NIN DISCOGRAPHY: LIVE RECORDINGS
a bootleg is an unofficial recording not released by the band (nin) itself. these may be any live recordings that exist on the market today or are demo recordings. these are different from official nin releases in that they do not bear a "halo number", which is trent's method of labeling his music releases. since the whole internet thing came around, the good old days of collecting bootleg recordings on silver-pressed cd's are long gone, however a database will be created for all previous bootlegs as well as give info on some newer one's since the fragility tour.
examples of bootlegs that get asked about a lot are purest feeling, demos and remixes, and the three version of rusty nails and suck halo 00. keep in mind that these are not official releases and information regarding them can be found here. especially note halo 00: while it bears a halo number, it is not an official release, but a bootleg containing supernaut and the live version of suck.
until i get time to enter all the bootlegs into the database, you can view the old archive using the link below:
nin bootleg discography
A near perfect recording. source is usually a soundboard or studio recording with little to no background noise B very good recording. very enjoyable listening through headphones, little background noise C good recording with some noise from the audience. listening through headphones sounds ok D sound quality is not very good with lots of background/audience noise. poor listening through headphones F poor sound quality with distortions and lots of background noise. avoid if you can unless you are looking to complete a collection
what is an roio?
roio stands for records of illegitimate/indeterminate origin. there are many albums which are labelled as "live", "import", "containing unreleased material", "collector's item", "non-official record" or "rare recording". many people as refer to these as bootlegs, which is the preferred term of most people. this discography will use the term roio instead of bootleg. the database gives potential buyers hints on what to avoid and what to search for.how do i get roio's?
these pages are not meant as an advertisement for roio's. i do not sell them either nor do i have any connection with people who make or sell roio's. for those interested in obtaining roio's here is a list of some possibilities:small shops...ask for live recordings or imports. look around your city or ask a friend
mail order companies. browse through magazines for addresses or try searching the internet
directly from the manufacturer. problems being (1) they are often of european origin so you have to pay overseas mail and (2) you may have to own a roio to get more
cd/lp record fairs or fan conventions are a great way to shop. one problem, is there one near you?
trading. buy privately from someone who is selling their collection.which roio's should i buy/avoid?
legal, live and hard to find recordings: most people buy roio's of live performances. it is very tempting to get hold of a complete concert instead of the outtakes the music industry offers us. but before you buy your first roio you should look for all normal releases because the sound quality is much better. as you should know, there are currently no regular live recordings of nine inch nails available beyond single songs on things like the woodstock '94 soundtrack.soundboard recordings:
sometimes a lucky person can link his recorder directly to the soundboard of a concert. this method results in good quality tapes or cd's although the sound tends to be heavy on the bass.audience recordings:
despite what many people say, audience recordings are generally terrible. imagine someone carrying a cheap portable recorder, sitting in the last row, surrounded by whistling or shouting drunks, inserting a new tape in the middle of songs, hiding the recorder under his jacket, using old batteries and no separate mics. then listen to the fourth generation copy, twiddle with bass and treble, and make a cd. most of the audience recordings sound like this. very few jewels have appeared and they are worth being mentioned here. but, even for those jewels, don't expect sound quality that comes even near to the quality of an official release. you have been warned. if in doubt, check sound quality before buying! nevertheless, many roio's are interesting because of their superb performance and they give you the feeling of being there.what's the deal with woodstock '94?
because woodstock '94 was such a large cultural event in 1994, a good number of different versions of this show are floating around as live compact discs. all of these took place (obviously) on august 13, 1994 in saugerties, ny.
these roio;s, even given the sound problems, capture one of the more powerful performances at woodstock '94 in the ways the official cd release does not. with many live recordings, the dry recording of the album is the major failing point. this is not a problem with these recordings. even someone who isn't very fond of nin can easily appreciate the fact that reznor sang and played his heart out for the massive crowd that assembled in saugerties, ny, simply by listening to the recording alone. this should be the goal of any live release by a band.
SITE UPDATES
Tue, 26 Feb 2013
the live recordings section has been programmed and i'm slowly adding shows to the database.
Mon, 25 Feb 2013
the nin info section has been updated with the latest lineup for the upcoming nin tour.
Sat, 02 Feb 2013
i was contacted with an interesting mispressing of 'the downward spiral'. if anybody knows of another copy floating around, let me know!
RECENT OFFICIAL ADDITIONS
376: This is a mispressing of TDS. The cover art and CD shows Judy Collins. More info:
So here's the deal... or at least what I can remember of it
375: uk promo release on 12-inch vinyl records in 'nothing' card sleeve
374: uk promo release in clear plastic sleeve with printed insert. disc is cd-r format.
373: japanese promo release in digipak with grey/blue obi strip attached to case. numbered 'sample' sticker on reverse of obi strip.
pink 'sampl
372: japanese release in digipak with grey/blue obi strip attached to case. includes black and white discography insert.