I’m looking forward to this as well. I adore PHM. May be the first time I’ll buy a “new release” from reznor since TDS. Couldn’t stand TDS, so i just ignored much of his output from that point on. and then The perfect drug pretty much slammed the door for me on anything else he would write. But I’ll be in line for this
anybody know what that pic is on the cover of PHM? I always thought it was a rock rake.
Late,
grmpysmrf
I didn’t know that PHM was in legal limbo all of these years. They only mention “remastering” in the blurb, but ‘improved sonic experience’ suggests that there has been some remixing of the source tracks as well. I do like when the artist is involved in this process. That usually means there will be some proper quality control over the finished product. Robert Smith oversaw the Disintegration re-issue, and you can tell that he didn’t mess with much of anything on the remix/remaster, except maybe remove some hiss, and punch up the low end a bit. PHM is still a good-sounding record, even though the synth and drums sound dated. Maybe he just threw some plug-ins at the mixes, and widened the stereo field, or increased some frequencies in the EQ. I doubt he’d just lazily throw a limiter or compressor on the final mix just to amp it up. I like the updated art, very nice. The old art was fine, but it looks more professional now without the stretched text and the pink on the photo.
I’d like to see Broken get some attention after this release.
Agreeing with Tenohtwo that the record doesn’t require much sonic improvement but there are frequencies on it that lack compared to the fuller sounding releases he’d put out afterwards. The bass in “Head Like a Hole” needs to pulsate without turning up the frequencies in your car stereo to the brink to feel it. The drums in “The Only Time” should crash and pound as they probably did in 1989. Just little things. I’m so nuanced with this album that like the Downward Spiral remaster, I think I’d be able to recognize even the most miniscule of changes.
Maybe we’ll get some decent live recordings as bonuses. I think everyone would love to get a polished “Now I’m Nothing” from that era. Also keeping my fingers crossed for the full-length “Sin” music video.
Unless there’s new (or previously unreleased) material on there, I really don’t care.
The album is sonically fine as-is, and musically is so dated I hardly ever put it on anymore.
Ooh, I just had a thought - maybe a second disc will include the original PHM demo that’s been out there as a bootleg for 20 years.
Rev: I was thinkin the same thing when I saw this. For it’s time, that demo was pretty damned good and some of the tracks remain unreleased. Would be cool if they could put that on a disc. The quality was also pretty damned good for starters too. Trent must have those original mixes somewhere.
Honestly what would go on a bonus disc? Most of the remixes he did during that era were ones of Head Like A Hole and they all pretty much sucked(save for You Know Who You Are). There was also the Sin single but there’d be no point in putting the long and short versions on together. Plus the only track from that I’d really want on a bonus disc is Get Down Make Love. Then there’s the two versions of Down In It that were both pretty good. There was also a demo of it that was on Head Like A Hole. The only other material I could see as a bonus disc would be Purest Feeling, but I doubt he’d wanna remaster that
The reissue is due out Nov. 22 with a “reinterpreted” version of the original artwork
“Reinterpreted”??? He changed the cover colors from pink and blue and back to blue and black. Wow! That’s some revolutionary stuff.
Now if you’ll all excuse me, I’m going to go “reinterpret” The Beatles “White Album” by changing it from refrigerator white to a more porcelain white. Or maybe I’ll get radical and put a really faint alabaster border around the edge.
I’ve never really cared about any album remastering stuff, but I at least understand the audiophiles getting all sweaty for it. But this cover art thing is just lame. Some people are just way too easily impressed.
What the heck is this crap? I wish someone would reinterpret this artwork so I could buy it again 20 years later.
HOLY CRAP!!! That’s friggin’ blowing my mind! It’s like totally reinterpreted or something! Finally, after 20 years, the picture makes sense. I better pre-order this immediately!!!
KMFDM slightly altered the covers to all their 80’s and 90’s remasters. Not to mention What Do You Know Deutschland had two different covers(3 if you count the remaster). The japanese rerelease of PIG’s A Poke In The Eye had a completely different cover. Pantera’s Far Beyond Driven had 2 different covers, the first being too graphic. I’m probably gonna get shit for mentioning this one but Korn’s Issues had 4 different covers. Haven’t heard anyone complain about any of those. The original artwork for PHM was ugly. The colors on the disc were even uglier. Why not update it? New cover looks better. I understand why you think it’s ridiculous but if I felt an album needed an update I’d do it. Hope the disc looks different too
On the contrary, unless they’re going to put a note or sticker on it stating that it was doctored up for the re-issue, I actually would appreciate, as a fan, having something that quickly and easily makes it stand out as different than the original so that I could see that it is in fact a different version.
I just make fun of him saying it was “re-interpreted”, as if the album cover has some new meaning or reveals some new hidden secrets or revelations that were previously concealed.
In all honesty, I think the new version does look better. But I’m only judging it on technical merit. I’m not a fan of the band (though I did like that first album okay).
But I do get a little emo about iconic artwork (even if it wasn’t that great to begin with) that people mess with.
Certainly not anything that would get any Designer-of-the-Year awards, but so iconic and perfect because of what it is. If they changed the colors and said it was “re-interpreted” I’d tell them to go piss in the wind (regardless of the fact that it would probably look better from an objective viewpoint).
I would love to have a 2 disc version of PHM .
With full/updated versions of ‘I am nothing’ ‘Theme from The Right Track’ ‘Purest Feeling’ and Twist etc etc.
