Such an awesome record!!

One of the best albums ever….

That album had punk aesthetic, funky grooves, deep lyrics and balls-to-the-wall rage that alternated between bottled up and popping the top.

if i was twice the man i could be, i would still be half of what you need – ringfinger

A classic indeed. This album should be re-released as a remastered special deluxe edition (just like The Downward Spiral was earlier) & available for download.

Even after 20 years, it’s still an awesome and influential record! Hopefully this album will keep inspiring musicians for another 20 years to come.

He was “on to something that no one else had quite figured out yet”?

Please…NIN are a great band, but bands like Skinny Puppy, Ministry and Throbbing Gristle were leading the way years before.

Sucked then…Sucks now!!!

Before Nevermind there was Pretty Hate Machine. Hard to believe it was 89 when this came out. So far ahead of it’s time.

I dont see what the big deal about it being an import is. Its pretty easy to get – amazon has it for $15 and its available for next day delivery for a couple dollars more.

I gave a mix tape to a girl in high school with nothing but “Something I Can Never Have” on it. She sat in her room and listened to it repeatedly. After the 10th time her Mom caught wise to the lyrics. She told her I must have been pretty weird to give her this song. At the time I was thinking about having sex with her, not ending my life. In retrospect, it was a weird move. Good song though, awesome album.

This may be unrelated, but I have to ask…why’s Trent back on Twitter? I don’t mind the band having an account, but Trent coming back clearly means that he’ll know what to expect and not make an ass of himself again?

Still a go-to after all these years, this album got me through my senior year of high school when it came out, and many other challenging situations years after. Happy 20th PHM!

It would be nice to see a DVD Audio release (or high res download) for those of us who prefer better than CD quality. It IS available on audiophile vinyl though (for a bit more than $15 I’m afraid).

I read(or possibly watched) somewhere that he thinks it sounds out-dated to him (trent). To an extent, it’s true, but I think most of the people who love it, like I do, love it because of its feel and meaning, not so much because of the technical aspects. haha, I mean, I was born not long after it was released, so I really don’t know its impact at the time. But, it’s twenty years later, and I still feel that it is the most emotionally charged albums ever. Happy birthday Pretty Hate Machine!

To Mr. Parker. Skinny Puppy and Ministry, among many others, are GREAT bands and I love them. Have they achieved anything close to NIN? … not even close.
P.S. Just because you saw BBC4’s ‘Synth Britannia’ doesn’t mean throwing in Throbbing Gristle as a reference, makes you seem anymore knowledgeable about music.

Trent is a musical genius. Pretty Hate Machine is a record for the ages.

Pretty Hate Machine is a classic, bur Mr. Reznor hasn’t put out anthing of merit since The Fragile.

Well, most bands are lucky to have what could be considered a classic album. I think Trent has three of those in PHM, the Downward Spiral and the Fragile.

Thobbing Gristle isn’t exactly an obscure reference, Ralph.

So mad at this guy…..
Bonnaroo 09 was supposed to be NIN last ever US performance, it was an epic night let me assure you.
But, then NIN booked a few dates after all because of $$$$$ and devalued the sacrifce I and thousands of other people made to celebrate the career of NIN.
You’ve angered alot of your diehard fans Trent and you’ve never appologized!

michaeljpmurray

’something i can never have’ is one of the greatest songs of all time. i cant think of a song thats ever made me cry but that track came real close.

A Twitter post is considered a “celebration?”

I bought this the day after it came out. I walked into a ‘flipside’ records where a friend worked, and he said ‘dude, you have to hear this!’.

Damn. I was 16 then. I am now, officially, old.

One of my favortie Nine Inch Nails albums. I was a freshman in high school when Pretty Hate Machine was released. Very exact music.

Oh, please. He’s such an attention whore. PHM was utterly forgettable.

This is one of my girl’s and my favorite “bedroom” albums. Sanctified – ’nuff said.

I first listened to PHM when i was 18 on vacation for 2 weeks, i listened to the entire album on my walkman (remember those?) every day for 2 weeks straight & didn’t get sick of it, it’s the only cd that my husband constantly steals from me to listen to in his car all day driving. greatest album ever? as far as i’m concerned, absolutely.

Forever a classic and still a favorite! This one in particular holds intimate meaning for me that has only gotten deeper over the years. I used to dance alone in the dark when I first discovered it in 1998.

Whatever- I agree with you Trent Reznor is such an attention Whore. Having a 20 year old album. Who does that?
And God, Pretty Hate Machine is sooo forgettable. Pretty Ha… What were we talking about?

PHM was one of those albums that was a classic the first time you heard it. One of those landmark albums that you KNEW you’d be listening to 20 years later.

BTW Mel. Who does that? Appetite For Destruction was the RS Cover when it turned 20. Another undeniable landmark album.

PHM was great then, but is terribly tired now. It was great for when and what it was.

awesome CD. Still have it.

But what is even better is the EP with his Queen cover from that same era (”Get Down Make Love”)

A brief memory:On the dance floor and DJ says new group NIN and plays Head Like… And all the real hardcore people walk off the floor back in late 80’s. Always hated them. Grew up with Neubaten,Skinny Puppy, anything early Wax Trax,which turned NIN down.

Great record, wish he would go back to this kind of dark and raw energy. But is it safe to say I actually prefer the demo Purest Feeling? That was so much better than the final product. Each and every song was, well pure compared to the overworked final version. And Trent’s voice sounded much sexier than what would end up on the final album. Can’t believe it has been that long, both records still hold up today. Happy Birthday PHM!

PHM is an ok album, but there were a lot BETTER albums that came out around that time like Disintegration(Those kids on South Park aren’t lying,lol)and Voliator. Plus it was also the year of Nirvana’s debut Bleach and they are a far bigger and greater band than Trent and NIN. What a huge role grunge played in the 90’s, became our culture and changed music. A solid effort by Trent and co. but been there, done that, already heard it.