The Fragile

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The Fragile
Studio album by Nine Inch Nails
Released September 21, 1999
Recorded August 25, 1997–April 19, 1999
Nothing Studios
(New Orleans, Louisiana)
Genre Post-industrial
Alternative rock
Length 103:39 (CD)
112:20 (LP)
106:25 (CS)
Label Nothing
Producer Trent Reznor, Alan Moulder
Professional reviews
Nine Inch Nails chronology
The Downward Spiral
(1994)		 The Fragile
(1999)		 With Teeth
(2005)

The Fragile is the third studio album by American industrial rock act Nine Inch Nails, released September 21, 1999 on Trent Reznor's Nothing Records in the United States. Recording sessions for the album took place at Nothing Studios in New Orleans, Louisiana during August 25, 1997 to April 19, 1999. A double concept album, it clocks in at 104 minutes.[6] In contrast to the heavily distorted instruments and gritty industrial sounds of Nine Inch Nails's previous album, The Downward Spiral (1994), the album relies more on soundscapes, electronic beats, ambient noise, and rock-laden guitar. Reznor has described its plot as "a theme of things falling apart".[11] He has also said that it is bleaker than The Downward Spiral. Lyrically, the album is more introspective and personal than the act's previous releases.[5][12]

Upon release, The Fragile peaked at number 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, before quickly dropping to number 16.[13] The album was commercially successful, selling 1 million copies in its first month of release.[14] Despite mixed criticism for its length and lyrical substance,[6][15] the album received generally positive reviews from music critics. It earned perfect ratings from publications such as USA Today, Kerrang!, and the Alternative Press.[9][16][17] The Fragile was included on several "end-of-year" album lists by publications, including The Village Voice (number 14), Rolling Stone (number 4), and Spin magazine (number 1).[18] On January 4, 2000, the album was certified double platinum in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), following sales in excess of 2 millions copies in the United States.[14]

Contents

[edit] History

The album was not as much of a commercial success as The Downward Spiral. Despite a strong start at #1 on the Billboard Top 10, the album quickly slipped out of the Billboard Top 10 only a week after its release, and Reznor was forced to provide funding for the subsequent North American tour out of his own pocket.[19] The cover artwork was designed by David Carson.

The first single, "The Day the World Went Away", was released two months before the album. "Into the Void" and "We're in This Together" proved to be the album's most successful singles. The B-side "Starfuckers, Inc." was released on the album as a track at the last minute[citation needed], and became The Fragile's last single.

Reznor described The Fragile in a 1999 interview:

“ "There's a general theme to the album of systems failing and things sort of falling apart. In keeping with the idea of making everything sound a little broken, I chose stringed instruments because they're imperfect by nature. Although it may not sound like it, most of the album is actually guitar - and that includes the orchestral sounds and weird melodic lines. When it came to instruments that I didn't really know how to play - like the ukulele or the slide guitar - we were able to get some really interesting sounds by making the studio the main instrument."[20] ”

At a 2009 Nine Inch Nails performance in Mansfield, MA, Reznor discussed the origins of the song "La Mer":

“ "About 10 years ago or so I locked myself away in a house on the ocean, and I tried to I said I was trying to write some music. Some of which wound up on 'The Fragile.' But what I was really doing was trying to kill myself. And the whole time I was away by myself, I managed to write one song, which is this song. So when I play it I feel pretty weird about it, because it takes me back to a pretty dark and awful time in my life. It's weird to think how different things are now: I'm still alive, I haven't died yet. And I'm afraid to go back to that place because it feels kind of haunting to me, but I'm going to go back. I'm going to get married there."[21] ”

The song "I'm Looking Forward to Joining You, Finally" is credited in the album's booklet as "for clara", suggesting that the song's topic, like "The Day the World Went Away", is about Reznor's Grandmother, Clara Clark.[citation needed]

The song "Just Like You Imagined" was featured in trailers for the movie 300, while a remixed version of "The Day the World Went Away" was featured in the trailer for the movie Terminator Salvation. A remix of the song "The Wretched" from Things Falling Apart has been recently featured in the trailer for the movie A Perfect Getaway.

The Fragile was ranked #390 in the book The Top 500 Heavy Metal Albums of All Time by Martin Popoff.

On September 21, 2009 (the tenth anniversary of the album's release) it was revealed via Twitter post that an "ultimate" reissue was in the works for a 2010 release.

[edit] Critical Response

The majority of critics responded to The Fragile positively with major publications such as Entertainment Weekly and Spin bestowing large amounts of praise upon it. Entertainment Weekly awarded the album with an A- and Spin gave The Fragile a 5/5 in addition to rating it as their favorite album of 1999. However, not all critics were as receptive. Among these was Pitchfork Media who, in their review, gave The Fragile the low rating of 2/10, criticizing the album for what they considered to be overly melodramatic lyrics.

[edit] Tour

In support of The Fragile the Nine Inch Nails live band reformed for the Fragility tour. The tour began in late 1999 and lasted until mid-2000, spanning Europe, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, and North America.[22] The tour consisted of two major legs, labeled Fragility 1.0 and Fragility 2.0. The live band lineup remained largely the same from the previous tour in support of The Downward Spiral, featuring Robin Finck on guitar, Charlie Clouser on keyboards, and Danny Lohner on bass guitar.[23][24] Reznor held open auditions to find a new drummer, eventually picking then-unknown Jerome Dillon.[25]

In 2002, the tour documentary And All That Could Have Been was released featuring performances from the Fragility 2.0 tour. While making the DVD, Reznor commented on the tour in retrospect by saying "I thought the show was really, really good when we were doing it",[26] but later wrote that "I can't watch it at all. I was sick for most of that tour and I really don't think it was Nine Inch Nails at its best."[27]

[edit] Track listing

The CD version is the shortest of releases, missing the "Appendage" from the cassette version of "Please" as well as extended versions that appear on the vinyl release. The vinyl release is the longest version of The Fragile, containing tracks "10 Miles High" and "The New Flesh", songs later to be released on CD singles for the single "We're In This Together". The vinyl version is missing the "Appendage" which appears at the end of the "Please" cassette version and "With Decay" which appears at the end of "Ripe" on the CD and cassette versions. The vinyl version also contains extended versions of some songs. The cassette version of the album is identical to the CD pressing, with the addition of "Appendage" tagged onto the end of "Please". Presented is the CD track listing.

All songs written and composed by Trent Reznor, except where noted. 

Left disc
# Title Length
1. "Somewhat Damaged" (Reznor, Danny Lohner) 4:31
2. "The Day the World Went Away"   4:33
3. "The Frail"   1:54
4. "The Wretched"   5:25
5. "We're in This Together"   7:16
6. "The Fragile"   4:35
7. "Just Like You Imagined"   3:49
8. "Even Deeper" (Reznor, Lohner) 5:48
9. "Pilgrimage"   3:31
10. "No, You Don't"   3:35
11. "La Mer"   4:37
12. "The Great Below"   5:17
Right disc
# Title Length
1. "The Way Out Is Through" (Reznor, Keith Hillebrandt, Charlie Clouser) 4:17
2. "Into the Void"   4:49
3. "Where Is Everybody?"   5:40
4. "The Mark Has Been Made" (A half-minute of "10 Miles High" is used as an outro.) 5:15
5. "Please"   3:30
6. "Starfuckers, Inc." (Reznor, Clouser) 5:00
7. "Complication"   2:30
8. "I'm Looking Forward to Joining You, Finally"   4:13
9. "The Big Come Down"   4:12
10. "Underneath It All"   2:46
11. "Ripe (With Decay)"   6:34

[edit] "The New Flesh"

"The New Flesh" appears on the vinyl version of The Fragile, disc 1 of the European and Japanese "We're in This Together" 3-disc single, and the Australian "Into the Void" single.

In The Fragile era, nin.com released "The New Flesh (version a)" (1:22) and "The New Flesh (version b)" (1:07).

While "The New Flesh" has never been played live in the traditional sense, instrumental portions of "The New Flesh" crossfaded quickly into "Pinion" formed a prerecorded intro to the Fragility tour shows of 1999 and 2000. The snippet was included on the DVD version of And All that Could Have Been (2002). Sometimes the finale of the intro featured Trent Reznor screaming "give it to me, I can take it." The same combination was used in some shows of the 2006 With Teeth tour.

[edit] Personnel

Credits for The Fragile adapted from liner notes.[28]

  • Steve Albini – engineer
  • Tom Baker – mastering
  • Adrian Belew – guitars ("Just Like You Imagined", "The Great Below", "Where Is Everybody?")
  • Heather Bennet – backing vocals
  • Clinton Bradley – programming, technical assistant to Bob Ezrin, programming at mastering
  • Buddha Boys Choir – choir, chorus, chant
  • Buddha Debutante Choir – backing vocals
  • Di Coleman – backing vocals
  • Charlie Clouser – programming, atmosphere, synthesizers
  • Melissa Daigle – backing vocals
  • Paul DeCarli – programming
  • Jerome Dillon – drums ("We're in This Together")
  • Dr. Dre – mixing assistant ("Even Deeper")
  • Bob Ezrin – album sequencing assistant
  • Mike Garson – piano ("Just Like You Imagined", "The Way Out Is Through", "Ripe (With Decay)")
  • Page Hamilton – guitar ("No, You Don't")
  • Tracy Hardin – backing vocals
  • Leo Herrera – engineer
  • Keith Hillebrandt – programming, choir, chorus, sound Design
  • Danny Lohner – drum programming, ambiance, synthesizers, guitar ("Somewhat Damaged", "Just Like You Imagined", "The Great Below", "Complication")
  • Clint Mansell – choir, chorus
  • Alan Moulder – producer, engineer, mixing
  • Dave Ogilvie – engineer
  • Brian Pollack – engineer
  • Trent Reznor – vocals, guitars, cello, piano, synthesizers, programming, producer
  • Elquine Rice – backing vocals
  • Terry Rice – backing vocals
  • Bill Rieflin – drums ("La Mer")
  • Barbara Wilson – backing vocals
  • Leslie Wilson – backing vocals
  • Steve Duda – programming, choir, chorus, percussion, violin
  • Eric Edmonson – choir, chorus
  • Cherry Holly – trumpet
  • Doug Idleman – choir, chorus
  • Marcus London – choir, chorus
  • Denise Milfort – vocals ("La Mer")
  • Judy Miller – backing vocals
  • Gary I. Neal – backing vocals
  • Matthew Nicholls– backing vocals
  • Christine Parrish – backing vocals
  • Adam Persaud – choir, chorus
  • Martha Prevost – vocals
  • M. Gabriela Rivas – backing vocals
  • Nick Scott – choir, chorus
  • Rodney Sulton – backing vocals
  • Stefani Taylor – backing vocals
  • Nigel Wiesehan – choir, chorus
  • Willie – cello
  • Mason Kemmer – violin, donair supplier
  • Martha Wood – backing vocals

[edit] Chart history

Album
Year Chart Position
1999 The Billboard 200 #1
1999 UK Album Chart #10
1999 Top Canadian Albums #2
1999 Top Internet Albums #1
Singles
Year Song Chart peak positions
US
[29]		 US
Mod[29]		 US
Main[29]		 CAN
[30]		 UK
[31]
1999 "The Day the World Went Away" 17 — — 1 —
"We're In This Together" — 11 21 — 39
2000 "Into the Void" — 11 27 4 —
"Starfuckers, Inc." — 39 — — —

"—" denotes releases that did not chart.
Chart procession and succession
Preceded by
Ruff Ryders' First Lady by Eve		 Billboard 200 number-one album
October 9 - October 15, 1999		 Succeeded by
Human Clay by Creed

[edit] References

  1. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Review: The Fragile. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2009-08-29.
  2. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Consumer Guide: The Fragile". The Village Voice: January 2000.
  3. ^ Hermes, Will. Review: The Fragile. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2009-08-29.
  4. ^ Hilburn, Robert. "Review: The Fragile". Los Angeles Times: 72. September 19, 1999. Archived from the original on 2009-08-29.
  5. ^ a b Pareles, Jon. Review: The Fragile. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2009-08-29.
  6. ^ a b c DiCrescenzo, Brent. Review: The Fragile. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved on 2009-08-29.
  7. ^ Sheffield, Rob. Review: The Fragile. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2009-08-29.
  8. ^ Powers, Ann. "Review: The Fragile". Spin: 179–180. November 1999.
  9. ^ a b Gundersen, Edna. "Review: The Fragile". USA Today: 02.D. September 21, 1999. Archived from the original on 2009-08-29.
  10. ^ Seward, Scott. Review: The Fragile. The Village Voice. Retrieved on 2009-08-29.
  11. ^ Franks, Allison. Dusting 'Em Off: The Fragile. Consequence of Sound. Retrieved on 2009-08-29.
  12. ^ Lipton, Mike. Review: The Fragile. Yahoo! Music. Retrieved on 2009-08-29.
  13. ^ Columnist. "Review: The Fragile". Access Magazine: January 2000.
  14. ^ a b Gold & Platinum: Searchable Database. Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Retrieved on 2009-08-29.
  15. ^ Columnist. Review: The Fragile. NME. Retrieved on 2009-08-29.
  16. ^ Columnist. "Review: The Fragile". Kerrang!: September 1999.
  17. ^ Columnist. "Review: The Fragile". Alternative Press: 118–119. November 1999.
  18. ^ Accolades: The Fragile. Acclaimed Music. Retrieved on 2009-08-29.
  19. ^ Soeder, John (9 April 2000). "Rock's outlook bleak, but this Nail won't bend". Cleveland.com. 
  20. ^ 21 August 1999 Last accessed April 15, 2007.
  21. ^ La Mer Performance
  22. ^ Elfman, Doug (2 June 2000). "Quite a Contrast" (fee required). Las Vegas Review-Journal. http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=LVRB&p_theme=lvrb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0FD3937E043E83C4&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D. Retrieved 2008-02-01. 
  23. ^ "Guitarist Robin Finck Leaves GN'R To Return To NIN". MTV.com. 4 August 1999. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1429780/19990804/guns_n_roses.jhtml. Retrieved 2008-02-08. 
  24. ^ Mancini, Robert (28 September 1999). "Nine Inch Nails Line Up European Shows, But States Must Wait". MTV.com. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1432650/19990928/nine_inch_nails.jhtml. Retrieved 2008-02-08. 
  25. ^ Rashidii, Waleed. "Jerome Dillon – New With NIN". Modern Drummer. http://www.moderndrummer.com/updatefull/200001232. Retrieved 2008-02-09. 
  26. ^ Saraceno, Christina and Austin Scaggs (8 June 2001). "NIN Doing Fragility DVD". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5931442/nin_doing_fragility_dvd. Retrieved 2008-02-01. 
  27. ^ Reznor, Trent (21 July 2004). "Access". Nine Inch Nails. Archived from the original on 14 May 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070514173115/http://www.nin.com/access/7_21_04/index.php. Retrieved 2008-02-01. 
  28. ^ Track listing and credits as per liner notes for The Fragile album
  29. ^ a b c "Billboard Music Charts - Search Results - Nine Inch Nails". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/searchResult.jsp?No=0&Ntt=nine+inch+nails&Ntk=Keyword&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&an=bbcom&Ex=1&N=37&Ns=FORMATTED_DATE. Retrieved 2007-09-28. 
  30. ^ "Nine Inch Nails Survivalism". Top40-Charts.com. 22 April 2007. http://top40-charts.com/song.php?sid=19633&sort=chartid&string=survivalism. Retrieved 2007-06-01. 
  31. ^ "Chart Stats - Nine Inch Nails". Chart Stats. http://www.chartstats.com/artistinfo.php?id=595. Retrieved 2007-09-28. 

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