Do NOT discuss, as the title of this thread is a statement of FACT and, therefore, NOT subject to discussion of any kind.

Naw.

Which is it, zeb?

I enjoy Downward Spiral quite a bit and put it ahead of Broken but I probably listen to Broken on the whole more often.

The top of OB looks so much like this right now.

Maybe it's my mood these last few weeks, but Broken really speaks to me. So fucking raw and hostile. It's astonishing.

Spiral is great, obviously, but Broken is perfect in its fist-tight-ly packed aggression.

Have you watched it?

I'd definitely go with The Fragile, Owl_Farmer.

Broken is definitely the best NIN release I know of (I haven't listened to anything since The Fragile).

Downward Spiral is great, but parts of it tend too heavily toward the corny S&M, cheap gross-out schlock that Trent seemed to find so interesting during this era. Broken is very no-bullshit, and Reznor's music as much as anyone's greatly benefits from lack of bullshit.

Teh Fragg, easily.

i drift between this and spiral pretty regularly, but yeah.


And anyone that calls TDS corny S&M and cheap gross-out schlock obviously hasn't watched the Broken movie

Rafa, I gave this a listen on someone's youtube channel this morning. I liked it. I never got into NIN in the 90s. Trent Reznor more than any other artist probably received the most wariness from my super catholic upbringing, so it turns out that here in 2011 I've realized that I've been exposed to very little of this music. I've heard Physical many a time, though.

Lack of bullshit (i.e. filler) is what makes Broken stand above everything else Reznor did. Well said.

Reid, I'm glad you enjoyed that. Oh man, this could be quite an interesting journey for you. I'd recommend skipping The Downward Spiral for now and just dive into The Fragile. I think it will be right up your alley, man. It's a different monster from Broken.

To everyone else, don't get me wrong, I love The Fragile, but I have to put aside an hour and a half to listen to the whole thing, otherwise I don't get that much out of it. Broken, on the other hand, is compact and carries a mighty fucking punch like no other NIN release does.

I'm still wary, Rafa. Don't get too excited. I don't know that I'll be LAL'ing to any of this just yet.

im a big fan of everything trent reznor does...and i still haven´t checked this one out...sorry.

You're right, I was referring strictly to the music on the albums. That Broken movie is beyond me.

The Fragile is okay, but I don't enjoy NIN enough to take 1.5 hours at a time of them. That's why Broken and its half-hour of relentless assault is perfect for me.

broken is easily their best top to bottom listen.

I really like the 9 minute Wish remix on fixed too

The Fragile is easily his best album, but like others have said, it's something that works best when listened to all at once. I can see why that's a turn off for some people. I'd rank The Downward Spiral as his second best. I'm also a really big fan of With Teeth, and kind of surprised it hasn't been mentioned yet. A lot of great songs on that album, partly due to the fact that there's a lot of really awesome (real) drumming by good drummers. Easily my third fav from NIN.

Broken is great too, it's just a bit short for me. Last & (You're So) Physical are classics. Happiness in Slavery has some great moments too.

I'm a Fragile man, like many others here apparently, but I'll play along with the first post. Yes, it's pretty damn good. And are we talking straight up Broken here, or Broken + Suck and Physical? (There are multiple versions of the album).

Broken was where he started to get really heavy with the production, digital distortion and whatnot. Just compare the album and live version of Wish, they might as well be different songs. Wish became a 3 guitar workout rockathon on the last few tours, and absolutely killed it at the 3 shows I saw from 2006-2009. Check it out on youtube or the live DVDs. The album version emphasizes the weird sounds in the mix, which is totally cool in it's own right.

Last got a live rennaisance on these later tours too, though apparently he had to shift to a lower key or something because that high scream was getting tough. No last at my Boston shows

Happiness In Slavery never got a comeback, unfortunately. That one is the highlight of the CD for me. What a sick fuckin beat!

I wasn't aware there were versions made without Suck and Physical. Would definitely feel like a different album to me without those.

I like Fixed almost as much as I like Broken, FWIW