On October 20, 1989, Nine Inch Nails redefined alternative and industrial music with the release of Pretty Hate Machine. Trent Reznor came out of Cleveland, signing a record deal on the strength of demos recorded at a studio in the middle of the night. He played most of the music on the album himself, working with producers Flood and Keith LeBlanc. Reznor and Nine Inch Nails emerged as the buzz band of the first Lollapalooza tour, then Reznor later came to denounce his own triple-platinum success. But besides Nirvana, Pretty Hate Machine was one of the records that changed the direction of rock music in the early '90s — and we'll go back and listen to that first Nine Inch Nails album this week.

Segments

Playlist, hour 1

Playlist, hour 2