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Nine Inch Nails, the industrial miracle project of musical genius Trent Reznor, have decided to follow the enormous success of both the triple-disc release 'The Fragile' and the immense 'Fragility' tours by releasing a live album, the second such offering by the Cleveland-based band.
In 1999, NIN played the (instantly sold-out) 013 in Tilburg as part of the first leg of shows after the release of the stunning 'The Fragile'. This high-tech, superbly orchestrated and choreographed show had amongst its highlights a baffling motion picture show halfway through the set, when the band played behind a movie screen displaying images of the sea and the creation of life. The gig was full of contrasts, combining this intermezzo with well-known NIN anthems, and the closer 'Hurt' did in fact hit many a nerve for a lot of spectators.
Within a year's time, NIN played again in the lowlands, this time around at the Rock Werchter festival in Belgium. And unlike the beautifully designed and staged set we had seen before, this was back to the 'Self Destruct' tour of 1993-1994. Examples of the live experience NIN offered then are found on the video 'Closure'. Band mates bashing instruments and each other made these shows physical and somewhat horrific. The band dressed in black, torn-up clothing, all ragged, with their faces covered with slashes of white and black make-up, NIN looked like a bunch of miners. As NIN took the stage at Werchter the crowd knew it was in for a rocking show, no prisoners taken.
Now, from these contrasting sets, NIN have taken the effort to compile a live CD, released in different formats. 'And All That Could Have Been' has been released as a single CD in a brownish digipack and as a stunningly beautiful 2CD set in a special gray textile package. This quite expensive set is worth every penny, although it has to be said that the bonus second disc, called 'Still', can be ordered separately from NIN's official website.
Disc one of Halo 17 features the live set compiled from various live recordings made during the US tour on 'The Fragile', called 'Fragility v.2.0'. What becomes apparent right from the very beginning from listening to this record is the astonishing live audio mix Reznor and co-mixers have been able to achieve. Apart from Trent's vocal delivery, oftentimes more emotional and screaming when compared to the album's versions, the band's performance is shockingly like the final album cuts. Experiencing NIN live is seeing and hearing the tracks so well-known from all Halo releases being presented with ear and eye for every little detail. This is not to say that NIN slavishly follow the release versions. No, oftentimes there are hard-edged sounds and new elements introduced, but all in all NIN are one of the tightest-playing acts on the live circuit. (Tool might be a close second.) This might be surprising, even more so because the live band doesn't contribute to the studio efforts. These mostly amount to Trent meticulously compiling all of the sounds he wants and molding them into the product the Master himself thinks right.
Back to the CD. Heavily relying on the rock anthems, it opens with a blast (also to blame on the strange and - in my humble opinion - bad, absent opening fade-in) with 'Terrible Lie', immediately mutilating the speakers. The way is then paved to move on to 'March Of The Pigs' with the addition of the remix part of 'All The Pigs All Lined Up'. On track five, the beautiful pair of 'The Frail ? The Wretched' appears. The piano part of 'The Frail' subtly leads into the pounding drum of 'The Wretched'. This epic haunting track with screaming guitars is, in fact, the show-off of all the emotional, musical, and dynamic ranges NIN are able to cover. From the 'Broken' EP the brutish, plain, animalistic moshpit reality of 'Gave Up' shifts gear. Strangely omitting some tracks here (apparently to fit the set onto one disc), the CD continues with the mellow part (played behind the screen) in the shape of 'The Great Below' and 'The Mark Has Been Made'. Too short to balance the live set very well, as well as it was done at the shows, this couple is quickly followed up by 'Wish', again from 'Broken' and even 'Suck', a bonus track from this EP and a very early NIN track.
'Closer' opens the encores, taking us past Halo 2's 'Head Like A Hole' hit single, the set ends with 'The Downward Spiral''s bottom-end track 'Hurt'. This song, released in many versions over the years and even played live with David Bowie sharing vocals with Trent when NIN was opening for Bowie during the 1995 '1. Outside' US Tour, is a strong favorite of mine and still manages to send shivers down my spine every time I hear it.
With the sound mix being so good, there is little to no irritation concerning this matter, which is pretty special, considering this is a live CD. However, the brutal fade-in/fade-out could do with a more gentle approach. Also, the Enormodrome American arena size of these shows is quite audible in the screaming mixed in even during the songs. Whether this is a pro or a con is up to personal judgment. For a live album, it might add some depth to the recording. The biggest con, however, is the compromised setlist. It was the interlude of hushed tracks set to the heavy industrial tracks that made the live NIN performances so very special. This disc lacks this tension of the extremes of 'The Beauty And The Beast'.
The 2CD set manages to bring this needed contrast. The second part, 'Still', opens with a piano-and-vocals version of 'Pretty Hate Machine''s 'Something I Can Never Have'; delivered with such passion and yet so restrained, the subsurface tension is almost intolerable. This discrepancy between the clear, subtle, hushed top layer and implied content makes this quiet version stand out even more than on the album, the same way 'Hurt' does at the end of a live NIN set.
'Still' also carries new tracks from 'The Fragile' sessions. Whether demos or new, these tracks are very much originated from or inspired by a session NIN did at Chicago's CRC, playing their tracks in a stripped-down, acoustic fashion. Working on the themes of 'The Fragile' piano scores, these tracks serve as tracks on their own, much more than being interludes. There is really no failure on this short disc. 'The Fragile' lead to six sides full of vinyl, and this inspiration brought along even more great, passionate, and - strangely enough - piano-based compositions of very high musical and emotional quality. This 'Still' disc is the best balance point that an industrial, heavy act like NIN can offer to their otherwise rather loud music: a balance, it has to be said, NIN manage to achieve on their other releases too.
So, all in all, 'And All That Could Have Been' and 'Still' bring the best review NIN could give their fans after all of these years of incredible music. For the diehard fan, the live disc will not live up to the live experience. And for the NIN starters, this release (basically only the first disc) will serve as some kind of Greatest Hits compilation. The versions are so close to the album, the live take doesn't hurt the songs, while favourites of NIN are all present. With the absence of a real Greatest Hits release, 'And All That Could Have Been' fills this void perfectly.
Balance, often an issue neglected by bands playing so-called loud music, between raw and powerful rock and intimate moments of contemplation, is certainly provided within this 2CD set. The story of 'The Beauty And The Beast' in around 100 minutes. For all to hear. Now it is just a matter of waiting to see the splendour and savagery of the NIN live shows with the double DVD release in the hopefully near future.
http://www.kindamuzik.net/recensie/nine-inch-nails/live-and-all-that-could-have-been/1454/
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