm willing to add $25 to the pool, but only after the fact.

[W.O.R.M]

Yeah I still keep in touch with Martin.
Let me drop him a line and see if he's still got the digital copy's.
I know his studio suffered a flood a couple of years ago, but who knows.
And I can assure you I'm not bullshitting you.
Ive known Martin since about 03 on and have worked at invisible/underground as well as opened for
pigface and a few other label bands as well as signed to the label in 06.
if I remember correctly Martin was auctioning off a lot of old memorabilia at the time to raise money for
his tour smart classes/tour thing.
He played the tape at a seminar at the studio on jan 31,2010.
i remember taking my wife since she wanted to hear it, she's the one who got me into NIN.
Out of all the college kids that were there I think her and I were the only
ones listening intently.

Since someone posted the track list I knew sanctified was on there.
It sounded similar to the right track demo but slightly different.
Ringfinger like I said was actually twist, and like I said it just sounded a lot
clearer and cleaner than I've ever heard it.
Sin and terrible lie were the ones that got me cause I had never heard a demo of those 2.
down it it sounded like one of the remixes but yet again there were slight differences.
Sounded way more beatboxy.
Looking back I'm sure this tape was just another stage of what would ultimately become PHM.
Trent just happened to be with Martin at a party thrown by a local Cleveland promoter when he was on tour with Brian brain.
And that's when he gave him the tape.

Trust me I've heard all the stories about Martin over the years, but keep in mind it's no different than half the junk you hear about other peoples business deals.
Ive known Martin for many years and he's always been a great guy. He's a business man too, and let's face it the music industry isn't candy land. As a person he's one of the nicest funniest guys you could meet.

He asked me to come and listen to the tape right before the seminar to ask me if it was something I'd heard before.
Who (or why) thought I was the resident NIN head to ask I will never know.
But sitting with Martin in the studio and having our own private screening session is a moment I'll always remember.

Let me drop him a line and see if he's still got them and if he'll post them or send em to me to post them.

Cause IMHO, things lie this should be available to the public. I feel Martin was justified to auction it off the same way Trent was auctioning off broken guitars and road gear. It's a piece of history. The tape itself is probably one of a few or one of a kind, so yeah with it's history and story it is a collectors item, the music itself though should be available to the public.

[Hazekiah]

I logged in some time with Underground, Inc. back in the day after I picked up a flyer at Crow's Nest and spent a summer packaging CD orders with flyers and free t-shirts and shit while Porridge constantly tried to lick-rape me on the floor and I never really understood all the shit people talked about Martin Atkins. I was just some kid off the streets eager to help and he walked me right into his home, we got down to work, and he was totally cool and a perfect gentlemen. If I hadn't gotten super-busy at my paying job AND moved further away I'd probably still be right there to this day happily chugging along.

Thanks for the info and the assistance! I'm sure no one thinks you're bullshitting here, everything certainly rings true from my experience with him, at least. Good luck!

:)

[W.O.R.M]

I logged in some time with Underground, Inc. back in the day after I picked up a flyer at Crow's Nest and spent a summer packaging CD orders with flyers and free t-shirts and shit while Porridge constantly tried to lick-rape me on the floor

HA HA!!! Porridge!!!! One of the worlds coolest dogs!!!
thanks mate, I never understood it all either.
Martin was always cool. Always invited me to stay for dinner with his family, would always repay your hard work someway. Wheather it was food, CDs, help with your band whatever!
People take what they read and run with it, or they hear someone's ratings and take it as gospel.

One memory I will never forget is watching the cubs play off game (where Steve Bartman grabbed the ball), I remember Martin joking that maybe we should close the windows because of my cheering and yelling since we were blocks away from US cellular (sox territory).

Good times and good people.