The Fragile

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The Fragile
The Fragile cover
Double album by Nine Inch Nails
Released September 21, 1999
Recorded Nothing Studios, New Orleans
Genre Rock
Length 103:38 (CD)
112:20 (12")
106:25 (CS)
Label Nothing Records
Producer(s) Trent Reznor, Alan Moulder
Professional reviews
Nine Inch Nails chronology
Closure
(1997)		 The Fragile
(1999)		 Things Falling Apart
(2000)


The Fragile (also known as Halo 14) is a double album by Nine Inch Nails released in 1999. The Fragile is the fourteenth official Nine Inch Nails release and the band's fourth major release. It was preceded by The Downward Spiral and is followed by With Teeth. The album opened to mixed responses in 1999. The album itself features a rich array of electronic beats, ambient noise, and heavy guitar. From a technical standpoint, the album is quite an achievement. While The Fragile received critical acclaim from many, it did not have the same commercial success as The Downward Spiral.

The first single from The Fragile "The Day the World Went Away" was released several months before the album. The b-side track "Starfuckers, Inc." was included on the final album and became a video single itself. "Starfuckers, Inc." was the only single from The Fragile that saw moderate commercial success as a single and music video.

Reznor described The Fragile in a 1999 interview:

   
The Fragile
 "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."[1]
   
The Fragile

Narratively speaking, the album is an unofficial continuation of The Downward Spiral. Here, Reznor compares the lyrical content of the two albums:

   
The Fragile
 “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].”[2]
   
The Fragile

Prior to its release, Trent Reznor said many things about the direction The Fragile would take and what it would include that did end up happening. In particular, he said that he was very interested in intelligent dance music and that the new album might incorporate this genre.[citation needed]

Contents

[edit] Releases

[edit] Track listing

All songs written by Trent Reznor, except as indicated.

[edit] CD version

[edit] "Left" disc

  1. "Somewhat Damaged" (Trent Reznor/Danny Lohner) – 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" (Trent Reznor/Danny Lohner) – 5:47
  9. "Pilgrimage" – 3:31
  10. "No, You Don't" – 3:35
  11. "La Mer" – 4:37
  12. "The Great Below" – 5:17

[edit] "Right" disc

  1. "The Way Out Is Through" (Trent Reznor/Keith Hillebrandt/Charlie Clouser) – 4:17
  2. "Into the Void" – 4:49
  3. "Where Is Everybody?" – 5:40
  4. "The Mark Has Been Made" – 5:15
  5. "Please" – 3:30
  6. "Starfuckers, Inc." (Trent Reznor/Charlie Clouser) – 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

[edit] Vinyl version

[edit] Disc one

  1. "Somewhat Damaged" (Trent Reznor/Danny Lohner) – 4:31
  2. "The Day the World Went Away" – 5:01
  3. "The Frail" – 1:54
  4. "The Wretched" – 5:36
  5. "We're in This Together" – 7:17
  6. "The Fragile" – 4:35
  7. "Just Like You Imagined" – 3:49
  8. "Even Deeper" (Trent Reznor/Danny Lohner) – 6:14

[edit] Disc two

  1. "Pilgrimage" – 3:41
  2. "No, You Don't" – 3:35
  3. "La Mer" – 5:02
  4. "The Great Below" – 5:17
  5. "The Way Out Is Through" (Trent Reznor/Keith Hillebrandt/Charlie Clouser) – 4:17
  6. "Into the Void" – 4:49
  7. "Where Is Everybody?" – 5:40
  8. "The Mark Has Been Made" – 4:43

[edit] Disc three

  1. "10 Miles High" – 5:13
  2. "Please" – 3:30
  3. "Starfuckers, Inc." (Trent Reznor/Charlie Clouser) – 5:00
  4. "Complication" – 2:30
  5. "The New Flesh" – 3:40
  6. "I'm Looking Forward to Joining You, Finally" – 4:20
  7. "The Big Come Down" – 4:12
  8. "Underneath It All" – 2:46
  9. "Ripe" – 5:15

[edit] Cassette version

[edit] Tape one

  1. "Somewhat Damaged" (Trent Reznor/Danny Lohner) – 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" (Trent Reznor/Danny Lohner) – 5:47
  9. "Pilgrimage" – 3:31
  10. "No, You Don't" – 3:35
  11. "La Mer" – 4:37
  12. "The Great Below" – 5:17

[edit] Tape two

  1. "The Way Out Is Through" (Trent Reznor/Keith Hillebrandt/Charlie Clouser) – 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." (Trent Reznor/Charlie Clouser) – 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

[edit] Personnel

  • Steve Albini - Engineer
  • 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
  • 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 Milfrot - Vocals (on "La Mer")
  • Judy Miller - Vocals (Background)
  • Gary I. Neal - 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)

[edit] Chart positions

[edit] Album

Year Chart Position
1999 The Billboard 200 #1
1999 Top Canadian Albums #2
1999 Top Internet Albums #1
2000 The Billboard 200 #1

[edit] Singles

Year Single Chart Position
1999 "The Day the World Went Away" The Billboard Hot 100 #17
1999 "The Day the World Went Away" Canadian Singles Chart #1
1999 "We're In This Together" Modern Rock Tracks #11
1999 "We're In This Together" Mainstream Rock Tracks #21
1999 "Starfuckers, Inc." Modern Rock Tracks #39
2000 "Into The Void" Modern Rock Tracks #11
2000 "Into The Void" Mainstream Rock Tracks #27
2000 "Into The Void" Canadian Singles Chart #4

[edit] External links


Nine Inch Nails
Trent Reznor
Aaron North | Jeordie White | Alessandro Cortini | Josh Freese
Richard Patrick | Jeff Ward | Chris Vrenna | James Woolley | Robin Finck | Danny Lohner | Charlie Clouser | Jerome Dillon | Alex Carapetis
Discography
Major Releases: Pretty Hate Machine | Broken | Fixed | The Downward Spiral | Further Down the Spiral | Closure | The Fragile | Things Falling Apart | And All that Could Have Been | With Teeth | Beside You in Time
Singles: "Down in It" | "Head Like a Hole" | "Sin" | "Happiness in Slavery" | "Wish" | "March of the Pigs" | "Closer" | "Burn" | "Hurt" | "The Perfect Drug" | "The Day the World Went Away" | "We're in This Together" | "Into the Void" | "Starfuckers, Inc." | "Deep" | "The Hand that Feeds" | "Only" | "Every Day Is Exactly the Same"
Halo index: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 
Related articles
Industrial rock | Live performance | NIN in pop culture | Nothing Records | Purest Feeling | Broken Movie | Option 30 | Exotic Birds | Tapeworm
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