Classic or dud : Jane's Addiction

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Absolutely, incontrovertably classic. You will not change my mind on this one.

Dan Perry, Thursday, 3 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

I never got into them that much, but they accomplish a lot in their time. Who else has ever brought together the punks and the hippies so succesfully? They're classic.

Mark, Thursday, 3 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Who else has ever brought together the punks and the hippies so succesfully?
True. I think J's Ad. put too much in the mix. Metal... punk... psychedelica... pop... it just gave me a headache.

Stevie Nixed, Thursday, 3 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

incredibly horrible.

keith, Thursday, 3 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Side 2 of "Rituol de la habituol" still sounds magical to this pair of ears. Mysterious, plaintive, drug-blasted, free from the bombast that slightly soiled "Nothing Shocking". And they had the good grace too disintegrate spectacularly before becoming corporate monsters.

Stevo, Friday, 4 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Bringing the Hippies and the Punks together, surely that gave us Crusties.

K-reg, Friday, 4 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Surprised I came in so late on this -- inconceivably wonderful, despite the fact that Perry Farrell is eminently punchable. That personality flaw aside, oh baby. In fact, the weather is such today that I will go home and put on "Summertime Rolls."

Ned Raggett, Friday, 4 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Undoubtedly a balls out, hard rockin', dope smokin', face slappin' classic. Formed my early to late teens, and meant the world to me, I thought Perry Farrell was a genius (still do I guess), and 'Three Days' is just an AWESOMELY EPIC song, I never fail to get gooosebumps all over when it kicks back in midway through..."Erotic Jesus......". Absolutely classic rock, and the earlier stuff is just as good, and contrary to popular opinion I reckon that Porno For Pyros were classic too, even the first album, I know I need special care.

achilles_last_stand, Saturday, 12 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

one year passes...
I might be a year late on this board but might I can't let that stopping me from saying that Jane's are subliminaly brilliant. Transcendental music to bathe the soul in.

Whatever this chap Stevie Nixed is taking it is clearly stronger than the bubbly orange that Jane's were partial to. For, Mr. Nixed is talking pure cock.

Jane's are incredible (though Raggett is right when he points out that Perry, for all his merits, remains eminently punchable).

All four musicians were fully out there and the ideas that permate Jane's music are ever hypnotic, hallucinatory and ecstatic. I can't get enough of these boys, even after listening to this stuff consistently for ten years.

So, classic, classic, classic. If you can't dig it, give up.

Roger Fascist, Monday, 29 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

For a second I thought Roger was talking about me.

Dan Perry, Monday, 29 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

I only heard "Ritual" but I thought it was quite boring and what was the big deal? Dud. People still listen to them?

DeRayMi, Monday, 29 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

If "boring" is a cop-out then let's say: I didn't find it terribly engaging. (Big difference.) It's been close to a decade since I heard that album anyway.

DeRayMi, Monday, 29 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

I didn't find it terribly engaging either until I started listening to it from "Three Days" onward. It then became my favorite album for a period of time.

Dan Perry, Monday, 29 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

Yeah, I didn't like Ritual at first. It took about .6 of a nanosecond before I realised what an urgent, vital slice of music I had on the player. It was lucky I had some sense of vitality, else I would have missed the fact that this album clearly contains some of the most inspiring music written in the last two decades. And thank God I have a pulse, or the cosmic psychedelic visions proliferated throughout the album would have just washed straight over me.

Roger Fascist, Monday, 29 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

Dude, the first half of that album is a textbook example of a band trying too hard to appeal for mainstream succes while attempting to retain their identity. It's Jane's Lite, especially when compared to _Nothing's Shocking_ (or even _Kettle Whistle_, fer crissake).

Dan Perry, Monday, 29 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

Danny boy, you're wrong man. Ritual is their fucking peak. It's them firing on all cylinders, entering the stratosphere before exploding (or falling to pieces on the brown). Shocking is good, Kettle Whistle (esp. the lead track) is good, hell, any Jane's material is good, but Ritual is the one - it's their most intricate, experimental, accomplished work of art. Man, if fucking shimmers and glitters with so many facets I'm still trying to get my head around it.

D'you think it's bad timing or coincidence that the band disolved after Ritual?

Roger Fascist, Monday, 29 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

I don't know, Rog. I really like the songs on the first half of _Ritual..._, but I can't listen to them as sequenced on the album. In fact, when I play that album I NEVER start it before "Three Days". I agree that it's a fantastic album, but that's largely because the second half is so amazing that it completely obliterates the shortcomings in the first half. (Compare to _Nothing's Shocking_, which is uniformly great throughout but never reaches the actual peaks of the second half of _Ritual..._.)

Dan Perry, Monday, 29 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

janes = classic. perry ferrel = dud.

dyson, Monday, 29 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

I hit submit too soon. As albums, I see _Nothing's Shocking_ as better eveon though my favorite Jane's songs are on the second half of _Ritual..._. As a listening experience, _Nothing's Shocking_ is better and _Kettle Whistle_ comes pretty damn close. As far as the group's disintegration after _Ritual..._, I think it was somewhat inevitable, because if I'd been in a group with Perry Farrell for that long I'd want to run screaming for the hills, too.

Dan Perry, Monday, 29 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

Yeah, I see where you're at with that, and I know that the Jane's fan party line is that Shocking is the one but I can't agree. For all that I love Shocking, for me, I hear a band yet to fully realise their potential, something they certainly achieved on their next album.

Another point is the production on Shocking which I find a little flat - I don't feel that Jerden and Champagne were able to get the best out of the musicians or the Jane's sound at this point, although having said that, I do dig the rawer edge and the more incendiary drum sound.

Whereas on Ritual, the guys at the controls were able to set them for the heart of the sun and that's where the music takes me. As for the first few tracks, I dunno man... from the lead-in narrative, I'm hooked and that buzzsaw Navarro riff. Jesus. Then there's that pop-bass on No One's.. Oh mama. The album is littered with winning creative decisions. Y'know, sometimes in fact, Obvious is my favourite track off Ritual though I'm not sure why. Do you get thet?

Out of curiosity, anyone know about the new Jane's material? From what I can gather of the websites out there, they are in the studio working with fucking Paul Oakenfold! Where the hell is Jerden when you need him?

Roger Fascist, Tuesday, 30 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

I know that the Jane's fan party linei s that Shocking is the one

Where I deviate from the fan party line is that I think _Nothing's Shocking_ and _Ritual De Lo Habitual_ are equal; _NS_ is more consistent, but _RdlH_ has better songs on it. If I wanted to listen to an entire album, I'd grab _NS_. If I wanted to play selected songs, I'd grab _RdlH_.

Dan Perry, Tuesday, 30 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

In case you stumble across this any UK Jane's fans I just have to say that the Addiction will play the London Kentish Town Forum 19th August 2002, as a warm up to their show at the fucking shit Reading Festival.

OK, so it's not the Academy but it's not a bad compromise.

Better get on the blower to the ticket agencies pronto then...

Hello.

Roger Fascist, Tuesday, 6 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

five months pass...
"one night i met a boy"

ron (ron), Tuesday, 14 January 2003 03:50 (twenty-one years ago) link

i must say that it takes nuts to make a song as over-the-top as 'three days'

ron (ron), Tuesday, 14 January 2003 03:53 (twenty-one years ago) link

"One night I met a boy"? How disappointed am I! I always thought all these years he was saying "One night I met a pony," which made me larf happily.

Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 14 January 2003 04:22 (twenty-one years ago) link

forget i said anything, pony it is

ron (ron), Tuesday, 14 January 2003 04:50 (twenty-one years ago) link

Who else has ever brought together the punks and the hippies so succesfully?

uh, Neil Young? The only thing Jane's brought together were fratboys and fratgirls.

Verdict - Dud. They lie too much for truthseekers and are too pretentious to create something communal. And the junk culture stuff I have no use for.

Exception: Jane Says. Momentarily, the dream is alive. Especially when Dave Navarro isn't around.

gabbneb, Tuesday, 14 January 2003 08:46 (twenty-one years ago) link

I thought it was "one night I met a poor man..."? I found an excellent Jane's lyrics site once, but I can't remember where it was. Needless to say their lyrics were, well, either genius or gobbledegook or somewhere inbetween.

Classic. Shocking is only nearly classic, but Ritual is beyond classic.

Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 14 January 2003 08:58 (twenty-one years ago) link

I always thort it was "one night I met a whore..."

Roger Fascist (Roger Fascist), Tuesday, 14 January 2003 09:39 (twenty-one years ago) link

"One night I met a poet..." surely?

Matt DC (Matt DC), Tuesday, 14 January 2003 09:47 (twenty-one years ago) link

I like 'pony' best now, but only after the cigar/bees/lady bitz interface thread on ILE.

Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 14 January 2003 10:51 (twenty-one years ago) link

two years pass...
Ritual stands up amazingly well, provided you skip "Been Caught Stealing." The bassline that opens "Three Days" is among the most killer of the era.

Ian John50n (orion), Monday, 10 October 2005 03:45 (eighteen years ago) link

I was recently surprised at how much parts of Yes's Fragile reminded me of them. IIt was South Side of the Sky in particular.

Cunga (Cunga), Monday, 10 October 2005 04:06 (eighteen years ago) link

I still think it's "pony."

provided you skip "Been Caught Stealing."

Are you mad? (Mind you, the song always sounded better live.)

Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 10 October 2005 05:13 (eighteen years ago) link

I never posted to this! Great, for being fundamentally rooted in the classic hard rock tradition and actually doing something totally creative and modern with it in that era. I'm weird in that "Three Days" is my least favourite song on Ritual. It starts good but kinda drags.

I don't know much about Farrell as a person/ality. Why is he punchable?

Sundar (sundar), Monday, 10 October 2005 05:44 (eighteen years ago) link

Still haven't worked out my 'portable' mix yet, but I'm thinking it will be good.

Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Monday, 10 October 2005 06:58 (eighteen years ago) link

I played "Three Days" really loud the other week when i got my new CD player, it was FANTASTIC.

Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Monday, 10 October 2005 08:30 (eighteen years ago) link

one year passes...

Completely dud. Their brains are fried to the max. They look like shit. They're music is just plain bonkers like Zappa's: tries to be funny but fails miserably. I suspect they tried to do the sock thing but they couldn't find any baby socks...

And to think I'm reading the Brendan Mullen oral biography now. I still really don't understand why I even bothered to buy the book, even though I am not as hostile towards them as I once was. That said, PF seems to be such a dick. I also can't believe the "they are incredibly seminal, paved the way for the rest" bullshit line. I mean, maybe they were (in reality) but I refuse to believe it anyway.

stevienixed, Monday, 11 June 2007 07:11 (sixteen years ago) link

My little sister came over the other day to rip all my Jane's Addiction CDs. Her quip: "Yeah, I've really wanted to listen to Jane's Addiction lately, but couldn't bring myself to buy them." They belong to a different era, and stick out like a sore thumb in this one. But we listened to Nothings Shocking, and it still pushed my wig back with its bombastic excellence.

Kids who could never see eye to eye on anything - long hair in front vs. hair long in back, dead milkmen vs. led zeppelin, goth chicks and smiths fans, our u.s. equivalents of ravey davey and also student grant could all sing along

Jane's pretty much united the smoking section at my high school.

kingkongvsgodzilla, Monday, 11 June 2007 07:47 (sixteen years ago) link

Classic.

Just Because.

SeekAltRoute, Monday, 11 June 2007 10:06 (sixteen years ago) link

i like them a lot but they definitely shone in a particular time and place. it resonates a lot less now, but the succession of 'three days' and 'then she did...' is still pretty mindblowing.

Charlie Howard, Monday, 11 June 2007 14:46 (sixteen years ago) link

I saw Satellite Party (Perry's new band) supporting Velvet Revolver on Thursday night. Never heard anything by them before, they were... ok. They did two JA songs - Stop! and Mountain Song - which got the biggest applause of the night.

It was a little bit sad though. I think maybe half of the people there knew who Perry Farrell was, half of them didn't care. People were just talking and drinking and paying no attention to this man who gave me one of the greatest nights of my life - Jane's Addiction live in a club in London in about 1987

nate woolls, Monday, 11 June 2007 15:04 (sixteen years ago) link

one month passes...

I find JA kind of annoying, but I missed out on them at the time they were around, hence missing out on their cultural context, which a lot of the above comments talk about.

also, i once saw my dad flipping channels, and the "been caught stealing" video was on. He muttered, "obscene son of a bitch..." under his breath before changing the channel.

Richard Wood Johnson, Wednesday, 25 July 2007 15:48 (sixteen years ago) link

yeah, now (this day and age) really isn't a particularly appropriate time to be considering this question somehow

Charlie Howard, Thursday, 26 July 2007 07:40 (sixteen years ago) link

ten months pass...

Flipped my lid over "Jane Says" again which I played while running last week, and also heard in a small bar (pub) just after the World Cup.

Bimble Is Still More Goth Than You, Monday, 16 June 2008 12:14 (fifteen years ago) link

UGH @ this band

stephen, Monday, 16 June 2008 23:41 (fifteen years ago) link

Mostly dud. I liked the second half of Ritual where Farrell's awful lyrics and singing kind of disappear beneath the jam session when it came out, but they were so omnipresent at the time I might just have been looking for a silver lining to make listening to that album less annoying. The "hits" are all uniformly terrible.

Alex in SF, Monday, 16 June 2008 23:58 (fifteen years ago) link

"then she did" is one of the great all time sublime epic jams. i've been playing it on the juke box every time i hit the pool hall. i don't lose when it's on

kamerad, Tuesday, 17 June 2008 00:19 (fifteen years ago) link

they had their moments.

Zeno, Tuesday, 17 June 2008 00:25 (fifteen years ago) link

Was Dave Pajo busy or something?

Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 4 October 2022 14:14 (one year ago) link

Why is RS the worst website in the world

calstars, Tuesday, 4 October 2022 14:31 (one year ago) link

yeah you gain so much w eric but without the flashiness of dave it doesn’t work
jane’s is such an oddly specific ecosystem

terminators of endearment (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 4 October 2022 14:50 (one year ago) link

yeah you gain so much w eric but without the flashiness of dave it doesn’t work
jane’s is such an oddly specific ecosystem

terminators of endearment (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 4 October 2022 14:50 (one year ago) link

five months pass...

ok so now Josh Klinghoffer has replaced the still MIA Dave Navarro and they sound… really great?! like Klinghoffer (who I know nuthin about) is totally nailing a kind of shreddy looseness that sounds like JA of the olden days and the rest of the band have lifted to meet him, and even Perry sounds energised and determined to max out what’s left of his voice and -??

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSi_7azF7u4

Its not in that vid but I saw a clip from the night before where JK totally bodied the Three Days solo and actually got chills -

Anyway something slightly interesting going on when I thought they were totally destined for an endgame of sad cash ins and diminishing returns

meat and two vdgg (emsworth), Monday, 20 March 2023 08:25 (one year ago) link

Nuts Avery is back in the band. Perry ever so slightly looks like Biden in that clip. Still think the dancers are kind of embarrassing.

dicbo=v2-ubswizzb&hrt (stevie), Monday, 20 March 2023 09:46 (one year ago) link

Eric’s always been the heart of JA to me so this is really cool news

calstars, Monday, 20 March 2023 11:48 (one year ago) link

Josh Klinghoffer is a pro sideman dude, he was in RHCP for a while, I'm assuming a super great player

he filled in for Matt Cameron on Pearl Jam’s last tour - he’s really good (his own stuff under Pluralone is p decent too)

werewolves of laudanum (VegemiteGrrl), Monday, 20 March 2023 14:46 (one year ago) link

Whoa reading Klinghoffer's bio is quite a thing — he's played with/been close Bob Forrest, John Frusciante, the Chili Peppers and now Jane's Addiction (among many others). He must be some kind of junkie whisperer.

He played some of the drums on Warpaint's Exquisite Corpse record, as well.

peace, man, Monday, 20 March 2023 15:26 (one year ago) link

I think a big part of being an in-demand sideman is the ability to be chill and vibe with a wide range of challenging personalities

Also the youngest inductee in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame I think!

young sussy (Whiney G. Weingarten), Monday, 20 March 2023 16:11 (one year ago) link

Yup - at 32, beating previous record-holder Stevie Wonder (38).

dicbo=v2-ubswizzb&hrt (stevie), Monday, 20 March 2023 16:15 (one year ago) link

He also played on Warpaint's "Exquisite Corpse" EP

INDEPENDENTS DAY BY STEVEN SPILBERG (President Keyes), Monday, 20 March 2023 16:19 (one year ago) link

i think he was on maron’s podcast a year or so back and talked about Rhcp etc etc

werewolves of laudanum (VegemiteGrrl), Monday, 20 March 2023 16:38 (one year ago) link

yeah, Klinghoffer is great. iirc, he also played on the Exquisite Corpse EP from Warpaint.

Maxmillion D. Boosted (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Monday, 20 March 2023 16:55 (one year ago) link

not a fan of his drumming on that one though. maybe just the production...

calstars, Monday, 20 March 2023 17:11 (one year ago) link

it's pretty impressive and rare to be considered a pro level guitarist and drummer

I believe he played on Exquisite Corpse by Warpaint

dicbo=v2-ubswizzb&hrt (stevie), Monday, 20 March 2023 20:19 (one year ago) link

A guy is know is buddies with Josh, I'll ask if he ever played on a Warpaint EP (in case it comes up)

chemtrails over the turkey club (morrisp), Monday, 20 March 2023 20:24 (one year ago) link

Exquisite Corpse iirc

assert (matttkkkk), Monday, 20 March 2023 21:11 (one year ago) link

Warpaint fans are subculture called juggalos

Stella added so much to that band

calstars, Monday, 20 March 2023 21:48 (one year ago) link

this is reminding me that i read a Rolling Stone (?) profile of Josh K after he'd been dumped from the RHCP - it was quite affecting actually, a young guy trying to navigate difficult emotional territory - can't remember if it mentioned Warpaint?

meat and two vdgg (emsworth), Monday, 20 March 2023 22:50 (one year ago) link

five months pass...

Very specific Venn diagram intersection here:

https://i.imgur.io/dfeRX5j_d.webp?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium

my brain goes aahhhh (morrisp), Thursday, 14 September 2023 23:46 (seven months ago) link

Definitely paints a unique picture.

peace, man, Thursday, 14 September 2023 23:59 (seven months ago) link

California JNSAYS Patriots

Beyond Goo and Evol (President Keyes), Friday, 15 September 2023 00:17 (seven months ago) link

Been Caught Deflating

my brain goes aahhhh (morrisp), Friday, 15 September 2023 00:27 (seven months ago) link

Tom, Just Admit It...

an icon of a worried-looking, long-haired, bespectacled man (C. Grisso/McCain), Friday, 15 September 2023 00:43 (seven months ago) link

Pig(sk)in Zen

werewolves of laudanum (VegemiteGrrl), Friday, 15 September 2023 01:06 (seven months ago) link

Three Plays

an icon of a worried-looking, long-haired, bespectacled man (C. Grisso/McCain), Friday, 15 September 2023 01:23 (seven months ago) link

two months pass...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACS7zw9SA6k

Nerdy I know, I think recordings of Jane's from that 90/91 period that are taken from further away really suit the setting, I like the way you can hear the music bouncing around the auditorium a little on the right channel.

MaresNest, Saturday, 9 December 2023 21:27 (four months ago) link

I see Janes are touring the UK soon but no word on whether Navarro is back or not

I? not I! He! He! HIM! (akm), Saturday, 9 December 2023 21:42 (four months ago) link

I see they are playing Glasgow Barrowlands, tempted to make a trip, last saw them there *cough* 32 years ago

MaresNest, Saturday, 9 December 2023 21:50 (four months ago) link

The new Porno For Pyros song isn’t really anything special, but is probably the best thing I’ve heard from Perry in a very long time.

Cow_Art, Saturday, 9 December 2023 22:06 (four months ago) link

“We’re from LA and we can’t be stopped” amen

calstars, Saturday, 9 December 2023 22:15 (four months ago) link

one month passes...

encouraging signs of Navarro being back in the fold

would be glad to see a legacy-burnishing final act from the OG lineup

new music could go either way but would always be interested to hear something with Avery and Navarro on board

meat and two vdgg (emsworth), Monday, 5 February 2024 03:19 (two months ago) link

two weeks pass...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGzFMUX-w7U

Maresn3st, Wednesday, 21 February 2024 22:01 (one month ago) link

man Mike Watt. God bless that man

J Edgar Noothgrush (Joan Crawford Loves Chachi), Wednesday, 21 February 2024 22:28 (one month ago) link


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