Editing Pretty Hate Machine

{{for|the ''Gotham'' episode|Pretty Hate Machine (Gotham)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Infobox album
| name         = Pretty Hate Machine
| type         = studio
| artist       = [[Nine Inch Nails]]
| cover        = Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine.png
| alt          = 
| released     = {{Start date|1989|10|20}}
| recorded     = May–June 1989
| venue        = 
| studio       = 
*[[Blackwing Studios|Blackwing]], London
*[[Roundhouse Recording Studios|Roundhouse]], London
*The Right Track, Cleveland
*[[Syncro Sound]], Boston
*[[Unique Recording Studios|Unique Recording]], New York City
| genre        =  *[[Industrial rock]]
*[[electronic rock]]
*[[synth-pop]]
*[[alternative rock]]
*[[Electronic body music|EBM]]
| length       = {{Duration|m=48|s=42}}
| label        = [[TVT Records|TVT]]
| producer     = {{hlist|[[Trent Reznor]]|[[John Fryer (music)|John Fryer]]|[[Flood (producer)|Flood]]|[[Keith LeBlanc]]||[[Adrian Sherwood]]}}
| prev_title   = 
| prev_year    = 
| next_title   = [[Broken (Nine Inch Nails EP)|Broken]]
| next_year    = 1992
| misc         =
{{Extra chronology
 | artist     = [[Nine Inch Nails discography#Chronology|Halo numbers]]
 | type       = studio
 | prev_title = [[Down in It|Halo 1]]
 | prev_year  = 1989
 | title      = Halo 2
 | year       = 1989
 | next_title = [[Head Like a Hole|Halo 3]]
 | next_year  = 1990
}}
{{Singles
 | name        = Pretty Hate Machine
 | type        = studio
 | single1     = [[Down in It]]
 | single1date = September 15, 1989
 | single2     = [[Head Like a Hole]]
 | single2date = March 22, 1990
 | single3     = [[Sin (song)|Sin]]
 | single3date = October 10, 1990
}}
{{Extra album cover
 | header  = Alternative cover
 | type    = studio
 | cover   = Pretty-Hate-Machine-Remaster.jpeg
 | border  =
 | alt     =
 | caption = 2010 remastered version cover
}}
{{External music video|header=Audio|{{YouTube|playlist=OLAK5uy_kxE6rMX-COuLZaPTSRr2Rqr-UOkPAEmbs|"Album"}}}}
}}

'''''Pretty Hate Machine''''' is the debut studio album by the American [[industrial rock]] band [[Nine Inch Nails]], released by [[TVT Records]] on October 20, 1989. Frontman [[Trent Reznor]] sang and performed most of the instruments, also producing the album alongside [[Keith LeBlanc]], [[John Fryer (producer)|John Fryer]] and [[Flood (producer)|Flood]], with a few other contributors.

The album features a heavily [[synthesizer]]-driven electronic sound blended with [[Industrial music|industrial]] and [[Rock music|rock]] elements. Much like the band's later work, the album's lyrics contain themes of [[angst]], [[betrayal]], and [[lovesickness]]. The record was promoted with the singles "[[Down in It]]", "[[Head Like a Hole]]", and "[[Sin (song)|Sin]]", as well as [[Pretty Hate Machine Tour Series|the accompanying tour]]. A remastered edition was released in 2010.

Although the record was successful, reaching No. 75 in the US and receiving highly favorable reviews from critics, Reznor feuded with TVT over promotion of the album and eventually signed with [[Interscope Records]]. ''Pretty Hate Machine'' was later certified triple-platinum by [[Recording Industry Association of America|RIAA]], becoming one of the first independently released albums to do so, and was included on several lists of the best releases of the 1980s. In 2020, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' ranked ''Pretty Hate Machine'' at number 453 on its "[[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|500 Greatest Albums of All Time]]" list.

==Background==
While working nights as a [[handyman]] and [[engineer]] at the Right Track Studio in [[Cleveland]], [[Ohio]], Reznor used studio "down-time" to record and develop his own music.<ref name="Yeung">{{cite web|last=Yeung|first=Neil Z.|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/nine-inch-nails-mn0000351733/biography|title=Nine Inch Nails|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=April 9, 2022}}</ref> Playing most of the [[keyboard instrument|keyboards]], [[drum machine]]s, [[guitar]]s, and [[sampler (musical instrument)|samplers]] himself, he recorded a demo. The [[music sequencer|sequencing]] was done on a [[Macintosh Plus]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Honan|first=Mathew|url=http://www.macworld.com/article/1384/2002/02/reznor.html|title=Pro File: Nailing a New Look|website=[[Macworld]]|date=February 1, 2002|access-date=February 1, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080325103002/http://www.macworld.com/article/1384/2002/02/reznor.html|archive-date=March 25, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> Reznor mainly used an [[E-mu Emax]], [[Prophet VS]], [[Oberheim Xpander]], and [[Minimoog]] as synthesizers.<ref name="Doerschuk">{{cite magazine|last=Doerschuk|first=Robert L.|url=http://www.nin-pages.de/1990_Keyboard_April_english.htm|title=Nine Inch Nails|magazine=[[Keyboard (magazine)|Keyboard]]|location=San Bruno|volume=16|issue=4|date=April 1990|access-date=July 6, 2019}}</ref>

With the help of manager [[John Malm Jr.]], he sent the demo to various [[record label]]s. Reznor received contract offers from many of the labels, but eventually signed with [[TVT Records]], who were known mainly for releasing [[Novelty record|novelty]] and television [[jingle]] records. ''Pretty Hate Machine'' was recorded in various studios with Reznor collaborating with some of his most idolized producers: [[Flood (producer)|Flood]], [[Keith LeBlanc]], [[Adrian Sherwood]], and [[John Fryer (music)|John Fryer]]. Much like his recorded demo, Reznor refused to record the album with a conventional band, recording ''Pretty Hate Machine'' mostly by himself.

"A lot of it sounds immature to me now," he stated in 1991 of the recordings that were then two years old. "At first it totally sucked. I became completely withdrawn. I couldn't function in society very well. And the LP became a product of that. It's quite small scale, introverted, claustrophobic – that's the feel I went for."<ref name="Perry1">{{cite magazine|last=Perry|first=Neil|title=Hard as Nails|magazine=[[Select (magazine)|Select]]|location=London|issue=9|date=March 1991|page=14}}</ref>

Reznor discussed the recording and touring of ''Pretty Hate Machine'' in the April 1990 issue of [[Keyboard (magazine)|''Keyboard'']]. He used an [[E-mu Emax]] because it produced a high-end buzzing noise when transposing down sounds.<ref name="Doerschuk" /> Rough and first takes of vocals and guitar were used to contrast the quantized drums and bass.<ref name="Doerschuk" /> Reznor hated the factory sounds of the Emax but had not transferred anything from his old [[E-mu Emulator|Emulator]], and used samples from his record collection for all the drum sounds. He initially expected to use real drum sounds when recording the album, but in the end he and the producers merely equalized his drum samples.<ref name="Doerschuk" />

After the album was released, a recording known as ''Purest Feeling'' surfaced. The [[bootleg album]] contains early rehearsal recordings of many of the tracks featured on ''Pretty Hate Machine'', as well as a couple that were not used ("Purest Feeling", "Maybe Just Once", and an instrumental introduction to "Sanctified" called "Slate").{{sfn|Carr|2011|pp=28, 30, 33–34, 36, 108}} These early songs also featured [[Chris Vrenna]] (who initially played keyboards/samplers in the band) and original drummer Ron Musarra.<ref>{{cite thesis |last=Hanley |first=Jason |date=2011 |title=Metal Machine Music: Technology, Noise, and Modernism in Industrial Music 1975-1996 |url=https://dspace.sunyconnect.suny.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/b096437e-e280-48ed-8a6a-c4ed87b49736/content |page=361 |publisher=Stony Brook University |access-date=March 21, 2024}}</ref>

==Music and lyrics==
{{Quote box
 |quote ="I wasn't proud of a lot of the things I was saying," Reznor recalled, "but I said to myself, 'Well, no one's going to hear this stuff anyway.' ... The record is honest and that's where its power came from."|source =Trent Reznor<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Elliott|first=Paul|title=Going Down…|magazine=[[Kerrang!]]|location=London|issue=769|date=September 25, 1999|page=14}}</ref> |align = left |width = 28% |border = 1px |fontsize = 90% |quoted = true |salign = center
}}

Unlike the [[industrial music]] of Nine Inch Nails' contemporaries, ''Pretty Hate Machine'' displays catchy [[riff (music)|riffs]] and [[verse-chorus form|verse-chorus]] song structures rather than repetitive electronic beats.<ref name="Huey" /> Reznor's lyrics express adolescent angst and feelings of betrayal by lovers, society, or God.<ref name="Huey" /> Themes of despair are collocated with lovesick sentiments.<ref name="Pareles" /> ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''{{'}}s Tom Breihan categorized it as a [[synth-pop]] album that was shaped by industrial music's "nascent [[New wave music|new-wave]] period rather than its subsequent styles."<ref name="Breihan" /> According to Breihan, the beats were muscular, but not in the vein of [[heavy metal music|metal]] or [[post-punk]], and that the most [[rock music|rock]]-inspired song on the album was "[[Head Like a Hole]]".<ref name="Breihan" />

Journalist [[Jon Pareles]] described the album as "[[Electronic rock|electro-rock]] or [[industrial rock]], using drum machines, computerized synthesizer riffs and obviously processed sounds to detail, and usually denounce, an artificial world."<ref name="Pareles" /> Tom Popson of the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' called it a [[electronic dance music|dance]] album partly characterized by [[industrial dance music|industrial dance]]'s aggressive sound: "Reznor's electronics-plus-guitar LP also carries a brighter techno-pop element that might remind some of [[Depeche Mode]]. Things occasionally mellow out to moody atmospherics, while Reznor's vocals range from whispers to screams."<ref name="Popson1">{{cite news|last=Popson|first=Tom|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1990-01-26-9001080016-story.html|title=Dancing Through Disillusion With Nine Inch Nails|newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]|date=January 26, 1990|access-date=January 2, 2014}}</ref> ''[[Option (music magazine)|Option]]'' magazine also characterized Reznor's sound as "industrial dance noise", referring to "Head Like a Hole" and "Terrible Lie" as "[[techno]]", but compared the "raspy, angry vocals" to [[David Lee Roth]] with "[[Punk rock|punk]] intentions".<ref name="Option"/> ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' classified ''Pretty Hate Machine'' as "[[Dance-rock|DOR]]...with an industrial edge", saying "NIN make a stellar bow worth investigating."<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Coleman |first=Bill |date=25 November 1989 |title=Dance Trax: New Music On Alternative Tip Sparks The Scene |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |location=New York |publisher=P-MRC |volume=101 |issue=47 |page=31 |id={{ProQuest|1438703165}}}}</ref> ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'' described the album as "dance music where technology reigns and sexual innuendoes abound", adding, "Trent Reznor's one-man band comes across like an accessible [[Front 242]], an intelligent [[Nitzer Ebb]] or a primal screaming Depeche Mode."<ref name="Spin blurb">{{cite magazine |last=Reinhardt |first=Robin |date=1 January 1990 |title=Heavy Rotation - Staff Selections |work=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]] |location=New York |volume=5 |issue=10 |page=18 |id={{ProQuest|1286588280}}}}</ref> Retrospectively, ''[[PopMatters]]''{{'}} AJ Ramirez regarded the album as "a synthesizer-dominated industrial dance record that on occasion slipped under the alternative rock banner."<ref>{{cite web|last=Ramirez|first=AJ|url=http://www.popmatters.com/post/187442-caught-in-the-machine-nine-inch-nails-broken/|title=Caught in the Machine: Nine Inch Nails' 'Broken'|website=[[PopMatters]]|date=November 11, 2014|access-date=March 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160806000017/http://www.popmatters.com/post/187442-caught-in-the-machine-nine-inch-nails-broken/|archive-date=August 6, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Reznor has humorously described ''Pretty Hate Machine'' as "the all-purpose [[alternative rock|alternative]] album," remarking that "if you want to [[stage diving|stage dive]] to it, you can, but if you're a big Depeche Mode fan, you can get what you need out of it as well."<ref name="Perry1" /> Reznor further stated: "I like electronic music, but I like it to have some aggression. That 'first wave' of electro music – [[The Human League|Human League]] and [[Devo]] – that's the easiest way to use it. To be able to get some humanity and aggression into it in a cool way, that's the thing&nbsp;... ''Pretty Hate Machine'' is a record you can listen to and get more out of each time. To me, something like [[Front 242]] is the opposite: great at first but, after 10 listens, that's it."<ref name="Perry1" /> Reznor additionally cited [[Depeche Mode]]'s 1986 album ''[[Black Celebration]]'' as a driving influence, stating that "DM was one of our favorite bands and the ''Black Celebration'' record took my love for them to a new level."<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Legaspi |first=Althea |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/trent-reznor-tony-hawk-talk-depeche-mode-fandom-112324/ |title=Trent Reznor, Tony Hawk Talk Depeche Mode Fandom |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=11 May 2017 |access-date=11 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190214030001/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/trent-reznor-tony-hawk-talk-depeche-mode-fandom-112324/ |archive-date=14 February 2019}}</ref>

In a commentary on the album, [[Tom Hull (critic)|Tom Hull]] said that Reznor's "notion of industrial is closer to [[New Order (band)|New Order]] new wave, but with a harder metallic gleam and more [[dystopian]] attitude."<ref>{{cite web|last=Hull|first=Tom|author-link=Tom Hull (critic)|date=July 29, 2015|url=http://www.tomhull.com/ocston/blog/archives/2292-Rhapsody-Streamnotes-July-2015.html|title=Rhapsody Streamnotes (July 2015)|website=Tom Hull - On the Web|access-date=June 22, 2020}}</ref>

===Samples===
[[Prince (musician)|Prince]], [[Jane's Addiction]], and [[Public Enemy (band)|Public Enemy]] are listed in the liner notes as artists whose music was sampled on the album. Segments of Prince's "[[Alphabet St.]]" and Jane's Addiction's "[[Nothing's Shocking|Had a Dad]]" can be heard in "Ringfinger". Other samples were edited or distorted so as to be unrecognizable, such as the introduction to "Kinda I Want To". "Something I Can Never Have" features unused backing tracks created by John Fryer for [[This Mortal Coil]].<ref name="Doerschuk" />

Reznor stated, "I was tempted to lay in more of other people‘s stuff, but I thought that would lend a real dated quality to the record, seeing where that has gone the way it has in [[Hip hop music|hip-hop]]."<ref name="Doerschuk" /> Time constraints similarly prevented him from accumulating "good sounds" as he wanted.<ref name="Doerschuk" /> He obtained "weird percussion tracks" by sampling loops from artists like Public Enemy, playing them backwards and modulating them in [[Avid Audio|Macintosh Turbosynth]] with an oscillator tuned to the pitch of the song, obtaining "this weird flanging-type thing that's in key".<ref name="Doerschuk" /> He said that "every drum fill on 'Terrible Lie' is lifted intact from somewhere. There are six other songs playing through that cut, recorded on tape, in and out, depending on where they worked."<ref name="Doerschuk" />

==Cover art==
The cover art was designed by Gary Talpas, which is a photo of the blades of a turbine stretched vertically to create the illusion of a rib cage.<ref>{{cite web |last1=NIN |title=Pretty Hate Machine |url=https://www.nin.wiki/Pretty_Hate_Machine#Artwork |website=NIN.wiki |access-date=26 October 2021}}</ref> For the 2010 reissue, visual artist Rob Sheridan was assigned to update the cover art by Reznor to tone down the heavy late-Eighties neon aesthetic. Unfortunately, Sheridan was unable to locate the original artwork as it was deemed lost forever. To remedy this, he had to reverse engineer the cover art by scanning the existing cover art and digitally painted the image in very high resolution.<ref>{{cite web|last=Chapstick|first=Kelsey|url=https://www.revolvermag.com/music/nine-inch-nails-pretty-hate-machine-10-things-you-didnt-know|title=Nine Inch Nails' 'Pretty Hate Machine': 10 Things You Didn't Know|website=[[Revolver (magazine)|Revolver]]|date=October 19, 2019|access-date=October 26, 2021}}</ref>

==Touring==
[[File:Trent Reznor Lollapalooza 1991.jpg|thumb|170px|alt=A man caked in mud screaming into a microphone.|Reznor during the 1991 [[Lollapalooza]] festival]]

In 1990, Reznor quickly formed a band, hiring guitarist [[Richard Patrick]] who would later form [[Filter (band)|Filter]]. The live band began the ''Pretty Hate Machine Tour Series'', in which they toured North America as an opening act for alternative rock artists such as [[Peter Murphy (musician)|Peter Murphy]] and [[The Jesus and Mary Chain]].{{sfn|Huxley|1997|pp=52, 54}}<ref name="Yeung" /> Nine Inch Nails' live set at the time was known for louder, more aggressive versions of the studio songs. At some point, Reznor began [[Instrument destruction|smashing his equipment]] onstage (Reznor preferred using the heel of his boots to strip the keys from expensive [[keyboard instrument|keyboards]], most notably the [[Yamaha DX7]]);{{Citation needed|date=July 2008}} Nine Inch Nails then embarked on a world tour that continued through the first [[Lollapalooza]] festival in 1991 and culminated in an opening slot to support [[Guns N' Roses]] on their European tour.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Weisbard|first=Eric|author-link=Eric Weisbard|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=td2yO_T3DPEC&pg=PA34|title=Sympathy for the Devil|magazine=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]|location=New York|volume=11|issue=11|date=February 1996|access-date=April 9, 2022|pages=34–36, 38, 40–42, 96}}</ref>

==Critical reception==
{{Music ratings
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref name="Huey">{{cite web|last=Huey|first=Steve|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/pretty-hate-machine-mw0000207551|title=Pretty Hate Machine – Nine Inch Nails|website=AllMusic|access-date=August 28, 2009}}</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[The A.V. Club]]''
| rev2score = B−<ref name="Ryan">{{cite news|last=Ryan|first=Kyle|url=https://www.avclub.com/nine-inch-nails-pretty-hate-machine-2010-remaster-1798166567|title=Nine Inch Nails: Pretty Hate Machine: 2010 Remaster|newspaper=[[The A.V. Club]]|location=Chicago|date=November 23, 2010|access-date=May 31, 2013}}</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''
| rev3score = {{Rating|2|4}}<ref name="Popson2">{{cite news|last=Popson|first=Tom|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1989-12-22-8903200857-story.html|title=Unlikely Elvis: The Residents Thoroughly Revise The King|newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]|date=December 22, 1989|access-date=August 28, 2009}}</ref>
| rev4 = ''[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]''
| rev4score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Prior|first=Clive|title=Filigree & Shadows|magazine=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]|location=London|issue=188|date=July 2009|page=49}}</ref>
| rev5 = ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''
| rev5score = 5.6/10 (2006)<ref>{{cite web|last=Mitchum|first=Rob|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/5804-pretty-hate-machine/|title=Nine Inch Nails: Pretty Hate Machine Album Review|website=Pitchfork|date=January 12, 2006|access-date=August 6, 2023}}</ref><br />9.5/10 (2010)<ref name="Breihan">{{cite web|last=Breihan|first=Tom|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/14890-pretty-hate-machine/|title=Nine Inch Nails: Pretty Hate Machine Album Review|website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|date=November 24, 2010|access-date=November 24, 2010}}</ref>
| rev6 = ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]''
| rev6score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="Aston">{{cite magazine|last=Aston|first=Martin|title=Nine Inch Nails: Pretty Hate Machine|magazine=[[Q (magazine)|Q]]|location=London|issue=54|date=March 1991}}</ref>
| rev7 = ''[[Rolling Stone]]''
| rev7score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="Hermes">{{cite magazine|last=Hermes|first=Will|author-link=Will Hermes|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/pretty-hate-machine-reissue-122012/|title=Pretty Hate Machine (Reissue)|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|location=New York|date=November 22, 2010|access-date=May 31, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220409061355/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/pretty-hate-machine-reissue-122012/|archive-date=April 9, 2022|url-status=live}}</ref>
| rev9 = ''[[Select (magazine)|Select]]''
| rev9score = 4/5<ref name="Perry2">{{cite magazine|last=Perry|first=Neil|title=Nine Inch Nails: Pretty Hate Machine|magazine=Select|location=London|issue=9|date=March 1991|page=75}}</ref>
| rev10 = ''[[Sounds (magazine)|Sounds]]''
| rev10score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="Traitor">{{cite magazine|last=Traitor|first=Ralph|url=https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/nine-inch-nails-pretty-hate-machine-island-|title=Nine Inch Nails: Pretty Hate Machine (Island)|magazine=[[Sounds (magazine)|Sounds]]|location=London|date=February 23, 1991|access-date=November 1, 2016|url-access=subscription}}</ref>
}}

''Pretty Hate Machine'' received widespread acclaim from [[Music journalism|music critics]], who praised the production and Reznor's vocals. In a contemporary review for ''[[Rolling Stone]]'', [[Michael Azerrad]] called ''Pretty Hate Machine'' "industrial-strength noise over a pop framework" and "harrowing but catchy music";<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Azerrad|first=Michael|author-link=Michael Azerrad|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/new-faces-nine-inch-nails-99546/|title=New Faces: Nine Inch Nails|magazine=Rolling Stone|location=New York|date=February 22, 1990|access-date=May 24, 2016}}</ref> Reznor proclaimed this combination "a sincere statement" of "what was in [his] head at the time".<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Martin|first=Steve|title=Nine Inch Nails|magazine=[[Thrasher (magazine)|Thrasher]]|location=San Francisco|volume=10|issue=6|date=June 1990|pages=81–82}}</ref> [[Robert Hilburn]] found Reznor's "dark obsession" compelling in the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'',<ref>{{cite news|last=Hilburn|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Hilburn|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-12-01-ca-775-story.html|title=The Freshmen of '91: Rock, Funk, Punk, Metal and Spunk|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=December 1, 1991|access-date=August 28, 2009}}</ref> while ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]''{{'}}s Martin Aston said Reznor "scans the spectrum of modern dance" with a "panoramic vision" that is "both admirably adventurous and yet accessible."<ref name="Aston" /> ''[[Select (magazine)|Select]]'' critic Neil Perry said that record was "a flawed but listenable labour of loathing".<ref name="Perry2" /> Ralph Traitor of ''[[Sounds (magazine)|Sounds]]'' said that "Reznor has guts, and they make his ''Machine'' one to be treated with respect", finding that the album was comparable to releases by [[Ministry (band)|Ministry]] and [[Foetus (band)|Foetus]].<ref name="Traitor" />

Jon Pareles was less impressed in his review for ''[[The New York Times]]'', writing that ''Pretty Hate Machine'' "stays so close to the conventions established by [[Depeche Mode]], [[Soft Cell]] and [[New Order (band)|New Order]] that it could be a parody album", but notes, "Luckily, his voice is surrounded by music that has a sure beat and enough unexpected jolts to support his posturing.<ref name="Pareles">{{cite news|last=Pareles|first=Jon|author-link=Jon Pareles|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/02/04/arts/recordings-rock-s-dead-end-kids-trust-only-their-own-skepticism.html|title=Rock's Dead-End Kids Trust Only Their Own Skepticism|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=February 4, 1990|access-date=August 28, 2009}}</ref> Frank Beeson was more indifferent in ''[[Option (music magazine)|Option]]'' magazine, describing the album as, "Not everyone's cup of tea, but good for what it is."<ref name="Option">{{cite magazine |last=Beeson |first=Frank |date=1 January 1990 |title=NINE INCH NAILS: Pretty Hate Machine |work=[[Option (music magazine)|Option]] |location=Los Angeles |issue=30 |page=87 |id={{ProQuest|2678489362}}}}</ref> Mark Jenkins of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' found the music "competent but undistinctive stuff" and believed the "angry denunciations" of songs such as "Terrible Lie" are overshadowed by the "nursery-rhyme" chants of "[[Down in It]]".<ref>{{cite news|last=Jenkins|first=Mark|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1990/02/02/industrial-musicians-turn-up-that-noise/cf59a333-67eb-495d-bb89-1d37eeca2603/|title=Industrial Musicians Turn Up That Noise|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=February 2, 1990|access-date=August 25, 2023}}</ref> Tom Popson wrote in the ''Chicago Tribune'' that "the playing and production get points for introducing some variety to the industrial style, but the moments of soap-on-a-rope singing tend to cancel them out."<ref name="Popson2" />

In a retrospective review, [[AllMusic]] editor Steve Huey commended Reznor for giving "industrial music a human voice, a point of connection" with his "tortured confusion and self-obsession", and felt that "the greatest achievement of ''Pretty Hate Machine'' was that it brought emotional extravagance to a genre whose main theme had nearly always been dehumanization."<ref name="Huey" /> Upon its 2010 reissue, [[Will Hermes]] of ''Rolling Stone'' called it "the first industrial singer-songwriter album" and commended the sound produced by [[Flood (producer)|Flood]] and [[Keith LeBlanc]], who he said "taught Reznor a lot."<ref name="Hermes" /> Kyle Ryan of ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' felt that the album "remains the work of an artist just discovering his voice" and said that "20 years later, it doesn't warrant repeat listens like its successors." He found some of its synth and sampled sounds to still be dated after the album's remastering and Reznor's lyrics "mopey" and "silly".<ref name="Ryan" /> In an interview with ''[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]'', journalist and novelist [[Chuck Palahniuk]] said that the album "seemed like the first honest piece of music I ever heard."<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Wadsworth|first=Andrew|url=http://www.blender.com/guide/my-music/67277/chuck-palahniuk-147i-was-choking-on-animal-hair148.html|title='I Was Choking on Animal Hair!'|magazine=[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]|location=New York|volume=2|issue=9|date=November 2003|access-date=April 9, 2022|pages=126–127|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100308060556/http://www.blender.com/guide/my-music/67277/chuck-palahniuk-147i-was-choking-on-animal-hair148.html|archive-date=March 8, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2020, ''Pretty Hate Machine'' was included at number 453 on ''Rolling Stone''{{'}}s "[[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|500 Greatest Albums of All Time]]" list.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/nine-inch-nails-pretty-hate-machine-1062780/|title=The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|magazine=Rolling Stone|location=New York|date=September 22, 2020|access-date=October 27, 2020}}</ref>

==Commercial performance==
Released on October 20, 1989, ''Pretty Hate Machine'' was a commercial success and entered the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] in February 1990.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200/1990-02-09|title=Billboard 200 Week of February 10, 1990 |publisher=Billboard.com |access-date=October 2, 2018}}</ref> Although it peaked at number 75 on the ''Billboard'' 200, the album gained popularity through [[word of mouth]] and developed an underground following. ''Pretty Hate Machine'' was certified Gold by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]] (RIAA) on March 3, 1992, a few years after the album's initial release, for shipping 500,000 units in the USA.<ref name="RIAA" /> Three years later in 1995, it became one of the first [[independent music|independently released]] records to attain a [[RIAA certification|Platinum certification]].<ref name="RIAA" /> It eventually garnered a triple Platinum certification on May 12, 2003, with three million copies sold in the United States.<ref name="RIAA" />  ''Pretty Hate Machine'' spent a total of 115 weeks on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart, tying their sophomore album, ''[[The Downward Spiral]]'' as their longest charting effort.<ref name="US chart" />

The album was also certified Silver by the [[British Phonographic Industry]] (BPI) on November 1, 1995,<ref name="BPI" /> following its number 67 peak on the [[UK Albums Chart]].<ref name="UK chart" />

==Reissue==
''Pretty Hate Machine'' went [[out of print]] through TVT, but was reissued by [[Rykodisc]] on November 22, 2005, with slightly modified packaging. Reznor had expressed interest in making a deluxe edition with [[surround sound]] remastering and new remixes, similar to the rerelease of ''[[The Downward Spiral]]''. Rykodisc initially accepted the idea, but wanted Reznor to pay the production costs.<ref name="TRtalksaboutPHMr">{{cite web|title=News about Nine Inch Nails and Trent Reznor at The NIN Hotline|url=http://www.theninhotline.net/news/archives/backissue.php?y=05&m=11#1131469248|website=www.theninhotline.net|access-date=June 29, 2017}}</ref>

On March 29, 2010, the recording rights to ''Pretty Hate Machine'' were acquired by the [[Bicycle Music Company]] and on October 22, 2010, Reznor announced that a remastered edition would be released the following month. The remaster included new cover art by [[Rob Sheridan]] and the bonus track "[[Get Down, Make Love]]", a [[Queen (band)|Queen]] cover originally from the "[[Sin (Nine Inch Nails song)|Sin]]" single.<ref name="remaster">{{cite web|url=http://www.bicyclemusic.com/downloads/PHM%20Press%20Release.pdf|title=Pretty Hate Machine: Nine Inch Nails' Groundbreaking Debut Album Remastered And Re-Released On November 22, 2010|publisher=[[Bicycle Music Company]]|date=October 26, 2010|access-date=February 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304033536/http://www.bicyclemusic.com/downloads/PHM%20Press%20Release.pdf|archive-date=March 4, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> The 2010 reissue was [[mastered]] by Tom Baker at the Precision Mastering in Hollywood, California.<ref name="remaster" />

"''PHM 2.0'' is far brighter and clearer than its original incarnation," observed ''[[Classic Rock (magazine)|Classic Rock]]'', "but ultimately it's the strength of the songwriting… that shines through. Although that said, a super bass beef-up job on an already infamous cover of Queen's 'Get Down, Make Love' ups the sleaze 'n' grind quotient no end."<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Yates|first=Catherine|title=The hard stuff: Reissues|magazine=[[Classic Rock (magazine)|Classic Rock]]|location=Bath|issue=155|date=March 2011|page=98}}</ref>

Before the album's rerelease, a fan website was launched featuring touring information for ''Pretty Hate Machine'', the videos for "Head Like a Hole" and "Down in It" (with remastered sound), the uncut video for "Sin" (a remix for the video was used) and two early live segments, one with interviews.

The album and its respective singles were included in a [[Record Store Day]] [[Black Friday (shopping)|Black Friday]] exclusive box set, ''[[Halo I–IV]]'' in 2015.<ref>{{cite web|last=Kaye|first=Ben|url=https://consequence.net/2015/10/nine-inch-nails-releasing-halo-i-iv-vinyl-box-set-for-record-store-day-black-friday/|title=Nine Inch Nails releasing Halo I–IV vinyl box set for Record Store Day Black Friday|website=[[Consequence (publication)|Consequence]]|date=October 28, 2015|access-date=October 28, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Grebey|first=James|url=https://www.spin.com/2015/10/nine-inch-nails-vinyl-box-set-halo-i-iv-record-store-day-black-friday/|title=Nine Inch Nails to Release Vinyl Box Set, 'Halo I–IV,' for Record Store Day Black Friday|website=Spin|date=October 28, 2015|access-date=October 28, 2015}}</ref>

==Track listing==
{{Track listing
| all_writing = [[Trent Reznor]]
| extra_column = Producer(s)
| title1 = [[Head Like a Hole]]
| extra1 = {{hlist|Reznor|[[Keith LeBlanc]]{{ref|a|[a]}}|[[Flood (producer)|Flood]]}}
| length1 = 4:59

| title2 = Terrible Lie
| extra2 = {{hlist|Reznor|Flood}}
| length2 = 4:38

| title3 = [[Down in It]]
| extra3 = {{hlist|Reznor|LeBlanc|[[Adrian Sherwood]]}}
| length3 = 3:46

| title4 = Sanctified
| extra4 = {{hlist|Reznor|[[John Fryer (producer)|John Fryer]]}}
| length4 = 5:47

| title5 = [[Something I Can Never Have]]
| extra5 = {{hlist|Reznor|Fryer}}
| length5 = 5:54

| title6 = Kinda I Want To
| extra6 = {{hlist|Reznor|Fryer}}
| length6 = 4:33

| title7 = [[Sin (song)|Sin]]
| extra7 = {{hlist|Reznor|Fryer|LeBlanc{{ref|b|[b]}}}}
| length7 = 4:06

| title8 = That's What I Get
| extra8 = Fryer
| length8 = 4:30

| title9 = The Only Time
| extra9 = {{hlist|Reznor|Fryer|LeBlanc}}
| length9 = 4:47

| title10 = Ringfinger
| extra10 = {{hlist|Reznor|Fryer}}
| length10 = 5:42

| total_length = 48:42<!--All track times sourced from CD release "CID 9973 848 358-2".-->
}}

{{Track listing
| headline = 2010 remastered edition bonus track<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/release/pretty-hate-machine-2010-remaster-mr0003233737|title=Pretty Hate Machine [2010 Remaster] – Nine Inch Nails|website=AllMusic|access-date=November 2, 2016}}</ref>
| extra_column = Producer(s)

| title11 = [[Get Down, Make Love|Get Down Make Love]]
| writer11 = [[Freddie Mercury]]
| extra11 = [[Al Jourgensen|Hypo Luxa]]
| length11 = 4:19
}}

'''Notes'''
* <sup>{{note|a|a}}</sup> signifies an additional remix producer.
* <sup>{{note|b|b}}</sup> signifies a remixer.

==Personnel==
Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Pretty Hate Machine''.<ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=Pretty Hate Machine|type=remastered CD liner notes|others=[[Nine Inch Nails]]|publisher=[[Universal Music Enterprises|UMe]]|year=2010|id=B0015099-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=Pretty Hate Machine|type=CD liner notes|others=Nine Inch Nails|publisher=[[TVT Records]]|year=1989|id=TVT 2610-2}}</ref>

{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
* [[Trent Reznor]] – vocals, arrangement, continuity, digital editing, programming {{small|(all tracks)}}; production {{small|(tracks 1–7, 9, 10)}}; mixing {{small|(tracks 2, 6, 7, 10)}}; engineering {{small|(tracks 3, 11)}}
* Tom Baker – mastering {{small|(2010 reissue)}}
* [[Sean Beavan]] – engineering {{small|(tracks 4, 11)}}
* Blumpy – remastering preparation
* [[Tony Dawsey]] – mastering
* [[Messy Music|Doug DeAngelis]] – engineering {{small|(tracks 1, 2)}}
* [[Flood (producer)|Flood]] – engineering, production {{small|(tracks 1, 2)}}; additional synth programming {{small|(tracks 2, 6)}}
* [[John Fryer (music)|John Fryer]] – engineering {{small|(tracks 2, 4–10)}}; mixing {{small|(tracks 2, 4–6, 8–10)}}; production {{small|(tracks 4–10)}}
* [[Al Jourgensen|Hypo Luxa]] – engineering, production {{small|(track 11)}}
* Kennan Keating – engineering {{small|(tracks 1, 3, 6, 7, 9)}}
{{col-2}}
* [[Keith LeBlanc]] – additional remix production {{small|(track 1)}}; engineering {{small|(tracks 1, 3, 6, 7, 9)}}; mixing {{small|(tracks 1, 6, 7, 9)}}; production {{small|(tracks 3, 9)}}; remix {{small|(track 7)}}
* Jeff "Critter" Newell – engineering {{small|(track 11)}}
* Tim Niemi – additional synth programming {{small|(tracks 2, 6)}}
* [[Richard Patrick]] – drone guitar at end {{small|(track 4)}}
* Ken Quartarone – engineering {{small|(tracks 1, 6, 7, 9)}}
* [[Rob Sheridan]] – art direction {{small|(2010 reissue)}}
* [[Adrian Sherwood]] – engineering, mixing, production {{small|(track 3)}}
* [[Jeffrey Silverthorne]] – portrait photography
* [[Gary Talpas]] – original sleeve
* [[Chris Vrenna]] – continuity, digital editing
{{col-end}}

==Charts==
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (1990)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
{{album chart|UK|67|artist=Nine Inch Nails|rowheader=true|access-date=November 2, 2016|refname="UK chart"}}
|-
{{album chart|Billboard200|75|artist=Nine Inch Nails|rowheader=true|access-date=November 2, 2016|refname="US chart"}}
|}

==Certifications==
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Argentina|type=album|title=pretty Hate Machine|artist=Nine INch Nails|award=Platinum|relyear=1989|certyear=2005|certref=<ref name=capif>{{cite web|url=http://www.capif.org.ar/Default.asp?PerDesde_MM=0&PerDesde_AA=0&PerHasta_MM=0&PerHasta_AA=0&interprete=&album=&LanDesde_MM=1&LanDesde_AA=1980&LanHasta_MM=12&LanHasta_AA=2010&Galardon=O&Tipo=1&ACCION2=+Buscar+&ACCION=Buscar&CO=5&CODOP=ESOP |archive-url=https://archive.today/20110706084844/http://www.capif.org.ar/Default.asp?PerDesde_MM=0&PerDesde_AA=0&PerHasta_MM=0&PerHasta_AA=0&interprete=&album=&LanDesde_MM=1&LanDesde_AA=1980&LanHasta_MM=12&LanHasta_AA=2010&Galardon=O&Tipo=1&ACCION2=+Buscar+&ACCION=Buscar&CO=5&CODOP=ESOP |archive-date= July 6, 2011 |title=Discos de oro y platino |access-date=May 5, 2018 |publisher=[[Cámara Argentina de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas]] |language=es |url-status=dead }}</ref>}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|artist=Nine Inch Nails|title=Pretty Hate Machine|award=Gold|type=album|relyear=1989|certyear=2020|id=5207-2237-2|date=April 17, 2020|access-date=April 18, 2020|refname="BPI"}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|artist=Nine Inch Nails|title=Pretty Hate Machine|award=Platinum|number=3|type=album|relyear=1989|date=May 12, 2003|access-date=November 2, 2016|refname="RIAA"}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=yes | streaming=true}}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

'''Bibliography'''
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite book|last=Carr|first=Daphne|title=Nine Inch Nails' Pretty Hate Machine|publisher=[[Bloomsbury Publishing]]|year=2011|isbn=9781441186379}}
* {{cite book|last=Huxley|first=Martin|title=Nine Inch Nails: Self-Destruct|publisher=[[St. Martin's Griffin]]|year=1997|isbn=0-312-15612-X}}
* {{cite book|last=Randall|first=Mac|editor1-last=Brackett|editor1-first=Nathan|editor1-link=Nathan Brackett|editor2-last=Hoard|editor2-first=Christian|editor2-link=Christian Hoard|chapter=Nine Inch Nails|title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide|title-link=The Rolling Stone Album Guide|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|edition=reprinted 4th|year=2004|isbn=0-7432-0169-8}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
* ''[https://www.discogs.com/Nine-Inch-Nails-Pretty-Hate-Machine/master/3406 Pretty Hate Machine]'' at [[Discogs]]

{{Nine Inch Nails}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1989 debut albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Adrian Sherwood]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Al Jourgensen]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Flood (producer)]]
[[Category:Albums produced by John Fryer (producer)]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Keith LeBlanc]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Trent Reznor]]
[[Category:Albums recorded at Unique Recording Studios]]
[[Category:Nine Inch Nails albums]]
[[Category:TVT Records albums]]