Pretty Hate Machine

Pretty Hate Machine's album cover.

Pretty Hate Machine (represented in the NIN discography as Halo 2) is the first LP by Nine Inch Nails. The first single off of the album, "Down In It", was released on September 27, 1989 while the album was released on October 20, 1989 and was a critical success.

It received radio airplay for the afforementioned "Down in It" (Halo 1) as well as subsequent singles "Head Like a Hole" (Halo 3) and "Sin" (Halo 4).

Recording

Working nights at Right Track Studio as a handyman and toilet cleaner[1], Trent Reznor used studio "down time" to record and develop his own music. Playing most of the keyboards, drum machines, guitars, and samplers himself, he recorded a demo.

Teaming up with manager John A. Malm, Jr. they sent the demo to various record labels. Reznor received serious offers from many of them. He signed a deal with TVT Records who, until then, were known mainly for releasing novelty and television jingle records.

Pretty Hate Machine was then recorded in various studios around the world with Reznor collaborating with some of his most idolized producers - Flood, Keith LeBlanc, Adrian Sherwood, and John Fryer.

Subsequent Touring

The album also gained popularity through word-of-mouth and developed an underground following. Reznor quickly hired a band for touring with The Jesus and Mary Chain, including guitarist and future Filter frontman Richard Patrick. NIN's live set was notorious for louder, more aggressive versions of the studio songs, and also for destroying their instruments at the end. Reznor preferred using the heel of his boots to strip the keys from expensive keyboards.

Purest Feeling

Since the album was released, a recording known as Purest Feeling surfaced. This bootleg album contains the original demo recordings of most of the tracks found on PHM, as well as a couple that were not used ("Purest Feeling" and "Maybe Just Once").

Tributes

The entire album was covered by a string quartet in 2005 as The String Quartet Tribute to Nine Inch Nails' Pretty Hate Machine, arranged by Eric Gorfain.

Rykodisc Re-Release

Pretty Hate Machine went out of print through TVT Records, but was reissued by Rykodisc Records on November 22, 2005 with slight changes in the packaging. Reznor had expressed an interest in creating a "deluxe edition" with surround sound remastering and new/rare remixes, similar to the re-release of The Downward Spiral. Rykodisc liked the idea, but not enough to pay Reznor to do so.

Releases

• TVT Records TVT 2610-1 - 12" Vinyl
• TVT Records TVT 2610-2 - CD
• Rykodisc RLP 10836-1 - 12" Vinyl
• Rykodisc RCD 10836 - CD

Track Listing

1. "Head Like a Hole" – 4:59
2. "Terrible Lie" – 4:38
3. "Down in It" – 3:46
4. "Sanctified" – 5:48
5. "Something I Can Never Have" – 5:54
6. "Kinda I Want To" – 4:33
7. "Sin" – 4:06
8. "That's What I Get" – 4:30
9. "The Only Time" – 4:47
10. "Ringfinger" – 5:40