| Pretty Hate Machine | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 20, 1989 (1989-10-20) | |||
| Recorded | May–June 1989 | |||
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 48:42 | |||
| Label | TVT | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Nine Inch Nails chronology | ||||
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| Halo numbers chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Pretty Hate Machine | ||||
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| Alternative cover | ||||
 2010 remastered version cover | ||||
| Audio | ||||
| "Album" playlist onYouTube | ||||
Pretty Hate Machine is the debut studio album by the Americanindustrial rock bandNine Inch Nails, released byTVT Records on October 20, 1989. Since 2011, the album has been released by theBicycle Music Company. FrontmanTrent Reznor sang and performed most of the instruments, also producing the album alongsideKeith LeBlanc,John Fryer andFlood, with a few other contributors.
The album features a heavilysynthesizer-driven electronic sound blended withindustrial androck elements. Much like the band's later work, the album's lyrics contain themes ofangst,betrayal, andlovesickness. The record was promoted with the singles "Down in It", "Head Like a Hole", and "Sin", as well asthe accompanying tour. A remastered edition was released in 2010.
Although the record was successful, reaching No. 75 in the US and receiving highly favorable reviews from critics, Reznor feuded with TVT over promotion of the album and eventually signed withInterscope Records.Pretty Hate Machine was later certified triple-platinum byRIAA, becoming one of the first independently released albums to do so, and was included on several lists of the best releases of the 1980s. In 2020,Rolling Stone rankedPretty Hate Machine at number 453 on its "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" list.
While working nights as ahandyman andengineer at the Right Track Studio inCleveland,Ohio, Reznor used studio "down-time" to record and develop his own music.[1] Playing most of thekeyboards,drum machines,guitars, andsamplers himself, he recorded a demo. Thesequencing was done on aMacintosh Plus.[2] Reznor mainly used anE-mu Emax,Prophet VS,Oberheim Xpander, andMinimoog as synthesizers.[3]
With the help of managerJohn Malm Jr., he sent the demo to variousrecord labels. Reznor received contract offers from many of the labels, but eventually signed withTVT Records, who were known mainly for releasingnovelty and televisionjingle records.Pretty Hate Machine was recorded in various studios with Reznor collaborating with some of his most idolized producers:Flood,Keith LeBlanc,Adrian Sherwood, andJohn Fryer. Much like his recorded demo, Reznor refused to record the album with a conventional band, recordingPretty Hate Machine mostly by himself.
"A lot of it sounds immature to me now," he stated in 1991 of the recordings that were then two years old. "At first it totally sucked. I became completely withdrawn. I couldn't function in society very well. And the LP became a product of that. It's quite small scale, introverted, claustrophobic – that's the feel I went for."[4]
Reznor discussed the recording and touring ofPretty Hate Machine in the April 1990 issue ofKeyboard. He used anE-mu Emax because it produced a high-end buzzing noise when transposing down sounds.[3] Rough and first takes of vocals and guitar were used to contrast the quantized drums and bass.[3] Reznor hated the factory sounds of the Emax but had not transferred anything from his oldEmulator, and used samples from his record collection for all the drum sounds. He initially expected to use real drum sounds when recording the album, but in the end he and the producers merely equalized his drum samples.[3]
After the album was released, a recording known asPurest Feeling surfaced. Thebootleg album contains early rehearsal recordings of many of the tracks featured onPretty Hate Machine, as well as a couple that were not used ("Purest Feeling", "Maybe Just Once", and an instrumental introduction to "Sanctified" called "Slate").[5] These early songs also featuredChris Vrenna (who initially played keyboards/samplers in the band) and original drummer Ron Musarra.[6]
"I wasn't proud of a lot of the things I was saying," Reznor recalled, "but I said to myself, 'Well, no one's going to hear this stuff anyway.' ... The record is honest and that's where its power came from."
Unlike theindustrial music of Nine Inch Nails' contemporaries,Pretty Hate Machine displays catchyriffs andverse-chorus song structures rather than repetitive electronic beats.[8] Reznor's lyrics express adolescent angst and feelings of betrayal by lovers, society, or God.[8] Themes of despair are collocated with lovesick sentiments.[9]Pitchfork's Tom Breihan categorized it as asynth-pop album that was shaped by industrial music's "nascentnew-wave period rather than its subsequent styles."[10] According to Breihan, the beats were muscular, but not in the vein ofmetal orpost-punk, and that the mostrock-inspired song on the album was "Head Like a Hole".[10]
JournalistJon Pareles described the album as "electro-rock orindustrial rock, using drum machines, computerized synthesizer riffs and obviously processed sounds to detail, and usually denounce, an artificial world."[9] Tom Popson of theChicago Tribune called it adance album partly characterized byindustrial dance's aggressive sound: "Reznor's electronics-plus-guitar LP also carries a brighter techno-pop element that might remind some ofDepeche Mode. Things occasionally mellow out to moody atmospherics, while Reznor's vocals range from whispers to screams."[11]Option magazine also characterized Reznor's sound as "industrial dance noise", referring to "Head Like a Hole" and "Terrible Lie" as "techno", but compared the "raspy, angry vocals" toDavid Lee Roth with "punk intentions".[12]Billboard classifiedPretty Hate Machine as "DOR...with an industrial edge", saying "NIN make a stellar bow worth investigating."[13]Spin described the album as "dance music where technology reigns and sexual innuendoes abound", adding, "Trent Reznor's one-man band comes across like an accessibleFront 242, an intelligentNitzer Ebb or a primal screaming Depeche Mode."[14] Retrospectively,PopMatters' AJ Ramirez regarded the album as "a synthesizer-dominated industrial dance record that on occasion slipped under the alternative rock banner."[15]
Reznor has humorously describedPretty Hate Machine as "the all-purposealternative album," remarking that "if you want tostage dive to it, you can, but if you're a big Depeche Mode fan, you can get what you need out of it as well."[4] Reznor further stated: "I like electronic music, but I like it to have some aggression. That 'first wave' of electro music –Human League andDevo – that's the easiest way to use it. To be able to get some humanity and aggression into it in a cool way, that's the thing ...Pretty Hate Machine is a record you can listen to and get more out of each time. To me, something likeFront 242 is the opposite: great at first but, after 10 listens, that's it."[4] Reznor additionally citedDepeche Mode's 1986 albumBlack Celebration as a driving influence, stating that "DM was one of our favorite bands and theBlack Celebration record took my love for them to a new level."[16]
In a commentary on the album,Tom Hull said that Reznor's "notion of industrial is closer toNew Order new wave, but with a harder metallic gleam and moredystopian attitude."[17]
Prince,Jane's Addiction, andPublic Enemy are listed in the liner notes as artists whose music was sampled on the album. Segments of Prince's "Alphabet St." and Jane's Addiction's "Had a Dad" can be heard in "Ringfinger". Other samples were edited or distorted so as to be unrecognizable, such as the introduction to "Kinda I Want To". "Something I Can Never Have" features unused backing tracks created by John Fryer forThis Mortal Coil.[3]
Reznor stated, "I was tempted to lay in more of other people‘s stuff, but I thought that would lend a real dated quality to the record, seeing where that has gone the way it has inhip-hop."[3] Time constraints similarly prevented him from accumulating "good sounds" as he wanted.[3] He obtained "weird percussion tracks" by sampling loops from artists like Public Enemy, playing them backwards and modulating them inMacintosh Turbosynth with an oscillator tuned to the pitch of the song, obtaining "this weird flanging-type thing that's in key".[3] He said that "every drum fill on 'Terrible Lie' is lifted intact from somewhere. There are six other songs playing through that cut, recorded on tape, in and out, depending on where they worked."[3]
The cover art was designed by Gary Talpas, which is a photo of the blades of a turbine stretched vertically to create the illusion of a rib cage.[18] For the 2010 reissue, visual artist Rob Sheridan was assigned to update the cover art by Reznor to tone down the heavy late-Eighties neon aesthetic. Unfortunately, Sheridan was unable to locate the original artwork as it was deemed lost forever. To remedy this, he had to reverse engineer the cover art by scanning the existing cover art and digitally painted the image in very high resolution.[19]
In 1990, Reznor quickly formed a band, hiring guitaristRichard Patrick who would later formFilter. The live band began thePretty Hate Machine Tour Series, in which they toured North America as an opening act for alternative rock artists such asPeter Murphy andThe Jesus and Mary Chain.[20][1] Nine Inch Nails' live set at the time was known for louder, more aggressive versions of the studio songs. At some point, Reznor begansmashing his equipment onstage (Reznor preferred using the heel of his boots to strip the keys from expensivekeyboards, most notably theYamaha DX7);[citation needed] Nine Inch Nails then embarked on a world tour that continued through the firstLollapalooza festival in 1991 and culminated in an opening slot to supportGuns N' Roses on their European tour.[21]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [8] |
| The A.V. Club | B−[22] |
| Chicago Tribune |  [23] |
| Mojo | [24] |
| Pitchfork | 5.6/10 (2006)[25] 9.5/10 (2010)[10] |
| Q | [26] |
| Rolling Stone | [27] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [28] |
| Select | 4/5[29] |
| Sounds | [30] |
Pretty Hate Machine received widespread acclaim frommusic critics, who praised the production and Reznor's vocals. In a contemporary review forRolling Stone,Michael Azerrad calledPretty Hate Machine "industrial-strength noise over a pop framework" and "harrowing but catchy music";[31] Reznor proclaimed this combination "a sincere statement" of "what was in [his] head at the time".[32]Robert Hilburn found Reznor's "dark obsession" compelling in theLos Angeles Times,[33] whileQ's Martin Aston said Reznor "scans the spectrum of modern dance" with a "panoramic vision" that is "both admirably adventurous and yet accessible."[26]Select critic Neil Perry said that record was "a flawed but listenable labour of loathing".[29] Ralph Traitor ofSounds said that "Reznor has guts, and they make hisMachine one to be treated with respect", finding that the album was comparable to releases byMinistry andFoetus.[30]
Jon Pareles was less impressed in his review forThe New York Times, writing thatPretty Hate Machine "stays so close to the conventions established byDepeche Mode,Soft Cell andNew Order that it could be a parody album", but notes, "Luckily, his voice is surrounded by music that has a sure beat and enough unexpected jolts to support his posturing.[9]The Boston Phoenix called Nine Inch Nails "1989's best new artist",Clea Simon comparing the album toThe The andNitzer Ebb - "Or better,Cabaret Voltaire withMatt Johnson stuck painfully and permanently in its machinery."[34] Frank Beeson was more indifferent inOption magazine, describing the album as, "Not everyone's cup of tea, but good for what it is."[12]Mark Jenkins wrote inThe Washington Post that the music was "competent but undistinctive stuff" and the "angry denunciations" of songs such as "Terrible Lie" are overshadowed by the "nursery-rhyme" chants of "Down in It".[35] Tom Popson wrote in theChicago Tribune that "the playing and production get points for introducing some variety to the industrial style, but the moments of soap-on-a-rope singing tend to cancel them out."[23]
In a retrospective review,AllMusic editor Steve Huey commended Reznor for giving "industrial music a human voice, a point of connection" with his "tortured confusion and self-obsession", and felt that "the greatest achievement ofPretty Hate Machine was that it brought emotional extravagance to a genre whose main theme had nearly always been dehumanization."[8] Upon its 2010 reissue,Will Hermes ofRolling Stone called it "the first industrial singer-songwriter album" and commended the sound produced byFlood andKeith LeBlanc, who he said "taught Reznor a lot."[27] Kyle Ryan ofThe A.V. Club felt that the album "remains the work of an artist just discovering his voice" and said that "20 years later, it doesn't warrant repeat listens like its successors." He found some of its synth and sampled sounds to still be dated after the album's remastering and Reznor's lyrics "mopey" and "silly".[22] In an interview withBlender, journalist and novelistChuck Palahniuk said that the album "seemed like the first honest piece of music I ever heard."[36] In a 2014 retrospective,Seattle Gay News called the album "one of the best recordings of the '80s, hands down."[37] In 2020,Pretty Hate Machine was included at number 453 onRolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" list.[38] In 2025,Radio X included the album in its list of "The 25 best indie debut albums of the 1980s".[39] In 2024,Loudwire staff elected it as the best hard rock album of 1989.[40]
Released on October 20, 1989,Pretty Hate Machine was a commercial success and entered theBillboard 200 in February 1990.[41] Although it peaked at number 75 on theBillboard 200, the album gained popularity throughword of mouth and developed an underground following.Pretty Hate Machine was certified Gold by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on March 3, 1992, a few years after the album's initial release, for shipping 500,000 units in the USA.[42] Three years later in 1995, it became one of the firstindependently released records to attain aPlatinum certification.[42] It eventually garnered a triple Platinum certification on May 12, 2003, with three million copies sold in the United States.[42]Pretty Hate Machine spent a total of 115 weeks on theBillboard 200 chart, tying their sophomore album,The Downward Spiral as their longest charting effort.[43]
The album was also certified Silver by theBritish Phonographic Industry (BPI) on November 1, 1995,[44] following its number 67 peak on theUK Albums Chart.[45]
Pretty Hate Machine wentout of print through TVT, but was reissued byRykodisc on November 22, 2005, with slightly modified packaging. Reznor had expressed interest in making a deluxe edition withsurround sound remastering and new remixes, similar to the rerelease ofThe Downward Spiral. Rykodisc initially accepted the idea, but wanted Reznor to pay the production costs.[46]
On March 29, 2010, the recording rights toPretty Hate Machine were acquired by the Bicycle Music Company and on October 22, 2010, Reznor announced that a remastered edition would be released the following month. The remaster included new cover art byRob Sheridan and the bonus track "Get Down, Make Love", aQueen cover originally from the "Sin" single.[47] The 2010 reissue wasmastered by Tom Baker at the Precision Mastering in Hollywood, California.[47]
"PHM 2.0 is far brighter and clearer than its original incarnation," observedClassic Rock, "but ultimately it's the strength of the songwriting… that shines through. Although that said, a super bass beef-up job on an already infamous cover of Queen's 'Get Down, Make Love' ups the sleaze 'n' grind quotient no end."[48]
Before the album's rerelease, a fan website was launched featuring touring information forPretty Hate Machine, the videos for "Head Like a Hole" and "Down in It" (with remastered sound), the uncut video for "Sin" (a remix for the video was used) and two early live segments, one with interviews.
The album and its respective singles were included in aRecord Store DayBlack Friday exclusive box set,Halo I–IV in 2015.[49][50]
All tracks are written byTrent Reznor.
| No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Head Like a Hole" |
| 4:59 |
| 2. | "Terrible Lie" |
| 4:38 |
| 3. | "Down in It" |
| 3:46 |
| 4. | "Sanctified" |
| 5:47 |
| 5. | "Something I Can Never Have" |
| 5:54 |
| 6. | "Kinda I Want To" |
| 4:33 |
| 7. | "Sin" |
| 4:06 |
| 8. | "That's What I Get" | Fryer | 4:30 |
| 9. | "The Only Time" |
| 4:47 |
| 10. | "Ringfinger" |
| 5:42 |
| Total length: | 48:42 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Get Down Make Love" | Freddie Mercury | Hypo Luxa | 4:19 |
| Total length: | 53:01 | |||
Notes
Credits adapted from the liner notes ofPretty Hate Machine.[52][53]
|
|
| Chart (1990) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums (OCC)[45] | 67 |
| USBillboard 200[43] | 75 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Argentina (CAPIF)[54] | Platinum | 60,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[44] | Gold | 100,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[42] | 3× Platinum | 3,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
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