Product Description

Halo Seventeen CD 2 Standalone release of second disc from And All That Could Have Been box set. Released in VERY LIMITED EDITION for a short time on the NIN website, this is a digipak with a 10 page booklet, consisting abstract images from live shows and liner notes. -- - -- From the liner notes: nine inch nails.still AND A:: THAT COULD HAVE BEEN concept and production: TRENT REZNOR executive production: JOHN A. MALM, JR. FOR NOTHING RECORDS, INC. mastering: precision mastering: TOM BAKER All artists who worked along with Trent Reznor are listed simply under "performance" Dave Ogilvie is lised as Dave 'Rave' Ogilvie

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #38716 in Music
• Published on: 2002
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Limited Collector's Edition

Customer Reviews

best nin cd ever
nine inch nails is notorious for its harsh sound, dubbed "industrial" rock but after years of waiting for a followup to the downward spiral, the unexpectant turn that the fragile took surprised his fans and music critics. had nin gone soft?? however, the fragile era is the best damn thing that has ever happened to this band. it just showed the range of reznor's talent both musically and lyrically. the atmosphere he is able to create with this album can't be described with any single word because it portrays such a vast array of emotions from longingness to contempt. this perfect unity of human emotions exposes the human soul; the acoustic / instrumental album "still" further exposes reznor in his most vulnerable feelings to his fans in an intimate setting. is there a more honest album in this world? so not to exploit this tenderness, the album was released only through the website nin.com so only those who desire to understand and connect with reznor's music could indulge in it. your discontent will wash away upon listening to this album, perhaps you would even cry. either way, still is the epitome of perfection.

An overlooked compilation
When Nine Inch Nails released the live album "And All that Could Have Been" (2002) the deluxe edition included a bonus CD known as "Still."

"Still" includes nine songs; four are stripped-down renditions of prior songs ("Something I Can Never Have," "The Fragile," "The Becoming" and "The Day the World Went Away") four are instrumentals and one is an original song "And All that Could Have Been."

While the stripped-down versions of pervious songs are pretty bare-boned, they are no less compelling or powerful than the originals. "Something I Can Never Have" in particular being especially moving.

If you are a fan of "Ghosts I-IV" or Reznor's instrumental work in general, you are sure to love the instrumentals found here. Captivating and sad, "Adrift and at Peace," "Gone Still," "The Persistence of Loss" and "Leaving Hope" are sure to move any fan of Reznor's work. The flow of "Still," for the most part, is one song followed by an instrumental, which works beautifully.

The album's one original song, the subdued "And all that Could Have Been" is well, pretty damn depressing--and beautifully poignant. If you've ever felt sorrow and regret over a missed opportunity to find happiness with someone you once loved, you are sure to be able to relate to this song.

An overlooked compilation, "Still" is an album most NIN fans will love. It is, however, still available at NIN.com, for ten dollars, so you are much better off buying it there, than getting ripped-off buying it used here. Or, if you don't care about owning a physical copy, it is available for download here at amazon.

"Still" an absolute masterpiece
What can be said about an album like "Still"? I can say first and foremost that it is my favorite Nine Inch Nails album in existence. I can also say that this departure from the typical NIN sound of old reveals a new side of Trent Reznor's musical genius and gives a more three-dimensional appearance to his music. It shows us that Reznor can take his avid fans and listeners to different emotional extremes, wowing audiences with softer, more mellow music just as well as he could with his typical grinding, industrial sound.

"Still" is definitely for the diehard NIN fan who can accept music from all sides. If you're expecting a sound from this album resembling that of "Pretty Hate Machine" or "The Downward Spiral," then you probably won't enjoy this album as much as you could, and therefore, is not the purchase for you. The album is composed of nine tracks: five "deconstructed" versions of past tracks, and four tracks previously unreleased.

Here is the track list and a brief description of each:

1. Something I Can Never Have - From "Pretty Hate Machine." Reduced to a still beautiful piano/vocal arrangement with an amount of raw emotion almost matching that of the original.

2. Adrift and At Peace - Just as suggested by the title, this is a lighter piece. Almost entirely piano, the positive force of this piece brings me out of even the deepest emotional grind.

3. The Fragile - An excellent track, laid out exactly like the original version from the album of the same name. A Rhodes/vocal arrangement this time, but again, still contains the same power of the original.

4. The Becoming - From "The Downward Spiral." Reznor has replaced hard-hitting industrial electronic drums and multi-layered background screaming with an acoustic guitar, real drums, and a piano. Reznor's screams in the second chorus still remain.

5. Gone, Still - Very chilling piece. Lots of lower end sound under arranged piano.

6. The Day The World Went Away - From "The Fragile." My 3rd favorite song on the album. The first part of the song has been reduced to a piano-vocal arrangement, with the anthemic ending using the same piano in replacement of Reznor and the drunken chorus.

7. And All That Could Have Been - Absolutely epic. My 1st favorite song on the album. The watery beginning and high-passed vocals chill to the bone as a volume swell takes you into the gripping first chorus. The journey continues from there.

8. The Persistence of Loss - Definitely a pensive piece. A piano bass line underlies a plucky piano melody with the occasional chime from the live horn section.

9. Leaving Hope - My 2nd favorite song on the album. A very emotional piece that mixes the serenity and peace of piano with a light, emotional but still gritty sound calling back to NIN's "Spiral" days.

I certainly had a lot to say about this album, so it's my opinion among those of others. I just felt like giving my perspective on this album in order to persuade the right people to purchase it.

And if you're the right person, you should. It's definitely worth it.