Broken Machine, The (A Tribute To Nine Inch Nails) - Various Artists

Can't Fix This Broken Machine

Advantages: Four NIN classics, plus two good bonus tracks
Disadvantages: The short length, and tracks 7-97

It wasn't really until Trent Reznor's masterpiece 'The Downward Spiral' that Nine Inch Nails dethroned Ministry as the largest industrial band on the planet. 'Broken' wasn't really a full release, but a stop-gap EP to fill the five year gap between that and the 1989 debut ('Pretty Hate Machine'). Only six tracks are listed, two of which are relatively short instrumentals. The other four are, however, all classics, and there are two 'hidden' bonus tracks too, which are worth a listen. Tracks 7-97 each consist of a three second silence, before we get to these extra songs - a cover of Adam Ant's 'Physical' and 'Suck' (which I'll get to later). Since there aren't many songs, I'll say a bit about each - I'll keep it short though, because otherwise I'll just be repeating myself (they are rather the same). 'Wish' is a catchy little ...

a-true-ben 21.09.2003 · Read full review
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Review of Broken - Nine Inch Nails

Nine inch nails by the numbers

Advantages: clever, some good tracks, good sound manipulation
Disadvantages: dull, to much arty crap, not enough good songs, go's on and on

Having been a huge nine inch nails fan since the Pretty Hate Machine album in some ways i really feel like i have to like this album as it is a monumental acheivement but when it comes down to it, it's going to be one of those albums that i want to like but i'm never going to listen to. Basically this is because it's dull. For how long can Trent Reznor keep on producing this kind of 'nine inch nails by the numbers' music, it seems to have come down to some kind of formula on this album. It also occurs to me that this world of misery and self abuse that he would like to make out that he lives in is starting to wear a little thin by now. On Pretty Hate Machine and Broken i sincerely believed in what he was saying as in a lot of ways i felt the same but as the biggest star of industrial music are we still meant to believe that he lives this ...

crustypaul 08.03.2001 · Read full review
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Review of The Fragile - Nine Inch Nails

Musical Therapy Part 1 Channel the Anger

Advantages: If you're in the mood it's great - 5 stars!
Disadvantages: If not it's a touch 1 dimensional, 2 stars.

Music is the ultimate. I’m sure if they gave it a chance it would stop wars. Maybe. Anyway, in this mini series of ops I’m going to be paying tribute to a few of my favourite mood enhancing albums. Part One - Anger The flame covered Broken by Nine Inch Nails (Henceforth referred to as NIN) is quite possibly the angriest album ever recorded. And I’m talking proper, deep, burning anger. Not Slipknot style ‘my parents won’t let me smoke’ anger. Recorded way back in 1992 a lot of the anger is directed at NIN’s former record label, TVT (Who kindly charge great amounts for the first NIN album – hence me not owning it) and their treatment of the band. Like a lot of NIN’s releases there is a companion ‘version’ CD of Broken, amusingly titled – Fixed. I’ll be ...

yhwman 02.06.2001 · Read full review
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Review of Broken - Nine Inch Nails