Track Listing

1. Closer to God
2. Closer (Precursor)
3. Closer
4. Heresy (Blind)
5. Memorabilia
6. Closer (Internal)
7. March of the Fuckheads
8. Closer (Further Away)
9. Closer

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #16696 in Music
• Released on: 1994-05-19
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Single, Import
• Dimensions: .20 pounds

Album Description
Nine Inch Nails, Closer to God

Customer Reviews

How can you pass this up?
Hey kids! Like to sing dirty words? Like bargains? Then this CD is for you! At $6.49, it's very reasonably priced. You get 5 VERY different remixes of Closer, plus the LP version from The Downward Spiral. You also get another remix of Heresy and March of the Pigs, and a cover of Soft Cell's "Memorabilia". When you consider that A) the UK version is sold in two parts, costing over $12 apiece, that's $25 for the set, and B) Amazon isn't even listing Part 2 right now, this is a GREAT CD to get.

Every track is different on this album. The first version, Closer To God, keeps it simple. It drops "like an animal" from the chorus, making the song seem that much more carnal. It also has heavy guitars and an equally heavy keyboard loop throughout the song. The second version, Precursor, might sound familiar to you. Seen the movie "Se7en"? This isn't the EXACT version found in the film, but it's pretty darn close. Deviation is a - *gasp* - funky, groovy version of Closer, replete with snapping fingers.

Heresy (Blind) sounds an awful lot like Heresy off of the Downward Spiral, but on mono instead of stereo. More keyboardy and drummy, less guitary. If any of those are really words, that is. Memorabilia is a good, albeit long (7:21) cover of Soft Cell's Memorabilia. A bit repetitive, but still a decent song. Internal is a REALLY cool version of Closer, tied for my favorite with Further Away on this CD. Distorted, choppy vocals, stereo shifting and tons of ambience make this a really cool, unsettling version.

March of the F***heads, a March of the Pigs remix if you can call it that, is a... hrm... instrumental thingy. It kinda feels like Adrian Sherwood cranked this out in about 5 minutes when bored one night. Nothing exciting here.

Closing the CD are Further Away and the LP version of Closer. Further Away has TONS of dark ambient sound, weird distant pig screenching noises, echoed whisperings... it's just plain CREEPY. Which makes it COOL. It sounds like it could be played in an underground goth club very easily. Finally, the LP version of Closer. Anyone who listens to rock radio, NIN fan or otherwise, should recognize this song because it received SO much airplay. So I don't have to describe this.

All of this for under $7? Unfortunately, I found this AFTER I had all the UK parts. If you're the completist, you're gonna want this and the UK version. If you're a casual listener, you're not gonna find a better bargain. Also, in case you're wondering, the UK version doesn't have any extra tracks, it's just split up into 2 CDs.

A great example of creative remixing.
Trent Reznor through Nine Inch Nails has developed a steady habit of remixing large volumes of his work and releasing countless Halos dedicated solely to these remixes. While this is certainly a boon for hungry collectors, fans interested in the music alone are often disappointed by the paltry turnout of a lot of these remix discs. Fortunately, Closer to God is a huge exception to the rule, displaying a powerful mastery of creative and thoughtful mixing practices.

The opener and title track is strong enough to stand on its own, bringing in new recordings of all of the instruments and Reznor's vocals from the original track and giving it a house-electronica influence, but not in such a way as to remove the original spirit of the song. However, it is after this track that the CD really begins to shine. The four variations of "Closer" are what make this album truly attractive. Completely avoiding monotony, each track takes on a certain mood and corresponding genre styling that matches with its mix title. The styles range from ethereal, trip hop, and house, but again (and somewhat surprisingly in consideration of the other, less successful remix albums) without damaging the spirit of the original song. In their particular order, the variations suggest a progressive, evolving story that gives this CD single more of an album feel.

Interrupting the variations are a couple of great bonuses: a remix of "Heresy" (not far off from the original, but definitely a new take on it and just as enjoyable) and a cover of Soft Cell's "Memorabilia" (a frightening track that fits perfectly into this CD). There is also the electronic rhythm track, "March of the Fuckheads", which is interesting, but somewhat unnecessary, as well as a slightly extended version of the original mix of "Closer" that ends the CD.

While this should probably not be anyone's first Nine Inch Nails purchase, if you own most of the albums already or are a big fan of The Downward Spiral and "Closer" in particular, this CD would likely become one the most prized in your NIN collection.

Buy it NOW
This is probably one the best remix albums from NIN. You get six versions of closer, one of the better known NIN songs and three other tracks being: "heresy", "memrobilia", and "march of the f**kheads"(a personal favorite). The disc is a good length and the all the remixes are well thought out and not just thrown together. With three other tracks besides closer you don't get sick of hearing different versions of the same song. I definetly recommend this to any true NIN fan or anyone who really likes the song.