I used to be so big and strong
I used to know my right from wrong
I used to never be afraid
I used to be somebody
I used to have something inside
Now just this hole that’s open wide
I used to want it all
I used to be somebody („Down in It“)
The debut album of the giant of industrial rock Nine Inch Nailsunder the name „Pretty Hate Machine“, it was published on October 20, 1989 and is a complete work Trenta Reznorawhich is still the core and only permanent member of this group. This album was his first collaboration with producers Adrian Sherwood i by Mark Ellis „Floodom“who later took part in almost all the most important achievements of the group. Apart from them, he also collaborated with Keith LeBlanc i John Fryerom. Flood was originally supposed to work on the whole album, but it was reduced to “Head Like A Hole“ i „Terrible Lie“because he was busy working on the album „Violator“ groups Depeche Mode. „Pretty Hate Machine” spent 113 weeks on the chart Billboard 200, and became one of the first independently released records to reach platinum status.
Reznor is considered one of the most productive and influential musicians and producers on the music scene. As a young man, he describes himself as a geek in love with synth sound. For a time he worked as a night watchman and janitor in Right Track Studios in Cleveland, Ohio. Free time in it, he used to record his music. He was a quick learner. He used keyboards, drum machines, guitars and samplers to record his first demo titled „Purest Feeling“. Some of those tapes were reworked and found their way onto his debut album, Pretty Hate Machine. He created a real little masterpiece in the industrial revolution. It is a kind of fusion of pop sensibility with aggressive electronic noise, which is complemented by raw, emotional lyrics. “Pretty Hate Machine” is full of influences, primarily groups that developed industrial like Skinny Puppy, Throbbing Gristle, Cabaret Voltaire i Ministry. In post-punk paranoia he fell in to Joy Division i Nicka Cave, and it is noticeable that a great influence on his creativity was also The Cure, David Bowie, Prince, Jane’s Addiction i Public Enemy.
Working independently was an overwhelming challenge and maybe a mistake, but certainly an experience that Reznor managed to translate into music. It caught the attention of a publishing house TVT Records with his demo and got the chance to record an album. However, he refused to do it in the traditional way with a band and recorded it mostly by himself. He was ready to show who he was, through its sound.
Reznor’s vocals in the songs sound hard, but at the same time vulnerable, often accompanied by screams and cries. “Pretty Hate Machine” is in a way his personal confession. The moments where the muttering turns to howls of impotence correspond to the aspect of a frustrated young man who fails to help himself. There is also a certain amount of hatred, most of which is directed at some vague “you”, which makes the same frustration even greater. An example is almost animalistic, a dance song „Sin“: You give me the reason, you give me control, I gave you my purity, my purity you stole. The lyrics of a good portion of the songs on “Pretty Hate Machine” are filled with existential dread that stems from self-loathing deep in Reznor’s psyche.
Song „Head Like a Hole“ is the first song he did, the lead single from the album and the biggest hit from it. If we exclude her, the album is full of cold keyboard tones, while there are almost no strong, menacing guitar tones. He opens it „Down In It“ which became a favorite on MTV as the second single, presented by Nine Inch Nails to a wider audience and helped skyrocket album sales.
Some of Reznor’s lyrics express the anxiety he was going through, as well as the feeling of betrayal by a loved one, society or even God – as is the example in the song „Terrible Lie“when in conversation with him he says: (Hey god) I think you owe me a great big apology.
The song took center stage on “Pretty Hate Machine”. „Something I Can Never Have“ in which Reznor’s heart literally it’s bleeding. There are no more screams in this ballad, only pure depression remains. Nothing seems good: This thing Is slowly taking me apart, gray would be the color if I had a heart. The song begins with a minimal piano figure and a few quiet synth tones, which only occasionally miss distant, rough drum sounds and soft counter melodies.
Proof that “Pretty Hate Machine” is based on depressive states in which the artist feels that his life is already over is also the song „That’s What I Get“: “I told you I’d never say goodbye, I’m slipping on the tears you made me cry”… The biggest erotic charge on the album is certainly possessed by the song “The Only Time“ which is a great introduction to the grand finale and “ring finger” which is given a special character by the recognizable guitar section. The demo version of this song is called “Twist,” and the lyrics are different.
“Pretty Hate Machine” managed to capture the attention of an audience that Reznor could never have dreamed of. He was completely unprepared for this kind of success and had to form a band as soon as possible in order to be able to present his songs live. They joined him Chris Vrenna i Richard Patrick. In 1990, they performed as an opening act at concerts Peter Murphy i The Jesus and Mary Chain. Soon after that Nine Inch Nails played at the festival Lollapalooza and opened the band’s performances Guns N’ Roses in the cities of Europe.
Reznor won with Nine Inch Nails Oscar i Grammy awards. With millions of records sold and countless concerts held around the world, he is far from the depressed artist who struggled to resist self-destruction, as we met him through his debut album. His brutally honest feelings were a step towards achieving what he wanted. Somewhere between the transitional and altered states, a key component was created, the machine that launched the success of one of today’s biggest groups.
Source: balkanrock.com
