Product Description

Trent Reznor's brainchild, Nine Inch Nails, has had a lasting influence on the alternative rock scene ever since the band rocketed to critical acclaim with PRETTY HATE MACHINE. 1999's THE FRAGILE is a double-CD that boasts 23 tracks of pure energy and creativity. Reznor said of THE FRAGILE, "I wanted to try new things, fully utilising the studio while putting more effort into melody and structure". From song one, it's clear that he's accomplished just this. Tracks like "Intothe Void" are replete with sounds and textures that no NIN album to this point contained.
THE FRAGILE took more thantwo years to put together and includes songs bursting with melody and life. There are graceful and haunting tracks like"La Mer" and "The Great Below" and songs of despair and hopelessness like "Somewhat Damaged" and "No You Don't". Other highlights include "Starfuckers, Inc"., "Where Is Everybody", and "The Day the World Went Away".

Track Listing

Disc 1:

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

Disc 2:

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)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3792 in Music
• Released on: 2001-05-18
• Number of discs: 2
• Formats: Box set, Explicit Lyrics
• Running time: 104 minutes

Customer Reviews

UNDERRATED MASTERPIECE
Its amazing to think that 'The Fragile' divides fans of nin, with some saying its his best and most challenging work and with others unable to appreciate the complex nature of 'The Fragile'.

'The Fragile' was released in 1999 five years after the much loved and highly successful 'The Downward Spiral' into a music world that was dominated at the time by nu metal and boybands. Its release should have really saved us from the world of 35 year old men pretending they were 18, and 18 year olds making a bunch of grey haired men in an office rich. Despite a strong start it faded away quickly, missed by many fans as a result.

The album itself is a double and while most double albums dont make sense, 'The Fragile' would have been lost as single album. The album starts of with 'Somewhat Damaged' which is as heavy as anything Reznors done it then moves onto 'The day the world went away' which sets up the first disc nicely. Both discs have their share of instrumentals which rather than take away from the album really add to the whole feel of it. And this really is the thing about 'The Fragile' its meant to be listened to as whole album.

Reznor even finds time to bait one time friend Marilyn Manson with the superb 'Starf****ers' and with the likes of Dr Dre adding mxing assitance to 'even deeper' and touring members Danny Lohner and Charile Clouser also appearing 'The Fagile' has no real weak points, its not an album your going to love after one brief listen but stick it on from start to finish and you soon will.

blown away...
after having listened to Downward Spiral, followed by With Teeth, Pretty Hate Machine, Broken and Year Zero (in that order)

The Fragile was next...

Can't believe I missed this album, shocking I know it really is a masterpiece and is everybit an extension of the Downward Spiral, genius

It's so good I can't even write anymore, that good...just buy it seriously

Fragility Exposed
It must be said that this album is truly dark, Trent Reznor exposes his darkest thoughts and feelings, and you can almost taste the melanchony in his songs. Songs differ from album to album but in The Fragile, each CD is truly diverse. The first CD, questionably named 'left' rather than the standard '1' or '2' is definately the more 'mainstream' and even then it's very hard to call it that. CD 'right' is more of a gradual decay, with amazing industrial rythms throughout and those same depressing, deep vocals, this album screams desperation.
Overall, immense although I find you need to be in the mood to listen to the entire album, otherwise it seems rather boring. Songs like We're In This Together, and Into the Void can be listened to overand over again, but once more I say, this album is brilliant.