Customer Reviews

Head Like a Hole

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A word to NIN collectors: This disc contains the two "Down In It" remixes (shred and singe) from that song's single, and if you own Pretty Hate Machine, you've got the "skin" mix -- so don't feel obliged to pick up the "Down In It" CD. This HLH Maxi-Single also includes the demo version of "Down In It," which is a treat: utterly unpolished (sounds like Trent fiddling around on a 4-track with a beatbox and a couple of synths), but listenable -- a glimpse into the early development of an NIN song.

The "Head Like a Hole" remixes are worthwhile cousins of the original; some dancier, some more a pastiche of the source noises. "You Know Who You Are" is a solid dose of the latter.

One of the HLH remixes here (slate? clay? I forget) ends with an unadulterated fade of the synth riff that's mixed into the beginning of "Terrible Lie" on Pretty Hate Machine. Savvy mixmasters can splice that with the album version to get a start-to-finish pristine cut. ("Terrible Lie" itself gets a couple of remixes here. Not my favorite tracks, but they don't detract from the disc as a whole.)

What's REALLY missing from this disc is the Opal mix, available on the 3-track import single, which I recommend -- you'd never think HLH could funk like that. But even with that omission, this is a worthy halo, a good 60 minutes of variations in the vein of Pretty Hate Machine.

Single releases from Nine Inch Nails are a lot different from the typical single releases you see. Trent Reznor doesn't like to just give you the original song and just leave it at that. He actually likes to re-mix and manipulate the songs to give you different versions. The downside of this is that this will only appeal to real hardcore fans of Nine Inch Nails. The plus side is if you are a real hardcore fan... then you will love it! "Head Like a Hole (Maxi-Single)" is proof of that.

This CD includes 10 tracks, which is pretty much like buying a full length NIN album. The songs that are reconstructed are "head like a hole," "terrible lie" and "down in it." Again, only a real fan of Trent Reznor will really appreciate this, as it does not include the original versions of the songs. If you're just a casual fan or you only like the song, then I'd advise you to think about it before you decide to purchase it.

I really love this Maxi-Single, and that is because I LOVE Nine Inch Nails. I love the lyrics and the instrumentals behind it all. All of the songs are EXCELLENT, proving to us that Trent wants to do more than just provide you with a lame single release. Would it have been nice if they included the original version of "head like a hole?" If you're just a casual fan, sure, but if you really love Trent and Nine Inch Nails, then it won't bother you at all. A must-have for any NIN fan. -Michael Crane

Don't get me wrong, this is a great single with many remixes from what is arguably the best nine inch nails album. Reznor went though a lot of effort when he put this together. This CD is identical to the domestic version of the CD in every way except for the catalogue number. That is why you should only bother to pick this one up if you're trying to find every version of every album or you don't already have it and this is all you can find.

If you are new to this single, it's a maxi-single and loaded. Reznor didn't bother watching the clock for this one and let enough remixes out to almost allow this thing to be broken up into two or more singles. If you're not very big into NiN. . . well, then you might not like this single too much because you'll probably become bored with it.

A very listenable extension of the Pretty Hate Machine A-side. It doesn't have the album version, like most singles do, it's more like a remix album.

It gets progressively further and further away from the album versions, and ends with that unforgettable hidden track 11: "Let's here it for Nine Inch Nails! Whoo! They're GOOD!"

Of course, the album isn't without its faults. The cover art is really really bad, it's better on the UK version (a much shorter CD, only has the two most distinctive remixes, "Slate" and "Copper" plus the exclusive "Opal" mix, the funky go-go type version NIN plays live). It doesn't even try to tell us that the "Clay" mix is the one featured in the video, or that You Know Who You Are is a cross-breed of Terrible Lie and Head Like A Hole. Nor does it say that the "Skin" mix of down in it, the only one from that song's single missing from this album, is available on Pretty Hate Machine. Or even that the drum beat at the end of "Copper" is lifted from Queen's "Body Language," Freddie Mercury's voice and all.

But buy it anyway... it's worth your money if you liked Pretty Hate Machine and/or dance mixes.

Not essential. However, if you like the club type stuff, you'll like this. For some reason, the only "Down In it" song that was really necessary was the "demo" version. That version is kinda interesting. The original song of this does not appear here. Not all the songs are put together with what song is being remixed, but I guess that was an idea while putting the track list. There is an instrumental tune called "You Know Who You Are" which is really the same beat repeating, of HLAH. There are also two "Terrible Lie" remixes, both which are good, but then get tiresome after awhile. But I'm not a big fan of remixes, especially from around 1990. Remixes from NIN started good with Fixed, and then the remixes were basically stellar since. Not really bad though.

This maxi-single really ties in with Pretty Hate Machine. In fact, it's practically a remix album of PHM, despite its misleading title. There's a lot of substance here...five remixes of Head Like A Hole, two remixes of Terrible Lie, and three remixes of Down In It, including the demo version, which is rather interesting.

I love Pretty Hate Machine, and for those who do also, this single is a must. But if you only like Trent's more recent work, or if Broken and on are the only NIN you listen to, this is probably not for you. It's very synth-pop like PHM, and that means if you don't like PHM, you certainly won't like this. Other than that, I highly recommend this album to fans of Pretty Hate Machine. And of course, if you are a psychotic Nine Inch Nails fan like myself, this is a must own.

Trent never wanted to release this single, instead he wanted to make it like the UK version, which only has 3 tracks. Im actually glad tvt made him release this much stuff. the remixes are incredible, the HLAH flood mixes really show you just how many dimensions HLAH had in the first place, the TL remixes really expand and get into the original version of the song and let you experiece some of the hidden aspects of it.

You can almost consider this single like a bootleg of various mixes and demos. its a really good listen on those tuesday evenings and lets you see exactly where the most influential artist of this decade came from musically.

The "Head Like a Hole" US single is a rather extensive piece, with five mixes of "Head Like a Hole", two of "Terrible Lie", and three of "Down In It". The material on here is interesting, but due to its rather repetitive nature, it isn't likely this is a CD you'll be reaching for frequently.

The five "Head Like a Hole" mixes, all by Trent Reznor and Flood, are largely similar excepting an instrumental restructuring which we'll get to in a moment. The slate mix is pretty straight from the original, largely changed in that the guitar on the chorus is opened up a bit, the clay mix is the similar to the original as well, but with an extra hi-hat rhythm added to it. Somewhat more interesting (although less successful) is the copper mix, with some extra beats, a few weird edits, a synthy percussion solo and a vocal-over-drum-loop of the "bow down before the one you serve" chant. Unfortunately, its somewhat overlong nature gets in the way of its ability to sustain interest. The soil mix features an extended intro and a nearly guitar-less (club friendly?) mix of the song (they do show up briefly after about four and a half minutes...), I find it to personally be the least interesting on the record as it takes the entirity of the bite away from the piece.

Oddly enough, the lack of guitars works better on the instrumental edit, titled "You Know Who You Are". Essentially a somewhat extended variant of the track (without guitars), this works pretty well, although like most dance mixes, it drags substanitally.

The "Terrible Lie" mixes (also by Reznor/Flood) I find somewhat less interesting-- the sympathetic mix is nearly identical to the album mix, excepting a brief reprise at the end of some earlier lyrics and is largely superfluous. The empathetic mix works quite a bit better, with an emphasis on the whispered chorus vocals, and a restructuring that really lets the song shine. Still, I find it inferior to the album mix and a bit overlong.

Two of the "Down In It" mixes, by Adrian Sherwood and Keith LeBlanc, are quite an improvement (they're also available on the "Down In It" single). The shred mix is like the old 12" extended mixes-- its essentially the album mix with several minutes of additional beats and sampled vocals from earlier in the piece. The singe mix is a sort of dance mix with the vocal largely removed and relegated to a sample. The demo is interesting certainly, with the vocal-over-drum-loop concept taken a bit further, but the sound quality feels a bit degraded and its not as hook laden and engaging as the album take.

Complaints-- with only three songs featured, the material tends to drag, and with the single being ten tracks and 55+ minutes, you feel it. They also left off the opal mix of "Head Like a Hole"-- you need the UK variant of the single for that.

Overall, this is actually an ok, single, but it drags on listen. If you can't get enough "Pretty Hate Machine", then check this one out.

It's a little hard to believe that this came out over almost 11 years ago, but it's true. Overall, I think that the song "head Like a Hole" has held up very well over the years. The different remixes give you a lot of "Hole", which isn't quite enough to buy this. But, add in 3 "Down In It" remixes, and throw in "Terrible Lie", and it makes this maxi CD a bargain at even double the price. My personal favorite is the demo of "Down In It", which sounds like Trent on a little Casio keyboard just fiddling around. Awesome.

I agree with the reviewer that said they haven't bought "Pretty Hate Machine" because this Maxi CD packs all the best onto one. I would almost agree. For a nice introduction to NIN "oldies", this is the place to start.

If you are looking for the Techno/Club style NIN this is the Single for you. It's hardly a single it has more tracks than the album! Though the 11th track is just a sound byte. If you are having a good house party or just wanna work around the house to a cool beat or cruise the town with some cool beats this is it. Most bass tapes are just a 3 second loop of a single beat and that gets boring. These are ALL different. However I admit the first 2 tracks are much alike. The only downsides are, It has the same 2 Down In It remixes from the first single! couldn't he have made some new ones! And if he couldn't, he should have just left them off in my opinion. But I like them there because they make the single more complete, but it makes me feel like I wasted 5 bucks on the Down In It single becuase I don't need it anymore! And the other downside is, it's missing the Opal remix of Head Like A Hole thats on the Import. That is a very good song and should have been included.