Am I the Only One Who Realizes?

Jane's Addiction.

Arguably one of the most important bands for exiting the glam-rock era of the 80s. Sex and drugs were definitely still on the plate of rock n' roll relevance, but it was Jane's Addiction that cut away from the conspicuously consumptive & redefined the primal purpose of rock music.

I was not on top of this notion in the late 80s & early 90s while it was happening. Rather, it's something I slowly learned as my musical tastes refined over time. I blame a rather sheltered upbringing. :P That said, I still listen to their early works frequently.

4 components offstage, each a contributing factor to the dysfunction & complete lack of stability. Barely even able to record in the same room. Onstage & on the first five releases (from 1987 - 1997), each an irreplaceable piece of history.

Let me say that last word again. History. You see, I understand that consumers, tv & radio demand that each great band (& many terrible bands) get over their bullshit & personal drama long enough to poop out one last money-maker. It is the gross way of things. Yet Jane's makes my point clear: Some bands should not bother.

Jane's Addiction is currently committed to co-headline with another early Lolapalooza giant, Nine Inch Nails. Visit the NIN site & you'll be gifted with a downloadable preview of what is in store. Now, it's not all bad. The first track in the folder, "Chip Away" is a delightful fire-dance sounding piece. One I haven't heard. Further, you get a re-recording of the early Jane's icon, "Whores". Also fabulous. Almost. Wait… Whores has been redone in a different key. So has every early Jane's song I can find live performance of. It seems Perry's voice is old or gone enough that he needs it filed down. Yuck. It's fine for the recording, but every live piece I can find that was made in the last 60 days carries the gross taste of music lover's disappointment. This is not Jane's Addiction anymore. Do you get exactly how phenomenally his voice used to soar? If not, listen to them now & then go find Kettle Whistle as the basis of your comparison of what live Jane's Addiction really sounds like. Hardly a handful of singers since have even come close.

"Jane’s Addiction Rip Through Early Catalog at SXSW" That is the very generous headline attached to that new live link by Rolling Stone. I've seen it & I don't see what the big deal is. The delivery is tired at best. Trent Reznor never stopped in the last 20 years & is only now appearing to slow down. What's Jane's excuse? Heroin says a Toronto local old enough to remember what it was like to actually attend the first Lolapalooza. I don't have the facts, but you might see why I criticize this atrocity so harshly.

We can thank Trent Reznor for stimulating the original members JA reunion - an impressive feat considering bassist & founding member Eric Avery has refused to play with the band for 18 years. Alas, it is to no avail.

On a side note, Streetsweeper, ex RATM guitarist Tom Morello's latest effort, is also on the NIN|JA bill. It's fucking boring and about as much of a let down as Audioslave - another post Rage farce. It's not that I need more Rage. That was done & great. Finished. It's that the music since is simply terrible & uninspired. Keep trying.

Either way, save your money this summer for seeing local & smaller acts. You can probably see 10 to 20 for the price of the NIN|JA Tour ticket - with beer money left over.

Thanks for reading.