The Nicest Parts of Hell

Nine Inch Nails is currently on an indefinite hiatus, so I figured it would be perfect timing for the release of a "Best Of Nine Inch Nails" compilation- not just one that includes just the band's hits and singles (of which most best-of albums often are commonly composed) but a much wider retrospective that includes work from all facets of NIN's catalogue, spanning all seven major albums as well as their massive library of remixes and b sides. In lieu of working on Nine Inch Nails material, the band's chief architect Trent Reznor is current working on various "smaller" projects such as film scores (see my review of the Social Network Soundrack) and How To Destroy Angels (with Reznor's wife Mariqueen Maandig).

Trent's also busy polishing his new Golden Globe and Oscar trophies, not to mention he just got married and had a kid. Given these obligations, how could I possibly expect Trent to have the time to undertake another massive project?  He just doesn't have time for such things. When I realized all of this a few months back, I decided that the only way that such an ultimate NIN mix would appear... was if I made it myself.

Thus, The Nicest Parts of Hell was born. My vision was to have a seamless mix (where the songs more or less blend into one other), stretched out comfortably over several movements, or acts. The final version is approximately three acts and thirty-five individual tracks, clocking in at just under three hours. Yes- THREE HOURS of ceaseless Nine Inch Nails mayhem.

And so here it all is, for you to enjoy. There are several formats for your convenience. The first streams directly over the web to you via playlist:

iOS users - I couldn't find a decent html5 playlst app (suggestions are welcome), BUT you can download and play each of the three acts just as easily and directly within Safari (in mp3 format) right here:

The Nicest Parts of Hell (Act I)
The Nicest Parts of Hell (Act II)
The Nicest Parts of Hell (Act III)

If you want to download a version that has separate tracks for playback, I've posted a downloadable archive (357mb zip file) of the mp3 version of all three acts here. Otherwise if you are interested in an uncompressed (wav), aac or apple lossless version, each are available upon request.

One special note (which pertains to all versions)- all music from NIN's first album Pretty Hate Machine, with the exception of Sin (custom remix by yours truly) are the remastered versions that were released in November of 2010. And DAMN do they sound good! If you haven't already, I highly recommend you buy/re-buy the album, given that Pretty Hate Machine is now out of the hands of the evil TVT Records and (I imagine) the proceeds now go, in large part, directly back to Trent and Nine Inch Nails (as they should).

Additionally, I made a CD version of The Nicest Parts of Hell for a very select few of you, which have jackets that I designed and screen printed, with no small amount of help from by my good friend Mr. Jon Fischer, screen-printing extraordinaire. If you are interested in a physical copy of the mix, I may be able to accommodate, however the number of jackets Fischer and I print will depend heavily on interest.

Let me know what you think! I always appreciate any and all constructive feedback. Feel free to leave a comment, or you can email me at nin@nvaleri.com. You can also hit me up on Twitter at @nvaleri. Enjoy!