Purest Feeling (album)
Purest Feeling is a bootleg of the original demo recordings by Nine Inch Nails, prior to Pretty Hate Machine. It was recorded at the Right Track Studio in November 1988 by Trent Reznor while he was still working as a technician there. It was first released on cassette in 1993 by Dirt Road Tapes, then re-released on CD the following year by Italian label Hawk Records.
The sound is brighter (and in some cases happier) than that of the final versions on Pretty Hate Machine; several songs feature more drumming and guitar work throughout, as well as a heavier use of samples from films. "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 exclusive to the bootleg and are not found on any Nine Inch Nails release.
Purest Feeling also features the full lyrics cut from the final versions of songs later released on Pretty Hate Machine; Reznor chose to print the full lyrics in the Pretty Hate Machine booklet to retain some of the original meanings of his songs.
Live performances in October and November 1988 during Nine Inch Nails' first shows opening for Skinny Puppy on the VIVIsectVI Tour feature songs as they were recorded for Purest Feeling, including "Maybe Just Once" and "Twist."
The cover artwork for the 1994 Hawk release is a portion of the fire background from the Broken cover art, with three photos of Reznor performing live at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California, on July 26, 1991.
Ron Musarra, who drums on this recoding, shared the following in a YouTube comment: "This is a recording of us live in the studio {Right Track} rehearsing for an upcoming tour, I played drums, you can hear me count us in... Gretsch 14" chrome over wood snare, 20" kik/ Simmons pads triggering an Emax, Paiste cymbals, Sean Beavan in the control room engineering."
Track Listing
- "Slate (Intro)" – 2:21
- "Sanctified" – 5:31
- "Maybe Just Once" – 5:16
- "The Only Time" – 5:12
- "Kinda I Want To" – 4:48
- "That's What I Get" – 4:39
- "Purest Feeling" – 2:57
- "Twist" – 5:48
- "Down In It" – 6:20