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The Downward Spiral

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Untitled

The Downward Spiral is the second full length studio album by American industrial rock act Nine Inch Nails, released in 1994 on Trent Reznor's own Nothing Records (a vanity label of Interscope Records). "Halo 8" of the official Nine Inch Nails halo releases, it is a concept album detailing the destruction of a man, from the beginning to his climactic suicide. The album was a major commercial success that secured Nine Inch Nails as a force in the 1990s music scene, in particular following the release of the single "Closer" and its controversial video.

Recording

To record the album, Reznor rented the house located at 10050 Cielo Drive in Beverly Hills, California where actress Sharon Tate was murdered by members of the Manson Family in 1969. Reznor built a studio space in the house which he named Le Pig, after the message that was scrawled on the front door with Tate's blood by her murderers. Reznor told Entertainment Weekly that despite the notoriety attached to the house, he chose to record there because, "I looked at a lot of places, and this just happened to be the one I liked most." Reznor moved out of the house in December 1993, after he said "there was too much history in that house for me to handle." After the album's recording, Reznor consulted with the landlords and had the house demolished shortly after.[1]

Reznor made a statement about working in the Tate house during a 1997 interview with Rolling Stone:[2]

While I was working on Downward Spiral, I was living in the house where Sharon Tate was killed. Then one day I met her sister. It was a random thing, just a brief encounter. And she said: 'Are you exploiting my sister's death by living in her house?' For the first time, the whole thing kind of slapped me in the face. I said, 'No, it's just sort of my own interest in American folklore. I'm in this place where a weird part of history occurred.' I guess it never really struck me before, but it did then. She lost her sister from a senseless, ignorant situation that I don't want to support. When she was talking to me, I realized for the first time, 'What if it was my sister?' I thought, 'Fuck Charlie Manson.' I went home and cried that night. It made me see there's another side to things, you know?

Reznor set out to make an album that was a departure from the 1992 Broken EP, emphasizing "mood, texture, restraint and subtlety."[3] He brought in a number of guest performers to record, including former Jane's Addiction and Porno for Pyros drummer Stephen Perkins[3] and progressive rock guitarist Adrian Belew. Perkins played a number of drum parts that were recorded live in the studio; these tracks were subsequently rendered into looped samples which were manipulated electronically. Reznor took a similar approach to recording guitar parts. Reznor would record 20 to 25-minute long sessions of himself playing guitar on a hard disc recorder with a Studio Vision sequencer, then would cut out parts of the recording he found interesting for later use. Reznor said, "99 percent of the stuff we do–even vocals–is recorded into the computer first. We get an arrangement together and then dump it to tape." [4]

As Reznor said in 1995, "There was another song that I didn't put on there called 'Just Do It.' It was a very dangerously self-destructive, silly little snippet. You know, 'If you're going to kill yourself, just do it, nobody cares at all.' But [Downward Spiral coproducer] Flood freaked out and said, 'No, you've gone too far. I don't want to be involved in that.' :[5]

Track information

  • The opening sounds of "Mr Self Destruct" are a sample from the film THX 1138 in which a man is being beaten by a prison guard.[6]
  • The frantic drumming on the end of "Piggy" is courtesy of Reznor himself. This is currently his first and only attempt at live drumming on a record, and one of the few "live" drum performances on the album. Reznor stated that the recording was from him testing the microphone setup in studio, but he liked the sound too much not to include it.[7]
  • The drum track for "Closer" features a heavily modified bass drum sample from the Iggy Pop song "Nightclubbing" from his album The Idiot.
  • The loop of screaming voices heard at the beginning of "The Becoming" is a sample from the film Robot Jox[citation needed].
  • The sample at the beginning of "Big Man With A Gun" comes from studio-altered recording of a porn star having an orgasm. According to the album booklet, this "sample" is titled "Steakhouse" and is credited to Tommy Lee.
  • Main keyboard track in "A Warm Place" is very similar to David Bowie's "Crystal Japan".
  • The sampled clanks at the beginning of "Reptile" can be heard in the film Leviathan[citation needed].
  • The strange sobbing sound in "Reptile" (at 5:06) originates from the 1974 movie the Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

Artwork

Artwork and sketches for The Downward Spiral and "March of the Pigs" by Russell Mills were displayed at the Glasgow School of Art.[8]

Reception

The Downward Spiral was released March 1994. The album debuted the following week at number two on the Billboard album charts.[9] The album was well-received by critics. Jon Pareles of The New York Times wrote, "Every instrument, acoustic or synthetic, seems tuned to create the maximum aural abrasion," Pareles asserted that unlike other electro-industrial groups like Ministry and Nitzer Ebb, "Reznor writes full-fledged tunes; he knows his way around melodic hooks, not just riffs. And while purists accuse him of selling out their insular genres, he actually trumps them; the music is no less transgressive, and possibly more so, because it sticks in the ear."[10] Robert Christgau said that, musically, the album was comparable to "Heironymus Bosch as postindustrial atheist", but lyrically, more closely resembled "Transformers as kiddie porn."[11]Rolling Stone awarded the album four out of five stars; reviewer Jonathan Gold praised the album as "music that pins playback levels far into the red", and concluded, "The Downward Spiral is music the blade runner might throw down to: low-tech futurism that rocks."[12] Entertainment Weekly gave the album a B+; reviewer Tom Sinclair wrote, "Reznor's pet topics (sex, power, S&M, hatred, transcendence) are all here, wrapped in hooks that hit your psyche with the force of a blowtorch."[13]

The album was ranked at number 25 in Spin's "100 Greatest Albums, 1985-2005", Spin also ranked it 11th on their "Top 90 Albums of the 90's ". Blender named it the 80th Greatest American Album. It was ranked #488 in the book The Top 500 Heavy Metal Albums of All Time by Martin Popoff. In 2001 Q named The Downward Spiral as one of the 50 Heaviest Albums Of All Time.[14] In 2003, the album was ranked number 200 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.[15]

In 2009, Apple rejected the Nine Inch Nails application for the iPhone due to objectionable content in The Downward Spiral.[16]

Lyrics

The album relays many concepts of Nihilism, such as the chorus line in Heresy, which exclaims: "Your god is dead/And no one cares. If there is a hell/I'll see you there." It is a concept album in which the overarching plot follows the character along his life's "Downward Spiral". This character can be understood as a representation of Reznor himself. (Metal Edge, July 2005)

...it was during that tour (The Downward Spiral) that problems started to arise. Prior to that I would have considered myself pretty normal. With the Downward Spiral, I can remember where I was in my head, what I was thinking, and I can remember writing that record, and the mindset. This record that was about an extension of me, became the truth fulfilling itself.

Re-releases

Tenth anniversary re-releases

The Downward Spiral was re-released in 2004 to celebrate its tenth anniversary. It is available in two versions: as a 2-disc SACD hybrid set and in DualDisc format (DVD-A on one side and CD on the reverse). The SACD version is known as The Downward Spiral: Deluxe Edition and the DualDisc version as The Downward Spiral: DualDisc.

Deluxe Edition

The SACD version consists of two discs. Disc one is a CD/SACD hybrid. It has the original album, digitally remastered, in SACD 5.1 surround and SACD stereo on one layer (only playable in SACD players), and regular CD stereo on the other layer (playable in normal CD players). Disc two consists of b-sides, soundtrack contributions, and previously-unreleased demos presented in regular CD stereo. This version is labeled Halo Eight DE.

DualDisc

The CD-compatible side contains the digitally remastered original album, which is playable on regular CD players.

The DVD side contains:

  • 5.1 surround and stereo version of the original tracks, digitally remastered
  • The Downward Spiral artwork (plays with the music in DVD-A players, viewable as a slideshow on DVD-Video players)
  • Music videos
    • "Closer" (available in 5.1 surround and stereo)
    • "March of the Pigs" (stereo)
    • "Hurt" (stereo)
  • Discography, including selected bits of music from each album (starting with Broken) that run about a minute each

This is a North American release (DVD Region 1) and is labeled Halo Eight DVD-A.

Unmastered instrumental versions

On the free streaming site remix.nin.com, Reznor posted unmastered instrumental versions of the entire album (with the exceptions of "Ruiner" and "Big Man with a Gun").

Track listing

Original version

All tracks are written by Trent Reznor

No.TitleLength
1."Mr. Self Destruct"4:30
2."Piggy"4:24
3."Heresy"3:54
4."March of the Pigs"2:58
5."Closer"6:13
6."Ruiner"4:58
7."The Becoming"5:31
8."I Do Not Want This"5:41
9."Big Man with a Gun"1:36
10."A Warm Place"3:22
11."Eraser"4:54
12."Reptile"6:51
13."The Downward Spiral"3:57
14."Hurt"6:13

Deluxe edition

Disc 1
  • Identical to the original version, although 1 dB louder mix overall, track anomalies fixed (sounds from previous tracks creeping up on start of tracks)
  • Includes SACD layer
Disc 2
  • Collection of remixes and b-sides. The last three tracks are previously unreleased demo recordings from the original album.[19]
No.TitleLength
1."Burn" (from Natural Born Killers)5:00
2."Closer (Precursor)" (from "Closer to God")7:16
3."Piggy (Nothing Can Stop Me Now)" (from Further Down the Spiral)4:03
4."A Violet Fluid" (from "March of the Pigs")1:04
5."Dead Souls" (from The Crow)4:53
6."Hurt (Quiet)" (from Further Down the Spiral, US version)5:08
7."Closer to God" (from "Closer to God")5:06
8."All the Pigs, All Lined Up" (from "March of the Pigs")7:26
9."Memorabilia" (from "Closer to God")7:22
10."The Downward Spiral (The Bottom)" (from Further Down the Spiral)7:32
11."Ruiner (Demo)"4:51
12."Liar (Reptile Demo)"6:57
13."Heresy (Demo)"4:00

Personnel

  • John Aguto – engineer
  • Brian Pollack – engineer
  • Sean Beavan – mixing
  • Bill Kennedy – mixing
  • Alan Moulder – mixing
  • Tom Baker – mastering
  • Bob Ludwig – high-resolution mastering (reissue)
  • James Brown – 5.1 mix (reissue)
  • Neal Ferrazzani – assistance (reissue)
  • Russell Mills – paintings
  • David Buckland – photography
  • Gary Talpas – package
  • Rob Sheridan – package, additional photography (reissue)

Chart positions

Album

Chart Peak
position
Billboard 200[20] 2
UK Albums Chart[21] 9
Australian Album chart[22] 12
New Zealand[23] 23

Singles

Year Song Chart peak positions
US Billboard Hot 100[24] US Modern Rock[24] US Mainstream[24] US Dance Club Play[24] UK Singles[25] AUS ARIA[26]
1994 "March of the Pigs" 59 — — — 45 —
"Closer" 41 11 35 29 25 3
"Piggy"[27] — 20 — — — —
1995 "Hurt"[27] — 8 10 — — —

"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

References

  1. ^ Making Records: Where Manson Murdered Helter Shelter, Entertainment Weekly, 1994-03-18, retrieved 2007-11-01 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ Trent Reznor Lost Highway Interview, Rolling Stone, 1997-03-06, retrieved 2007-12-25 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ a b Steve Taylor (2004). The A to X of Alternative Music. Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 165. ISBN 0826482171. Retrieved 2008-02-20.
  4. ^ di Perna, Alan. "Machine Head". Guitar World. April 1994.
  5. ^ "Top 90 Albums of the 90's, spin, 1999-08, retrieved 2009-5-25 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  6. ^ "Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral". Discogs. Retrieved 2007-04-15.
  7. ^ Greg Rule (1994). "Trent Reznor". Keyboard. Retrieved 2007-04-25. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  8. ^ Russell Mills (2006). "Committere". Retrieved 2009-04-25.
  9. ^ "Changing of the Garden". Entertainment Weekly. March 25, 1994. Retrieved October 26, 2007.
  10. ^ Pareles, Jon. "A Noise Sculptor Reveals An Ear for the Commercial". The New York Times. May 8, 1994. Retrieved October 26, 2007.
  11. ^ "Nine Inch Nails". Robert Christgau. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  12. ^ Gold, Jonathan. "The Downward Spiral" [review]. Rolling Stone. March 24, 1994. Retrieved October 30, 2007.
  13. ^ Sinclair, Tom. "The Downward Spiral" [review]. Entertainment Weekly. March 18, 1994. Retrieved October 26, 2007.
  14. ^ Q 50 Heaviest Albums Of All Time-A selection of lists from Q Magazine. Last accessed April 15, 2007.
  15. ^ Rolling Stone : 198) The Downward Spiral-Rolling Stone. Last accessed April 15, 2007.
  16. ^ "Reznor takes a byte out of Apple". BBC News. 2009-05-08.
  17. ^ "Halo Eight - Japanese first pressing CD5". NIN Collector. Retrieved 2007-11-22.
  18. ^ Evans, Paul (1994-07-14). "Various Artists: The Crow : Music Review : Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2007-10-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  19. ^ allmusic ((( The Downward Spiral [Deluxe Edition] > Overview )))
  20. ^ "Nine Inch Nails - Artist Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2007-09-28. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  21. ^ "UK Top 40 Hit Database". everyHit.com. Retrieved 2007-09-28. Note: User must define search parameters, i.e. "Nine Inch Nails."
  22. ^ "australian-charts.com - Nine Inch Nails - With Teeth". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 2007-12-04.
  23. ^ "Nine Inch Nails New Zealand Charting". Charts.org.nz. Retrieved 2007-11-10.
  24. ^ a b c d "Billboard Music Charts - Search Results - Nine Inch Nails". Billboard. Retrieved 2007-09-28. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Text "0" ignored (help)
  25. ^ "Chart Stats - Nine Inch Nails". Chart Stats. Retrieved 2007-09-28.
  26. ^ "Search results for: Nine Inch Nails". Australian-Charts.com. Retrieved 2007-09-28.
  27. ^ a b "Piggy" and "Hurt" were released only as promotional singles, not as commercial singles.
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