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[[Image:TDSoriginal.jpg|thumb|Halo 8 - : ''The Downward Spiral''<br />[http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%3Fie%3DUTF8%26x%3D0%26ref_%3Dnb%5Fsb%5Fnoss%26y%3D0%26field-keywords%3Dnine%2520inch%2520nails%2520the%2520downward%2520spiral%26url%3Dsearch-alias%253Daps&tag=thniinnawi-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957 Find on Amazon] - [http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?icep_ff3=9&pub=5574848848&toolid=10001&campid=5336384580&customid=&icep_uq=nine+inch+nails+the+downward+spiral&icep_sellerId=&icep_ex_kw=&icep_sortBy=12&icep_catId=&icep_minPrice=&icep_maxPrice=&ipn=psmain&icep_vectorid=229466&kwid=902099&mtid=824&kw=lg Find on eBay]]][[Image:The_Downward_Spiral_Deluxe_EditionThe_Downward_Spiral.jpg‎|thumb|10th Anniversary Edition (Halo 8 DE - ''The Downward Spiral Deluxe Edition''<br />[http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%3Fie%3DUTF8%26x%3D0%26ref_%3Dnb%5Fsb%5Fnoss%26y%3D0%26fieldHalo 8 DVD-keywords%3Dnine%2520inch%2520nails%2520the%2520downward%2520spiral%26url%3Dsearch-alias%253Daps&tag=thniinnawi-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957 Find on AmazonA) artwork]] - [[httpImage://roverThe_Downward_Spiral_Deluxe_Edition.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?icep_ff3=9&pub=5574848848&toolid=10001&campid=5336384580&customid=&icep_uq=nine+inch+nails+the+downward+spiral&icep_sellerId=&icep_ex_kw=&icep_sortBy=12&icep_catId=&icep_minPrice=&icep_maxPrice=&ipn=psmain&icep_vectorid=229466&kwid=902099&mtid=824&kw=lg Find on eBay]jpg‎|thumb|10th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (Halo 8 DE) with slipcover]]

'''''The Downward Spiral''''' (also known as '''''[[Halo numbers|Halo 8]]''''') is [[Nine Inch Nails]]' second LPstudio album, though it is largely considered the third major release after the ''[[Broken]]'' EP, which consisted of entirely new material. It was released on March 8, 1994. It is likely the most acclaimed and well-known of the band's discography, and is said to have brought "industrial" music to the mainstream. A collection featuring [[Remixes|remixes]] from ''The Downward Spiral'' was released as ''[[Further Down The Spiral]]'' on June 1, 1995. ==Track List==#"[[Mr. Self Destruct]]" – 4:30#"[[Piggy]]" – 4:24#"[[Heresy]]" – 3:54#"[[March Of The Pigs (song)|March Of The Pigs]]" – 2:58#"[[Closer]]" – 6:13#"[[Ruiner]]" – 4:58#"[[The Becoming]]" – 5:31#"[[I Do Not Want This]]" – 5:41#"[[Big Man With A Gun]]" – 1:38#"[[A Warm Place]]" – 3:22#"[[Eraser]]" – 4:54#"[[Reptile]]" – 6:51#"[[The Downward Spiral (song)|The Downward Spiral]]" – 3:58#"[[Hurt (song)|Hurt]]" – 6:15 ===Disc 2 (SACD Rerelease Only)===#"[[Burn (song)|Burn]]" - 5:00#"Closer" (Precursor) - 7:16#"Piggy" (Nothing Can Stop Me Now) - 4:03#"[[A Violet Fluid]]" - 1:04#"[[Dead Souls]]" - 4:53#"Hurt" (Quiet) - 5:08#"[[Closer|Closer To God]]" - 5:05#"[[March Of The Pigs (song)|All The Pigs, All Lined Up]]" - 7:26#"[[Memorabilia]]" - 7:22#"The Downward Spiral" (The Bottom) - 7:32#"Ruiner" (Demo) - 4:51#"[[Reptile|Liar]]" (Reptile Demo) - 6:57#"Heresy" (Demo) - 4:00 The original Japanese release includes "Dead Souls" between "Big Man With A Gun" and "A Warm Place." The double vinyl release splits sides between "March Of The Pigs" and "Closer," "The Becoming" and "I Do Not Want This," and "Eraser" and "Reptile." Rather than completely separating the songs, the transitions are retained: "The Becoming" still contains the fade-in of the "I Do Not Want This" beginning, but fades out; the introduction of "Reptile" is tagged onto the end of "Eraser." ==Instrumentals==The unmastered instrumental versions of almost all the songs on ''The Downward Spiral'' ("Ruiner" and "Big Man With A Gun" were not included) have been made available on [[remix.nin.com]] for streaming and free download. They can be found under the "general playlists" section in the lower right hand corner of the page, in the "featured" subsection.

<blockquote>"I was really into electronic music at the time. [[David Bowie]]'s 'Low' was probably the single greatest influence on 'The Downward Spiral' for me. I got into Bowie in the 'Scary Monsters' era, then I picked up 'Low' and instantly fell for it. I related to it on a song-writing level, a mood level, and on a song-structure level...I like working within the framework of accessibility, and songs of course, but I also like things that are more experimental and instrumental, maybe."''[http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/xart43.shtml]</blockquote>

Reznor set out to make an album that was a departure from the ''[[Broken]]'' EP ("when I went into the studio, I knew that I didn't want to make Broken again"), which he described as "a real hard-sounding record that was just one big blast of anger." Instead, Reznor wanted to create an album "that went in 10 different directions, but that was all united somehow." Reznor brought in a number of guest performers to record, including [[wp:Stephen Perkins|Stephen Perkins]] and [[Adrian Belew]]. Perkins played a number of drum parts that were recorded live in the studio; these tracks were then turned into sample loops. Reznor took a similar approach to recording guitar parts. Reznor would record 20 to 25-minute long sessions of himself playing guitar on a hard disc recorder with a Studio Vision sequencer, then would cut out parts of the recording he found interesting for later use. Reznor said, "99 percent of the stuff we do–even vocals–is recorded into the computer [hard disk] first. We get an arrangement together and then dump it to tape." For "Mr. Self Destruct", Reznor ran the entire mix through the mic pre-amps of several modules plundered from an old Neve board.

An article from ''Sound On Sound '' contains a list of some of the equipment used on the album:

''<blockquote>"...it was during that tour'' ([[Self Destruct Touring CycleTour|Self Destruct]]) ''that problems started to arise. Prior to that I would have considered myself pretty normal. With the Downward Spiral, I can remember where I was in my head, what I was thinking, and I can remember writing that record, and the mindset. This record that was about an extension of me, became the truth fulfilling itself."''</blockquote>

Most fans seem to agree that "[[Closer]]" (noted for its "I want to fuck you like an animal" lyric) has meaning deeper than its surface lyrics (note the desperate dependency expressed by the final line, "you are the reason I stay alive"). The narrator was not exactly modeled after [[Trent Reznor]]'s previous life, though he would later go through his own sort of "downward spiral" during the Fragility tour, battling issues such as drug abuse.

* The ending keyboard melody of "[[Closer]]" is repeated in the climax of "[[The Downward Spiral (song)|The Downward Spiral]]" and the chorus of "[[Heresy]]." A similar piano melody is played at the end of "[[Piggy]]."* The lyric "[[Nothing Can Stop Me Now|nothing can stop me now]]" appears in "[[Piggy]]," "[[Ruiner]]" and "[[Big Man With A Gun]]." The same phrase would recur on later albums in "[[La Mer]]," "[[We're In This Together (halosong)|We're In This Together]]" and "[[Sunspots]]."* Quite a few of the songs end by [[Recurring lyrics|repeating the same line or set of lines]]: "Piggy," "Ruiner," "[[I Do Not Want This]]," "Big Man With A Gun" and "[[Eraser]]." These deviate from the traditional chorus-chorus ending in that these lyrics are introduced near the end, and they are not sung, but rather whispered or yelled.

* "[[Mr. Self Destruct]]" begins with a sample from the 1971 film ''THX 1138.'' It is taken from a scene in which a man is being beaten by a guard depicted on a holographic television. [http://www.discogs.com/release/4404]* The frantic drumming at the end of "[[Piggy]]" played by Reznor himself—his first and only attempt at live drumming on a record, and one of the few "live" drum performances on the album , ([[Stephen Perkins]] on "[[I Do Not Want This]]," [[Andy Kubiszewski]] on "[[The Downward Spiral (song)|The Downward Spiral]]" and [[Chris Vrenna]] on "[[Hurt (song)|Hurt]]"). He states that it was from him testing the mic setup in studio, but he liked the sound too much to not include it. [http://www.9inchnails.com/articles/articles.php?id=6]* "[[Closer]]" uses a heavily modified sample of a kick drum from the song "[[Nightclubbing]]" from ''The Idiot'' album by Iggy Pop. [http://www.9inchnails.com/articles/articles.php?id=6]* "[[A Warm Place]]" is based on the melody from [[David Bowie]]'s 1980 single "Crystal Japan." Some hear it as a complete rip-off, while others argue that from a music theory point of view that the structure has significant differences.*The looping female voice that appears on "[[Reptile]]" (approx. 5:06) is from the 1974 film ''The Texas Chain Saw Massacre''. The strange mechanical sound before the drums start can be found in the movie ''Leviathan'' and the other sounds during all the song are found in ''Aliens'' (the escape in the vessel).

==Re-ReleaseReleases=====10th Anniversary===To mark the album's tenth anniversary, ''The Downward Spiral'' was re-released on November 23, 2004 in two new formats:* As a 2-CD "Deluxe Edition" (labeled [[Halo numbers|Halo 8DE8 DE]]). The first disc is an [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SACD SACD]/CD hybrid featuring the album in high-resolution stereo and 5.1 surround sound. The second disc features various remixes, b-sides, and other non-album tracks that were available around the time of the original release.* As a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DualDisc DualDisc](labeled Halo 8 DVD-A). The CD side features a digitally remastered version of the album. The DVD side includes high-resolution stereo and 5.1 surround sound versions of the album as well as videos for "[[Closer]]" (director's cut), "[[March Of The Pigs (song)|March Of The Pigs]]" and "[[Hurt (song)|Hurt]]" (live). Also included is a gallery of artwork from ''The Downward Spiral'' era (though many photos of ''[[Closure]]'' artwork are also included) and a discography.

===Unmastered Instrumentals===The unmastered instrumental versions of almost all the songs on ''The Downward Spiral'' ("Ruiner" and "Big Man With A Gun" were not included) have been made available on [[remix.nin.com]] for streaming and free download. ===Back To Black Vinyl Re-release===Universal chose, without consulting Trent Reznor, to re-release the vinyl edition of ''The Downward Spiral'' as a part of their ''"Back to Back'' To Black" collection celebrating the 60th anniversary of vinyl. Trent's opinion on this was posted on [[nin.com]]:

==Live=Definitive 2017 Edition Vinyl===All A vinyl reissue was annouced in December 2016 and began shipping in August 2017, with further vinyl reissues of these songs have been played livethe other major NIN releases to follow. Obviously, they were featured during the [[Selfhttp://www.nin.com/nine-inch-nails-records-reissued-Destruct Tour|Self Destruct Tours]vinyl/] <blockquote>"Trent Reznor and NIN art director John Crawford set out to make the “definitive editions” of all the main NIN releases on vinyl. Reznor: 'We want to present the catalog as it was intended to be, with no compromises. That means a careful remastering of the audio from the original sources, a careful and painstaking recreation of the artwork, pristine materials, though some surprises and an insane attention to detail that you probably won’t notice… but it matters to us. No extra bullshit and gimmicks – the “real” records in their truest form available at a reasonable price.'"</blockquote> ==Touring==''For more information, see [[HeresySelf Destruct Touring Cycle]]" was played only once in 1994 and disappeared from live shows until 2007.''

On The album was supported by a major tour that lasted nearly two years. It circled North America a few times and also visited Europe and Australia. The shows were very intense and included well-programmed lighting and very aggressive performances, with many instruments being mangled in the process. A co-headlining leg with David Bowie, referred to as the [[Performance 2007Dissonance]]tour, ''took place in 1995. The Downward Spiral'' era songs received more frequent play time. A particularly extreme example is the tour culminated with a few club dates showcasing artists that were on [[2007/02/15Nothing Records]] show in Madrid, Spain, when ten tracks from . Portions of the tour were documented and released as part one of the ''The Downward SpiralClosure'' were performed, the first seven of which were performed double VHS in their exact order on the album1997.

During ==Live==All of these songs have been played live. Obviously, they were featured during the band's [[2009/08/23 New York, NY|Webster Hall]] performance on August 23, 2009Self-Destruct Tour, the band opened the show by performing the album in its entirety which included the live debut of though "[[A Warm Place]]Heresy" was played only once in 1994 and the first performance of "[[Big Man With a Gun]]" in over 15 years. The same thing happened at the [[2009/09/02 Los Angeles, CA|Hollywood Palladium]] showdisappeared from live shows until 2007.

== Track Listing (original releaseOn the [[Performance 2007]] tour, main disc of DVD-A/SACD/CD rerelease)==''The Downward Spiral'' era songs received more frequent play time. A particularly extreme example is available for download on the [http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=pjokBXbLTmg&offerid=146261.30526388&type=2&subid=0 iTunes] and [http:2007/02/www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00150W1K6?ie=UTF8&tag=thniinnawi-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00150W1K6 Amazon MP315]#"[[Mr. Self Destruct]]" – 4:30#"[[Piggy]]" – 4:24#"[[Heresy]]" – 3:54#"[[March Of The Pigs (song)|March Of The Pigs]]" – 2:58#"[[Closer]]" – 6:13#"[[Ruiner]]" – 4:58#"[[The Becoming]]" – 5:31#"[[I Do Not Want This]]" – 5:41#"[[Big Man With A Gun]]" – 1:38#"[[A Warm Place]]" – 3:22#"[[Eraser]]" – 4:54#"[[Reptile]]" – 6:51#"[[show in Madrid, Spain, when ten tracks from the ''The Downward Spiral (song)|The Downward Spiral]]" – 3:58#"[[Hurt (song)|Hurt]]" – 6:15'' were performed, the first seven of which were performed in their exact order on the album.

===Disc 2 (SACD rerelease only)===#"[[Burn (song)|Burn]]" - 5:00#"[[Closer]]" (Precursor) - 7:16#"[[Piggy]]" (Nothing Can Stop Me Now) - 4:03#"[[A Violet Fluid]]" - 1:04#"[[Dead Souls]]" - 4:53#"During the band's [[Hurt (song)|Hurt]]" (Quiet) - 5:2009/08#"[[Closer/23 New York, NY|Closer To GodWebster Hall]]" - 5:05#"[[March Of The Pigs (song)|All The Pigsperformance on August 23, 2009, All Lined Up]]the band opened the show by performing the album in its entirety which included the live debut of " - 7:26#A Warm Place"[[Memorabilia]]and the first performance of " - 7:22#Big Man With a Gun"[[in over 15 years. The Downward Spiral (song)|The Downward Spiral]]" (The Bottom) - 7:32#"same thing happened at the [[Ruiner]]" (Demo) - 4:51#"[[Reptile2009/09/02 Los Angeles, CA|LiarHollywood Palladium]]" (Reptile Demo) - 6:57#"[[Heresy]]" (Demo) - 4:00show.

==Artwork==[[Image:TDSinnercover.jpg|thumb|''The original Japanese release includes "Downward Spiral'' inner cover art]]On his website[http://www.russellmills.com/mills/installations/committere.html], [Dead Souls[Russell Mills]]" between "Big Man With a Gun" explained the ideas and materials used for the paintings that became the album cover and "A Warm Placethe inner cover/j-card insert."

The double vinyl release splits sides between About "Wound"March of (used for the Pigsalbum cover):<blockquote>" and "CloserI had been thinking about making works that dealt with layers, physically," "The Becoming" materially and "conceptually. I Do Not Want This," wanted to produce works that were about both exposure and revealing and "Eraser" at the same dealt with closure and "Reptilecovering." Rather than completely separating Given the nature of the lyrics and the power of the songsmusic I was working with, I felt justified in attempting to make works that alluded to the transitions are retained: "The Becoming" still contains apparently contradictory imagery of pain and healing. I wanted to make beautiful surfaces that partially revealed the fade-in visceral rawness of open wounds beneath. The mixed media work Wound was the "first piece I Do Not Want This" beginning, but fades out; tackled in this vein (no pun intended) and it became the introduction cover of "Reptile" the album. It is tagged onto the end made of "Eraserplaster, acrylics, oils, rusted metals, insects, moths, blood (mine), wax, varnishes, and surgical bandaging on a wooden panel."</blockquote>

==Cover Art==About "Future Echoes" (used for the inner cover):Russell Mills explained <blockquote>"At the time of this commission I had also been reading and researching into ideas about transformation, transmutation and materials that made regeneration. I was interested in how a line of willow poles used as fence posts could come back to life to start growing as trees again (Rupert Sheldrake). Similarly Seamus Heaney’s poem ‘Requiem for the Croppies’ which relates to a true event in Irish history filled me with tears and wonder. In it Heaney describes how during the early part of the 20th century a group of farmers to the North of Dublin gathered in a field to march on Dublin to protest at yet more draconian taxes being imposed by the occupying English powers. The English had been tipped off and were in place hiding around the field where the farmers met. The farmers were ambushed, shot down and buried in a mass grave. The farmers had in their pockets barley seeds to chew on during the proposed march. The following year a crop of barley sprang up out of the painting (titled "Wound") that grave where they had fell. At the back of my mind were also thoughts of the rebuilding of Europe after the 2nd World War, physically and politically. I remembered seeing film footage of women in Berlin, scavenging for bricks in the ruins, creating a daisy chain, passing bricks from one to the other in order to rebuild new houses out of the debris.<br>I was used also interested in how organic matter can provide clues for past lives and past events. One hair from a human head carries enough DNA for the cover:that person to be identified. Similarly our teeth, which, after death, survive longer than any other part of our bodies, are carriers of intimate details of past lives.<br><br>The piece I made focuses on teeth and their associative potential. A row of teeth is embedded in flows of salt crystals. Salt corrodes all but gold and glass; it is destructive as well as preservative."</blockquote>

<blockquote>"I had been thinking about making works that dealt with layers, physically, materially and conceptually. I wanted to produce works that were about both exposure and revealing and at The typeface used is DINEngschrift in lowercase (the same dealt with closure and covering. Given the nature of the lyrics typeface was used on ''[[Hesitation Marks]]'' and the power of the music I was working with, I felt justified in attempting to make works that alluded to the apparently contradictory imagery of pain and healing. I wanted to make beautiful surfaces that partially revealed the visceral rawness of open wounds beneath. all caps on ''[[The mixed media work Wound was the first piece I tackled in this vein Perfect Drug (no pun intendedhalo) and it became the cover of the album|The Perfect Drug]]''. It is made of plaster, acrylics, oils, rusted metals, insects, moths, blood (mine), wax, varnishes, and surgical bandaging on a wooden panel."[http://www.russellmills.com/mills/installations/committere.html]</blockquote>

*Additional engineering: [[Sean Beavan]], Chris Vrenna, Alan Moulder, Bill Kennedy, Biran Brian Pollack, John Aguto

*Original package: [[Gary Talpas]]*Deluxe Edition /DualDisc package: Rob Sheridan<br>

*[[Stephen Perkins]] appears courtesy of Warner Bros. Records, Inc.

*Thank you: Interscope; Jimmy Iovine; Silvia Garcia; Susie Tallman; [[Peter Christopherson]]; Rick Rubin; Missy Worth; Brian Warner and [[Marilyn Manson (musician)|Marilyn Manson]]; [[Brian Liesegang]]; the temporarily displaced Richard Bugg; Coco-Puff; Scott Hasson; Mark Tindle, Mike Morongell, Shelly Yakus and A&M; Cally, Jamie Spencer, Mark Marot, Chris Blackwell and Island UK; Paul Connolly; Alex Kochan; Ian Flooks; Mark Blasquez, Sean Wilhelmsen and Nadine's; Opcode Systems; Pat Stolpz, Martin Arthurs and Amek; Joseph Cultice; Handy Andy; Martina Marina Chavez; Walter Cessna; Tina Montalbano; Carol Davis<br>

===Deluxe Edition & DualDisc Credits===

*Audio asset coordination: Michael Michel Etchart<br><br>*Executive Producers for DVD-Audio: Courtney Holt, Jim Belcher, Paul Bishow*Supervising Producer: Shari Young*Producer for DVD-Audio: KamranV<br>*Photography and Design for DVD-Audio Menus and Gallery: Rob Sheridan<br>*Additional DVD-Audio Art Design by The DZN Group (www.dzngroup.com)*DVD-Audio Authoring: Paul Angeli, DVD Labs<br>*"Closer": Directed by [[Mark Romanek]]*"March Of The Pigs": Directed by Peter Christopherson*"Hurt": Directed by Simon Maxwell

*[http://portraitofdecay.net/tds.nin.com/index2.html tds.nin.com(archived at Portrait of Decay)]

*[http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/sep12/articles/classic-tracks-0912.htm ''Sound On Sound'' article about the album and "Closer"]*[http://nincatalog.com/index.asp?halo=8 the-downward-spiral/ ''The Downward Spiral'' at nincatalog.com]