Downward Spiral [Explicit Lyrics]

Nine Inch Nails | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 8, 1994)
• Original Release Date: March 8, 1994
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Explicit Lyrics
• Label: Nothing/TVT/Interscope Records
• ASIN: B000001Y5Z
• Also Available in: Hardcover  |  Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (716 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,398 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #1 in Music > Alternative Rock > Goth & Industrial > Industrial > Alt Industrial
  • #71 in Music > Hard Rock & Metal > Alternative Metal

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

It's easy to understand why Nine Inch Nails became the industrial band to break out of the techno ghetto and win a larger audience. Trent Reznor, who records the NIN albums almost entirely by himself (although he tours with a full band), tries very hard to pass himself off as an angry young man, but underneath the angst-ridden lyrics, pounding synths, and grating guitars is an irrepressible pop sensibility. On the second full-length NIN album, The Downward Spiral, Reznor builds his constructions of noise and gloom around warm, fuzzy melodies. On the album's first single, "March of the Pigs," for example, Reznor screams about swine lined up for slaughter amid guitars screeching in pain. Suddenly the guitars fall away to reveal the sensually throbbing rhythm track below; then that falls away to reveal a vocal-and-piano track that's as catchy as anything by Elton John. Because Reznor has a better handle on dynamics now, the melodic core is more obvious than ever. --Geoffrey Himes

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

72 of 72 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars highly rated November 23, 2004

By R. Seepersaud

Format:Audio CD

This is one of the best re-issues to date. The 5.1 and advanced surround mixes are A+, which is what one would expect from Trent Reznor. Im assuming you know how good The Downward Spiral is , so i wont go into to that, suffice to say, it rates as one fo the best albums of the 90's and one of my personal favorites, this album got me through many a breakup and hard time. Ive never heard NIN sound so good, i do have the concert dvd so i knew beforehand how good this medium can sound in surround, but in album form its breathtaking. Sounds revolve around me and im hearing things ive never heard before, it makes me wish more albums were mixed in 5.1 The clarity of the sound is as such you can hear him draw breath before some verses and the difference between this and a regular cd is that with a cd you always sort of know that its a cd playing...with this if you close your eyes its like the band itself if playing in front of you. Industrial/electronic music like this is perfect for surround because of all the layers of sound and this , i promise you will not dissapoint. It blows most of the trash on today out of the water.'The extras are the best ive encountered of all the dvd's i have... in the discography , there is one or two songs (in cd quality) you can listen to from each album! Considering the amount of albums,singles and remix projects NIN has , this is quite a bonus, also you get concert footage from both his previous dvd's. To top it off there are 3 vidoes on this...closer (in stereo and surround), march of the pigs and hurt. Considering i paid less for this than most dvd's out now, it has to be the best value for money musicwise i got all year....very highly recommended...enjoy!

83 of 88 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars "And even when I'm right with you, I am so far away..." November 29, 2004

By Michael Crane

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

I still can't believe that it was ten years ago that this epic of an industrial masterpiece came out. To this day, it remains a very popular album that people can never get enough of. It's classic Nine Inch Nails that can never be duplicated, no matter how hard one tries. It's angry, depressing, violent, disturbing and beautiful. So, how do you celebrate the 10 year anniversary of this fine album? You re-release it... and use all of your powers to make it sound better than ever before.

That was accomplished with "The Downward Spiral: The Deluxe Edition." All of the songs are here, and they have each been remastered so you can listen to these classic songs in a whole new way. It was a little hard to notice at first, since I was listening to it through my headphones, but once I blasted this thing through my speakers, I could immediately hear--no,FEEL--the change and improvement. You hear little subtle things that you could never pick up on in the original, as there's always a lot going on with each and every one of these songs. It was like listening to the album for the very first time. I can't even begin to express how impressed I am with it in words.

To take full advantage of this album, it is true that you should have an SACD CD player and surround sound so you can hear it in 5.1, and it is AMAZING. You really feel like each song is a living and breathing thing waiting to suck you up without warning. However, if you don't have an SACD CD player, do not fret. This thing still sounds INCREDIBLE without it. If you have a great sound system and some high quality speakers, you will definitely hear the difference. Heck, you can even pop this thing into your discman, then put in the older version, and you will be able to note the difference as well.

Not only is this remastered to its highest quality, but you also get a bonus CD that offers 13 tracks of rare remixes, demos and songs that only appeared in soundtracks, such as "dead souls" (from "The Crow") and "burn" ("Natural Born Killers). The remixes are ones that you can find on various single releases, but it's nice to have them all on one CD. Not only that, but you get the demos of "ruiner," "liar (reptile demo)" and "heresy."

If you're a NIN fanatic like me, then you MUST pick this up immediately! You won't regret it. Still hang onto the original release (since you're a NIN fan!), but trust me, you will be listening to this Deluxe Version instead. Nine Inch Nails' "The Downward Spiral: The Deluxe Version" does NOT disappoint. Its new sound is simply unbelievable. What a way to celebrate ten great years. A re-release to remember. -Michael Crane

106 of 122 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An Audio Suicide Note April 19, 2000

By David Baker

Format:Audio CD

"Roar Of Machines" might have been a good name for this as well. Dark, moody, loud, angry and groundbreaking, these five words best sum up "The Downward Spiral" in all it's bloody glory. When you listen to this album, listen to it all the way through, then you can pick out your favorites and hit repeat. Why? It's a concept album. Kinda like a book or a movie, you wanna see, read, hear it all in sequence. To start off this masterpiece is "Mr. Self Destruct". The song is so heavy that you will not believe your ears, it has enough distortion to make Jimi Hendrix turn in his grave. The song then leads directly into "Piggy". The exact opposite of "Mr. Self Destruct", it has an almost jazz feel to it with Trent Reznor whispering "nothing can stop me now". "Heresy" is the closest thing to "Closer" on this disc, so if you bought it for "Closer", chances are you'll like this song too. Especially the "God is dead" chorus. "March Of The Pigs" is one of NIN most solid songs ever, definate perfection. "Closer" is NIN biggest hit and I can see why. This is a classic sing along. "Ruiner" has the greatest chorus I've ever heard in a song. Lyrically it's okay but musically it's perfect. "The Becoming" might be my favorite track here. "Annie, hold a little tighter I just might slip away", that floors me every time. "I Do Not Want This" is the worst song here but NIN worst is still better then other artists best, it's still a good song too. "Big Man With A Gun" is the controversial song here, it's hilarious though, good, but short. "A Warm Place" maybe NIN best instrumental, very heavenly. "Eraser" starts off very annoying but song bulds up and explodes everywhere, nice. "Reptile" is, simply put, amazing. "The Downward Spiral" is a crazy song, when tat scream comes in... "Hurt" is probably the saddest song ever, really touching. It's easy to see why Trent Reznor is the best at whatever he does, he really is a genious. In an artical I read about Trent, it said with this album Trent killed off the industrial genre. At first I didn't know what they meant, but then it struck me, Trent did everything in this genre that could possibly be done. This is one twisted tale about a sick puppy who does all the wrong things, yet you still feel sorry for. A classic.