Nine Inch Nails Live - Beside You in Time (2007) Review

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(More customer reviews)"Beside You in Time" is a live DVD compiling performances from the 2005-06 "With Teeth" arena shows. The performances showcase the current visceral Nine Inch Nails lineup, mostly focusing on the energy of the band members rather than effects and stage theatrics - this is a contrast from the "And All that Could have Been" DVD that chronicled 2001's Fragility tour. The addition of Aaron North on guitar and Josh Freese on drums make this the most immediately gratifying NIN lineup ever, i.e. most of the sounds that you hear are actually being generated by the five men on stage. North in particular puts on a one-man show of hyperactive fury while never losing his touch with the guitar duties. The DVD presentation purposefully adds very little to the performance, opting to let the intensity speak for itself. It's a very worthwhile chronicle of a Nine Inch Nails tour that was both familiar and also subtly unique.
PERFORMANCE - 5 stars
Reznor's voice immediately stands out as much improved over the Fragility tour; his newfound sobriety suits the performances very well. He holds sway over the crowd on both high-energy classics like "Wish" and "Gave Up" as well as heart-rending ballads such as "Hurt" and "Right Where It Belongs".
The backing band is arguably the strongest to ever bear the Nine Inch Nails name, primarily due to the addition of Aaron North on guitar. North struts, jumps, flails and kicks while never losing a single note of his licks. Jeordie White manages to finally make the bass line heard in a NIN live show, something that his predecessors never could do. Alessandro Cortini is a bit of a step down from Charlie Clouser; he quietly manages the samples and sequences while sometimes letting entire synth lines go unheard ("Only"). Josh Freese plays drums like he'd recorded the studio tracks himself, even though he was a mid-tour replacement. He displays a comfortable confidence with the material that allows him to put his own mark on the show with some unique fills.
The setlist is a great mix of new and old tracks, and even the oft-played ones get new treatment. For instance, "Closer" is mashed up with "The Only Time" to great effect. The middle portion of the show performed behind a projection curtain is mesmerizing; the visuals add a real haunting relevance to "Eraser" and "Right Where It Belongs" in particular. The complete setlist is:
01. love is not enough
02. you know what you are?
03. terrible lie
04. the line begins to blur
05. march of the pigs
06. something i can never have
07. closer
08. burn
09. gave up
10. eraser *
11. right where it belongs *
12. beside you in time *
13. with teeth
14. wish
15. only
16. the big come down
17. hurt
18. the hand that feeds
19. head like a hole
* includes options for alternate angle viewing
VIDEO - 5 stars
A word of caution - the picture is 5 stars provided that you take the time to use the "video optimizer" special feature. Otherwise, it will likely alternate between looking too dark and too washed out. Once set up for your TV's settings, the result is startlingly real, even in the standard-definition DVD format.
As was the case with "And All that Could have Been", there was an emphasis on cameras not interfering with the actualy shows. So, there aren't a whole lot of close-ups to enjoy. But overall, the camera work is solid in a documentary style.
One minor gripe is that each song is titled on-screen, which seems unnecessary for most fans and makes the production look a bit "made for TV".
AUDIO - 5 stars
The disc offers both a 5.1 and a DTS mix. Both sound very good, with fine separation. The mix of the performance itself is terrific, often distinguishing each performer's contribution to the sound even in the most chaotic passages ("You Know What You Are?").
EXTRAS - 4 stars
There are several tracks from the 2006 Summer amphitheatre tour, including ones that were specific to that leg, e.g. "Somewhat Damaged" and "Non-Entity". These performances were obviously relegated to the "Special Features" section because of the stage layout of that outdoor tour: the band performs sections of the show behind a metal fence/curtain that lights up. The effect is like a projected curtain from a distance, but shot from the close-up cameras, it simply looks like the band is obscured by scaffolding. The songs provided are:
01. somewhat damaged
02. closer
03. help me i am in hell
04. non-entity
05. only
The real treat here is the tour rehearsal footage. There are three tracks ("Love is Not Enough", "Every Day is Exactly the Same", and the elusive "The Collector") performed by the band in a warehouse in the round and the resulting footage is great. It looks to be the same setup used for the video for "The Hand That Feeds", including the final chapter of Jerome Dillon on drums.
Finally, the videos for "The Hand that Feeds" and "Only" (a clever piece by David Fincher) are included as well.
CONCLUSION
This is a must-have for any Nine Inch Nails fan. It's also a great introduction to the band for anyone interested in their future direction. The "With Teeth" material is perfectly suited to this lineup and the resulting show is definitely worthy of being chronicled. The picture and sound are very good and the extras just add more substance to the complete package.

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LIVE: BESIDE YOU IN TIME122 minutes total running time, 24 songs from the LIVE:With Teeth 2006Tour, including: "The Hand That Feeds" "Only""Closer" "Head Like A Hole" "Hurt" "Wish" "Terrible Lie" "March Of Pigs" Additional features include 3 tracks live from rehearsals, music videos for"The Hand That Feeds" and "Only." Plus still gallery and body of work. Presented in 16x9 anamorphic widescreen DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 surroundsound

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Nine Inch Nails - Closure (1997) Review

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(More customer reviews)As a NIN fan, you will Love and Respect Closure(Halo 12). One reason, Trent Reznor is a very discreet man and he's not very public. You don't get to see much on NIN behind the scenes. If you haven't had the pleasure of seeing NIN live, you will love Closure. Video #1 is a documentary of the guys at work on their Self Destruct Tour dated 1994-1998. Most of the footage seems to be 1994-1996. It has great Concert and behind the scenes footage. It does have a lot of flashing lights and it tends to jump around alot, but this is NIN we're talking about. It's nice to see Trent, Robin, Chris, Danny and the other guys doing their jobs. Concert footage includes: Terrible lie, Piggy, Down in it, March of the Pigs, Wish, Hurt w/David Bowie & Something I Can Never Have. Video #2 is of most of NIN's videos...including the banned Happiness in Slavery and the un-cut Down in it and Closer. The other videos included are Head like a Hole, Sin, Pinion, Wish, Help me I'm in Hell, Gave up , March of the Pigs, a triplet live of Eraser/Hurt/Wish and my absolute all time favorite, The Perfect Drug! Closure was well put together! Definitely worth 5 stars!

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With Teeth Review

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(More customer reviews)Since this review is attached to the DualDisc edition, I'll begin there. The 5.1 surround mix is worth the additional price for the DD; it brings the sound alive just as the 5.1 reworking of "The Downward Spiral" anniversary edition did. However, the additional content is pretty lackluster. The video for "The Hand That Feeds" is the one being played on MTV, not the fabled alternate clip. The discography contains short audio/video samples of NIN's entire career, but they're nothing new to any fan. It's also important to note that the DualDisc format isn't as universally compatible as the standard CD and can even get stuck and/or scratched in certain laptop and car CD drives. So, unless you plan on listening regularly to the 5.1 mix, I'd save the couple of dollars and stick with the regular CD edition. Now on to the album itself. . .
It's been over six years since the last full-length studio release from Trent Reznor, and a difficult six years at that. Reznor has since come clean about his battles with substance addiction and crises in confidence about his musical abilities. After hearing the pre-release single "The Hand That Feeds", the Internet buzzed with hot-and-cold reactions to its more accessible sound. Had Reznor actually lost the edge that had produced so much crucial music over the last decade and a half?
A single listen to "With Teeth" is enough put such concerns to rest. It's a return to the "Pretty Hate Machine" idea of creating an album of songs, not a synth symphony with returning motifs such as "The Fragile" or an industrial-rock opera like "The Downward Spiral". Each song displays a lot of maturity in the writing and recording - plenty of raw emotion gets across with less aggro-angst overkill (let's face it - too much more of that and Reznor would have been on the way toward becoming a real self-parody). Some songs are upbeat, some are heavier than anything that he's done before, some are delicate ballads that will have crowds waving lighters in the air. But the tracks still maintain enough continuity that no tracks are stranded - although diverse from song to song, the album is without a doubt a comprehensive work.
As for the performance, each song on the record is geared toward being played as-is by the current tour lineup - not that it's stripped-down, but you should be able to count on live performances sounding like the album without overreliance on pre-recorded tracks. Dave Grohl, this millennium's hardest working man in show biz, laid down a lot of the drum tracks on the studio recording and the entire album has a very man-made, organic rock sound. The result is a very satisfying record, not just compared to other acts' current releases, but also to NIN's earlier works.
Here are some notes on the tracks and how the compare to other NIN tracks:
1. "All The Love in the World": Begins with a complex almost drum-and-bass rhythm over quiet vocals and ends with a major-key piano chord progression over a multi-layered chorus of Reznor vocals. Progressive in the Radiohead vein but unmistakably NIN.
2. "You Know What You Are?": When nin.com promised that the upcoming tour would "destroy" audiences, this was the track that Reznor had in mind. A thrashy, incredibly fast beat immediately kicks off the track's verse, sounding a lot like Ministry; this is broken up by a slower but incredibly heavy chorus.
3. "Collector": This is the first of several tracks that express the defining sound of this album: live, organic drums and heavy bass guitar building a rhythm that's a mile-high and two tons of heavy. It's reminiscent of "The Big Come Down" without so much electronic production. Keeping with the in-person feel, it also features a surprising but well-placed piano solo with discordant jazzy chords and scales - think Bowie's "Heart's Filthy Lesson" or "Just Like You Imagined" from "The Fragile".
4. "The Hand That Feeds": You've likely heard it either like it or hate it. Get over the keyboard solo and get on board.
5. "Love Is Not Enough": A quick rock number that features another huge rhythm foundation and a complex beat that is reminiscent of "I Do Not Want This".
6. "Every Day Is Exactly the Same": A mid-tempo electronic number that features many familiar NIN sounds. It includes a very memorable chorus that is anthemic without compromising its tone. It will get stuck in your head with no warning.
7. "With Teeth": Far and away the oddest track on the album. First off, it has a shuffling beat that will throw listeners off-kilter for the first several bars. Imagine an uber-muscular version of Siouxsie's "Peek-a-Boo". But the real kick is the incredibly quiet piano interlude in the middle of the song. This track manages to be possibly the noisiest on the album without resorting to the typical aggro conventions.
8. "Only": This, the second single from "With Teeth", begins with a very unorganic eighties-throwback drumloop backing Reznor freestyling spoken vocals - not a rap, but almost a beat poetry reading. The mood and instrumentation are vintage NIN like "Ringfinger" while the very danceable beat is reminiscent of "Into the Void".
9: "Getting Smaller": Another mosh-ready rock number similar to "You Know What You Are?". Probably the most disposable track on the album.
10: "Sunspots": A slinky, seductive number that builds to a catchy rock stomp during the chorus. Think "The Only Time" from "Pretty Hate Machine".
11. "The Line Begins to Blur": Trent's vocals are at their emotional peak on this one. Virtually atonal during the verses, with live drums that are distorted and electronically chopped up to great effect. The chorus is almost dreamy in comparison but anchored by a 4/4 war-drum tempo. By the time it hits the chorus, this track sounds very much like "The Day The Whole World Went Away" except fully realized this time around.
12. "Beside You In Time": This is the track that is played under the recent web ad on nin.com. It's not all instrumental, but it maintains it's 2/4 electronica feel throughout. It's a throwback to the Coil remixes on "Fixed".
13. "Right Where It Belongs": The album ends with its sole quiet track. A plainly pretty melody (reminded me of the verses on "Even Deeper") sung over top of keys and a detuned piano. Not quite "Hurt", but not bad, either.
"With Teeth" solidifies Reznor's place in musical history by displaying his capacity for growth within the sub-genre that he created for himself. It's undeniably Nine Inch Nails without being tired, repetitive or derivative of earlier works.

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UK digipack version features two bonus tracks, 'Home' (Non-LP Version) & 'Right Where It Belongs' (Alternate Version). Five years is a long time by most people's standards, but when such a period passes between albums by Nine Inch Nails, the turbulent electro-noir behemoth conducted by Trent Reznor, it's par for an increasingly elaborate course. With Teeth follows a period of intense self-investigation, a psychological shelf-clearing. It's an album that startles with its clarity, with its renewed vigour. A catalogue of grievances perhaps, like all his records, but possessed with more of a will to fight back than any other Nine Inch Nails release to date. Interscope. 2005.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Earthling Review

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(More customer reviews)I am always constantly impressed with how David Bowie easily slips out of one form of music and into another. In a day and age when techo beats are popular but lame, and I spend hours cowering in my room stuck musically in the 70's, this album pops out and suddenly I am back in the 90's again. Bowie flirts heavily with a Trent Reznor-like sound, but with his amazing voice, this experimental album works very well. The best track is "I'm Afraid of Americans." It just starts off and builds to this LOUD chorus. This is a good album to get if you are like me, not really into the 90's sound, but still are able to appreciate genius when you hear it (although I will always love the 70's Bowie glam more).

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And All That Could Have Been Review

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(More customer reviews)THE SOUND QUALITY...
is incredible. It sounds as good as a studio recording. And the audience is there in the mix, but ever so subtley... the cheering doesn't overpower the music. And the volume is so wonderful... i usually keep my headphones on level #9... with this CD, i have to keep it down on 6 or 7 as to not deafen myself. I've never heard such a good live recording... even other licensed ones put out by the artists themselves.
THE VARIATIONS ON THE MUSIC...
is wonderful. His inflections, his emotions, are clearly visible. It doesn't sound like a live version of the studio albums, but rather has an improvised feel - it sounds raw... but perfect.
THE ENERGY...
is out of this world. The crowd, the music, the vocals... everything is just so powerful. That's really the only way to describe this.
This is so far my favorite CD of 2002... and i don't see another one surpassing it for a while. Any NIN fan must have this... or it would be an awesome way to discover the band.

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Year Zero Review

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(More customer reviews)Breaking the tradition of a five-year gap between albums, Trent Reznor has released the new Nine Inch Nails album "Year Zero" (2007) a mere two years after "With Teeth" (2005). Reznor attributes the long periods between albums in the past on alcohol and drug excess that comes from touring. Sober now for the last several years, focused and confident, Reznor's "Year Zero" is perhaps the best album of his career.
"Highly conceptual. Quite noisy. F@!#ing cool" is how Reznor describes "Year Zero," which I think, really hits the (pardon the pun) nail on the head. Stepping outside himself and eschewing NIN's usual self-involved angry and depressive themes, "Year Zero" portrays a bleak picture of (presumably) American society sometime in the not too distant future. Conflict abounds, militarily and between classes, which is the major theme of the album. Different songs offer different perspectives of this futuristic world--from soldiers ("the good solider,") to greedy industrialists ("capital G") to extra-terrestrials; the listener sees this corrupt society from different vantage points.
While Reznor took a more rock oriented, organic, almost live sounding approach with "With Teeth," "Year Zero" sounds more like old-school NIN in that it is more "industrial" sounding, with less live drumming. And whereas when listening to most past NIN albums, one gets a sense of what the singles will be, with "Year Zero," this is not so obvious. While some of the songs have an infectious hook, it's hard to imagine most of these songs as radio-staples, as the album is kind of "out there." And while with many albums one can listen to individual tracks and enjoy the songs, separate from the album they are part of, "Year Zero" definitely sounds best when listened to in its entirety--as the listener can appreciate the songs more fully when the album is heard as a unit. Like any NIN of course, there are a lot of textures, often with a lot of instrumentals and effects going on at once; so while this album sounds good with just one listen, it just gets better and better with repeated plays. And while "Year Zero" is "quite noisy," the album doesn't hit you over the head the way "The Downward Spiral" does. "Year Zero," while at times chaotic, is more restrained, but no less powerful.
The short chaotic instrumental "Hyperpower," in its urgency, sets the pace of the album. "The Beginning of the End," with lyrics like "watch what you say they can read your mind," paints the future in Orwellian terms. Tuneful and straightforward, "The Beginning of the End" is somewhat similar to the styling of "With Teeth" era NIN. The rocking "Survivalism," already a radio hit, while not terribly challenging or one of the album's strongest songs, is effective and good enough. The somewhat subdued "The Good Solider," is taken from the perspective of a soldier, who is seriously questioning why he is fighting. The chimes towards the end of the song are especially effective. The bizarre, totally off-beat "Vessel," sounds "big" but also spacey. When I listen to it I visualize a Tyrannosaurus Rex romping through some prehistoric jungle. I interpret the song to be about some kind of drug/mind control devise. The meaning behind the eerie, sluggish "Me, I'm Not" is ambiguous. A cool song, this one needs to grow on you. The industrial anthem "capital G" is perhaps one of the strongest songs on the album. From the perspective of "the machine," the shakers and the movers behind business interests and the military-industrial-complex, "capital G" depicts the ruthlessness of those who hold the real power. "My Violent Heart," which goes back-and-forth between a restrained verse and loud, frenzied chorus, is quite captivating. The meaning of the song is somewhat vague--with the clear message that actions have consequences, as Reznor proclaims:
"you have set something in motion
much greater than you've ever known
standing there in all your grand naivety
about to reap what you have sown"
Another very off-beat but cool song, "The Warning," describes the world from the perspective of some kind of alien life-form, perhaps "the presence," the four fingered being that appears on the cover of the album. The religiously themed "God Given" has a real danceable beat to it, and could probably get a few spins in the clubs. "Meet Your Master," both thematically and musically, sounds like a cross between "Head Like a Hole" and "Burn," but is more three-dimensional and intricate. The instrumental "The Greater Good," a medley of several different instruments is very low-key, creepy, and effective. The melodic and dark "The Great Destroyer" moves the album along nicely. One of Reznor's finest instrumental compositions, "Another Version of the Truth" is hauntingly beautiful and melancholy in its' understated elegance. The low-key "In this Twilight," describing one's emotions on the eve of Armageddon, is stunning. The submissive finale "Year Zero," is the perfect closer, leaving a lasting impression that sums up many of the albums themes:
"shame on us
doomed from the start
may god have mercy
on our dirty little hearts
shame on us
for all we've done
and all we ever were
just zeros and ones"
While I loved "With Teeth," there is no doubt in my mind that this is a superior album. Even though I'm a huge NIN fan and tried my best to be objective while reviewing this album, there really isn't a negative thing I can say about it. "Year Zero" is a total triumph, musically and thematically. With the state of the world the way it is, living in George W. Bush's America, an album like "Year Zero" needed to be made. Not offering any simplistic solutions and without preaching, Reznor has made the definitive album of this decade--an album encompassing the feelings of anxiety and despair one feels living in the `00s, while taking NIN's music to new heights. Reznor's "Year Zero" is an undisputed masterpiece that is essential listening.


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From the Artist This record began as an experiment with noise on a laptop in a bus on tour somewhere. That sound led to a daydream about the end of the world. That daydream stuck with me and over time revealed itself to be much more. I believe sometimes you have a choice in what inspiration you choose to follow and other times you really don't. This record is the latter. Once I tuned into it, everything fell into place... as if it were meant to be. With a framework established, the songs were very easy to write. Things started happening in my "real" life that blurred the lines of what was fiction and what wasn't. The record turned out to be more than a just a record in scale, as you will see over time.Part one is year zero. Concept record. Sixteen tracks. All written and performed by me, produced / programmed by me and Atticus Ross, mixed by Alan Moulder, mastered by Brian "Big Bass" Gardner. Release date: April 17, 2007. What's it about? Well, it takes place about fifteen years in the future. Things are not good. If you imagine a world where greed and power continue to run their likely course, you'll have an idea of the backdrop. The world has reached the breaking point - politically, spiritually and ecologically. Written from various perspectives of people in this world, "year zero" examines various viewpoints set against an impending moment of truth. How does it sound? You will hear for yourself soon enough, but given the point of this document is to provide information...This record is much more of a "sound collage" than recent efforts from me.A lot of it was improvised. It is very tedious describing your own music. It's not just music. It's probably too long, but it felt like the right thing to do to paint the complete picture. It will sound different after a few listens. You can think about it and it will reveal more than you were expecting. You can dance to a lot of it. You can f*** to a lot of it (maybe all of it depending on what you're into).--This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

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Nine Inch Nails Live - And All That Could Have Been (2002) Review

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(More customer reviews)This review is to tell all of you loyal NIN fans how to get to the "Beneath The Surface" secret menu, to enjoy even MORE than the 2 disc concert that you all abosolutely love. It's also to inform people on how to get to it, whom didn't even know it existed, so they can enjoy MORE than just the 2 DVD concert and still photos.
The EXACT way to gain access to the "Beneath The Surface" easter egg menu is as follows:
"BENEATH THE SURFACE MENU INSTRUCTIONS"
Select the song "Head Like a Hole" on DISC 2.
At the "11:20" mark on your DVD player timer, hit the number "7" on your controller, then, press "Enter" on it.
You will then be treated to the SECRET "Easter Egg" and or "Beneath The Surface" menu. The Beneath The Surface menu contains the following:
1.) A LIVE performance of the song "Reptile." (A superb version done live..It's cool when it hits the quiet point and Trent is saying "please don't hurt me..." This performance is live, but during most of the performance, none of the audiance can be heard.)
2.) The scrapped Music Video for the track, "The Day The World Went Away." (The video is kind of boring, but the music video version of the song is really awesome. It's the live version, but without the live audiance in the background during most of the instrumentals. It also ends LIVE.)

3.) NineTyNine commercial.
4.) A promotional commercial for, "The Fragile."
5.) A promotional commercial for, "Things Falling Apart."
6.) Marilyn Manson & Nine Inch Nails doing "Starf**kers Inc." live. (But only the end of it...Manson comes in right as the song ends. Not to mention, the clip starts just about as the song ends...nothing too special.)
7.) Marilyn Manson & Nine Inch Nails doing "The Beautiful People" live. (Whole song...Trent on Guitars! Very cool song to see Manson and Trent doing together! Don't skip this!)
That's it for the Beneath The Surface menu. But here's some extra secret stuff you may want to consider trying out. Not that important, but fun to try.
"WIDESCREEN STAGE SHOT INSTRUCTIONS"
On DISC 1, select the song "Gave Up."
At around the "26:58" mark on your DVD player, press "Enter."
You will then get a wide shot of the stage, for the song being performed. (Some people can't get this to work, but I assure you, it'll work if you just keep trying.)
And there you have it my fellow Reznorians, all of the secrets of the And All That Could Have Been DVD have been revealed. Try them out, and have fun. They're defanantly worth the discovery if you're bored of the concert, and didn't know about the hidden extras, or aren't bored of the concert, and just want something new to add to the flavor of the DVD set.

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ALL THAT COULD HAVE BEEN - DVD Movie

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