Option 30 was founded in 1982 by TK Smith on guitars and vocals, Jim Nordstrom on bass and saxophone, Todd Nero on drums, and teenager Trent Reznor as a vocalist and keyboardist. Following Reznor's departure from the band in 1984, Option 30 continued as a trio until their split in 1986.
Option 30
The band has only released one album consisting of demos from 1983, except for a live recording of "Ice House." The album was re-released in 1997 by Shriek Records, with bonus interview clips with the band from 1984. Soon after a Nine Inch Nails fan website linked to the Shriek Records website, it vanished; only 1000 copies were pressed, and they are extremely hard to find.
Despite his later career, Reznor had little songwriting input; all songs were written by Smith and Nordstrom, with the exception of "Ice House" (a cover of a song by the band Icehouse), "Lies" (a cover of a song by The Thompson Twins), and "Der Kommissar" (a cover, with English lyrics, of a song by Falco).
Track listing
- "Ice House" – 4:24
- "Edinboro radio interview" – 1:17
- "Time & Chance" – 3:23
- "Interview" – 3:13
- "Abomination" – 3:02
- "Interview" – 1:50
- "Der Kommissar" – 4:11
- "Interview" – 4:30
- "Lies" – 3:19
- "Interview" – 2:54
- "Just Out Enough to be In" – 2:43
- "Equal Rights" – 3:57
- "Old Habits Die Hard" – 3:09
- "Interview" – 1:10
- "Pandora's Box" – 4:02