nine inch nails / albums

With the "Head Like a Hole" single, Nine Inch Nails managed to capture three of the most popular songs from 1989's Pretty Hate Machine: "Head Like a Hole," "Terrible Lie," and "Down In It." Each is remixed several times, offering the listener a number of versions of already outstanding songs. For all but the most devoted Nine Inch Nails fans, this single renders Pretty Hate Machine mostly unnecessary, as the full-length album contributes little more than fluff around the songs presented here. If musical variety the listener's goal, however, this single has little to offer in that department. With four virtually identical renditions of "Head Like a Hole," three of "Down In It," and two of "Terrible Lie," the disc's major weakness is its redundancy. Although each of the tracks presented is pleasing to the ear (which is not always the case with remixes), the differences between them are often subtle, and the result is an almost constant sense of déjà vu. This is one case where quality definitely would have sufficed without the quantity. ~ David Reamer, All Music Guide