17 August 2009

MM Vol 2 - 083 - Nine Inch Nails


MM Vol 2 #083

Nine Inch Nails

"Closer"

(1994)
.
.
................Genre: Industrial Rock...............
were you there?
Yes, it's deep, it's dark, sexually debase, gratification unlimited and debauchery all rolled into one song ...... and yup .... it is one hell of a song. The song and video was banned from all media here in New Zealand in 1994, in-fact [but don't quote me on this] but i still think the song is banned to this day. For a laugh [test] i will call a local radio station and see if they will play it as a request [i will keep you posted on that outcome]. I have never heard the song here on NZ radio, nor have i seen the video ... ever. [Well, hopefully by this entry is finished i will be able to find the vid on dailymotion ... uncut!]. This song, in my view, was good enough to make "The Definitive 1000 Songs Of All Time 1955 to 2005" but due to the songs [overall lack of] popularity and sales, it did not make the cut .... which i think is [if not a crying] shame! ~ crowbarred
McFLYYYYYYY!
The Downward Spiral positioned Trent Reznor as industrial's own Phil Spector, painting detailed, layered soundscapes from a wide tonal palette. Not only did he fully integrated the crashing metal guitars of Broken, but several newfound elements -- expanded song structures, odd time signatures, shifting arrangements filled with novel sounds, tremendous textural variety -- can be traced to the influence of progressive rock. So can the painstaking attention devoted to pacing and contrast -- The Downward Spiral is full of striking sonic juxtapositions and sudden about-faces in tone, which make for a fascinating listen. More important than craft in turning Reznor into a full-fledged rock star, however, was his brooding persona. Grunge had the mainstream salivating over melodramatic angst, which had always been Reznor's stock in trade. The left-field hit "Closer" made him a postmodern shaman for the '90s, obsessed with exposing the dark side he saw behind even the most innocuous façades. In fact, his theatrics on The Downward Spiral -- all the preening self-absorption and serpentine sexuality -- seemed directly descended from Jim Morrison.
Not just Reznor yanno
Yet Reznor's nihilism often seemed like a reaction against some repressively extreme standard of purity, so the depravity he wallowed in didn't necessarily seem that depraved. That's part of the reason why, in spite of its many virtues, The Downward Spiral falls just short of being the masterpiece it wants to be. For one thing, fascination with texture occasionally dissolves the hooky songwriting that fueled Pretty Hate Machine. But more than that, Reznor's unflinching bleakness was beginning to seem like a carefully calibrated posture; his increasing musical sophistication points up the lyrical holding pattern. Having said that, the album ends on an affecting emotional peak -- "Hurt" mingles drama and introspection in a way Reznor had never quite managed before. It's evidence of depth behind the charisma that deservedly made him a star. ~ [Steve Huey, All Music Guide]
Closer, whats the happs with the vid?
I wanna F**k you like an animal!
The music video was directed by Mark Romanek and first aired on May 12, 1994, having been filmed in April of that year. It was cut down from its original length to 4:36. The video was popular and helped bolster the success of the band. The video shows events in what appears to be a 19th century-style mad-scientist's laboratory that deal with religion, sexuality, animal cruelty, politics, and terror. It was somewhat controversial due to its imagery, which included a nude woman with a crucifix mask, a monkey tied to a cross, a pig's head spinning on some type of machine, a diagram of a vulva, and Reznor wearing an S&M mask while swinging in shackles. There are also frequent moments where Reznor, wearing leather pants, is floating through the air, suspended by invisible wires. There are also scenes of Reznor wearing aviator goggles being blown back by a wind machine.
The Father and the Holy Monkey???
These images seem to be inspired by the art of Joel-Peter Witkin. The video is also very heavily inspired by the Brothers Quay film "The Street of Crocodiles", with much of the video being a live-action recreation of the sets and scenes from that film. For the television version, certain removed scenes were replaced with a title card that read "Scene Missing," and the instances of the word "fuck" being edited out were accompanied by a stop in the video motion, making it appear as if the stop was a result of defective film (this was done to make sure the flow of the song was not affected). The video has a stylized, old-film look due to Reznor purchasing an old canister of undeveloped film from the early part of the 20th century to record it on. It is also one of two videos directed by Romanek that the Museum of Modern Art has added to its permanent collection. The other is Madonna's "Bedtime Story".
The unedited version of this video was shown on Playboy TV's uncensored music video show Hot Rocks in 1994. In mid-2002, the unedited version of this video was aired on MTV2 as part of a special countdown showcasing the most controversial videos ever to air on MTV. This countdown was only shown late at night due to the graphic imagery of "Closer" and several other videos. ~ [Source: Wikipedia]
For Jim Morrison see Definitive 1000 #729, #746, #851
For Madonna see Definitive 1000 #478, #572, MM Vol 1 #077
This song has a crowbarred rating of 93.7 out of 108
Search Artist here:1-2-3-A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z

crowbarred.com, greatest songs in the world, best 1000 songs of all time, top 1000 songs of all time, best 1000 songs, alltime 1000 songs, the best songs of all time, worlds best songs, greatest songs of all time, the all time greatest songs, 1000 top songs of all time, best 1000 songs, top 1000 pop songs, best rock songs of all time, 1000 classic rock songs,

Labels:

posted by crowbarred at 8:03 pm

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home