3 out of 5

Label: TVT

Producer: Trent Reznor, Flood, Adrian Sherwood, Keith LeBlanc

Wow, a remix single with three takes on one song that might actually be a worthwhile listen?  I DON’T EFFING BELIEVE YOU, JOHNMIKE.  And what’s more, I’m not sure why you keep calling me Johnmike.  Is it because that’s what you call people presenting remix singles that are actually a worthwhile listen?  Yes?  I guess that wasn’t that hard to figure out.

I dunno why UKers got shafted with only a 3-track single vs. the more expansive US version (which includes the ‘Down In It’ mixes as well), but we’ll just chalk it up to something witty.  Interestingly, the album version of the title track isn’t here as a comparison point, but you’ve already listened to it on repeat about a million times, so we’re set.  The three mixes here aren’t wholly unique, and tracks 1 and 2 are somewhat similar, but there’s still enough separation between the trio to not feel like you’re stuck on repeat.  Track 1 – ‘Clay’ – downplays the distortion of the single into something a bit dancier, keeping a solid beat while rounding off the original’s aggression.  Track 2 – ‘Copper’ – latches on to a similar stance with the backbeat, but goes the opposite route with tone, using some well-placed cuts to chop up the experience and move it away from dance and back into industrial territory, leaving the anger in place while fleshing out the backbeat.  The highlight here is the mix not included on the US single, ‘Opal’, which makes use of some Prince samples to turn the track all kinds of unexpectedly funky, and either finds some unused takes of the track or totally strips away the layers to use some vocal cuts that sound wonderfully raw, matching with the playful style of the mix.

Worth it?  …It’s still three versions of one song, but unlike the ‘Down In It’ single, I did get a different vibe from each track, enough so that it’s not a chore to listen to.