When Nine Inch Nails released The Downward Spiral in 1994, Trent Reznor inherited the dark rock crown that fell off the head of Kurt Cobain. Five years later, this industrialist found himself no longer considered fashionable; an artist who indulged his demons via The Fragile when pandering became the new game's name. Slight even by remix-album standards, Things Falling Apart won't reverse Reznor's bottomward whorl. NIN members and friends deconstruct six Fragile cuts, removing hooks, lyrics and beauty while failing to add anything fresh or even danceable. Avant-dub master Adrian Sherwood exaggerates noise and repetition in one of three dull versions of "Starfuckers Inc." "The Great Collapse," a droning near-instrumental Fragile outtake, also screams "B side." The one exception is "Metal": Combining whispers, acoustic guitar, synthetic strings and mechanical buzz, this understated rendition of Gary Numan's synth-pop oldie proves that Reznor can still create chilling, elegant malevolence with a simple memorable tune. Everything else here is a distraction.

“Oh Sherrie”

Steve Perry's girlfriend Sherrie Swafford was actually in the studio when Perry began writing this song--his lone Top Ten hit as a solo act--with two co-writers. The trio began at midnight one night with just "Oh, Sherrie!" and "hold on, hold on." Three hours later, they had a complete song. Swafford, however, had to wait until the next day to hear it. "Sherrie actually got tired and went to bed," Perry said. She also appeared in the video, but their relationship did not hold on for long.