Rank NIN Albums

[Max]

I just thought of having a little fun with this and separate the run of Pretty Hate Machine to The Fragile and With Teeth to Hesitation Marks, and then Not The Actual Events to Bad Witch afterwards, as I sometimes like to divide eras whenever it comes to ranking albums. I also didn't include Still for this one, because I'm just leaving this for 1989-1999, so it'll have to sit that one out. However, should it be included, Still would easily be ranked at number 5.

While most of it has also remained the same, I actually surprised myself a bit after realizing that I was also listening to Hesitation Marks more than Year Zero and Bad Witch more than Not The Actual Events.

1. The Downward Spiral
2. The Fragile
3. Pretty Hate Machine
4. Broken

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

1. Add Violence
2. Bad Witch
3. Not The Actual Events

That’s cool. I can dig that approach.

[Max]

Okay, my top ten as of today. I based these picks on how deeply the album moves me and how close to perfection they feel to me as an artistic statement. If we are talking about albums, then I am thinking not just about the tracks I like but what is the story, the journey that this album takes me on when I stop every distraction and put the music on and really, deeply listen. I’m also not trying to let the brevity of the EP’s or the length of The Fragile sway me. Just let each piece stand on its own merits.

1. The Downward Spiral
2. Hesitation Marks
3. Add Violence
4. The Fragile
5. Year Zero
6. Bad Witch
7. Still
8. Broken
9. Not The Actual Events
10. The Slip

I think Trent has moved away from Hesitation Marks in a very decisive way but I think that in time it may be appreciated as one of his more profound artistic statements. The way some of Bowie’s albums were reassessed decades later.

I bet if I revisited this post a year from now I would disagree with myself. It’s all so subjective and tied to where we currently are in life...

Fun exercise though.

[mauro995]

1- The Downward Spiral
2- The Fragile
3- NTAE/AV/BW
4- Year Zero
5- Broken
6- Hesitation Marks
7- With Teeth
8- Pretty Hate Machine
9- Ghosts
10- The Slip

[slopesandsam]

As for me, With Teeth was easily and instant favorite of mine and it actually stood the test of time for me. As far as the albums I haven't been into as much as most of the other albums, that would have to go to Ghosts I-IV and The Slip. (Not to say that I think they're bad albums either, as I still have favorite songs from both of them, and granted, it's not really fair to Ghosts I-IV since it's an instrumental album, but those two are the least listened to NIN albums so far as a whole.)

The Slip is an album that I find sort of surprises me every time I pull it off the shelf and listen to it again, because I always remember it as being a collection of decent tracks, but the experience of listening to it all again leaves me thinking it's actually one of NIN's best albums. It actually reminds me a lot of Bowie's Low. None of the songs on Low are classics (in fact, I don't think I've ever heard a song from Low played on the radio), but the album as a whole is considered one of Bowie's best. It's also an album where the first half (or side, if you're playing it on vinyl) is where the poppier songs are, and the second half is for the weird instrumentals and experimental tracks.

As for Ghosts I-IV...I feel you there. I liked it well enough at the time, but I feel like it's been eclipsed by Trent and Atticus' score work. I'd much prefer to put on TGWTDT score than Ghosts. That said, I'd probably get slightly excited if Ghosts V-VIII were announced.

[StockAvuryah]

As for Ghosts I-IV...I feel you there. I liked it well enough at the time, but I feel like it's been eclipsed by Trent and Atticus' score work. I'd much prefer to put on TGWTDT score than Ghosts. That said, I'd probably get slightly excited if Ghosts V-VIII were announced.

Disagreeing there. You can definitively link with Ghosts in the other soudtracks, and the closest is The Social Network, but Ghosts is something of its own, waaay more rock, closer to The Slip actually in the way I approach it.

PS : (Sound and Vision is a well known single and an enormous influence on post-punk and Subterraneans is very much a standout)

[Esperanzan]

Mine is probably identical to someone else here. Oh well.

1. The Fragile
2. The Downward Spiral
3. Pretty Hate Machine
4. Broken
5. Year Zero
6. Hesitation Marks
7. The Slip
8. Add Violence (beating 9. by a whisker)
9. Not the Actual Events
10. With Teeth
11. Still
12. Ghosts I-IV

[Wormwood]

1 and 2) Fragile and Downward Spiral-I really cannot differentiate between these two with regards to my favorite. I had been saying The Fragile is my favorite, but then I listened to TDS a lot one week and thought “this must be one of the best albums of alltime.” The Fragile has a chance against it though because it too is great and not only is it great, but there’s an ABUNDANCE of great. I think pound for pound, TDS wins. But TF has more pounds....

3) Year Zero- Just fantastic songwriting. I have memories of my senior year in undergrad walking from class to class listening to this album and 10,000 days by Tool almost exclusively for nearly that entire year. The Warning and God Given are two top 10 NIN tracks for me.

4) Pretty Hate Machine-theres some cheesy moments on the second half of the album (still good stuff though), but the first half of this record is ON FIRE. Some of the catchiest stuff I’ve heard.

5) Broken-Might be higher if there were more material. Brutal, badass, and catchy as hell.

6) Trilogy-it’s hard for me to separate these three. AV is my favorite, but I’m lumping them together. Sue me. Good stuff, great to see Trent still writing good music. Hoping for much more.

7) With Teeth-I was dissapointed when I first heard this, but grew to love it.

8) The Slip-I like this more than many of you do. To me, it sounds like good NIN, nothing more. With the caveat of a minor decrease in general song quality. But there are a few GREAT songs here

9) Hesitation Marks—I don’t think it’s bad. I actually think it’s good. Just not as good as the others.

10) Ghosts-I’ve listened to this WAY less than the others. I need to bust it out and give it a thorough chance and listen

[thefragile_jake]

Time to do the ol' list again!

1. The Fragile
2. The Downward Spiral
3. With Teeth
4. Bad Witch
5. Pretty Hate Machine
6. Broken
7. Ghosts I-IV
8. Not the Actual Events
9. Hesitation Marks
10. The Slip
11. Add Violence
12. Year Zero

[HWB]

Might have done this before, but let's see how it changed since then

1) The Fragile
2) The Trilogy
3) With Teeth
4) Still)
5) The Downward Spiral
6) Broken
7) The Slip
8) Year Zero
9) Pretty Hate Machine
10) Hesitation Marks
11) Ghosts

Changes all the time
No album is below 8/10

[paul_guyet]

Here's mine.

[theSplinter04]

albums (just going by length)
1 - The Downward Spiral
2 - The Fragile (overall a little bit less consistent than TDS.)
3 - The Slip (the album that got me (and probably a lot of other people who like free stuff) into NIN. I guess I'm a bit biased but it's just so fucking great.)
4 - Year Zero (so nasty and catchy at the same time.)
5 - Still
6 - Ghosts I-IV
7 - With Teeth (too many duds.)
8 - Hesitation Marks (very weird comeback album, never got into it. not abrasive enough. the trilogy did it better.)
9 - Pretty Hate Machine (yup.)

EPs
1 - Not the Actual Events
2 - Broken/Bad Witch
3 - Add Violence

[HWB]

Might have done this before, but let's see how it changed since then

1) The Fragile
2) The Trilogy
3) With Teeth
4) Still)
5) The Downward Spiral
6) Broken
7) The Slip
8) Year Zero
9) Pretty Hate Machine
10) Hesitation Marks
11) Ghosts

Changes all the time
No album is below 8/10

See? Now I'd rather Hesitation Marks far higher.
I don't know why I even try to rate NIN...can't I just put everything at 1?

[slopesandsam]

PS : (Sound and Vision is a well known single and an enormous influence on post-punk and Subterraneans is very much a standout)

Totally forgot about Sound and Vision. And yes, Subterraneans is fantastic, but I doubt anyone who hasn't listened to Low is aware it exists.

My point about Low was basically: Bowie was super, super famous. And everyone knows his big hits. So when you hear that Low is his best album, you sort of expect it to contain mostly songs you've already heard. Instead, it contains just one of his lesser-known singles.

None of this is supposed to be a knock on Low. It was just surprising to me the first time I listened to the album.

[Strohbie]

If you can't resist ranking albums, head over to Ranker:

https://www.ranker.com/list/the-best...anked/rocky128

I put together a list of all the halos, soundtracks, and HtDA albums for your re-ordering pleasure.

[Tiger_Stealth]

8/10
12. Ghosts
11. Ghosts Locusts
10. Ghosts Together
9. The Slip

9-10/10
8. Year Zero
7. Hesitation Marks
6. Broken
5. Pretty Hate Machine
4. With Teeth

10/10
3. Trilogy (Not The Actual Events > Bad Witch > Add Violence)
2. The Fragile
1. The Downward Spiral

[BRoswell]

1. The Downward Spiral/The Fragile
2. Still
3. Ghosts I-IV
4. Year Zero
5. Broken
6. Not The Actual Events/Add Violence/Bad Witch
7. The Slip
8. With Teeth
9. Ghosts V-VI
9. Hesitation Marks
10. Pretty Hate Machine

Remix Albums:
1. Year Zero Remixed
2. Things Falling Apart
3. Further Down The Spiral
4. Fixed

Film Scores:
1. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
2. Gone Girl
3. The Social Network
4. Quake
5. The Vietnam War
6. Watchmen
7. Before The Flood
8. Waves
9. Bird Box
10. Bones & All
11. Empire Of Light
12. Patriots Day
13. Soul
14. mid90s
15. Mank

[Tiger_Stealth]

1. The Downward Spiral/The Fragile
2. Still
3. Ghosts I-IV
4. Year Zero
5. Broken
6. Not The Actual Events/Add Violence/Bad Witch
7. The Slip
8. With Teeth
9. Ghosts V-VI
9. Hesitation Marks
10. Pretty Hate Machine

Remix Albums:
1. Year Zero Remixed
2. Things Falling Apart
3. Further Down The Spiral
4. Fixed

Film Scores:
1. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
2. Gone Girl
3. The Social Network
4. Quake
5. The Vietnam War
6. Watchmen
7. Before The Flood
8. Waves
9. Bird Box
10. Bones & All
11. Empire Of Light
12. Patriots Day
13. Soul
14. mid90s
15. Mank

Props for having the Trilogy ranked so high up, but I'm triggered by how Hesitation Marks and Pretty Hate Machine are at the bottom. I agree that TGWTDT, Gone Girl, and Social Network are all a step above the rest of the TR/AR soundtracks. I've yet to listen in full to any of the remix albums but I think I'm going to this week.

[BRoswell]

...but I'm triggered by how Hesitation Marks and Pretty Hate Machine are at the bottom.

It's mainly because I like the other albums better. They're good albums, but I can't tell you the last time I've listened to them all the way through.

[Toadflax]

I just checked if I had posted here, and I did... 10 years ago. I'll link to that instead of quoting it since it's lengthy:

https://www.echoingthesound.org/comm...489#post122489

At the time, I was hooked on Hesitation Marks but didn't know how I'd feel about it over the years. Years later, I still like it a lot, but I don't go back to it that often. I prefer to cherry-pick specific songs, which is unusual for a NIN album.

Also, the trilogy finally got back to that raw and dirty NIN sound I'd been missing since The Fragile, which maybe put Hesitation Marks even more on the back burner.

Here's my current ranking, more or less:

THE FRAGILE
THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL
PRETTY HATE MACHINE
GHOSTS I-IV
YEAR ZERO
BROKEN
THE TRILOGY (NOT THE ACTUAL EVENTS > ADD VIOLENCE > BAD WITCH)
HESITATION MARKS
WITH TEETH
GHOSTS V & VI
THE SLIP



Scores:

THE SOCIAL NETWORK
QUAKE
WATCHMEN
BEFORE THE FLOOD
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
MANK
THE VIETNAM WAR
SOUL
GONE GIRL
MID90S
BONES AND ALL
WAVES
BIRD BOX
EMPIRE OF LIGHT
PATRIOTS DAY

[Zur En Arrh]

1 and 2) Fragile and Downward Spiral-I really cannot differentiate between these two with regards to my favorite. I had been saying The Fragile is my favorite, but then I listened to TDS a lot one week and thought “this must be one of the best albums of alltime.” The Fragile has a chance against it though because it too is great and not only is it great, but there’s an ABUNDANCE of great. I think pound for pound, TDS wins. But TF has more pounds....

3) Year Zero- Just fantastic songwriting. I have memories of my senior year in undergrad walking from class to class listening to this album and 10,000 days by Tool almost exclusively for nearly that entire year. The Warning and God Given are two top 10 NIN tracks for me.

4) Pretty Hate Machine-theres some cheesy moments on the second half of the album (still good stuff though), but the first half of this record is ON FIRE. Some of the catchiest stuff I’ve heard.

5) Broken-Might be higher if there were more material. Brutal, badass, and catchy as hell.

6) Trilogy-it’s hard for me to separate these three. AV is my favorite, but I’m lumping them together. Sue me. Good stuff, great to see Trent still writing good music. Hoping for much more.

7) With Teeth-I was dissapointed when I first heard this, but grew to love it.

8) The Slip-I like this more than many of you do. To me, it sounds like good NIN, nothing more. With the caveat of a minor decrease in general song quality. But there are a few GREAT songs here

9) Hesitation Marks—I don’t think it’s bad. I actually think it’s good. Just not as good as the others.

10) Ghosts-I’ve listened to this WAY less than the others. I need to bust it out and give it a thorough chance and listen

I feel the same way. I can't separate the fragile/spiral. It goes back and forth.

1.the downward spiral/ the Fragile.
3.year zero.
4.broken.
5.the trilogy(see them as one album).
6. Pretty hate machine.
7. With Teeth.
8. Hesitation Marks.
9.the slip.
10.ghosts.

And to be clear, none of those are " weak" they're all dope as fuck..

[leftshoe18]

Right now at this moment in time my list would look like this:
1. The Fragile
2. With Teeth
3. The Downward Spiral
4. Pretty Hate Machine
5. Hesitation Marks
6. Broken
7. Year Zero
8. Bad Witch
9. Not The Actual Events
10. Add Violence
11. Ghosts I-IV
12. The Slip
13. Ghosts V
14. Ghosts VI