Controversial Nine Inch Nails opinions

[hani]

this may not be too controversial, but... though I like the Slip, i think the mixing and mastering on most of it are terrible. 1000000 and letting you are live killers and I'd way rather listen to live versions than the ones on the album.

I was never a huge fan of Letting You, although I consider The Slip a great album, I almost always skip right to Discipline. anyway, 1,000,000 both live and CD versions are fucking awesome, I don't see how the mastering makes it worse. but that's just my opinion

[Halo Infinity]

I still don't feel like No, You Don't and Starfuckers, Inc. were out of place or disruptive to The Fragile's flow. Both songs sounded right on both discs to me.

[Digital_Man]

the fragile is perfect besides the chorus of starfuckers in my opinion... like I love star fuckers right up until the chorus.. it's just obnoxious

[Dragoro]

You know its possible to like a band without liking everything theyve done. For example: Hesitation Marks is terrible. Laughing at the people that actually bout the special prerelease stuff. What a terrible album. Trent shouldnt try and do pop music, he is terrible at it.

[MONKEYlovesYOU]

You know its possible to like a band without liking everything theyve done. For example: Hesitation Marks is terrible. Laughing at the people that actually bout the special prerelease stuff. What a terrible album. Trent shouldnt try and do pop music, he is terrible at it.

I Agree that it is possible to like a band and still not like everything they have put out. Butttttttttttttttttttttttttt maybe you can explain in some detail WHY Hesitation Marks is such a 'terrible album'. It would probably give your opinion more merit.

[Inkë]

You don't have to open a new thread to give your opinion on the album, there is already this one...

[JamesCmuse]

Why would you even bother making this thread? As was stated above, there's already a thread for your opinion. And why does the opinion of others bother you? Not everyone falls under the category of liking everything Trent does just because he does it. That's a very cynical brush to tar people with.

[ninsp]

You know its possible to like a band without liking everything theyve done. For example: Hesitation Marks is terrible. Laughing at the people that actually bout the special prerelease stuff. What a terrible album. Trent shouldnt try and do pop music, he is terrible at it.

You know it's possible that you're a moron.

[binaryhermit]

You know it's possible that you're a moron.

I'd go with "troll" if anything.
EDIT: I mean, it may be a sincere opinion (I'll go with "it is" to give him/her the benefit of the doubt) but the delivery is a bit trolltastic.

[r_z]

So, as of 09/29/13, it goes like this:

1. The Slip (Not a single song on there I skip. Nice overall concept / idea. Not too bloated or self indulgent as other albums. Plus I love the garage-y vibe of it).

2. The Downward Spiral (The classic. Would've loved, if they'd replaced BMWAG with "Burn". Get's a bit exhausting though. One hell of a ride).

3. Pretty Hate Machine (A lot of lyrics are terrible on there. BUT: It gets a pass, because this adds to the naivity of the protagonist and strangely fits the poppy beats and instrumentals. Also it's been almost 25 years. Another one I tend to not skip a song on).

4. The Fragile (Trimmed down to a single disc, this would've easily been #1 or 2, because of its sonical qualities. As is, it's too bloated though, featuring songs that go nowhere or don't seem to fit the overall concept and sounds.
BUT: Sequencing this fucker is one hell of a job. Here's what I came up with: 1. SD 2. TDTWWA 3. The Fragile 4. JLYI 5. TNF 6. The Frail 7. TW 8. LM 9. TGB 10. TWOIT 11. ITV 12. TMHBM 13. TMH 14. Please 15. Complication 16. ILFTJYF 17. Leaving Hope).

5. With Teeth (I'm struggling with the sequencing here as well. They should've stuck with songs that fit together, sonically. There are some really terrible lyrics once again [think: NSPN, THTF a. o.]. Otherwise I like the rock-y sound of it with the live drumming and all. Also: Jerome's drumming on the title song >>>>>>>>>>>.
I'm hoping for a 10th anniversary release featuring the unreleased 'other side' of the album.)

6. Ghosts I-I (Really nice and experimental stuff on there. However, it's too bloated overall. Whittle this thing down to one cd with your favorite Ghosts and you'll have a fantastic instrumental/ambient record, that would've gotten much more praise by the public / media / yourself.)

7. Year Zero (Great production [Survivalism, Vessel, Me I'm Not, The Warning, The Great Destroyer] meets some truly goofy one [The Greater Good, God Given, Zero-Sum]. Add the sometimes terrible singing/lyrics to the mix and you'll be left with an album you don't quite know how to judge. Also, TBOTE and Hyperpower! don't fit, sonically. The concept's been done to death, but this one is a nice take nevertheless.)

8. Hesitation Marks (This is suprising. I went from being put off initially to trying to just enjoy the album to analyzing why I can't do just that. I guess, it comes down to only a few songs I consider truly great. Copy Of A is one. Satellite is another. And that's that. Goofy drum sounds, boring "NIN by numbers" hooks / songs, plus a concept on the lyrical side that screams "let me just do what always resonated with the fans / buyers / masses and I'll try to sell it as this big concept...". I think Trent is really inspired by Talking Heads these days [hence the Stop Making Sense homage] and it shows in how they're approaching the production and its layers / texture. It's daring when done right, but sounding goofy when not [Everything, In Two, All Time Low, ...]. HM is basically like a polished Year Zero without its balls to try something new, lyrically.)

[m15a]

plus a concept on the lyrical side that screams "let me just do what always resonated with the fans / buyers / masses and I'll try to sell it as this big concept...".

what in the lyrics makes you feel there's an intention to please the fans/masses? i could understand (although not necessarily agree) if you said that the lyrics are boring because they cover the same topic. but there's a difference between a lack of decision to do something new and a decision to do something you've done before because it's a crowd pleaser.

[r_z]

what in the lyrics makes you feel there's an intention to please the fans/masses? i could understand (although not necessarily agree) if you said that the lyrics are boring because they cover the same topic. but there's a difference between a lack of decision to do something new and a decision to do something you've done before because it's a crowd pleaser.

Fair enough. I may have overstated that bit for thread title's sake. "NIN by numbers" (lyrically, in this case) seems a safe bet. This guy is a master at telling everybody how he's "reinventing the band", "trying something new", "trying not to repeat myself" and then is doing just that (= generic lyrics). That's what I was getting at.

[Halo Infinity]

I've always thought that With Teeth was a very solid release. It didn't seem like a weak point or a low point to me at all. If I were to rank Nine Inch Nails albums from the 2000s that were released post-AATCHB (Live/Still), they'd go like this.

1. Year Zero
2. With Teeth
3. The Slip
4. Ghosts I-IV

With Teeth also seems to be among the best Nine Inch Nails albums to me.

[m15a]

Fair enough. I may have overstated that bit for thread title's sake. "NIN by numbers" (lyrically, in this case) seems a safe bet. This guy is a master at telling everybody how he's "reinventing the band", "trying something new", "trying not to repeat myself" and then is doing just that (= generic lyrics). That's what I was getting at.

yeah. i think that trent just does not prioritize lyrics or narrative very high. (not saying he doesn't care, just that it's not the most significant part.) from the interviews i've seen, he's more likely to talk about new mixing and recording techniques than new lyrical concepts, YZ being the exception.

personally, i don't really notice lyrics unless/until i find them interesting or moving. i'm not really bothered by bad lyrics, which i guess is a good thing for a NIN fan.

[neorev]

The Downward Spiral
Broken
With Teeth
The Fragile (agree as one CD, easily #1 or #2)
Pretty Hate Machine
Hesitation Marks
The Slip
Ghosts
Year Zero

[captainbeyond]

4. The Fragile (Trimmed down to a single disc, this would've easily been #1 or 2, because of its sonical qualities. As is, it's too bloated though, featuring songs that go nowhere or don't seem to fit the overall concept and sounds.
BUT: Sequencing this fucker is one hell of a job. Here's what I came up with: 1. SD 2. TDTWWA 3. The Fragile 4. JLYI 5. TNF 6. The Frail 7. TW 8. LM 9. TGB 10. TWOIT 11. ITV 12. TMHBM 13. TMH 14. Please 15. Complication 16. ILFTJYF 17. Leaving Hope).

That is a great sequence.

[thefragile_jake]

I've never been a fan of In This Twilight.....live or the studio version.

[Halo Infinity]

I don't know why I just can't get into Underneath It All again. It sort of feels wrong to not be so into it. I'll admit that I like how hard hitting it sounds though. So with that being said, Underneath It All is by far the most skipped track on The Fragile for me.

[Fist Fuck]

1. NIN 2013
2. Lights In The Sky
3. Tension 2013

[SM Rollinger]

2. Lights In The Sky

your right about that though

Here is one for ya...

Everything is a kick ass track

[Fist Fuck]

your right about that though

Here is one for ya...

Everything is a kick ass track

Then what's the point of facepalming me? Too controversial? I can only judge what I've seen so far, and that's, admittedly, not the whole Tension show, but I was just blown away by the festival shows and I'm just not getting the right vibe from the Tension shows YET. Of course that might change, we're only one show in. This is just my first impression.

Everything would rock live and I'm sure a lot of people would appreciate that song more after hearing it live.

[sordid]

Here is the most controversial opinion so far probably: In general I don't like The Downward Spiral that much. Very often I find it too over layered with sounds that just don't fit together (as heresy, eraser, the becoming). I have the feeling that Trent went too much into an experimental direction when creating it, as for the first time back then he had "access to that technology" and he was more excited about putting that sound into the song than trying to make it fit sonically. In the end even Alan Moulder was surprised that "the album sold so many copies". I find "the fragile" to be million times better in terms of sound and production also in terms of lyrics, even if Trent has stated many times that during that record he had nothing to say. If the lyrics of "we're in this together" or "the great below" were done in period when he was wondering if he has anything to say, I wondered what it would be if he feels confident about it...

[WorzelG]

Then what's the point of facepalming me? Too controversial? I can only judge what I've seen so far, and that's, admittedly, not the whole Tension show, but I was just blown away by the festival shows and I'm just not getting the right vibe from the Tension shows YET. Of course that might change, we're only one show in. This is just my first impression.

Everything would rock live and I'm sure a lot of people would appreciate that song more after hearing it live.

I've decided not to watch any footage from YouTube on this tour unless we get something confirmed by RITC as top quality (or a live stream from the festival) as the quality is just too poor to make a judgement.

[Xodus]

1.The Fragile
2. With Teeth
3. Hesitation Marks
4. Pretty Hate Machine
5. Broken

O.o... New Reznor is better then old Reznor, Controversy Biznatch....Fox News is knocking on my door right now!

[Charmingly Miserable]

I've always thought that With Teeth was a very solid release. It didn't seem like a weak point or a low point to me at all. If I were to rank Nine Inch Nails albums from the 2000s that were released post-AATCHB (Live/Still), they'd go like this.

1. Year Zero
2. With Teeth
3. The Slip
4. Ghosts I-IV

With Teeth also seems to be among the best Nine Inch Nails albums to me.

I think WT is one of the best albums. I like your concept of ranking the albums post AATCHB. I'm gonna do it too.

1. With Teeth
2. Ghosts I-IV
3. (Tie) The Slip and Hesitation Marks
5. Year Zero
I just really can't get into Year Zero. I remember playing the shit out of it while it was first released. Now, it is one of the last albums I'd play in the NIN discography.

[nineismine]

Here is the most controversial opinion so far probably: In general I don't like The Downward Spiral that much. Very often I find it too over layered with sounds that just don't fit together (as heresy, eraser, the becoming). I have the feeling that Trent went too much into an experimental direction when creating it, as for the first time back then he had "access to that technology" and he was more excited about putting that sound into the song than trying to make it fit sonically. In the end even Alan Moulder was surprised that "the album sold so many copies". I find "the fragile" to be million times better in terms of sound and production also in terms of lyrics, even if Trent has stated many times that during that record he had nothing to say. If the lyrics of "we're in this together" or "the great below" were done in period when he was wondering if he has anything to say, I wondered what it would be if he feels confident about it...

Dude you just shat on three of the best songs reznor has ever done. Are you a later gen fan? I'm just curious.

[sordid]

Dude you just shat on three of the best songs reznor has ever done. Are you a later gen fan? I'm just curious.

I'm a fan since 1999, which means that I heard TF first before hearing TDS. It was funny back then, cause it was not so easy to find a copy of TDS anywhere around me, but I read a lot about the album before hearing it. I was used to buy one of the most popular bulgarian magazines for pop and rock music which doesn't exist anymore and during that time they reviewed TF and had articles about nine inch nails very often (anyone interested to have a scan of an article about nine inch nails in a bulgarian magazine ?,also I have the bulgarian copy of TF on cassettes - a really unique thing I would say).

So back then TF was my fav album and I got a copy of TDS one year after and when I had the first listen I was a bit of ....well, was completely different than the TF. The rest I just explained in my previous post, but this was the chronology. Hope this story surprised you a little

[WorzelG]

^^^i actually agree with you with regards to The Becoming, it was almost too industrial sounding but I love the stripped down Still version they recorded. (disagree about the other two though)

[nineismine]

I'm a fan since 1999, which means that I heard TF first before hearing TDS. It was funny back then, cause it was not so easy to find a copy of TDS anywhere around me, but I read a lot about the album before hearing it. I was used to buy one of the most popular bulgarian magazines for pop and rock music which doesn't exist anymore and during that time they reviewed TF and had articles about nine inch nails very often (anyone interested to have a scan of an article about nine inch nails in a bulgarian magazine ?,also I have the bulgarian copy of TF on cassettes - a really unique thing I would say).

So back then TF was my fav album and I got a copy of TDS one year after and when I had the first listen I was a bit of ....well, was completely different than the TF. The rest I just explained in my previous post, but this was the chronology. Hope this story surprised you a little

No not really, I think that going from TDS to TF probably is alot like going from TF to TDS. You probably could never convince me that either era transition would eventually learn to love the other era with enough listening and familiarity with the subtitles of each of those albums. TF was very hard for me to digest as someone who came form Broken and TDS as his first real exposure to reznor.

[sordid]

No not really, I think that going from TDS to TF probably is alot like going from TF to TDS. You probably could never convince me that either era transition would eventually learn to love the other era with enough listening and familiarity with the subtitles of each of those albums. TF was very hard for me to digest as someone who came form Broken and TDS as his first real exposure to reznor.

Yes , right, if I would use Reznor's way of describing : TDS was a completely different animal, so it was really hard for me to get into it and even now I'm still struggling to do it. In other words - it's not that easy to go from "we are in this together" to "I wanna fuck you like an animal" thing.