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The Fragile (halo)

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Halo 14 - The Fragile

The Fragile (also known as Halo 14), released on September 21, 1999, is the fourth studio album by Nine Inch Nails.

The album features a rich array of electronic beats, ambient noise, and heavy guitar. While it received critical acclaim from many, it did not receive the commercial success that its predecessor, The Downward Spiral, did (attributed variously to the difference in musical climate, and insufficient promotion by Interscope Records).

Before the release of this full-length, the single "The Day The World Went Away" was released; following The Fragile's release, "We're In This Together" was released. A remix CD featuring several songs from The Fragile was released as Things Falling Apart.

The Fragility 2.0 tour was filmed and released as "And All That Could Have Been" on DVD and VHS. It was also released as a CD which was eventually combined with an extension called Still.

Contents

  • 1 10th anniversary Reissue
  • 2 Trent Reznor on The Fragile
  • 3 Track Listing
    • 3.1 CD Release
      • 3.1.1 Left
      • 3.1.2 Right
    • 3.2 Vinyl Release
      • 3.2.1 Disc one
        • 3.2.1.1 Side A
        • 3.2.1.2 Side B
      • 3.2.2 Disc two
        • 3.2.2.1 Side C
        • 3.2.2.2 Side D
      • 3.2.3 Disc three
        • 3.2.3.1 Side E
        • 3.2.3.2 Side F
      • 3.2.4 Differences to the CD version
    • 3.3 Cassette Release
      • 3.3.1 Tape one
      • 3.3.2 Tape two
  • 4 Cover Art
  • 5 Personnel
  • 6 Album Credits
  • 7 External links

10th anniversary Reissue

In a Question and Answer session with NIN fans, Reznor hinted at the reissue of The Fragile for early 2010, a statement repeated via the official twitter account, calling it an "Ultimate reissue".

Trent Reznor on The Fragile

Reznor described The Fragile in a 1999 interview:

"There's a general theme to the album of systems failing and things sort of falling apart. In keeping with the idea of making everything sound a little broken, I chose stringed instruments because they're imperfect by nature. Although it may not sound like it, most of the album is actually guitar - and that includes the orchestral sounds and weird melodic lines. When it came to instruments that I didn't really know how to play - like the ukulele or the slide guitar - we were able to get some really interesting sounds by making the studio the main instrument."

—Reznor [1]

In terms of narrative, the album is an unofficial continuation of The Downward Spiral. Reznor compares the lyrical content of the two albums:

"I wanted this album to sound like there was something inherently flawed in the situation, like someone struggling to put the pieces together. Downward Spiral was about peeling off layers and arriving at a naked, ugly end. This album starts at the end, then attempts to create order from chaos, but never reaches the goal. It’s probably a bleaker album because it arrives back where it starts—[with] the same emotion.” The album begins “Somewhat Damaged” and ends “Ripe [With Decay]."

—Reznor [2]

Track Listing

CD Release

Left

  1. "Somewhat Damaged"
  2. "The Day The World Went Away"
  3. "The Frail"
  4. "The Wretched"
  5. "We're In This Together"
  6. "The Fragile"
  7. "Just Like You Imagined"
  8. "Even Deeper"
  9. "Pilgrimage"
  10. "No, You Don't"
  11. "La Mer"
  12. "The Great Below"

Right

  1. "The Way Out Is Through"
  2. "Into The Void"
  3. "Where Is Everybody?"
  4. "The Mark Has Been Made"
  5. "Please"
  6. "Starfuckers, Inc."
  7. "Complication"
  8. "I'm Looking Forward To Joining You, Finally"
  9. "The Big Come Down"
  10. "Underneath It All"
  11. "Ripe (With Decay)"

Vinyl Release

Disc one

Side A
  1. "Somewhat Damaged" – 4:31
  2. "The Day the World Went Away" – 5:01
  3. "The Frail" – 1:54
  4. "The Wretched" – 5:36
Side B
  1. "We're in This Together" – 7:17
  2. "The Fragile" – 4:35
  3. "Just Like You Imagined" – 3:49
  4. "Even Deeper" – 6:14

Disc two

Side C
  1. "Pilgrimage" – 3:41
  2. "No, You Don't" – 3:35
  3. "La Mer" – 5:02
  4. "The Great Below" – 5:17
Side D
  1. "The Way Out Is Through" – 4:17
  2. "Into the Void" – 4:49
  3. "Where Is Everybody?" – 5:40
  4. "The Mark Has Been Made" – 4:43

Disc three

Side E
  1. "10 Miles High" – 5:13
  2. "Please" – 3:30
  3. "Starfuckers, Inc." – 5:00
  4. "Complication" – 2:30
  5. "The New Flesh" – 3:40
Side F
  1. "I'm Looking Forward to Joining You, Finally" – 4:20
  2. "The Big Come Down" – 4:12
  3. "Underneath It All" – 2:46
  4. "Ripe" – 5:15

Differences to the CD version

Many of the tracks on the vinyl release differ from the CD equivalent:

  • "The Day the World Went Away" has a longer guitar intro
  • "The Wretched" has an extended outro
  • "Even Deeper" features an elongated middle section
  • "La Mer" has a longer intro and an extended ending with more speech samples
  • "Pilgrimage" does not fade in, but rather begins building without any volume adjusting
  • "The Mark Has Been Made" does not feature the introduction of "10 Miles High" fading in at the end (the hidden bit of music in the pre-gap of "Please" on the CD version)
  • "I'm Looking Forward to Joining You, Finally" features an extra bar of strings and an extra bar of percussion before the lyrics
  • "Ripe" does not include the "With Decay" ending section, but rather fades out as the slinking guitars play the main riff
  • "The Wretched," "We're in This Together," "Even Deeper," "Pilgrimage," "The Mark Has Been Made," "10 Miles High," "The New Flesh," and "I'm Looking Forward to Joining You, Finally" all do not crossfade as on the CD version, because these songs either end or begin their respective sides

Cassette Release

Tape one

  1. "Somewhat Damaged" – 4:31
  2. "The Day the World Went Away" – 4:33
  3. "The Frail" – 1:54
  4. "The Wretched" – 5:25
  5. "We're in This Together" – 7:16
  6. "The Fragile" – 4:35
  7. "Just Like You Imagined" – 3:49
  8. "Even Deeper" – 5:47
  9. "Pilgrimage" – 3:31
  10. "No, You Don't" – 3:35
  11. "La Mer" – 4:37
  12. "The Great Below" – 5:17

Tape two

  1. "The Way Out Is Through" – 4:17
  2. "Into the Void" – 4:49
  3. "Where Is Everybody?" – 5:40
  4. "The Mark Has Been Made" – 5:15
  5. "Please (+appendage)" – 6:19
  6. "Starfuckers, Inc." – 5:00
  7. "Complication" – 2:30
  8. "I'm Looking Forward to Joining You, Finally" – 4:13
  9. "The Big Come Down" – 4:12
  10. "Underneath It All" – 2:46
  11. "Ripe (With Decay)" – 6:34

Cover Art

 
David Carson's explanatory image of The Fragile covers

A look through David Carson's book Fotografiks reveals that the top section of the album cover is from a photo of a waterfall and the bottom section is from a closeup photo of the inside of some kind of seashell. He explained further in an image on his website:

"packaging for trent reznor, back was going to be the front till the last moment. trent changed it saying it was kinda irritating yet something about it we liked so maybe it fit the music. front cover flowers i shot outside of austin texas. the 1 hour place called and said they messed up and used the wrong chemicals and the film was ruined. i said lemme see em anyway. this is how they came out. cover image is a waterfall in iceland and a seashell in the west indies."

—David Carson

Personnel

  • Tom Baker - Mastering
  • Adrian Belew - Guitars ("Just Like You Imagined," "The Great Below," "Where Is Everybody?")
  • Heather Bennet - Vocals (Background)
  • Paul Bradley - Programming
  • Buddha Boys Choir - Choir, Chorus, Chant
  • Buddha Debutante Choir - Vocals (Background)
  • Di Coleman - Vocals (Background)
  • Charlie Clouser - Programming, Atmosphere, Synthesizers
  • Melissa Daigle - Vocals (Background)
  • Paul DeCarli - Programming
  • Jerome Dillon - Drums (on "We're In This Together")
  • Dr. Dre - Mixing Assistant (on "Even Deeper")
  • Bob Ezrin - Album Sequencing Assistant
  • Mike Garson - Piano (on "Just Like You Imagined", "The Way Out Is Through" and "Ripe (With Decay)")
  • Page Hamilton - Guitar (on "No, You Don't")
  • Tracy Hardin - Vocals (Background)
  • Leo Herrera - Engineer
  • Keith Hillebrandt - Programming, Choir, Chorus, Sound Design
  • Danny Lohner - Drum Programming, Ambiance, Synthesizers, Guitar on "Somewhat Damaged", "Just Like You Imagined", "The Great Below", "Complication"
  • Clint Mansell - Choir, Chorus
  • Alan Moulder - Producer, Engineer, Mixing
  • Dave Ogilvie - Engineer
  • Brian Pollack - Engineer
  • Trent Reznor - Vocals, Guitars, Cello, Piano, Synthesizers, Programming, Producer
  • Elquine Rice - Vocals (Background)
  • Terry Rice - Vocals (Background)
  • Bill Rieflin - Drums (on "La Mer")
  • Barbara Wilson - Vocals (Background)
  • Leslie Wilson - Vocals (Background)
  • Steve Duda - Programming, Choir, Chorus, Percussion, Violin
  • Eric Edmonson - Choir, Chorus
  • Cherry Holly - Trumpet
  • Doug Idleman - Choir, Chorus
  • Marcus London - Choir, Chorus
  • Denise Milfort - Vocals (on "La Mer")
  • Judy Miller - Vocals (Background)
  • Gary I. Neal - Vocals (Background)
  • Matthew Nicholls - Vocals (Background)
  • Christine Parrish - Vocals (Background)
  • Adam Persaud - Choir, Chorus
  • Martha Prevost - Vocals
  • M. Gabriela Rivas - Vocals (Background)
  • Nick Scott - Choir, Chorus
  • Rodney Sulton - Vocals (Background)
  • Stefani Taylor - Vocals (Background)
  • Nigel Wiesehan - Choir, Chorus
  • Willie - Cello
  • Martha Wood - Vocals (Background)

Album Credits

  • Writing and performance: Trent Reznor (except where noted on Song pages)
  • Production: Trent reznor, Alan Moulder
  • Management: John A. Malm, Jr. for Conservative
  • Engineering and mix: Alan Moulder


  • Final continuity and flow: Bob Ezrin


  • Programming: Keith Hillebrandt, Charlie Clouser, Trent Reznor, Paul Decarli, Steve Duda, Clinton Bradley
  • Second engineering: Brian Pollack
  • Additional engineering: Leo Herrera. Dave “Rave” Ogilvie
  • Supplemental drum recording: Steve Albini at Electical Studio
  • Additional sound design: Keith Hillebrandt, Charlie Clouser, Steve Duda
  • Mastering: Tom Baker at Precision Mastering


Recorded and mixed at Nothing Studios, New Orleans

  • Art direction and design: David Carson
  • Photography: David Carson
  • Artist relations: Jeff Anderson
  • Publicity: Susan Swan for Nothing
  • Legal necessities: Ross Rosen
  • Booking: Alex Kochan for Artist & Audience and Emme Banks for Helter Skelter
  • Merchandising: David "Khan" Johnson for Object
  • Web integration: Rob Sheridan
  • Being there provided by Jerry Meltzer


  • Nine Inch Nails Live: Charlie Clouser, Jerome Dillon, Robin Finck, Danny Lohner, Trent Reznor


  • Thank you for the continuing belief and support: Steve Berman, Chris Blackwell, David Cohen, Ted Field, Jimmy Iovine, Marc Marot, Jacqueline McPherson, Michael S. Toorock, Tom Whalley


  • Thank you very much: Cemal Adiguezel, Gretchen Anderson, Simon Baeyertz, Roy Bennett, Nancy Berry, Michael Blum, Steve Bottomley, David Bowie, Steve "Coco" Brandon, Tim Buckley, Karen Ciccone, Paul Connolly, Melissa Daigle, Daisy May, Renee Dodson, Duane Fogg, Ernie Fortunato, Ken Friedman, Gerry Gerrard, Erin Gilligan, Robert Hales, Toni Halliday, Page Hamilton, Mike Harris, Dan Hill, Doug Idleman, Stuart Issleib, Leslie Kaufman, Martin Kierszenbaum, Sam Kirby, Paris Langford, John Lewis, Tim Lightfoot, Tiffany Luning, Clint Mansell, Denise Milfort, Tina Montalbano, Mike Montero, Chuck Ortner, Dean Parker, Mark Pellington, Lynn Pompey, Gina Pontius, Kim Prevost, Porter Ricks, Rodney Robertson, Lu Rojas, Mark Romanek, Rick Rubin, Barry Sanders, Trish Schultz, Nick Scott, Winston Simone, Jeff Slippen, Nick Stern, Rick Szekelyi, Tony Thompson, Tomato, Bob Uzzo, Ed Vigueira, Larry Weinstein, Nigel Wiesehan, Angele Ylisastigui, Dawn Zillich, Sioux Zimmerman, Aqua Marine, Brennan's, Clavia, DigiDesign, Jason Lamb and Dod, eMagic, Sean Wilhelmson and EMU Systems, Rob Timmons and Fernandez, Geoff Farr and GSF Agency, Id Software, Jens Gellhaar, K-Paul's, Brad Strickland and Korg/Parker, Tim Godwin and Line 6, Greg Perry, DK Sweet and Mackie, Musician's Friend (New Orleans), Bill Noll at Neoview, N.O. Music Exchange, Nola, Opcode, Pedalman, Solid State Logic, Sound Chek (New Orleans), Waves, Werlein's Music

External links

  • nin.com
  • The Fragile at nincatalog.com
  • Halo 14 at NINCollector.com
  • discogs.com: The Fragile (US 2xCD)
  • discogs.com: The Fragile (US 3x12")
  • discogs.com: The Fragile (US 2xCassette)
  • Disinfo.com: A listener's guide to 'The Fragile'


Discography
Previous release - "The Day The World Went Away" Halo number: 14 Next release - "We're In This Together"
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