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The Downward Spiral (halo) (view source)
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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.jpg|thumb|10th Anniversary Edition (Halo 8 DE / Halo 8 DVD-A) artwork]]
[[Image:The_Downward_Spiral_Deluxe_Edition.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 studio 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==
==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 were made available on [[remix.nin.com]] for streaming and free download. They The site was eventually taken down and they can now be found under the "general playlists" section in the lower right hand corner of the page, in the "featured" subsectionon archive.org.[https://archive.org/search.php?query=creator%3A%22trent_reznor%22]
==Inspiration==
<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>
Pink Floyd's ''The Wall'' was also heavy in Reznor's rotation during the making of the album.[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-apr-10-ca-reznor10-story.html] In a Q+A session before the [[2017/09/15_Chicago,_IL|2017 Riot Fest show]], it was revealed that [[David Lynch]]'s use of sound in his films was an inspiration for the sound design of ''The Downward Spiral''.
==Recording==
<blockquote>"The studio was equipped with a 56-input Amek Mozart console with Rupert Neve modules, two Studer A800 Mk3 multitrack machines, Mac-based Pro Tools and a host of outboard gear, in addition to Akai S1100 and Kurzweil K2000 samplers; Prophet VS, Digidesign Turbosynth, ARP Odyssey, Oberheim Expander, Oberheim OBMx, Roland MKS80 and Minimoog synthesizers; Doepfer and Oberheim sequencers; a Mellotron MKIV polyphonic tape replay keyboard; a Roland R70 drum machine; and assorted Jackson and Gibson guitars."[http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/sep12/articles/classic-tracks-0912.htm]</blockquote>
The Mellotron MKIV used on the album (as well as on ''Broken'') once belonged to John Lennon. Contrary to popular belief, it was not used to record The Beatles' "Strawberry Fields Forever", nor is it owned by Reznor. It was on loan to him from [[Interscope Records]] co-founders Ted Field and Jimmy Iovine.
==Concept and Interpretations==
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 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.
==Writings on the album==
==="A dissertation on The Downward Spiral"===
This is a lengthy interpretation of the album's story written by two men back around 1998. Read it at:
* http://www.4degreez.com/nailz/ninterpretations/downspiral.html with feedback from several fans
* http://web.archive.org/web/20050920110644/http://www.sickamongthepure.com/files/2002/02/TDS/TDS.html archive of the article on [[SickAmongthePure]]
===''Into The Never'' book===
In 2020, author Adam Steiner published a book called ''Into The Never: Nine Inch Nails And The Creation Of The Downward Spiral''. The book's press release states that it "explores the creation and cultural impact of ''The Downward Spiral'', one of the most influential and artistically significant albums of the twentieth century" and features "new interviews with collaborators and artists inspired by the album."
==Recurring themes and styles==
* "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]
* "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). Also, while not a direct sample, the ascending synth melody from 5:13 to 5:20 seems to be a reference to "Laura Palmer's Theme" from the television show ''Twin Peaks''.* "The Becoming" uses screams from the film ''Robot Jox'' and a reversed sample of the phrase "I know who I am" from the film ''Angel Heart''.* "Ruiner" samples pitched-up wind noises from David Lynch's ''The Elephant Man''.* "March Of The Pigs" samples a buried scream from the film ''Sorcerer''.
==Re-Releases==
have no idea what it is or what's on it because the band has had no involvement in it.
The vinyl was released on September 23, 2008, and has the same artwork and track listing as the original 1994 release.
===Definitive 2017 Edition Vinyl===
A vinyl reissue was announced in December 2016 and began shipping in August 2017, with further vinyl reissues of the other major NIN releases to follow.[http://www.nin.com/nine-inch-nails-records-reissued-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, 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>
This edition of the vinyl comes with a booklet containing photos and an essay about the album, written by John Doran. It also remedies the issue of retained song transitions that were split across sides.
==Touring==
==Artwork==
[[Image:Wound.jpg|thumb|"Wound", the basis for the artwork]]
[[Image:TDSinnercover.jpg|thumb|''The Downward Spiral'' inner cover art]]
On his website[http://www.russellmills.com/mills/installations/committere.html], [[Russell Mills]] explained the ideas and materials used for the paintings that became the album cover and the inner cover/j-card insert.
About "Future Echoes" (used for the inner cover):
<blockquote>"At the time of this commission I had also been reading and researching into ideas about transformation, transmutation and 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 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.
I was 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 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.
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>
The typeface used is DINEngschrift in lowercase (the same typeface was used on ''[[Hesitation Marks]]'' and in all caps on ''[[The Perfect Drug (halo)|The Perfect Drug]]''.)
==Album Credits==
*Continuity: Trent Reznor, Chris Vrenna, [[Charlie Clouser]]
*Mastering (1994): Tom Baker at Futuredisc<br>
*All paintings: Russell Mills
*Photography: David Buckland, [[Rob Sheridan]]
*Original package: [[Gary Talpas]]
*Deluxe Edition/DualDisc package: Rob Sheridan<br>
*5.1 mix: James Brown with Trent Reznor
*Assistance: Neal Ferrazzani
*Studio: [[Interscope]] Studios<br><br>
*High-resolution mastering: Bob Ludwig for Gateway Mastering, Portland, Maine<br>
*Publicity: Sioux Zimmerman for Formula
*Booking: Gerry Gerrard for Artists & Audience
*Legal: Michael S. Toorock
*[[Nothing Records]]: Tony Ciulla<br>
*[[Adrian Belew]] appears courtesy of Caroline Records
*Stephen Perkins appears courtesy of Warner Bros. Records, Inc.
*Nine Inch Nails Live 1994–1996: [[Robin Finck]], [[Danny Lohner]], Chris Vrenna, [[James Woolley]], Charlie Clouser<br>
*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; Marina Chavez; Walter Cessna; Tina Montalbano; Carol Davis<br>
We miss you [[Jeff Ward]]<br>
©1994 Leaving Hope/TVT Music, Inc. ASCAP. All rights reserved.
*Booking: Mark Geiger for WMA
*Legal: David Altschul, Ross Rosen
*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
*Photography and Design for DVD-Audio Menus and Gallery: Rob Sheridan
*DVD-Audio Authoring: Paul Angeli, DVD Labs
*"Closer": Directed by [[Mark Romanek]]
*"March Of The Pigs": Directed by Peter Christopherson
*"Hurt": Directed by Simon Maxwell
*Special thanks to: [[Leo Herrera]]; Jeff Anderson; [[Atticus Ross]]; Chandra Lynn and DigiDesign; Andrew Grad, West LA Music; Native Instruments; Tom Ryan, Gateway Mastering; Dave Casey, Apogee Digital; Monique McGuffin; Chuck Reed; Ed Goodreau; Jim Belcher; Vartan; Antone DeSantis; Ramon Galbert, Ingrid Erickson; Lee Edwards; Mike Ragonga; Tanya Grieg<br>
*1–4, 6–8, 10–13 written by Trent Reznor ©1994 Leaving Hope/ TVT Music, Inc. ASCAP. All rights reserved.
*5 written by Ian Curtis, Peter Hook, Bernard Sumner, Stephen Morris; Fractured Music (all rights controlled by Zoma Music Publishers, Ltd., ASCAP/PRS) ©1994 Atlantic Recording Corporation for the United States and WEA International, Inc. for the world outside of the United States
==External links==
*[http://portraitofdecay.net/tds.nin.com/index2.html tds.nin.com]*[http://www.russellmills.com/mills/installations/committere.html Russell Mills on the inspiration behind the artwork for the album(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://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/key394a.shtml ''Keyboard'' Magazine article about the the making of ''The Downward Spiral'']
*[http://nincatalog.com/the-downward-spiral/ ''The Downward Spiral'' at nincatalog.com]
*[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 ''The Downward Spiral'' at 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 ''The Downward Spiral'' at eBay]