Quote:
Originally Posted by Antonio
Release Date: August 23, 1988
Label: Warner Bros.
Jane's Addiction is a peculiar band. If i had to classify them as a genre, it'd probably be Alternative Ethreal Jungle Rock, and this album is one hell of a testement to that. listening to it made me feel like i was in the depths of the Africa, swinging on vines and feeling the breeze running through every part of my body(and i mean EVERY part). They're also one of those bands that work best with every part intact. It wouldn't be Jane's Addiction without Perry Farell's scraggly, yelping vocals, Dave Navarro's free flying solos and riffs, Eric Avery's odd, yet fulfilling basslines, and Stephen Perkins' world influenced drum parts. There's an overall feeling of darkness and mystery in the songs, where parts seem to drift in and out, as if they were possesed. There's also an unbridled, animalistic tone in their music, even on songs that may seem very tame and relaxed. This is an excellent album, not only for fans of the band or anyone wanting to get into them, but for anyone not afraid to free themselves listening to music. 9.5/10 |
i actually dug out this disc last night to lend it to a co-worker who's on the fence about downloading the tunes for rockband hehe. hadn't listened to it in a while. the production never bothered me but farrell's voice is most definitely an acquired taste.
something that often gets overlooked with JA is avery's influence, sure he was the bass player but he wrote a lot of the music. he was never interested in being a bass hero like flea or les claypool, his bass lines usually very sparse and rarely more than a half dozen notes. 'had a dad' is his song, about the abandonment and confusion in regards to his own paternal situation.
we'll have to agree to disagree on 'summertime rolls', i don't hear it about being alone at all. if anything it's the total opposite, being able to finally enjoy the sun and nature with your love without any distractions. actually, it's about smoking a J but whatever.
that ONE riff for the mountain song is also the FIRST riff the band ever jammed on. they felt so good about it when they finished they didn't bother changing anything about it.
i always took 'idiot's rule' as a commentary on underground music and the pretentious hypocrites that force themselves into it for appearances. it makes the line 'you know the man you hate, you look more like him everyday' a bit more poignant.
'thank you boys' might not sound like anything else on the disc but on the Soul Kiss video there's footage of the band schmoozing with various bigwigs all over the place and one old dude asks perry to describe the band and he comes back with 'we're like a cross between duke ellington and the bad brains'. this is a nod to the duke.
the other thing with this disc is that it gives you a bit of an idea of what to expect from the live side of the band. tracks like 'ted just admit it', 'summertime rolls', and 'pigs in zen' with the jam out parts lent themselves really well to live situations where farrell would feed off the crowd and freestyle rants. some were better than others but no two live versions had the same vocal blurbs, the end of 'pigs in zen' is a perfect example of this.
then again i've also listened to this band quite extensively in the past along with porno 4 pyros. the 'soul kiss' video is nice and all, but anyone really interested in the history of Perry Farrell and Jane's Addiciton should look into 'Whores' it's a great read and covers way more than that video.
Amazon.com: Whores: An Oral Biography Of Perry Farrell And Jane's Addiction: Brendan Mullen: Books