And All That Could Have Been [Explicit Lyrics, Live]

Nine Inch Nails | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 22, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Explicit Lyrics, Live
• Label: Nothing
• ASIN: B00005RZV4
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (73 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #38,806 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The biggest difference between a kick-ass studio album and a kick-ass live album? Intensity. Live: And All That Could Have Been, recorded on Nine Inch Nails' 2000 "Fragility 2.0" U.S. tour, provides that trait in abundance. It helps that Trent Reznor has a band, instead of just a battery of keyboards, to help him work through 16 tracks of the raging yet surprisingly listenable musical vitriol that made him a star. The live musicians, who allow him some freedom to play with tempo, help kick "Closer" up a notch and lend some atmospheric weight to a slow version of "The Frail." The band rips into older material with gusto; Reznor sounds just as pissed off performing "Head Like a Hole" as he did in 1989. The CD closes with "Hurt," which might seem like an odd choice, but somehow, after everything that's come before, it's like the denouement of a tragedy. While a CD can only capture a piece of NIN's onstage energy, their first live album is an intense, sometimes overwhelming recording, further vindication of NIN's continuing popularity and influence. --Genevieve Williams

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BEST live album i've ever heard., February 7, 2002

By 

Miss D. AwesomePants "Amazon Junkie" (Hoboken, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: And All That Could Have Been (Audio CD)

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.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Described in a word? Perfect, March 15, 2006

By 

A. Stutheit "Teyad" (Denver, CO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: And All That Could Have Been (Audio CD)

Ever since Trent Reznor and his band made a mud-drenched splash as Woodstock 1994, almost all music fans have known that Nine Inch Nails put on a fantastic live show. NIN's first live disc (which was recorded on the "Fragility: 2.0 Tour") proves that their live songs make their original, studio versions sound tame and controlled. "And All That Could Have Been" is about as intense and full of vitriol as industrial metal gets. And, from the opening wallop of "Terrible Lies" to the dark, introspective "Hurt," which closes out the album, every song is a hit.

The crowd is only rarely audible, and they know when to shut up (like during the ballads), so the audience noise never gets in the way of the music.

Tracks like "Terrible Lies," "Head Like A Whole" (both singles from NIN's 1989 debut, "Pretty Hate Machine") and "Starfers, Inc." pack a powerful, cathartic, adrenalized punch. Plus, these songs sound even louder and crisper, here, than in the studio. Elsewhere, electronic frenzied, techno-lite cuts like "Sin" and "March Of The Pigs" are heavy on new-wave keyboards, and "Piggy," "The Frail" (a piano interlude), and "The Great Below" are very slow and ambient. Songs like "Suck" and "Closer" bring the best of both worlds; these songs have a stomping rhythm section married with synths and other atmospheric instruments. And, lastly, the ballads ("The Day The World Went Away" and "Hurt") are very touching and beautiful.

So, this album *IS* all that it could have been, and more. It's no less than great, and it's as close to being perfect as live albums get nowadays.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An awesome live album, May 3, 2005

By 

B (Rochester, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: And All That Could Have Been (Audio CD)

"And All That Could Have Been" is a live album from NIN's 2000 Fragility Tour. I'm not usually big on live albums, but this one is awesome. The sound is absolutely masterful, as if you're right up on stage in front of Trent and his touring band.

As for the songs, there's a nice mix. Of course, you have the obligatory favorites like "Closer", "Head Like a Hole", and "Hurt", all of which sound at least as good as the originals.

"March of the Pigs" is as intense as ever, and "Piggy" is as omnious and creepy as ever. Then, there's a selection of songs from "The Fragile" of course, including the epic, powerful "The Wretched", the heart wrenching ballad "The Great Below", the slow building "The Day the World Went Away", and a killer extended version of the instrumental "The Mark Has Been Made".

My favorites are "Terrible Lie", "Sin", and "Suck", three of Trent's earlier songs. On their respective albums, they were good songs marred slightly by dated production. However, in this live setting, they really come to life, sounding much more powerful and intense than the studio versions.

Let me also recommend, try to get ahold of the companion EP to this titled "Still" (as opposed to "Live"). It features some new songs as well as stripped down versions of some NIN classics.