Many would argue that the crowning achievement of NIN would be The Downward Spiral but I believe anyone who knows the backstory of most of the songs on The Fragile can really get a grip into Reznors mindset during the making of the album. A lot of the songs are about drug addiction and the death of loved ones and that emotion comes pouring out with most of the tracks on the album.
Description:Amazon.com's Best of 1999
Trent Reznor took five years to record this monstrous double-CD set, wielding a perfectionist's touch in the production and the subtlety of a chainsaw in the musicianship. The result is uncompromising, full of hysterical noise and yet utterly accessible. Somehow, someway, this is one of the best pop records oAmazon.com's Best of 1999
Trent Reznor took five years to record this monstrous double-CD set, wielding a perfectionist's touch in the production and the subtlety of a chainsaw in the musicianship. The result is uncompromising, full of hysterical noise and yet utterly accessible. Somehow, someway, this is one of the best pop records of the year. --Matthew Cooke
The Fragile is even bleaker than 1994's The Downward Spiral as it lurches along with a perpetual scowl. A frenzied collection of buzz-saw pop, Trent Reznor's grim opus yo-yos through two CDs with scattershot intensity. Hushed one minute and explosive the next, spite and anger intermix with heartbreaking resignation, sometimes in the course of one song. Still, Reznor's dour and uncompromising approach is accessible and undeniably entertaining, even when he eschews vocals altogether. Unchanged are the obsessive lengths that he goes to for the sake of a dynamic thrill ride. The quiet tones that open the instrumental "Just Like You Imagined" suddenly erupt into a barrage of off-time rhythms and noodling keyboard riffs, all rising to a torrid conclusion. The sheer sonic invention on display here is astounding. Reznor's production approaches Brian Eno's in terms of dynamism, though it arises from a profoundly different sensibility. "Starfuckers Inc" uses chopped-up vocals for the verses and a shouting mob for its propulsive, Ministryesque chorus to mercilessly slam some of NIN's imitators (most pointedly, Marilyn Manson). And while there's nothing here as dance-floor-ready as Downward Spiral's "Closer," "Where Is Everybody" comes close, thanks to its slow, sweaty gyrations and Adrian Belew's slippery guitar figures. The Fragile's songs are ultimately simple explorations of deep disillusionment. However, once Reznor finishes twisting them out of shape, they're towering soundscapes of rage that are at once terrifying and beautiful. --Matthew Cooke
"I'll never forget the first time I heard The Fragile. One of my best friends managed to get his hands on a copy from a local independent record store (some will remember those) on the Saturday before its release. He called me to come over, and I sat in his bedroom with his girlfriend at the time to listen to it. He made the room as dark as he could, lit a few candles, and we settled in for both discs back-to-back. I can't say anymore how many times I've listened to the whole thing in its entiret"
schwarzerabt added this to a list 1 year, 3 months ago
"I finally got myself to check this album out, and I listened to the whole record when I cycled to work and back. THIS is what I was expecting to hear when I first tried listening to NIN. This is the kind of music I was hoping for, and finally I have come across this great album. Based on this album, I am loving NIN. And I'm wondering why didn't I find this record earlier. Both sides of the record are great. As a whole, the album works almost perfectly and it's really hard to pick only few great "
"3rd studio album
Left disc
1. somewhat damaged
2. the day the world went away
3. the frail
4. the wretched
5. we're in this together
6. the fragile
7. just like you imagined
8. even deeper
9. pilgrimage
10. no, you don't
11. la mer
12. the great below
Right disc
1. the way out is through
2. into the void
3. where is everybody?
4. the mark has been made
5. please
6. starfuckers, inc.
7. complication
8. i'm looking forward to joining you, finally
9. the big come down
10. underneath it all
11."
the giraffe added this to a list 2 years, 7 months ago
"Dense soundscapes, layered arrangements, and some of the most beautiful songs in the NIN catalogue. One of the few double albums that's worth a damn."
Xanadon't added this to a list 2 years, 7 months ago
"Trent Reznor and Co. are pure genius. This had to be really difficult following up the The Downward Spiral I would imagine. But Trent once again doesn't disappoints.
Essential Listening: "Starf**kers", "Ripe (With Decay)", "Just Like You Imagined""
loveisstatic added this to a list 4 years, 5 months ago
“Many would argue that the crowning achievement of NIN would be The Downward Spiral but I believe anyone who knows the backstory of most of the songs on The Fragile can really get a grip into Reznors mindset during the making of the album. A lot of the songs are about drug addiction and the death of loved ones and that emotion comes pouring out with most of the tracks on the album.
I always get goosebumps when I hear the eerie piano notes of The Frail and the encompassing vocals of The Great Below and I wouldn't have it any other way.” read more
Jessika added this to a list 5 years, 11 months ago
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