……and so it begins
1989 was a very good year
Just because Taylor Swift was born then and released her Grammy-Award winning album of the same title, doesn’t mean that’s what I am here to talk about.
I turned 13 in 1989 and was still in Junior High. Music really started to run through my veins, at this point.
Along comes Trent and his Nine Inch Nails…..all of a sudden I was paying a lot more attention to music.
What makes this album great is that anyone who has listened to it (and enjoyed it) believe that it was something truly revolutionary. Ironically, however, a simple dissection of the roots of Pretty Hate Machine uncovers a strong influence of the popular music that dominated the 80’s.
Trent Reznor (the man behind this whole project) dabbles in hip-hop- yes that’s technically rap in Down In It -funk, and traditional pop piano melodies that could make Elton John faint (Something I Can Never Have).
The drum-machine samples are ones that will bring back memories of other synth-pop songs. Nevertheless, this album makes good of its genre, and anyone claiming to like NIN beyond Closer is lying unless he/she owns this album.
IMHO, the best songs of this recording time for NIN come not on this album, but on the three singles (Halos 1, 3, and 4) released supplementary to Pretty Hate Machine. The various remixes of Head Like a Hole, Down in It (the “demo” on halo 3 is best), and Sin are a treat, and the non-album Get Down Make Love is a classic. The true NIN fan (obsessed ones) owns all the albums and the singles and EP’s.
It’s all about the Halos……
Enjoy the music video:
The Music Bard 