                      [nine pre-nin synthpop classics]



(and how they have influenced

the music of early Nine Inch Nails)



by m.c. death



Great synthesizer albums in the pop genre have been around for ages. These

are the works of artists who use the electronic medium as a palette to

paint their musical ideas and moods, often creating an out-of-the-ordinary

and colorful sonic spectrum. The synthesizer, although first introduced in

the late 1960s, didn't really catch on until the New Wave music explosion

of the late '70s and early '80s. Synthesized pop works ranged from the

cold, futuristic vision of Gary Numan to the relaxed, genuine cheesiness of

Men Without Hats. Outside the pop domain, synthesizers also found a home in

the worlds of electronic/industrial music (notably Kraftwerk and Throbbing

Gristle, whose works have more or less defined the de facto "vintage

industrial" sound), progressive rock (Hawkwind, Emerson, Lake and Palmer),

Top 40 rubbish (Olivia Newton-John, Michael Sembello, et al.), rhythm and

blues (Shalamar, Kool and the Gang, et al) and even cock-rock (as

exemplified by Night Ranger and Loverboy). The venerable synth became a

fixture in the music of the '80s, no matter what the genre, and that is the

historical context in which the music of Nine Inch Nails, notably the

compositional works of Trent Reznor, was created.



The nine works of art detailed below are (in my not-so-humble 'pinion) the

pinnacles of the post-New Wave synthpop era (1980-85), in that they exhibit

transcendental qualities that precede various characteristics and premises

of early Trent Reznor works. These include his first official work, Pretty

Hate Machine, as well as his demo versions of PHM tracks, and early songs

such as "Maybe Just Once" and "Purest Feeling." These similarities can be

musical, aesthetic, or subject-based, and it is highly recommended that the

listener go out and freely peruse these works, most of which are still

available today, to gain full understanding of the possible seeds of Pretty

Hate Machine. Although the image of Eighties synthpop is severely skewed

and tainted by the notions and image created by cheesy nostalgia, these are

serious works that laid the foundation for the angst-heavy electronic rock

prevalent in today's music scene.



These albums are listed here in no order or rank -- each work is equally

important.



         ---------------------------------------------------------



Talk Talk                                         [all you do to me is...]

It's My Life

(1984)



NIN's Pretty Hate Machine had an energetic yet despondent mood throughout

its content. However, even deep inside the cathartic pain, there was still

a glimmer of optimism and hope, no matter how remote. Talk Talk's second

full-length album, It's My Life, had a similar outlook on their world, as

expressed by hauntingly charismatic singer/writer Mark Hollis.



"Such a Shame" is the pinnacle of this ethereally addictive synth album,

merging the nihilistic outcome with an unparalleled electronic texture.

Creepy synth motifs, sullen distant strings, and desolate piano ostinato at

the end of the piece add up to an incredible statement about Mark's world.

Lest you mistake this excellent album for a one-hit wonder, the rest of the

album is equally impressive. "It's My Life," the mildly well-received first

single, is the album's most optimistic element, yet the cautious hope is

masked by severe doubts as expressed by pessimistic lyrics and a

dichotomic, lush yet suffocating sonic landscape. The creative use of

wildlife sounds (seagulls, other animals) adds a cinematic texture during

the instrumental (not unlike the bird-like sounds heard on "Something I Can

Never Have"). "Does Caroline Know?" is an atmospheric banter, marked by

Hollis' alluring croon and infectious synth grooves. "Renee" is a

full-fledged synthpop dirge, with no musical or thematic exit -- it is

haunting to the 23rd degree. "The Last Time" is musically the least bleak,

but the apparent optimism is negated by the dark cloud that the morose

lyrics supply.



Incidentally, the career of Talk Talk parallels the musical path Nine Inch

Nails pursued. Talk Talk's first album was formulaic,

double-depresso-with-cream synthpop, not unlike "Maybe Just Once," and

subsequent albums ventured toward stark, minimalist experimentation (The

Colour of Spring and Eden). In fact, many critics referred to Eden as the

"1980s version of Pink Floyd's The Wall" -- a comparison that a certain

Downward Spiral encountered after its release.



                --------------------------------------------



 [when your mind is not your own...] Ultravox

                                     Lament

(1984)



Although some refer to Midge Ure as one half of the composing team behind

the classic "Do They Know It's Christmas?," his greatest musical

contributions came while fronting this seminal post-punk New Romantic

outfit whose aesthetics (musical and otherwise) deeply influenced the

synthpop scene of its time. Lament is the final chapter in the peak of

Ultravox's long and illustrious career (their crest included Rage in Eden,

Vienna, and Quartet as well). New Romantic artists used the synthesizer as

the focal point of their sonic palette, and many moods and settings were

generated by the likes of Ultravox, Japan, Gary Numan, and the synthpop

supergroup Visage (which featured several Ultravoxers). Lament is

characterized by a well-stocked sonic foundry, which is characteristic of

Nine Inch Nails' Pretty Hate Machine as well.



The title track is a thing of beauty -- carefully meshing sampled

percussive sounds with a barren yet lush piano sound (does that description

ring a NIN-related bell, anyone?). "Heart of the Country" is a treat for

your ears -- just observe the carefully crafted percussive pattern, both in

its timbral richness and adept panoramic settings. Ure does some notable

things with his vocal processing as well -- it's refreshing to know that

one can still get some interesting texture out of a human voice without

having to resort to distortion. "White China" is the gem of this album --

dramatic, Bowie-esque vocals crooned over a sonic background consisting of

rich electronic percussion sounds and well-deployed synth pads and leads.

Yummy. "One Small Day" and "A Friend I Call Desire" add the guitar as yet

another sonic focal point, and "When the Time Comes" is an odyssey into a

high-drama arena that Ure and his band (Warren Cann, Billy Currie, and

Chris Cross) masterfully set up.



Unfortunately, the career of Ultravox went through a downward spiral after

Lament. Very lamentable, indeed.



                --------------------------------------------



Howard Jones                                              [what is love?]

Human's Lib

(1983)



As much as Pretty Hate Machine was an exploration of the darker, negative

side of the human condition, it was not the first synthpop-influenced album

that dealt specifically with that subject matter. Predating PHM by six

years, Howard Jones painted a different picture of the human struggle with

different emotional emphasis, yet in the similar vein of the synthpop

idiom. Although not as diametrically opposed to the mainstream as the works

of Trent Reznor (although this album elicited strong negative reactions in

the music press, from the likes of Killing Joke and Matt Johnson of The

The), Human's Lib is a significant piece of art that explores the inner

self of the curious and sometimes tormented artist.



"Conditioning" is Howard's curt commentary on how the potential to liberate

oneself is limited. "Pearl In The Shell" is a bittersweet tale of someone

who has been conditioned to be helpless and weak -- someone whose survival

skills have been truncated by lack of self-confidence and trust in her- or

himself. The title track is a deep yearning about lusting for freedom,

unbounded by the barriers of the world around us. The lyric "Sometimes I'd

like to go to bed with a hundred women or men" predates Trent's declaration

"I want to fuck everyone in the world" by a mere 11 years. The album's gem,

"Hide and Seek," is an atmospheric leviathan, taking horrific electronic

textures, the thematic sense of nothingness, and a dreary resolution, and

sucking the listeners into Howard's world of the human void.



"Don't Always Look at the Rain" is another track that depicts raw human

angst in an intense, melodic way. The chilling piano solo in the middle of

the piece, with its jazzy, dark feel, echoes "Something I Can Never Have"

in its sonic family. On the upbeat (tempo-wise) note, "Hunt the Self" and

"Equality" are tracks whose rage meets or exceeds the slower, haunting HoJo

songs -- in the case of these rapid pieces, the steady, thumping pulse of

the rhythm reverberates the feel of songs such as "Head Like a Hole" and

"Sin."



                --------------------------------------------



  [it took seconds]  The Human League

                     Dare

                     (1982)



In a recent interview with Spin magazine, Trent Reznor was quoted as being

more influenced by The Human League than the Sex Pistols. Coming straight

from the horse's mouth, there is no doubt that a Human League album should

make it on this Top Nine list of synthpop albums that may have influenced

Trent's early works. Dare was the breakthrough album for this British

synthpop outfit, and for many synthpop fans, it was their first encounter

with The Human League (and I presume this was the first time Trent heard

the band -- unless he was one of those obscure Travelogue fans or a

late-blooming "(Keep Feeling) Fascination" poseur).



The core of Dare is a straightforward album done entirely with electronics

(back in 1982, Oakey did shortsightedly proclaim that "the guitar is an

archaic instrument" -- even though two years later, The Human League

employed guitars on their Hysteria album). The lyrical contents range from

stabs at political statements ("I Am the Law," "Seconds") to insipid lust

songs ("Love Action"). Many fall in between. Of course, everyone and their

dog has had repeated exposures to "Don't You Want Me?," a song inspired by

the musical Jesus Christ Superstar. An album notable for its simplicity and

danceability more than anything else, Dare was remarkable for the fact that

it grabbed the pop establishment by the cojones and proved that an

all-electronic musical "group" can impact the pop culture in a large way

(after Dare, it wasn't until Pretty Hate Machine that a markedly electronic

album had such an impact on the music scene and legions of music fans).



Despite its bright and mainstream sounds, certain elements of Dare could be

construed as being subversive upon further inspection. "Love Action" has a

strong reference to atheism (or a strong disbelief of a higher being) --

something that seems so out of place in a cuddly love song. "Darkness" is

pure creepy and evil, although the sound consists of cheesed-out Casio in

full effect. The album's masterpiece, "Things That Dreams Are Made Of" with

its optimistic message is dichotomized by haunting minor-key textures and

creepy synth pads.



Although less electronically innovative than their contemporaries O.M.D.,

Blancmange, et al., The Human League's breakthrough album Dare has no doubt

influenced the early works of Trent Reznor. An interesting history of The

Human League: their first two albums, Travelogue and Reproduction, were

excursions into dark, sparse electronic textures that are more reminiscent

of Coil than synthy Eurodisco. Their cover of the Righteous Brothers'

classic "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" (from Reproduction) is

simultaneously cold and haunting.



Around the time of Dare, several ex-Leaguers went on to form Heaven 17,

which put out a few electronically pleasing albums but then faded into the

banal pop-cheese mold (just like The Human League). Heaven 17's self-titled

debut and follow-up album, The Luxury Gap, are also recommended for

influential listening.



                --------------------------------------------



Soft Cell                                                 [insecure...me?]

Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret

(1982)



The influence of Soft Cell is quite obvious in the works of Trent Reznor.

Not only did Reznor record a cover of "Memorabilia" (a Soft Cell

composition that appeared as a B-side to "Tainted Love"), but the two bands

even share a song title. (Soft Cell recorded a song called "Mr.

Self-Destruct" back in 1985, on their album This Last Night...In Sodom.)

Add to these similarities the fact that the Soft Cell-Coil connection is

strong and ubiquitous (they were both nurtured by Stevo, whose Some Bizzare

label included both bands, as well as fellow synth-based subversives The

The, Cabaret Voltaire, and Foetus) -- and don't forget the fact that both

bands covered "Tainted Love."



Historical value aside, Soft Cell's Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret was a dark foil

to its contemporary, The Human League's Dare. Both albums were released

around the same time, and the Marc Almond-Dave Ball team looked at the

darker, sleazier side of modern metropolitan life, instead of just alluding

to the sinister (as The Human League did). Covering subjects ranging from

being ordinary to dirty movies, Soft Cell took the synthpop genre by the

gonads and used it as a vehicle for their subversive propaganda. It's okay

to do disco and live dangerously, or so it seemed. "Seedy Films" oozes pure

electronic sleaze, and "Sex Dwarf" was probably the most explicit synthpop

song of its time (remember, this was 12 years before "Closer").

"Frustration" and "Chips On My Shoulder" examine the fear of transforming

into blandness in the context of the postmodern, highly industrialized

world. Lyrically, the topics are more broad than Reznor's world of personal

pain, but then again, there are glimpses of individualized agony, such as

in "Youth" and "Say Hello Wave Goodbye."



Musically, this album broke all barriers regarding synthpop. Although

markedly disco-pop in its appeal, Soft Cell didn't fit the mold of

same-sounding 10-track album bands (and this was even true in their later

works -- nothing they recorded after Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret sounded

anything like this masterpiece, for better or worse). Lots of floating

analog synth textures abound here, from rapid, ringy arpeggiated sequences

to lush electronic pads. The drum machine programming was also quite

remarkable for its time, as it was adventurous (unlike The Human League,

who opted for more traditional, dance-oriented grooves). Drum machines from

hell would be an apt description.



You can collect or reject this album, but Soft Cell is an interesting

byproduct and memorabilia from the early '80s synthpop era.



                --------------------------------------------



Duran Duran                                   [i've seen that look before]

Rio

(1982)



This is a selection many of you will chuckle and even sneer at. Yup, it's

the British pretty-boys from the early '80s, whose legions of teenage girl

fans have garnered them so much notoriety and ridicule. But just for a

moment, let's take their existence out of the historical context of pop

culture. Just pretend you've never seen any of their videos, read those

ubiquitous Seventeen magazine articles, or had hip female friends. This is

what you'd get when you put Rio on your turntable (or in your CD player,

for you hi-tech kids). Listen to the album for its innovative synthpop

qualities, and you too will notice the influence Rio had on the early works

of Nine Inch Nails.



The prevalent use of animated, arpeggiated synth parts on songs such as

"Rio," "Hold Back The Rain," and "Hungry Like The Wolf" had a great

influence on synthpop lore -- listen to its derivative emulation on the

early versions of "Kinda I Want To," "Ringfinger," and even "Terrible Lie."

Although Reznor claims that he was a major KISS addict, the effects of

landmark synthpop albums such as Rio undoubtedly caught the attention of

the Tormented Synthster. Duran Duran's synthmeister Nick Rhodes evokes an

incredible ambience with his synth layering and atmospheric arrangements --

those are the trademarks of early Duran music. The dreamy atmospheric pads

(fluffy sounds) on "Last Chance on the Stairway" recall the same intensity

Reznor utilizes in the pad sounds of "Sanctified," although the latter is

used to create a synthetic soundscape of hell. Kinda like polar opposites,

eh?



Considering that Rio was created in 1982 (before the advent of digital

synthesizers), there are many sonic parallels between the synth sounds of

Rhodes and Reznor. Rich, resonant, full-bodied synth textures permeate both

albums (although Reznor utilizes sampling technology in his PHM works).

From lush analog pads to sharp, staccato arpeggiator synths, the sounds are

similar. Rio, for its time, was also innovative in that the electronic

textures were fresh-sounding -- rather than relying exclusively on fat Moog

synth leads and bright synth stabs (such as those sounds found on most

late-'70s hard rock and just about all disco music), Rhodes made it

fashionable (no pun intended) for synth players to evoke avant-garde

elements in the sonic spectrum.



In 1982 it was hip to be "hungry like the wolf," and 12 years later, kids

wanted to "fuck you like an animal." But despite the generational

differences, the innovative synths are a common bond between the two

albums. Incidentally, the New Romanticism of Duran Duran helped influence a

certain Brit wannabe named Al Jourgensen, who created (with Ministry) the

New Romantic synthpop album With Sympathy, which in turn was dubbed (by

this author) as "the PHM of the early '80s." (Not just in dark, thematic

elements, either -- notice the similarity of colors on the album covers.)

NIN even had a release remixed by Jourgensen (Halo 4, the "Sin" single).

And in 1995, Duran sampled Ministry on their latest album, Thank You. Full

circle, anyone? Isn't it funny how everything works out....



                --------------------------------------------



  [mangetout!]  Blancmange

                Happy Families

(1982)



Probably the most underrated synthpop band of the '80s, Blancmange is a

two-person group whose musical influences go beyond the couple of minor hit

singles they inflicted upon the unsuspecting public. But any

self-respecting synthpop connoisseur should be familiar with the works of

Blancmange, and I strongly believe that Trent Reznor was aware of their

existence and influence in the synthpop sphere. (After all, if Trent was

hip to Wang Chung's precursor, Huang Chung, there's no reason to doubt that

Blancmange was indeed an early PHM influence.)



Happy Families was the first album by the duo of Neil Arthur and Stephen

Luscombe (the former attended college with Simon LeBon of Duran Duran, by

the way), and it combined lush melodic appeal with left-of-center synth

textures in a pop setting. Kinda sounds like early PHM stuff, eh? Indeed,

this synthpop band was quite subversive for its time, managing to insinuate

a dark sense of gloom into a pop structure. Not as blatant as New Order,

this band still was subversive enough to merit an appearance on Stevo's

Some Bizzare compilation in the early '80s (which also featured Soft Cell,

Foetus, Coil, and others -- do these other "ninfluences" sound familiar?).

(If any of you readers have that particular Some Bizzare album with

Blancmange on it, let me know, eh?)



"I've Seen the Word" and "Feel Me" both display involved levels of purest

(feeling) agony on Arthur's part, and the bittersweet textures of the synth

parts reflect simultaneous warmth and alienation. Analog synth textures

were used wisely to achieve this effect. It's especially effective on "Feel

Me," as it evolves from a lush lament to PHM-esque cathartic scream

therapy. "Waves" is a melodramatic opus enhanced by a desolate piano line.

"Living On The Ceiling" introduces spooky chromatic elements into a

pop-dance form (its Eastern-esque scaling is reminiscent of what Trent

Reznor employs in "Eraser" -- the use of sitar and tabla help achieve that

flavor). The 12-inch version of this track is highly recommended. "God's

Kitchen" is another single from that album, and although not as blatant as

"Heresy," it marks the doubt of established religion as a pop song topic.

(Arthur and Luscombe's god is not in the kitchen at the moment -- they

don't specify whether he's dead or alive.) Blancmange also introduced the

fine form of moody instrumentals with "Sad Day."



The album features excellent guitar work by hired hand David Rhodes, who

adds sharp, high-end sparkle and contrast to the electronic contours of the

Arthur/Luscombe team -- Rhodes' contribution to Blancmange is somewhat akin

to what Richard Patrick did for PHM. And just like NIN's debut album, Happy

Families features mouthwatering drum sounds, as witnessed on "Wasted" and

"God's Kitchen." I could go on and on and on about the merits of this

album, but you get the idea.



                --------------------------------------------



O.M.D.                                                [god, i did my best]

Crush

(1985)



When looking back at the greatest bands of the past generations, sometimes

our perceptions are tainted by the fact that we associate the pinnacle of

their output with their best-known song, which really isn't fair to the

bands or to the original fans of these groups. Just as we scoff at those

Ninnies-cum-lately who instinctively associate NIN with "Head Like a Hole"

(or worse yet, "the 'bow down' song"), we synthpop archivists take it

personally when O.M.D. gets associated only with "If You Leave" (that

syrupy song from Pretty In Pink).



Almost a year before that love theme for the Duckie-worshipping subculture

made its debut, the Mancunian ensemble O.M.D. (short for Orchestral

Manoeuvres in the Dark) released one of their strongest works ever, which

contains some parallels to PHM. (Maybe these guys should get together and

make an album called Pretty Pink Hate Machine or something.) The lyrical

content was dark, even hopeless at moments, and for its time, the sampling

technology was well utilized. Maybe it's something about being from

Manchester (as are synthpop brethren New Order), where gloom and doom are

prevalent themes in the bands who originated in that area. Maybe it's

because it's dark and rainy there a lot (no wonder Morrissey happened!) --

but if any mid-'80s album deserves a direct comparison with PHM, O.M.D.'s

Crush merits a deeper look. (We can go a little deeper....)



"So In Love" juxtapositions ultimate bitterness about that crazy little

thing with a smooth pop formula. It's trs wimpy compared to the aggressive

delivery of Trent Reznor (then again, O.M.D. is probably one of the wimpier

synthpop outfits ever, this side of Erasure), but the synthetics are used

well to illustrate the dichotomy. "Secret" is the haunting, attractive love

song every fatal romantic should have in her or his repertoire. The

arpeggiated synths parallel those found in early NIN works.



The album's high point is its title track, which rivals "Something I Can

Never Have" in atmospheric intensity and emotional potential. Whereas Trent

used desolate piano and atmospheric bird-like sound samples, O.M.D. use a

fluid synth bass, sampled vocal sequences featuring the Japanese spoken

word "himitsu" (which means "secret," by the way), and thick textural pads.

When the sentiment "I can't stand this fucking rain" is agonized, it

recalls the angst of "Just a fading fucking reminder of who I used to be."

Try listening to these two songs back to back, and you'll not want to be

happy for quite a time to come.



Unfortunately, the rest of the album kinda pales in comparison to PHM, as

O.M.D. started its creative downward spiral around this time. However, it

is worth noting that the early works of O.M.D. (1979-83) generally featured

an experimental bent to their electronic treatments (there is at least one

"experimental" song on each of their early albums), and even primitive sax

works ("Mystereality," from the 1980 album Orchestral Manoeuvres in the

Dark, features melodic and catchy sax playing, just like on "Purest

Feeling"). Crush represents O.M.D. at their darkest thematic moment, which

is a compelling enough reason to include the album on my Top Nine list.



                --------------------------------------------



 [it's a lot like life]  Depeche Mode

                         Some Great Reward

(1984)



Depeche Mode is probably the first band most casual music fans would

associate with synthpop. And their place in synthpop history is well

deserved, teenybopper fans notwithstanding. The musical merits of mid-'80s

Depeche Mode were indeed what set the stage for the creation of albums like

Pretty Hate Machine. Unfortunately, the public perception of DM has been

tainted by the Duran Duran factor -- the band was evaluated more on image

than on substance. These Basildon boys deserve better.



Not many people realize it, but there were quite a few dark, gloomy, and

even subversive synthpop works created in the early '80s. These days, by

the sheer will and sleaze of money-hungry record companies who put out

dozens of "Best of the Eighties" compilation albums (and thus commodify

these serious bands as "one-hit novelties"), synthpop receives sneers and

even misconstrual from the mainstream world. Synthpop bands were supposed

to be happy and gay (a double entendre there). Disturbed synth bands didn't

exist. Ha. And to think that many still consider PHM to be the first truly

negative synthpop album is just incomprehensible. These music "experts"

were probably having wet dreams about Journey and Lita Ford while Depeche

Mode presented their dark vision to the synth world.



Some Great Reward exploits and demonstrates raw human emotions using

electronics and sampled textures as an neo-industrial backdrop (I would say

"industrial," but all the Skinny Puppy trendifuck fans would probably lynch

me). Rather than using warmer, more synthpoppy textures (as on their first

album, Speak and Spell), Depeche Mode used abrasive and metallic textures

in their electronic treatment. Even creative sampling was the order of the

day (in 1984, not many people other than Depeche Mode, Thomas Dolby, and

Art of Noise integrated samples in their musical style). From the sounds of

a moaning figure in "Somebody" to Martin Gore getting spanked by Dave Gahan

on "Master and Servant," these noises were "industrial" in the sense that

they were culled from everyday "found" sounds. Sonically, the album is

incredible, from the aggro-tech treatment of "Something To Do" to the

somber "It Doesn't Matter." "Stories of Old" and "Lie to Me" tend to favor

traditional synthpop textures, but at the same time were integrated well

into the overall fabric of Some Great Reward, which took hopelessness and

the emotional nadir to new heights.



Oh yeah...which song would you like to get whipped to, "Master and Servant"

or Nine Inch Nails' "Twist"? Heh.



---------------------------------------------------------------------------



m.c.death (synthboy@teleport.com) is a synthgeek and a.m.ninnie in

Portland, Oregon. His electronic-music column, The Desktop Synthboy,

appears in Hope and Vaseline.



                            [further down front]



                     hope and vaseline -- hnv@nin.net

