Today, exactly 31 years ago, Nine Inch Nails released their second single Head Like a Hole (22 March 1990) and bared the NIN catalogue number Halo 3. taken from their debut album Pretty Hate Machine (Halo 2) which was already released in October 1989.

Trent Reznor wrote 'Head like A Hole' already two years before its actual release, after touring with Skinny Puppy in 1988. The song was recorded in 1989 and was co-produced by Adrian Sherwood, Flood, and Keith LeBlanc. Since Flood was pretty occupied with producing Depeche Mode's Violator album at that time, 'Head Like a Hole' became one of the last songs the band finished for their Pretty Hate Machine album.

A music video was shot for the "Clay" remix of this song and was directed by Eric Zimmerman which was later also featured on the Closure VHS video tape (1997). The video got heavy rotation on MTV and helped to fuel NIN's early success. The video was shot at the Exit nightclub (Chicago) and features band members Trent Reznor, Richard Patrick, and Chris Vrenna, as well as guest drummer Martin Atkins performing in a cage

Head Like A Hole became an instant (underground) hit and remains upon today still one of NIN’s main artifacts.

The song was covered by many artists since then, amongst those DEVO and Nu-Metal band Korn

Head Like A Hole - Lyrics

God money I'll do anything for you.
God money just tell me what you want me to
God money nail me up against the wall.
God money don't want everything he wants it all.
No you can't take it
No you can't take it
No you can't take that away from me
No you can't take it
No you can't take it
No you can't take that away from me

Head like a hole.
Black as your soul.
I'd rather die than give you control.
Head like a hole.
Black as your soul.
I'd rather die than give you control.

Bow down before the one you serve.
You're going to get what you deserve.
Bow down before the one you serve.
You're going to get what you deserve.

God money's not looking for the cure.
God money's not concerned with the sick among the pure.
God money let's go dancing on the backs of the bruised.
God money's not one to choose
No you can't take it
No you can't take it
No you can't take that away from me
No you can't take it
No you can't take it
No you can't take that away from me

Head like a hole.
Black as your soul.
I'd rather die than give you control.
Head like a hole.
Black as your soul.
I'd rather die than give you control.

Bow down before the one you serve.
You're going to get what you deserve.
Bow down before the one you serve.
You're going to get what you deserve.
Bow down before the one you serve
You're going to get what you deserve.
Bow down before the one you serve.
You're going to get what you deserve.

Head like a hole.
Black as your soul.
I'd rather die than give you control.
Head like a hole.
Black as your soul.
I'd rather die than give you control.
Head like a hole.
Black as your soul.
I'd rather die than give you control.
Head like a hole.
Black as your soul.
I'd rather die than give you control.

Bow down before the one you serve.
You're going to get what you deserve.
Bow down before the one you serve.
You're going to get what you deserve.
Bow down before the one you serve.
You're going to get what you deserve.
Bow down before the one you serve.
You're going to get what you deserve.

Songwriters: Trent Reznor

DISCOGS

On this day, 40 years ago John Foxx released the second 7” single taken from his debut and electronic music cult album Metamatic (released 18 January 1980). ‘No-One Driving’ (21 March 1980) was released in various versions, as a limited edition double 7" disc with three accompanying tracks, and as a single 7" singles a two track and three track version.

The single version is slightly different from the album version in sound mix and lyrics; the line "..someone's gone liquid in the sheets.." on the album version is replaced by "..someone's gone missing in the sheets..".

The single entered the UK Singles Chart at no. 32, remaining at the same position for a further week.

No-One Driving (Original 7” Releases)

7" single disc (two track version)

1. "No-One Driving"
2. "Glimmer"

7" single disc (three track version)

1. "No-One Driving"
2. "Glimmer"
3. "Mr. No"

7" double disc (gatefold sleeve)

1. "No-One Driving"
2. "Glimmer"
3. "This City"
4. "Mr. No"

7" German release (different sleeve artwork)

1. "No-One Driving"
2. "Metal Beat"

All three B-sides were released together for the first time on the 2001 CD re-issue of the Metamatic album.

DISCOGS

No-One Driving (Lyrics)

Seems like you were lit inside
I feel like fog beside the shine
Figure fades away
Someone takes my place
Meshing with the pictures on the pages

There's no-one driving
There's no-one driving
There's no-one driving
There's no-one

The family's back from long ago
The voices burnt, the voices gold
Vapour trails go by
Voices on the lines
Nothing to come back to can't we fade?

There's no-one driving
There's no-one driving
There's no-one driving
There's no-one

Someone's gone liquid in the sheets
A sudden smell of burning leaves
The old streets overgrown
Somewhere else to go
It's just another switchback can't we fade?

There's no-one driving
There's no-one driving
There's no-one driving

This day 32 years ago, The Pixies released their debut long-player, the sublime Surfer Rosa. The very beginning of the postmodernist, alternative rock movement started with the kick drum of ‘Bone Machine’. A deep-drenched surrealistic track of singalong pre-grunge, with former member Kim Deal echoing the direct screamed vocal of Black Francis.

A brutal mix followed with themes from voyeurism to mutilation, all wrapped in sonic bursts of finely constructed melodies. The sound of Surfer Rosa is a cross of-surf-rock, punk, psychedelic-a mixed with torrential noise and the very twisted lyrics. It slapped in the face more taboos than the Velvet Underground. It is no wonder then that The Pixies were the band which would ignite the flames of Nirvana, Blur, Radiohead and The Strokes. They became the most influential band of the nineteen-eighties, in a very short space of time. And Surfer Rosa was where it started.

The magic of Steve Albini (Nirvana, PJ Harvey ) captures perfectly the raw-assault of The Pixies, whilst the song may be simple in construction, the abstract way in their creation makes them further complex.
This is the album which will remain a classic of the twentieth century, The Velvet Underground And Nico movement of modern times.


Surfer Rosa - Original 1988 Track List;
1. “Bone Machine”
2. "Break My Body"
3. "Something Against You"
4. "Broken Face"
5. "Gigantic"
6. "River Euphrates"
7. "Where Is My Mind?"
8. "Cactus"
9. "Tony's Theme"
10. "Oh My Golly!"
11. "Vamos"
12. "I'm Amazed"
13. "Brick Is Red"

DISCOGS

Gigantic (Lyrics)

And this I know his teeth as white as snow
What a gas it was to see him
Walk her everyday into a shady place
With her lips she said
She said, "Hey Paul, hey Paul, hey Paul
Let's have a ball
Hey Paul, hey Paul, hey Paul
Let's have a ball
Hey Paul, hey Paul, hey Paul
Let's have a ball"
Gigantic, gigantic, gigantic
A big, big love
Gigantic, gigantic, gigantic
A big, big love
Lovely legs there are
What a big black mass, what a hunk of love
He'll walk her every day into a shady place
Like the dark, but I'd want him
"Hey Paul, hey Paul, hey Paul
Let's have a ball
Hey Paul, hey Paul, hey Paul
Let's have a ball
Hey Paul, hey Paul, hey Paul
Let's have a ball"
Gigantic, gigantic, gigantic
A big, big love

[Kevin Burke]

Today it’s exactly 30 years ago that Nitzer Ebb released their third studio album Showtime on Mute Records (STUMM 72 / 20 March 1990).

The album has a whole has a very cohesive, uniform sound, despite each song being very unique, ranging from the more EBM-like Rope to the almost Industrial-Rock-ish Getting Closer. Three singles were taken from this album and released separately, Lightning Man, Fun To Be Had and Getting Closer.

Showtime - Tracklist

Getting Closer
Nobody Knows
One Mans Burden
All Over
My Heart
Lightning Man
Rope
Hold On
Fun To Be Had

On this day, 40 years ago, Fad Gadget released the non-album 7” single ‘Ricky's Hand’ (19 March 1980). It was recorded at the Blackwing Studios, London, on 19 January 1980 and became the second Fad Gadget single, following the debut Back to Nature 7” the previous year.

The track was originally not included on any studio album and predating a debut LP ‘Fireside Favorites’ by several months, but does appear on several later released compilations. Mute Records founder Daniel Miller collaborated on the writing, playing and production.

The song was a sardonic cautionary tale on the perils of drink driving: "From the pocket it pulled five pound / Ricky bought another round… Ricky contravened the highway code / The hand lies severed at the side of the road".

The music was in a predominantly industrial style with an insistent electronic beat. An electric drill was also listed among the instruments; it can be heard on the recording punctuating each mention of the song's title.

The B-side, ‘Handshake’, was an instrumental that essentially mixed up the sounds used on the A-side.

Ricky's Hand 7"
A Ricky's Hand 4:06
B Handshake 4:47

Below you can watch some unique footage of Fad Gadget performing Ricky’s Hand at the renowned Hacienda FACT51 club, Manchester, England, 1984 and a live version performed on his 2001 come-back tour.

Sadly an unique video document on which Fad Gadget can be seen singing Ricky's Hand, with his two live musicians at the time, Phil Wauquaire and Jean-Marc Lederman (The Weathermen), on the Belgian RTBF show Cargo De Nuit in 1980 has recently been removed from YouTube.

Instead we discovered another nice document of Ministry covering Ricky’s Hand back in 1984!

Enjoy!