Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine

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NME.COM feature on Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine album including album review, artwork, tracks, listen now, tour dates, discography and more.

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Release date: 18 January 2011

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Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine: Wikipedia Album Entry

Pretty Hate Machine is the debut album by American industrial rock act Nine Inch Nails, released October 20, 1989, on TVT Records. The album was out of print from around 1997 to 2005 due to the much publicized falling out between Nine Inch Nails' sole member, Trent Reznor, and the original publishing label of the album, TVT Records. Rykodisc re-released the album around the world in 2005, effectively putting the album back into print. Pretty Hate Machine is compiled of tracks from the Purest Feeling demo, as well as tracks recorded after the Purest Feeling recording. The album spawned three singles, the most successful being "Head Like a Hole", which has become a staple in Nine Inch Nails live performances. A remastered version was re-issued on November 22, 2010.


[edit] HistoryWorking nights at Right Track Studio as a handyman and janitor, Reznor used studio "down-time" to record and develop his own music. Playing most of the keyboards, drum machines, guitars, and samplers himself, he recorded a demo. The sequencing was done on a Macintosh Plus.

Teaming up with manager John Malm, Jr., they sent the demo to various record labels. Reznor received serious offers from many of them, but eventually signed a deal with TVT Records who, until then, were known mainly for releasing novelty and television jingle records. Pretty Hate Machine was recorded in various studios around the world with Reznor collaborating with some of his most idolized producers: Flood, Keith LeBlanc, Adrian Sherwood, and John Fryer. Much like his recorded demo, Trent Reznor refused to record the album with a conventional band, recording Pretty Hate Machine mostly by himself.

Released on October 20, 1989, the album was a critical and commercial success, receiving radio airplay for the singles "Down in It", "Head Like a Hole" and "Sin". The songs "Terrible Lie" and "Something I Can Never Have" also received moderate airplay along with the three lead singles.[citation needed] Pretty Hate Machine also gained popularity through word-of-mouth and developed an underground following. Reznor quickly hired a band for touring with The Jesus and Mary Chain, including guitarist and future Filter frontman Richard Patrick. Nine Inch Nails' live set during the time was known for louder, more aggressive versions of the studio songs, and also for destroying their instruments at the end, (Reznor preferred using the heel of his boots to strip the keys from expensive keyboards, most notably the Yamaha DX7).

Since the album was released, a recording known as Purest Feeling surfaced. This bootleg album contains the original demo recordings of most of the tracks found on Pretty Hate Machine, as well as a couple that were not used ("Purest Feeling", "Maybe Just Once" and an instrumental intro to "Sanctified" called "Slate").[citation needed]

Pretty Hate Machine went out of print through TVT Records, but was reissued by Rykodisc Records on November 22, 2005 with slight changes in the packaging. Reznor had expressed an interest in creating a "deluxe edition" with surround sound remastering and new/rare remixes, similar to the re-release of The Downward Spiral. Rykodisc liked the idea, but wanted Reznor to pay them to do so.

On March 29th 2010, the master recording rights of Pretty Hate Machine were acquired by The Bicycle Music Company and on October 22nd 2010, Trent Reznor announced on nin.com that on November 22nd 2010, a remastered re-issue of the album would be released by UMe and Bicycle Music Group. The rerelease includes new cover art by Rob Sheridan and the bonus track "Get Down, Make Love", a Queen cover originally found on the "Sin" single.

Leading up to the re-release of the album, a website was put up for fans at http://phm.nin.com/, featuring content from videos and tours for Pretty Hate Machine. The videos for "Head Like a Hole" and "Down in It" featured newly remastered sound, the uncut video for "Sin" (a remix for the video was used, so it was not remastered) and two early live video segments; one with interviews.

Track listingAll songs written and composed by Trent Reznor.

1. "Head Like a Hole" Trent Reznor, Flood 4:59
2. "Terrible Lie" Trent Reznor, Flood 4:38
3. "Down in It" Trent Reznor, Keith LeBlanc, Adrian Sherwood 3:46
4. "Sanctified" Trent Reznor, John Fryer 5:48
5. "Something I Can Never Have" Trent Reznor, John Fryer 5:54
6. "Kinda I Want To" Trent Reznor, John Fryer 4:33
7. "Sin" Trent Reznor, John Fryer, Keith LeBlanc 4:06
8. "That's What I Get" Keith LeBlanc, John Fryer 4:30
9. "The Only Time" Trent Reznor, John Fryer, Keith LeBlanc 4:47
10. "Ringfinger" Trent Reznor, John Fryer 5:40
11. "Get Down, Make Love" (Queen cover, bonus track on 2010 reissue only) Al Jourgensen (credited as Hypo Luxa) 4:19
Total length: 48:41
NotesSome of the lyrics printed in the booklet are not heard in the songs.

The bands listed in the liner notes (Prince, Jane's Addiction and Public Enemy, amongst others) were sampled on the album. Parts of Prince's "Alphabet St." and Jane's Addiction's "Had a Dad" are prominently heard in "Ringfinger", while other samples were either edited or distorted to be unrecognizable, such as the intro to "Kinda I Want To".

John Fryer's name is misprinted as John Fruyer.

The 2010 remastered reissue was mastered by Tom Baker at Precision Mastering in Hollywood, California.

A speech from Midnight Express[which?] was sampled at very low volume during the music break in "Sanctified".[citation needed] On the 2010 reissue of the album, this sample is no longer present.
Trent Reznor – vocals, arranger, programming, producer, engineer, digital editing, mixing, song writer
Chris Vrenna – programming, digital editing
Doug d'Angelis – engineer
Tony Dawsey – mastering
Flood – programming, producer, engineer
John Fryer – producer, engineer, mixing
Kennan Keating – engineer
Keith LeBlanc – producer, engineer, remixing, mixing
Richard Patrick – guitar (droning guitar sound at the end of "Sanctified")
Ken Quartarone – engineer
Adrian Sherwood – producer, engineer, mixing
Jeffrey Silverthorne – photography
Gary Talpas – cover design
2010 Remaster

Tom Baker - Mastering
Trent Reznor - Mastering

Get Down Make Love (Bonus Track):

Trent Reznor - performer & engineer
Al Jourgensen - producer, intro samples & engineer
Jeff "Critter" Newell - engineer
Sean Beaven - engineer
Freddie Mercury - song writer (originally performed by his band Queen)
Chart history[edit] AlbumYear Title Chart Position
1990 Pretty Hate Machine Billboard 200 No. 75
[edit] SinglesYear Title Chart Position
1989 Down in It Hot Dance Music/Club Play No. 16
1989 Down in It Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales No. 20
1989 Down in It Modern Rock Tracks No. 16
1990 Head Like a Hole Hot Dance Music/Club Play No. 17
1990 Head Like a Hole Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales No. 34
1990 Head Like a Hole Modern Rock Tracks No. 28
1990 Sin Hot Dance Music/Club Play No. 10
1990 Sin Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales No. 13


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