thevoid99's Full Review: Further Down the Spiral [EP] by Nine Inch Nails
As The Downward Spiral was becoming a huge hit for Nine Inch Nails in early 1995, NIN and its leader Trent Reznor became a popular attraction for fans and critics. To cap of the success of The Downward Spiral and its recent singles for Closer and March Of The Pigs, NIN decided to release another collection of remixes that contained tracks from The Downward Spiral. This time around, the album was longer and featured more contributions not only from the members of the live band but other artists and producers. The record was titled Further Down The Spiral.
Further Down The Spiral is a remix album of album tracks from The Downward Spiral that weren’t released as singles. Though the album features the full NIN live lineup of Reznor, Robin Finck, Danny Lohner, Charlie Clouser, and Chris Vrenna, it also features members of the NIN studio team of Sean Beaven and Brian Pollock. The EP also features guest production work from Rick Rubin, J.G. Thirwell, and Coil along with contributions from former Jane’s Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro and Aphex Twin mastermind Richard D. James. While its previous remix EP for Fixed was a huge success among fans, Further Down The Spiral had more to offer along with an accompanying import disc with several more remixes that didn’t appear in the domestic version. Here are the track listings for both the U.S. and imported version of Further Down The Spiral:
U.S. Version/Halo Ten
1. Piggy (Nothing Can Stop Me Now) 2. The Art Of Self Destruction, Part One 3. Self Destruction, Part Two 4. The Downward Spiral (The Bottom) 5. Hurt (Quiet) 6. Eraser (Denial; Realization) 7. At The Heart Of It All 8. Eraser (Polite) 9. Self Destruction, Final 10. The Beauty Of Being Numb 11. Erased, Over, Out
Imported Version/Halo Ten V2
1. Piggy (Nothing Can Stop Me Now) 2. The Art Of Self Destruction, Part One 3. Self Destruction, Part Three 4. Heresy (Version) 5. The Downward Spiral (The Bottom) 6. Hurt (Live) 7. At The Heart Of It All 8. Ruiner (Version) 9. Eraser (Denial; Realization) 10. Self Destruction, Final
Though there are two versions of Further Down The Spiral, that doesn’t mean you can pick either one since they’re both equally as good and all have its highlights. Picking up both would be a good choice although the imported version will cost at around $12-$15 at a Media Play but it’s worth buying. For those who have a CD burner will make both versions into a double-CD album if they can figure what the track listings would be.
The first track in both versions is a remix of Piggy known as (Nothing Can Stop Me Now) which is produced by Rick Rubin (co-founder of Def Jam Records with Russell Simmons and produced records for Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beastie Boys, and Tom Petty) that features a soft drum machine track performed by noted session drummer Kim Bullard that is backed by creaking door sounds and piano tracks that accompanies Trent Reznor’s vocals in the verse until he sings the chorus of “Nothing can stop me now, cause I don’t care anymore” which is accompanied by a fast and pulsating drum track from Bullard along with metal-driven guitar track from former Jane’s Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro that goes on throughout the four-minute remix. The next track is the first of a series of remixes on the song Mr. Self Destruct titled The Art Of Self Destruction. Self Destruction, Part One is a near six-minute remix created by the entire NIN live band along with the engineer team of Sean Beaven and Brian Pollock that features ominous keyboard backgrounds from Charlie Clouser along with pulsating synthesizer and drum machine tracks from Reznor and Chris Vrenna and guitar atmospheres from Robin Finck and Danny Lohner who also bring in noisy guitar tracks that are ear-splitting and abrasive along with the fast drums and guitar tracks from the original version of Mr. Self Destruct that goes on throughout the rest of the track.
The rest of the “Mr. Self Destruct” remixes from the domestic and imported version are all done by J.G. Thirwell along with Rob Sutton and Jim Janik. The first is Self Destruction, Part Two which is a five-and-a-half minute remix that features loud and thumping drum tracks along with layers of distorted guitar tracks that were originally done by Adrian Belew on The Downward Spiral along with that is soft at first when it is backed by mainly a drum machine and synthesizer track during the verse that Trent sings until the chorus when it becomes a loud and abrasive track spurred by its distorted guitar tracks that dominates throughout the rest track until it accompanies Reznor’s vocals in the verse and chorus again with its brutal and menacing drum and guitar tracks. Self Destruction, Part Three is a shorter and much faster remix that features faster drum machine and guitar tracks along with Reznor’s vocals that includes a brief but beautiful atmospheric synthesizer break in the middle of the three-and-a-half minute remix that goes on for a minute until it goes back into its powerful and hard-rocking track.
The fourth and final remix titled Self Destruction, Final is a near ten-minute remix that features an extended instrumental break of atmospheric synthesizers, distorted guitar tracks that buzzes for about a minute until its pulsating drum machine tracks and guitar distortions come back to accompany Reznor’s vocals throughout the track. By the 6:30 mark, samples of the David Bowie song Time appear sporadically through the remainder of the track where it’s covered by fast-pacing drum machine tracks and Reznor singing the lyrics of self destruction.
In the import version, there are two remixes titled (Version) that are both by NIN keyboardist Charlie Clouser who at the time was now becoming a full-on key member of the group and was a hot mixer at the time doing remixes for White Zombie and Prong. First is a five-minute remix of Heresy that features echoing and high-pitched vocals from Trent Reznor along with layers of synthesizers, drum machines, and guitar breaks accompanying Reznor’s vocals the features extended screams from Reznor. The remix also features voice samples, extended instrumental breaks, and a pulsating keyboard solo at the near-end of the track.
The next Clouser remix for Ruiner is a five-and-a-half minute track that features rhythmic synthesizer tracks along with whispering vocals from Reznor who is being accompanied by layers of distorted and rhythmic synthesizers throughout the track until about the 2:30 mark when it becomes a brutal track of angst-ridden vocals from Reznor along with maniacal guitar and drum tracks for the rest of the track along with pulsating synthesizer tracks all made by the highly-brilliant Charlie Clouser.
The record each feature a different version of the song Hurt since the song was now becoming a popular radio hit in the summer of ’95. The domestic version titled (quiet) is actually the same song from The Downward Spiral that features an extended wind-like synthesizer coda. The import version features a live version of the song that appears in the video for the song which is more emotionally driven and powerful than the original song since it features lovely vocals from Trent Reznor along with a melancholy musical background that is highly superior to the original recording.
The album also features two contributions from ambient music icon Aphex Twin (Richard D. James) who brings in his own ambient music style into his interpretations of NIN songs. First is a seven-minute track titled At The Heart Of It All that features distorted and rhythmic drum machine tracks that is the main basis of the track along with ominous layers of synthesizers that are both chilling and symphonic as it continues throughout the entire track. The Beauty Of Being Numb is a five-minute collaborative track by NIN and Aphex Twin that are separated into two parts. The first part is by NIN with Sean Beaven and Brian Pollock, which is the guitar and synthesizer distortions of Mr. Self Destruct that sounds like they’re being scratched for about a minute-and-forty-seconds until it becomes an ambient-based track by Richard D. James that is accompanied mainly by a soft piano track along with synthesizer bleeps, soothing oboe-like tracks, and distorted buzzes that is then surrounded by loud buzzes that segues into the domestic version’s closer for Erased, Over, Out.
The four remaining remixes in the album are all done by the team of Coil’s John Balance, Peter Christopherson, Drew McDowall along with their longtime producer Danny Hyde are all pure examples of mastery production work of Coil and Danny Hyde. First is a seven-minute remix of The Downward Spiral known as (Bottom) that featured melodic acoustic guitar backgrounds accompanying Reznor’s whispering vocals along with a soft and atmospheric background until a scream comes in at the 1:20 mark where thirty seconds, a long and brilliant synthesizer solo comes in with atmospheric guitars and drum backgrounds coming in sporadically throughout the synthesizer solo. After the synthesizer solo, a soft guitar strum comes in and fades out until a big boom ends the track. The three remaining tracks are all remixes of the song Eraser. First is the six-and-a-half minute track of Eraser (Denial; Realization) that is spurred by its brief atmospheric opening until a grinding metal-guitar track dominates the track along with its samples of screams, soft synthesizer blurbs, loud drum tracks, and atmospheric productions that continues throughout the remainder of the track along with its buzzing noises, atmospheric production breaks, and Reznor’s vocals saying “Kill me”. The (Polite) mix of Eraser is a short remix that features mainly an ominous and melancholy keyboard track accompany Reznor’s vocals singing the lyrics in a faster yet subtle tone. The final remix titled Erased, Over, Out is a six-minute mix that starts out with a buzzing background from the previous buzz of The Beauty Of Being Numb along with synthesizer blurts and scream samples that goes on throughout the entire track along with atmospheric musical productions.
Further Down The Spiral is a brilliant remix album from NIN and in my opinion, it’s the best one Trent Reznor and company has put out. While obtaining both versions might be too much for some, hardcore NIN fans however will enjoy both records. Fans of remix records will enjoy this and learn about the production techniques Coil, Rick Rubin, and J.G. Thirwell has mastered. In the end, Further Down The Spiral is an essential record for NIN fans.
Live Shows: (NIN/Bauhaus/TV on the Radio-6/7/06 Atlanta, GA Hi-Fi Buys Amphitheater) - (NIN/Deerhunter-8/13/08 Duluth, GA Gwinnett Arena) - (NIN/Jane's Addiction/Street Sweeper Social Club 5/10/09 Atlanta, GA Hi-Fi Buys Amphitheater)
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