http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Music/TheFragile1999

I'd listen to the words he'd say, but in his voice I heard decay.



and God himself will reach his fucking arm through

just to push you down." —"The Wretched" "The clouds will part and the sky cracks openand God himself will reach his fucking arm throughjust to push you down."

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The Fragile is the third studio album by Nine Inch Nails, released in September 1999. The album was recorded at Trent Reznor's Nothing Studios in New Orleans, taking over two years to make.

The album is seen by some to be a continuation of the storyline of the band's previous album The Downward Spiral, taking the interpretation in which the main character does not die from his suicide attempt.

In terms of sound, it differs a great deal in the sense that it forgoes distorted and gritty instrumentation in favor of a more art rock-esque approach. Soundscapes, electronic beats, ambient noise, rock-laden guitar, and the usage of melodies as harmonies are all exhibited on the album. It's also unique since it's, to date, the band's only double album, split into "left" and "right" discs around 50 minutes each in length.

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It was generally well-received by critics, although its length and lyrical substance received some detractors. It also didn't perform as well as The Downward Spiral, attributed to its different sound and insufficient promotion from Interscope Records. Despite this, the album reached #1 in the Billboard 200 chart on release, and has since been certified double platinum.

Around a year after release, the album (like its predecessor) received a remix album titled Things Falling Apart, which featured a cover of the Gary Numan song "Metal", as well as new tracks such as "10 Miles High" and "The Great Collapse".

In 2016, as part of the band's campaign to release all of their albums on vinyl, they announced a special four-LP version of the album called The Fragile: Deviations 1 available through pre-order only which contains altered or instrumental formats of all of the songs combined with new songs written during the recording of The Fragile.

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Not to be confused with the Yes album Fragile.

Tracklist:

Left Disc

"Somewhat Damaged" (4:31) "The Day the World Went Away" (4:33) "The Frail" (1:54) "The Wretched" (5:25) "We're In This Together" (7:16) "The Fragile" (4:35) "Just Like You Imagined" (3:49) "Even Deeper" (5:48) "Pilgrimage" (3:31) "No, You Don't" (3:35) "La Mer" (4:37) "The Great Below" (5:17)

Right Disc

"The Way Out is Through" (4:17) "Into The Void" (4:49) "Where Is Everybody?" (5:40) "The Mark Has Been Made" (5:15) "Please" (3:30) "Starfuckers, Inc." (5:00) "Complication" (2:30) "I'm Looking Forward to Joining You, Finally" (4:13) "The Big Come Down" (4:12) "Underneath It All" (2:46) "Ripe (With Decay)" (6:34)

Outtakes

"The New Flesh" (3:40) (Found On The Vinyl Edition and the single We're In This Together) "Ten Miles High" (5:13) (Found On The Vinyl Edition and the single We're In This Together) "+Appendage" (2:44) (Found On The Cassette Edition) "Missing Places" (1:26) (Found On The Fragile: Deviations 1) "The March" (3:42) (Found On The Fragile: Deviations 1 and The Fragile Instrumentals) "One Way To Get There" (2:44) (Found On The Fragile: Deviations 1) "Taken" (3:35) (Found On The Fragile: Deviations 1) "Not What It Seems Like" (3:30) (Found On The Fragile: Deviations 1) "White Mask" (3:22) (Found On The Fragile: Deviations 1) "Was It Worth It?" (5:03) (Found On The Fragile: Deviations 1) "Can I Stay Here?" (4:25) (Found On The Fragile: Deviations 1 and The Fragile Instrumentals) "Hello, Everything Is Not Okay" (5:16) [AKA Ten Miles High (Instrumental)] (Found On The Fragile: Deviations 1 and The Fragile Instrumentals) "Feeders" (2:02) (Found On The Fragile: Deviations 1) "Claustrophobia Machine (Raw)" (Found On The Fragile: Deviations 1) "Last Heard From" (Found On The Fragile: Deviations 1)

Personnel:

Trent Reznor: Vocals, nearly all instruments

Danny Lohner: Drum programming, ambience

Charlie Clouser: Programming, synthesisers

Adrian Belew: Guitars

Mike Garson: Piano

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