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The sound of the tracks on this recording represent the state of the songs as they existed in October 1988, and translated to a live performance setting with very little preparation (they only had about four days to rehearse). An 8-track reel to reel recorder provided much of the backing tracks, with Musarra playing most of the drum parts live. [[Chris Vrenna]] triggered segue noise and [[samples]], faked some keyboard parts that were tracked, and changed the tapes. Reznor provided vocals and guitar.
Comparing this rehearsal recording to the live performances in October and November 1988 , during Nine Inch Nails' first shows opening for [[Skinny Puppy]] show , shows the same running order (with excisions due to time constraints) and song performances. It is unknown if "Purest Feeling" was ever performed live, although it's possible it may have been at the [[TVT Records|TVT]] Showcase where Soft Cell's "[[Sex Dwarf]]" was performed, due to needing to fill out a longer performance slot.
The overall feel of the songs at this stage is brighter (and in some cases happier) than that of the final versions on ''Pretty Hate Machine''. The live elements, namely drumming, guitar, and samples, give the songs different characteristics from the corresponding studio demo versions from the same period. "Kinda I Want To" is reminiscent of early house music. "Twist" is an early version of "Ringfinger", featuring different lyrics and less use of sample loops. The entire session has segues leading each track into the next. The songs "Maybe Just Once" and "Purest Feeling" are not found on any Nine Inch Nails release.