Customer Reviews

Further Down the Spiral

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've always been a little confused by remix albums when they first come out. It took me probably six months to get into Fixed or The Perfect Drug versions, and I still haven't really gotten into TFA, although I've tried SO hard. There was something about Further Down The Spiral, though, that just jumped out at me; the songs were different, but they sounded REALLY good, and clearly had a lot of effort put into each track. So when I found the import version with non-US tracks, I bought it on the spot, and wasn't disappointed. Usually, I feel there isn't a reason to get both the US and import versions of a single, unless they're both SO good that you shouldn't be without them, and this is definitely the case. How do they compare? Let's see:

US Version: 11 tracks, contains Self Destruction Part 2, Hurt (Quiet), Eraser (Polite), The Beauty of Being Numb and Erased, Over, Out, which aren't found on Halo 10v2 (as the import is known as).

UK Version: 10 tracks, contains Self Destruction, Part 3, Heresy (Version), Hurt (Live) and Ruiner (Version), which aren't found on Halo 10. The order of tracks also varies.

What's cool about the new tracks? Self Destruction, Part 3, is probably the truest and most recognizable version of Mr. Self Destruct, but it has the feel of the other Self Destruction songs on the CD. What's really amazing is that it was remixed by J.G. Thirlwell of Fixed fame, who (in my opinion) tends to butcher songs beyond recognition, but this song will appeal to new and old fans alike.

Heresy (Version), is one of two remixes solely done by Charlie Clouser on this album. It's hard to really explain this track, because it almost feels like a danceable club version of Heresy, but in a GOOD way. At around 4 minutes, there's a sample of two men talking, one asks "Do you believe in miracles?" to which the other replies "Not really". This single line makes the track so much cooler than without it, I think.

Hurt (Live). The name pretty much sums it up right there. It's Hurt, it's live, it's soundboard quality. It's a nice touch, and a cool track, but not as cool as...

... Ruiner (Version). It's Ruiner, it's VERY techno-danceable, and it's BACKWARDS. What do I mean by that? The two main choruses have been switched so that the second one comes first. And lines from the song are interspersed throughout the track, but garbled as to be barely recognizable. The guitars are almost gone from this track as is the long ending on the LP version, but so is the sound distortion, which means if you couldn't understand what Trent was saying before because it was so scratchy, you can now! Quite possibly the coolest track on the whole CD, and in my opinion, worth the $... by itself. It's that good!

On a side note, I found this out shortly after I bought the CD, and it applies to the Eraser remixes (excluding [Polite]). If you play it in high speed, some of the distortions in the song aren't actually distortions, but Trent's vocals slowed WAY down. I won't ruin the surprise, check it out for yourself! This works on both the domestic and import versions.

Overall, this is my favorite remix album NIN has put out yet. It's a GREAT compliment to the GREAT Downward Spiral, whereas Things Falling Apart was just a MEDIOCRE compliment to the BRILLIANT The Fragile. This, along with the US version, are probably the best NIN investment you can get for your money. Get this today!

The UK and US versions of this release are very different. They only actually share 6 songs. The US version (10b, as it came out a week after the UK one) has a different version of Hurt, similar to the album version (Downward Spiral); two remixes of Eraser - one with strings and what sounds like pipes, and one that sounds like it's in reverse; another Aphex Twin track (no idea what it's a remix of!); and another remix of Mr. Self Destruct (Self Destruction pt2.
The UK version has two remixes by Charlie Clouser - Heresy and Ruiner which are both excellent; a different version of Mr Self Destruct (Self Destruction pt3); and a live version of Hurt, played with piano, not guitar.
Both are good, but I think the UK version just shades it for the Clouser stuff, and the Eraser remixes of the US version aren't terribly good.
By the way, if you want to get hold of the UK version, go to Amazon.co.uk where you can get it for about 8 GBP, plus 4 GBP shipping, which comes to about $20, rather than $21 plus postage on the US site.

This is sooo much better than the original Further down the Spiral, as the crappy tracks have been replaced by self destruciton part 3, heresy (version), hurt (live), and ruiner (version). ruiner (version) is not only my favorite song but an incredible work (kudos to charlie clouser). I recommend every single song. Plus, as this is incredibly hard to find, you really should buy it.

Any real NIN fan in the US knows about a certain soft-side EP that's VERY hard to get. It's the European version of Further Down The Spiral, and THIS IS IT! Get it while you can, because they are super-hard to find. ANYWHERE! GET IT!!!! GET IT NOW!!!! OH! OOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

Ok, so you can't choose which version to get. Without a doubt...get this one!
The Art of Self Destruction 3 is a quicker version of Mr.Self Destruct, wheras Heresy version is a nearly completly different song, with samples of a preacher, a la Psalm 69.
Hurt live is also a good song, better than quiet.
The Ruiner version is, in my opinion, the best track that wasn't included on the US version. Get this disc for this song alone.
All in all, this one is way better than the domestic release.

When man when take musical gods like these, something magnificent will be produced; which has been.

As stated, there are 2 versions, the U.S. version one, and the U.K. version two. After owning both, I'd recommend this UK version over the U.S. version. The main reasons are because of the Charlie Clouser mixes of "Heresy" and "Ruiner". Both are extremely precise and well done, almost to the point of perfection. There aren't as many remixes of "Eraser" to numb your mind to death as well. But, most importantly, this version has more of a coherent flow to it. Whereas the U.S. version got rather tiresome and redundant, this version keeps you on your feet just wanting more. The only downsides are the "Polite" remix of "Eraser" is gone, and the first Thirwell remix of "Mr. Self Destruct" is replaced with an shorter mix that isn't quite the same, and "The Beauty of Being Numb" has been axed as well.

If you have a few extra dollars to spend, I'd say go with version most definitely. But, if you get the other version, you won't be disappointed either.

This cd is SO worth it. I used to scoff at people who spent extra money on imports, but now I know why. This is just an incredible piece of work. The versions of "Heresy" and "Ruiner" here are excellent. The originals were two of my favorites on TDS so I was thrilled to get them in remixed versions on the import FDTS. I can't say enough good about this cd. Just get it.

I hate remixes but this is a wonderful exploration of The downward Spiral. This broods rather than the parent album that screamed. This one goes further down the spiral.

Any NIN fan can appreciate the outstanding job Trent did on remixing most of the songs from "The Downward Spiral" for this album. They sound great, and have the fast, hard driving sound that I've come to know and love from NIN. If you liked The Downward Spiral, you will love this one!