Trent Reznor & Peter Murphy-The 2006 Radio Sessions
Jul 26 '06 (Updated Nov 29 '06)
The Bottom Line An Overview of the Radio Sessions Trent Reznor & Peter Murphy did during their 2006 Monsters of Goth Tour.
In 1990, Peter Murphy, former singer of the legendary Goth band Bauhaus, was embarking on a solo tour supporting his acclaimed 1990 release Deep that spawned the classic alternative rock song Cuts You Up which held the #1 modern rock song for 7 weeks that year. During that tour, opening for Murphy was an up-and-coming industrial rock outfit in Nine Inch Nails led by Trent Reznor. Though NIN would end up stealing the show from the veteran Murphy, the legendary Goth rocker praised Reznor as the two would later go on to separate paths to success. 16 years after they toured together, Reznor and Murphy decided to join forces once again in a double-bill tour that some called The Monsters of Goth tour with NIN leading the tour with Murphy reuniting Bauhaus for one more tour. Joining NIN and Bauhaus for the tour in different legs were the post-punk band TV on the Radio and the electro-punk artist Peaches.
During this acclaimed U.S. tour, Reznor and Murphy decided to do some radio sessions for the tour to give fans something different than what was done in previous NIN tours. Since Reznor has often acknowledge the influence of Murphy and Bauhaus, the four of the five planned radio sessions were to reveal their own individual take of each others work performed by the two. The result has become legendary among fans of NIN and Peter Murphy as they're often known simply as The 2006 Radio Sessions.
The 2006 Radio Sessions is a collection of radio performances Reznor and Murphy had done during the tour that features the band TV on the Radio and members and associates of NIN. Featuring new reinterpretations of songs by NIN, Bauhaus, and Peter Murphy's solo work plus tracks by TV on the Radio, Pere Ubu, Iggy Pop, the Normal, and Joy Division. Performed live with a small audience for each track, the songs reveal an intimacy and feel of two artists playing songs to reveal their influences and their acknowledgment of each one. Though so far, it's an incomplete collection, it remains to be one of the legendary and inspiring work that Trent Reznor and Peter Murphy has done in their great, respective careers.
Radio Session # 1-Atlanta, GA 99x 6/7/06
From the first of four in Atlanta (a great show I might add that I attended), Trent Reznor and Peter Murphy did three songs at 5 PM in front of a small audience with the people of 99x. The first song they performed was a radical remake of the NIN classic Head Like A Hole. The song is given a full-on electronic make-over with a distorted, rhythmic, slowed-down drum machine track and buzzing, bass synthesizers as Peter Murphy sings the songs' verses. Murphy's haunting, growling vocals gives the song a far more sinister feel as Reznor sings the chorus with his more serene yet engaging vocals. Sanity Assassin is also given an electronic make-over with a speedy, droning synthesizer track as Reznor growls his way to the song's verses as he trades them with Murphy. The song's intensity matches the striking attack of the original as Reznor and Murphy goes for the same angst as it stands as a great duet. The final track of the session is Hurt where it's a simple piano ballad as Reznor plays piano as Murphy sings the song with his eerie, hypnotic vocals that isn't as good as the Johnny Cash cover yet Murphy does some amazing vocal work.
Radio Session # 2-Washington D.C. DC 101 6/13/06
The second radio session features the band TV on the Radio, who opened for NIN & Bauhaus on the first leg of the tour. Playing live to another small audience, this time on a stage as opposed to a room like Atlanta. There, the performances are more lively as they're also captured on video which can be seen and downloaded at the official NIN site. The first performance is for the TV on the Radio song Dreams which is a hypnotic, post-punk, shoegaze track that is sung mostly by Reznor and guitarist Kyp Malone who share vocals for the song's verses. Once the song goes into its hypnotic, droning chorus, Murphy and vocalist Tunde Adebimpe share vocals as David Andrew Sitek does some great guitar work. The track softens up again to Reznor and Malone's vocals until it returns to its hypnotic intensity as Murphy and Reznor just growl onto the track.
Next is a cover of the Pere Ubu song Final Solution is famously covered by Murphy. Joined by a fantastic rhythm section in TV's bassist Gerard Smith and drummer Jaleel Bunton as Adebimpe, Murphy, and Reznor share verses for the song as it's a great, full-on post-punk rock assault, notably the chorus as TV on the Radio proves to be a great live rock band. The final cut is Bauhaus' Bela Lugosi's Dead where TV on the Radio's post-punk sound is more hypnotic than the Gothic tone of Bauhaus as Reznor sings lead for the opening verses as Sitek and Malone's guitar work drones on to its hypnotic tone. While the song goes into that seductive tone, Adebimpe sings the "white on white" part as Murphy growls on as he later sings the name of Bela. The video performances reveals the comradery between the three acts.
Radio Session # 3-Boston, MA WBCN, WNFX, WAAF 6/23/06
The third session from Boston is Reznor and Murphy playing in a room to a small audience and radio personnel. Joining them for the session is current NIN touring bassist Jeordie White, whom is referred by Murphy as Twiggy, and NIN programmer/studio maven Atticus Ross. With Ross on keyboards/programming, White on guitars, and Reznor on bass/keyboards, the sessions reveals a more intimate side to Reznor as its also captured on video that can been seen at the official NIN site. The first performance is for Reptile where the song is given another make-over with slow, programmed beats from Ross with Reznor doing the first verse as he sings to the song's new, distorted, droning bass-like electronic background as he plays a droning bass.
Once they go into the chorus, Reznor is joined by White and Murphy on singing the chorus where all the extended instrumental breaks are shortened as Murphy does some growling vocals to the second verse as he is joined by White doing some accompanying, muddy guitar work. Once they go back to the chorus, the song then segues into another drone-like arrangement where they go into a cover of Love & Rocket's (the post-Bauhaus band led by its remaining members minus Murphy) Haunted With The Minutes Drag as White does a melodic guitar riff where Reznor and Murphy trade verses for the song's chorus. The second track performed is a cover of the Normal's Warm Leatherette which was made famous by Grace Jones. The song is a distorted, buzzing yet rhythmic track that is filled with amazing beats as Ross and Reznor does all the electronic work with White adding guitar distortions as Murphy leads the way into the song. Overall, it's one of the best covers they've done as it shows a radical side of Reznor, Murphy, and co.
The third track is A Strange Kind Of Love where before the song is played, Reznor states that they're changing the mood for a bit as this song is too good to pass up. It's a song by Murphy as he is joined by White in this amazing acoustic ballad. The song is amazing to reveal Murphy's range as a vocalist as White does some great work on the guitar in this melancholic love song. The last track is a cover of the Iggy Pop classic Nightclubbing where the band plays true to the 70s classic as Reznor does some piano on the keyboard, Ross doing the distorted beats, White on the wailing guitars, and Murphy doing a jazz-like vocal style to the Pop classic as he’s later joined by Reznor and White on the vocals. It's a great cover of the Pop classic that would later inspire the NIN classic Closer.
Radio Session # 4-Chicago, IL Q101 7/1/06
The fourth and final session (a fifth for San Francisco was cancelled) was held in Chicago for Q101. Joined by NIN at the venue where the bands were to play, the session show NIN being a real live band as opposed to the chaos and theatrics that NIN fans have seen. Unfortunately, unlike the three previous radio sessions, Q101 didn't carry a live, streaming broadcast that angered a lot of fans. Making things worse was that during the broadcast, only an interview and one song was played. Those who were at the session were only get to see the band with Peter Murphy perform not one but four songs by Joy Division. Sadly, only one of those cuts was released via MP3 download and the quality of it isn't as great since there's a stop early in the song.
The songs that were performed by NIN and Peter Murphy for session are Dead Souls, Twenty-Four Hours, Warsaw, and Atmosphere. The only other MP3 that was released was an interview with DJ Electra for Reznor and Murphy. The five-minute interview as Reznor talked about the idea of doing something different to beat the tediousness of touring by doing the radio sessions while acknowledging Murphy's influence. Murphy talks about doing the Joy Division songs which aren't covered by many bands with a lot of integrity. Murphy praises Reznor's success while Reznor talks about Reznor's days opening for Murphy and how NIN remains relevant. Reznor also discusses the future of NIN where the U.S. tour was to be the last to promote With Teeth while he's planning to finish an album and maybe, do a solo tour with just pianos and computer programs.
The only track that's available on MP3 is Atmosphere. While the overall quality isn't great, the performance NIN and Peter Murphy gives is just undeniably amazing in its power since the band chooses to slow the tempo of the song just a bit as Josh Freese brings a new power to the beat with his amazing drumming with Jeordie White doing some great bass lines. Alessandro Cortini does some great keyboard work as Peter Murphy sings the first verse of the song and Reznor doing the second verse. Aaron North does some great, hard-rocking guitar collages that is atmospheric and engaging. Murphy does the last verse as the performance of the song overall is one of the most emotional covers NIN and Peter Murphy has ever done.
The final broadcast that was supposed to be in San Francisco on 7/8/06 for KITS radio was rumored to feature the members of Love & Rockets with Murphy as Bauhaus but in their official website. Bauhaus stated that the show was cancelled claiming "reasons beyond their control". Instead, Reznor gave another radio interview while some speculate that it was cancelled because they couldn't top the Joy Division covers. Still, whatever would've happened, the sessions have been talked about in the NIN web community.
Fans praised the radio sessions along with the choices of songs. NIN fans have been giving warm reception to Murphy as well as TV on the Radio while downloading the videos of two of the four radio performances at the official NIN site. Sadly, the sessions aren't complete since many fans are claiming that the Chicago people are lazy in bringing the MP3s yet they exist somewhere. Fans are waiting also if NIN will also release videos for those Chicago performances where high-quality MP3s will be around. Unfortunately, as a fan, I was hoping to create a complete review of these radio sessions but like the sessions themselves, this remains an unfinished review. Still, it was great to hear those sessions, particularly the ones in Atlanta on the radio as it's truly going to become one of the great things NIN did in their career. In the end, The 2006 Radio Sessions is a great yet incomplete bootleg that hardcore fans of NIN, Peter Murphy, and TV on the Radio will enjoy.
***Update 11/29/06***
After months of waiting, the Chicago sessions plus several intro/outro tracks from other radio stations have finally been surfaced on the net not just through the echoing the sounds forums but also the French NIN site NINNewsFr. First, an intro and outro for the Atlanta sessions have been added with 99X call sign along with an intro from DC 101 and another intro/outro from WAAF. Then there's the Chicago sessions which have been delayed but now are finally available in excellent quality. More importantly, it's NIN and Peter Murphy doing Joy Division. The first track is Dead Souls which NIN had covered before for the film soundtrack to the 1994 cult film The Crow. Slowing the tempo down of the original song, the NIN version is done in the same mold like the original recording only with Peter Murphy leading away with the vocals that is done in his haunting approach that rings true to the style of the late Ian Curtis.
Twenty-Four Hours is given a more rocking, intense version while staying true to the song's original tempo. With Jeordie White bringing out some amazing bass lines to the raging guitars of Aaron North, and Josh Freese's hammering drums, the song is more intense and rocking with Murphy growling through the song as it's given a new intensity. Warsaw is an early Joy Division song that NIN and Murphy tackled with a punk-rock like energy along with wall-to-wall noise of a heavy metal band as Reznor and North rage on the guitars with Murphy singing with a demeaning speed and rage that is true to the Joy Division classic. The new MP3 of Atmosphere is given a way better mix where the drums and keyboards are heard in a better light as well as Murphy's growl towards the end while no scratches are heard with conversations before the song is heard with crowds cheering at the end.
Now that the bootleg is officially complete with a total of 20 tracks with a running time of 75:03, it is truly one of the best things Trent Reznor and Peter Murphy has put out. It’s an essential to fans of both artists. Now, The 2006 Radio Sessions is a must-have.
NIN-Atlanta Show 6/7/06:
http://www.epinions.com/content_4762476676
Official NIN site:
www.nin.com/
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