Controversial Nine Inch Nails opinions

[Kulerage]

Since we're talking about songs we don't think translate live well, I personally think this about The Line Begins To Blur. It just sounds empty in all live performances I've heard, like it's missing something.

[thefragile_jake]

Since we're talking about songs we don't think translate live well, I personally think this about The Line Begins To Blur. It just sounds empty in all live performances I've heard, like it's missing something.

I honestly feel this way about Burn.

The chorus just doesn't have the driving intensity that it does in the studio version. Plus, I always laughed at Jeordie's "I NEVER WAS A PART OF YOU!" and then throwing his hands up in the air in the Beside You in Time DVD.

[neorev]

I wish Trent would retire "Hurt" from the live setlist... as least stop using it as THE closer. It's just such a bummer way to end a show. Especially with energy built up with "The Hand That Feeds" and "Head Like A Hole" only to deflate like a balloon with "Hurt." I love "Hurt," it's an amazing track, but just not a live closer. It's become too predictable. I was so happy when "In This Twilight" was a closer. Hopefully a real tour has a less festival-type setlist.

"Hand Covers Bruise" into "Beside You In Time" was stellar. Wish we had more of that.

[botley]

I thought the FYF setlist was perfect and was secretly hoping Panorama would have the exact same thing. And when it did, I was happy because the video stream was awesome.

[Patrick_Nicholas]

I wish Trent would retire "Hurt" from the live setlist... as least stop using it as THE closer. It's just such a bummer way to end a show. Especially with energy built up with "The Hand That Feeds" and "Head Like A Hole" only to deflate like a balloon with "Hurt." I love "Hurt," it's an amazing track, but just not a live closer. It's become too predictable. I was so happy when "In This Twilight" was a closer. Hopefully a real tour has a less festival-type setlist.

How about making it the last song before the encore... with a tape of the studio version's ending. Or at least bring back the piano version.

"In This Twilight" is definitely a good closer, but I would really like to see "And All That Could Have Been" as a closer. Hope that's not TOO much of a "bummer" ending.
Or alternatively, "The Background World".

[neorev]

How about making it the last song before the encore... with a tape of the studio version's ending. Or at least bring back the piano version.

"In This Twilight" is definitely a good closer, but I would really like to see "And All That Could Have Been" as a closer. Hope that's not TOO much of a "bummer" ending.
Or alternatively, "The Background World".

Yeah, I can see "Hurt" being the last song before the encore section. That would be cool. I'd love to hear "And All That Could Have Been" live.

[botley]

Guys, these aren't controversial opinions

[thefragile_jake]

I've always felt Year Zero was easily Nine Inch Nails' weakest record. It includes some of my least favorite songs Trent has ever recorded in "Me, I'm Not" and "In This Twilight."

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[AndItKeepsRepeating]

Probably not controversial, but I think given the subject matter of the current recent EPs, Lights in the Sky should come back into the setlist to replace Hurt as the closer or at least open a 2-3 song encore.

I've always felt Year Zero was easily Nine Inch Nails' weakest record. It includes some of my least favorite songs Trent has ever recorded in "Me, I'm Not" and "In This Twilight."

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Now this IS controversial

[captainbeyond]

Hi. I'm here to prove you wrong.

An opinion can be proved wrong? Seriously though I really like "Where Is Everybody?" but it and "Starfuckers, Inc." are the most cringiest, cheesiest songs on The Fragile. "Deep" isn't like that for me. If I were sitting in a room with non-NIN fans and really wanted to blow their mind, I would not play either one of those tracks before I would play "Deep."

[Tyson]

An opinion can be proved wrong?

No one can seriously tell me that "Where Is Everybody?" is really that much better than "Deep."

That ^ struck me as less an opinion and more a statement. Yes, I can seriously tell you that I think WIE? is that much better than Deep, because I think it is. Seriously. I'm not trying to prove your opinion wrong, but rather your suggestion that no one could seriously think WIE? is better. I don't dislike Deep, but if we were going by number of listens I've racked up over the years, one could easily come to the conclusion that I think WIE? is leaps and bounds better than Deep.

[katara]

An opinion can be proved wrong? Seriously though I really like "Where Is Everybody?" but it and "Starfuckers, Inc." are the most cringiest, cheesiest songs on The Fragile. "Deep" isn't like that for me. If I were sitting in a room with non-NIN fans and really wanted to blow their mind, I would not play either one of those tracks before I would play "Deep."

Where Is Everybody? still blows my mind to this day. That instrumental breakdown at the end of the song is incredible, probably one of if not the greatest moment(s) on The Fragile.

[captainbeyond]

Where Is Everybody? still blows my mind to this day. That instrumental breakdown at the end of the song is incredible, probably one of if not the greatest moment(s) on The Fragile.

I do not disagree with that at all. That part is killer. One of my favorite parts on the album is the huge synth/guitar line that comes in after the "where did it go?" and before the "pleading and needing..." chorus part. It's just the vocals and the way they are delivered that bug me. Overall, it hurts the whole song. I'm pretty particular about vocals. I was extremely happy to be able to obtain the instrumental version.

Please don't get me wrong, I actually like this song a lot and know every word. But if I'm gonna try to be subjective about it, I feel like it doesn't encompass what would be an "essential" NIN song if I was trying to turn a stranger onto NIN by making a "best of" compilation. There are far worse songs in the entire catalog, but hardly any worse to me on The Fragile. That being said, it's hard for me to understand why Deep gets sooooo much hate as its still a Fragile-era recording.

That ^ struck me as less an opinion and more a statement. Yes, I can seriously tell you that I think WIE? is that much better than Deep, because I think it is. Seriously. I'm not trying to prove your opinion wrong, but rather your suggestion that no one could seriously think WIE? is better. I don't dislike Deep, but if we were going by number of listens I've racked up over the years, one could easily come to the conclusion that I think WIE? is leaps and bounds better than Deep.

My bad then. Let me rephrase it, no one could ever convince me that "Where is Everybody?" is that much better than "Deep." I didn't really mean to drag WIE? into the Deep argument, but I guess I wanted to show how much I liked Deep by using the example that if you gave me choice to replace a song on The Fragile so that Deep could be included, it would be WIE or Starfuckers. I'm not saying WIE? sucks, but Deep is as equal or better, in my opinion.

[captainbeyond]

I honestly feel this way about Burn.

The chorus just doesn't have the driving intensity that it does in the studio version. Plus, I always laughed at Jeordie's "I NEVER WAS A PART OF YOU!" and then throwing his hands up in the air in the Beside You in Time DVD.

I don't know what it is, but for some reason the chorus for "Burn" has never translated well in a live setting going all the way back to 1994. I've never been able to place my finger as to why though. I don't know if its the lack of the overpowering drum sound or what. It seems like live drums sound too "loose" or "open" to replicate what makes the chorus on the album mix so effective. That song is one of my favorite songs and when you mentioned the chorus, I was like "damn someone else feels that way too!" The rest of the song always sounds fucking amazing live but when that chorus hits, its like a feeling of something dropping out.

[Papagolash]

I've always felt Year Zero was easily Nine Inch Nails' weakest record. It includes some of my least favorite songs Trent has ever recorded in "Me, I'm Not" and "In This Twilight."

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

OK we're going to have to fight now.

[ekrekel]

Where is Everybody will never be played bc T-Rez won't be able to remember all the lyrics.

Later this year Less Than will be and "depend and contend and upend and remand my defiance".

[eversonpoe]

I've always felt Year Zero was easily Nine Inch Nails' weakest record. It includes some of my least favorite songs Trent has ever recorded in "Me, I'm Not" and "In This Twilight."

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

interesting, because i feel the same way about the album, but "me, i'm not" is one of my favorite songs on it. i would say that capital G is the worst/my least favorite song trent has ever made.

[HWB]

Whenever someone calls Hesitation Marks even remotely happy, in my head it proves what Trent Reznor said about people listening to the music in the background.

No, it's not even a hopeful album, some peopel call it "hopeful" or "positive" like, okay, name like, at least one part that sounds positive, or hopeful, when you look at the lyrics and what they contain, you'll actually find that it is as dark as something like Not The Actual Events.

And no, Everything is not positive at all either.

Just the name of the album itself.

[thefragile_jake]

I don't know what it is, but for some reason the chorus for "Burn" has never translated well in a live setting going all the way back to 1994. I've never been able to place my finger as to why though. I don't know if its the lack of the overpowering drum sound or what. It seems like live drums sound too "loose" or "open" to replicate what makes the chorus on the album mix so effective. That song is one of my favorite songs and when you mentioned the chorus, I was like "damn someone else feels that way too!" The rest of the song always sounds fucking amazing live but when that chorus hits, its like a feeling of something dropping out.

Exactly - there's just something that feels a little bit empty by the time the chorus hits. The drums just have way more aggression to them and it almost sounds like they're played differently, I'm not entirely sure what it is.

[HWB]

I believe the reason why Burn doesn't hit as hard in any live sessions is simple, Trent's vocals for Burn in studio, are fucking crazy. It destroys your ears (in a good way), it's desperate rage going off and it's unstoppable, it's really hard to recreate that, the vocals really are the major power of the track.

[Papagolash]

The best version of Burn he ever did was during the tour with Bowie, where that extra guitar breakdown was added towards the end. Would love to hear that back.

[Tyson]

The drums just have way more aggression to them and it almost sounds like they're played differently, I'm not entirely sure what it is.

It definitely is played differently. I play drums, but I'm self taught and have always played by ear, so I can't tell you timing and all that. Best I can do is show you on some videos.

Here's roughly what the studio loop should look like when played live. (This is the only drum cover I could find where it was played like the studio version.)



Unfortunately, they don't play it that way live. They've always played that part at a . I think the situation is sort of the same as the whole TPD solo thing from years ago. It's cool, but it's kind of just a waste of the drummer's energy. When you're playing for two hour stretches at high intensity, you want to conserve energy where you can. The live Burn breakdown is essentially just a shortcut Trent created to cut the drummers some slack. Which, for some of us, is unfortunate, because that part adds a lot to the song, and there hasn't been a single NIN drummer that couldn't play it if called upon to do so. At the very least, I wish they would play the breakdown percussion loop OVER the altered live drum breakdown.

[thefragile_jake]

It definitely is played differently. I play drums, but I'm self taught and have always played by ear, so I can't tell you timing and all that. Best I can do is show you on some videos.

Here's roughly what the studio loop should look like when played live. (This is the only drum cover I could find where it was played like the studio version.)



Unfortunately, they don't play it that way live. They've always played that part at a . I think the situation is sort of the same as the whole TPD solo thing from years ago. It's cool, but it's kind of just a waste of the drummer's energy. When you're playing for two hour stretches at high intensity, you want to conserve energy where you can. The live Burn breakdown is essentially just a shortcut Trent created to cut the drummers some slack. Which, for some of us, is unfortunate, because that part adds a lot to the song, and there hasn't been a single NIN drummer that couldn't play it if called upon to do so. At the very least, I wish they would play the breakdown percussion loop OVER the altered live drum breakdown.

FUCKKKKKKK ... imagine how intense this would sound live.

[captainbeyond]

Here's roughly what the studio loop should look like when played live. (This is the only drum cover I could find where it was played like the studio version.)



Unfortunately, they don't play it that way live. They've always played that part at a .

Dude you are spot with what I was trying to say in my post above regarding this. This is EXACTLY what I was referring to as the live drums sounding too "loose" and "open" for this part. The lack of that ridiculous (sixteenth note?) hi hat addition is what kills it. Now if they had the hi hats played on a backing track over that part, like you said, that would rule!

[roolfdriht]

Last night's show reminded me of an old lament: I love Somewhat Damaged on record and as performed , but the ticking synth intro that has (exclusively?) been employed since WT really doesn't do it for me. The former's progressive layering of guitar, then drums, then the massive synth line has a power that dissipates to a surprising degree in the latter.

That said, I do love the idea of "unique" live versions. Love Is Not Enough is my personal case study of where this has worked to the benefit in the song, both in the original and subsequent iterations. I'm not holding my breath we'll ever see similar updates to the H's, but it's fun to contemplate...

[Archive_Reports]

You guys are nuts. The live version of Burn sounds so much better and emotionally satisfying.

[joplinpicasso]

TR has said that the mission of NIN Live is to reinterpret the songs to some extent.

Here's my controversial opinion: I respect that TR's trying to challenge the audience with "The Lovers," but he should really whip out "Dear World," and "Not Anymore" in a live setting. Both would be awesome.

[Halo Infinity]

You guys are nuts. The live version of Burn sounds so much better and emotionally satisfying.

I'll admit that I'm a bit conflicted, because it sometimes depends how the live versions turn out to be. When it comes to Burn, it's one of those songs where I like some things better off the studio version and the live version.

It's kind of like how I also actually prefer some live versions of Terrible Lie, Sin and Piggy more than others just to name a few. (Which can sometimes help me understand why some might find it to be unsatisfying on some level.)

With all that being said, Burn is still definitely one of my favorite songs to see live. That's for sure. It always has been.

[NotoriousTIMP]

Am I in the minority when I say that "Burning Bright" doesn't transition well live?

[Frozen Beach]

Am I in the minority when I say that "Burning Bright" doesn't transition well live?

I think it would be better live if instead of a megaphone, Trent used a setup like what Damon Albarn uses for Gorillaz during Feel Good Inc, Rhinestone Eyes and other songs.