Pretty Hate Machine cover

Pretty Hate Machine

Released

Trent Reznor’s formal debut as an artist is absolutely a product of its time and place, with Pretty Hate Machine audibly being a sweet spot balanced between Depeche Mode’s synth hook prowess and late 1980s Ministry’s rampaging rock/industrial hybrids. But by adding his own ear for earworm melodies, a gift for haunted ballads and a deft helping of Prince’s groove obsession, Reznor scored an underground smash with songs like “Head Like a Hole” and “Down In It” becoming subcultural standards by the time Nine Inch Nails toured on Lollapalooza in 1991.

Ned Raggett

Recommended by

Suggestions
Perhaps cover

Perhaps

The Associates
Ghosts I-IV cover

Ghosts I-IV

Nine Inch Nails
Confess cover

Confess

Twin Shadow
The Slip cover

The Slip

Nine Inch Nails
Violent Silence/Flesh Volcano cover

Violent Silence/Flesh Volcano

Marc Almond, Foetus
Half Machine Lip Moves cover

Half Machine Lip Moves

Chrome
Devotion cover

Devotion

Jessie Ware
Orpheus in Exile: Songs of Vadim Kozin cover

Orpheus in Exile: Songs of Vadim Kozin

Marc Almond
Systems of Romance cover

Systems of Romance

Ultravox
Brand New Abyss cover

Brand New Abyss

The Blow
Shake It Up cover

Shake It Up

The Cars
Travelogue cover

Travelogue

The Human League