CKMorpheus

Anyone else think this is one of the greatest albums ever recorded in the last, say... 10, 15 years? It's certainly way better then anything put out in the past 5 years.

Check out "From Machine To Man"... It's an excellent interpretation of the album and it gave me much more respect for the album as a whole, even though I had plenty of repect for it already.

Jepthah

I don't know how many other NIN listeners and fans feel this way, but my reaction to the album was and is one that is extremely mixed. I would even call it love/hate.

Some of the material on it is the best that Reznor has ever done.

And some of it is his absolute worst. There are tracks that I skip every single time.

I don't place total stock in the opinion I heard about it being much stronger as a single CD hypothetically edited down, but I think there's merit to that view.

Jackskeleton

I also had mix feelings about it. I would have to say that my favorite NIN album's are pretty hate machine and Downward spiral. I love the rest of the material. but mose of the stuff on the fragile was just not my cup of tea.. why the other half was perfect. still, not to say i wouldn't listen to it. a very nice album indeed.

Josh H

I also have very mixed views about it. I think they should have just made it a single album, because there aren't enough good tracks on there for a double album in my opinion. I'd rank NIN's albums (not counting the remix albums) as follows.

Broken
Pretty Hate Machine
The Downward Spiral
The Fragile

Jepthah

Agreed 100%. Makes me wonder why I don't own CD copies of anything but The Fragile. (well, my Spiral was stolen)

Starlover

The Fragile=Best Double Album Ever

Jepthah

Mmmm...yeah, OK, Pink Floyd: The Wall, The Beatles' White Album, Can's Tago Mago and a whole buncha others are just second-rate.

(by the way, some of our younger posters may think some albums are not 'double albums' because they're on one CD...but in the vinyl days they most assuredly were )

lostatmidnight

Yes the 'Fragile' is one of the greatest albums of the last 10 years, but it will take some time for it to be digested and fully understood before all those self-loathing, angry, long-time NIN fans will be able to fully appreciate it---c'mon, I did, you can too.

edclem

Vinyl
what's that?


While The Fragile is my favorite NIN disc, I'd have a hard time saying it's the best album in the last 10 years outright. For the genre, most certainly.

codefree

I'd have to agree that The Fragile is one of the best albums ever created. Of course if Broken would have been a full length album rather than an EP, it'd probably be my favorite. I much prefer the heavier NIN tracks. However, I love the interlude tracks like The Frail and La Mer a lot. The remix of The Frail from their last remix album was incredible!

tofu

The Fragile was one of my favorite albums of 1999. I like his heavier and more real instrumental sounding stuff like "Wish" and March of the Pigs" but some of the songs that were on Fragile were just outstanding in terms of lyrics and melody. It's too bad that it didn't do better commercially. I can't say that it's the best album of the last 10 years but I'd definitely say that it's in my top 20.

CKMorpheus

Agreed about the "The Frail" remix. The way it turned from a beautiful, organic symphony to an all out machine was really amazing.

CKMorpheus

Also... I was wondering... What's Trent working on right now? Is he going to be putting out a new album anytime soon?

sfsdfd

Exactly how I rank them, too. Looks like you, Jepthah, and I agree (yet again.)

But EVERYONE except me forgot about the Quake soundtrack. I'd actually rank that tied with Pretty Hate Machine.

- David Stein

codefree

I remember reading when The Fragile was released that Reznor said it'd be his last NIN album.

tofu

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! Hopefully, he'll just do another project like a soundtrack or something.

TheBang

I sincerely hope not, and I doubt it will be. I remember reading that he wanted to get back into the studio quickly to put out the next album instead of having a 5 year gap again. That was side-tracked a bit by the length of production for the Live CD/DVD, which I assume he's been working on until only recently. There's also the Tapeworm project which was supposed to come out sometime soon too.

lostatmidnight

What Reznor meant by this was, that the NIN of old---'Pretty Hate Machine', 'Downward Spiral' era---was ending and he was creating a new formula for his music, these ideas are present in 'The Fragile' and others to come...Fear not, NIN will be around.

CKMorpheus

If this is true then I can't wait! Don't get me wrong, I like his old stuff, but The Fragile just seems much more mature and understanding then his other ones.

codefree

I wish I had the article handy but if this is indeed what he meant... woo-hoo!!! I'm getting tired of the bands I like disappearing into thin air. Read: Ned's Atomic Dustbin, Jesus And Mary Chain, etc.)

grunter

It's refreshing to finally see someone on DVDTalk acknowledge that "The Fragile" truly was a monumental achievement. So many of the kids that post on here - (and yes, I'm using the term "kids" deliberately) - really have no perspective whatsoever on music.

The tour that followed "The Fragile" was jaw-droppingly beautiful - wavering from the aggression of Trent's early NIN's recordings to the ethereal soundscapes and interludes of "The Fragile." Too bad the "Closer" cling-ons couldn't make the conceptual leap.

Don't you find the title of the upcoming concert DVD ("All That Could Have Been") somewhat mournful? Trent's audience just didn't have the imagination to follow him anywhere but down the industrial road he initially trailblazed.

Sad, really.

lostatmidnight

codefree,
It was a cover-story issue of Rolling Stone right around the release time 'The Fragile.' I still have that issue, but it will take me sometime to find it.

Aghama

I do think it's a great album, but to me there were several weak tracks. Cutting those out, it would have made an incredible single album. Too bad they seeemed to play most of the weaker songs on the tour.

I really can't listen to PHM much anymore, it seems so juvenile to me now. While Broken was good, aside from a cover and a remake it was really only 4 songs long. And I listened to TDS too much when it came out, so I'm too burned out on it to give a valid opinion.

Josh H

I've liked NIN since Pretty Hate Machine first came out, so I'm not a "'Closer' cling-on" yet I think The Fragile is his worst album. It's not bad by any means, it just isn't in the same league as his other albums. From this post, and a couple others in this forum, you really need to learn to respect the opinions of others. There's no need to insult someone just because they differ from yours. The elitism and snobbery in this forum is starting to get even worse than that in the movie forums.

Jepthah

joshhinkle speaks for me as well.

I listen to stuff that would give Mr. Reznor indigestion and nightmares from envy and fright, and I've been listening to 'industrial' music since the late 1980s. He spread himself too thin on The Fragile and it was clearly audible to some people.

I don't count him out of the game, however.