Fixed (EP) (original) (raw)

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1992 EP by Nine Inch Nails

Fixed
EP by Nine Inch Nails
Released December 7, 1992 (1992-12-07)
Studio Matrix, London
Genre Industrial rocknoise
Length 40:23
Label NothingTVTInterscope
Producer Trent Reznor
Nine Inch Nails chronology
Broken(1992) Fixed(1992) The Downward Spiral(1994)
Halo numbers chronology
Halo 5(1992) Halo 6(1992) Halo 7(1994)

Fixed is the second extended play (EP) by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. It was released on December 7, 1992, by Nothing, TVT, and Interscope Records. It serves as a companion release to Broken (1992), and includes remixes by Coil, Danny Hyde, JG Thirlwell, and Butch Vig, as well as then-live band member Chris Vrenna.

Fixed charted in New Zealand and Canada in 1993[1] and was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) on March 1, 1995.[2]

Background and content

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"This recording contains various interpretations of songs that appear in their proper form on the Broken EP."

—Message on the back cover of Fixed.[3]

According to Trent Reznor, Nine Inch Nails frontman and, at the time, sole member, Fixed was not intended to be a remix album, but instead a reinterpretation and deconstruction of the music found on the 1992 EP Broken, where the songs were in their "proper form".[4]

This remix of "Happiness in Slavery" highlights the industrial, manipulated sound of Fixed.

After Reznor hired Peter Christopherson of Coil to direct the accompanying film to Broken, they developed a friendship. Shortly after, Reznor asked Christopherson to contribute to Fixed.[5] JG Thirlwell and Butch Vig were also recruited for the remixing effort. Thirwell's second "Wish" remix, "Fist Fuck", features samples of Timothy Leary while the final track, "Screaming Slave", contains various samples of Bob Flanagan being tortured that were recorded during the filming of the "Happiness in Slavery" music video. Ultimately, Vig's contributions were minimal, relegated to the ending passage of "Throw This Away". About the experience, Vig said, "I started recording a lot of new parts, and took it in a much different direction. When it was finished, Trent thought the front part of the mix didn't fit the EP, so he just used the ending."[6] Reznor and Chris Vrenna completed many of the remixes in-house.

Musically, Fixed is a dark, industrial, and noisy EP.[7] Much of _Broken'_s heavy metal aspects are eschewed and replaced with more beat- and drum-focused sounds.[7] Tape manipulation, unusual noises, and a focus on grinding repetition define Fixed as a distinctly experimental release.[7]

Uncoiled and Recoiled

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After Christopherson and John Balance, the two members of Coil who worked on Fixed, died, Danny Hyde released a number of outtakes from the remix EP, the "Closer to God" (1994) single, and the Further Down the Spiral (1995) remix album onto torrent websites.[8] This initial leak was titled Uncoiled, and a later semi-official release through Cold Spring was called Recoiled.[9] Both of these releases feature alternate mixes of "Gave Up" from Fixed.

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic [7]

In his review of Fixed, AllMusic writer Peter J. D'Angelo said, "Even though Nine Inch Nails was thrust into the mainstream spotlight, this record shows the group returning to its roots and creating a daring new translation of songs that were pummeling from the start."[7] D'Angelo concluded his review by writing that Fixed is "an impressive feat and a necessary counterpoint to an important record."[7]

  1. ^ a b "Nine Inch Nails | Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on November 18, 2015. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  2. ^ a b "British album certifications – Nine Inch Nails – Fixed EP". British Phonographic Industry. March 1, 1995. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  3. ^ "Nine Inch Nails - Fixed (US CD) (includes liner notes)". nincatalog.com. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  4. ^ "Discography - nine inch nails (includes blurb on Fixed)". nin.com. Nine Inch Nails. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  5. ^ Sword, Harry; Doran, John. "Trent Reznor On Coil & Nine Inch Nails, Plus Recoiled Review". The Quietus. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  6. ^ "nin – "last" remix". Gearslutz.com. June 30, 2009. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  7. ^ a b c d e f D'Angelo, Peter J. "Fixed - Nine Inch Nails". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 1 November 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  8. ^ "Coil's rare Nine Inch Nails remixes set for release as Recoiled EP". Fact. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  9. ^ Macek III, J.C. "Nine Inch Nails and Coil: Recoiled". PopMatters. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  10. ^ "Nine Inch Nails – Fixed". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  11. ^ "Canada's Top 200 Singles of 2001". Jam!. Archived from the original on January 26, 2003. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  12. ^ "Canada's Top 200 Singles of 2002". Jam!. January 14, 2003. Archived from the original on September 6, 2004. Retrieved March 22, 2022.