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{{Infobox musical artist
{{Infobox musical artist
| Name = [[Image:Jane's Addiction logo.jpg|230px|Jane's Addiction]]
| Name = [[Image:Jane's Addiction logo.png|230px|Jane's Addiction]]
| Img = Janesaddiction.jpg
| Img = Janesaddiction.jpg
| Img_capt = Jane's Addiction, left to right: Stephen Perkins, Perry Farrell, Eric Avery, Dave Navarro
| Img_capt = Jane's Addiction, left to right: Stephen Perkins, Perry Farrell, Eric Avery, Dave Navarro

Revision as of 19:55, 14 May 2007

Jane's Addiction

Jane's Addiction was an American rock band featuring Perry Farrell (vocalist), Dave Navarro (guitarist), Eric Avery (bassist), and Stephen Perkins (percussionist). The band formed in Los Angeles in the mid- 1980s and dissolved in 1991. They briefly toured in 1997 and then returned in the early 2000s before breaking up again.

Jane's Addiction emerged on the Los Angeles music scene during the 1980s with a style influenced by punk, heavy metal, funk, gothic rock, progressive rock and psychedelic styles; singer Perry Farrell once described the band as a cross between Duke Ellington and Bad Brains. The band was one of the first of the burgeoning alternative rock movement to gain mainstream media attention and commercial success in the United States. Their initial farewell tour launched the first Lollapalooza festival, an annual touring alternative rock showcase, and its success helped popularize the genre. As a result, Jane's Addiction became icons of what Farrell dubbed the "Alternative Nation" during the 1990s.[1]

Ranked #35 in VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock [1]

History

Jane's Addiction formed out of the ashes of frontman Perry Farrell's previous band, Psi-com. In the summer of 1985, Farrell was searching for a new bass player for the faltering Psi-com when he was introduced to Eric Avery. Farrell and Avery bonded over a mutual appreciation for Joy Division and The Velvet Underground and began to practice together, even though Avery never did become a full-fledged member of Farrell's disintegrating group.[2] Later, Eric's sister introduced the duo to Stephen Perkins, whom she was dating at the time.[3] Perkins in turn suggested that his friend (and Dizastre bandmate) Dave Navarro might be a suitable guitar player for the new band, dubbed "Jane's Addiction" in honor of Farrell's heroin-shooting housemate, Jane Bainter.[4] The band became a sensation on the Los Angeles club scene, primarily headlining at Scream. They soon gained interest from a variety of record labels. While they had decided to sign with Warner Bros. Records, the band insisted on releasing their debut on an independent record label first. The first record, Jane's Addiction, was a live recording with heavy overdubs released on Triple X Records. Their major label debut Nothing's Shocking was released in 1988. The album was certified Gold and the band was nominated for the inaugural Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Vocal or Instrumental the following year.

The band's full breakthrough came with the release of Ritual de lo Habitual in 1990. The singles "Stop!" and "Been Caught Stealing" topped the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and the video for the latter song won the first MTV Video Music Award for Best Alternative Video. Also that year Perry Farrell organized the first Lollapalooza festival, featuring Jane's Addiction as the headliners with Butthole Surfers, Nine Inch Nails, Siouxsie & the Banshees, Rollins Band, Living Colour, and Ice-T. However, tensions had emerged in the band and soon it became clear that Lollapalooza was to be the band's farewell tour.

Though the band had only released two studio albums (Nothing's Shocking and Ritual de lo Habitual) and one live album (Jane's Addiction), its effect on the rock and alternative music scenes was enormous (similar to how the Sex Pistols and Nirvana's brief careers achieved the same effect). It became the poster child for a new wave of artful and thoughtful rockers who were eschewing the confinements of commercial rock music and stretching to express themselves both musically and theatrically. In its heyday, Farrell created Lollapalooza, the alternative rock festival that revolutionized the North American concert promotion world by bringing together an eclectic mix of musicians, exhibitors, and attractions for a high-energy weekend of music and alternative lifestyles.

The "Ripple" single that the band produced for the Grateful Dead tribute album Deadicated was the final studio track for this incarnation of the band. Internal strife, especially between Farrell and Avery, and rampant drug usage led the band to break up in 1991 after playing two nights at Hawaii's Aloha Tower (an event which included Perkins and Farrell performing part of the final show completely naked).

A greatest hits album titled Up From the Catacombs - The Best of Jane's Addiction was released on 19 September 2006, and contained no rare or previously unreleased material. In addition to this, lead singer Perry Farrell has recently stated that Warner Bros. catalog arm Rhino is working on a Jane's Addiction box set. Currently its contents are unknown, but it is assumed to be made up of B-sides, live material and other unreleased material as well as a DVD of some kind. Track 7 entitled "Superhero" is the featured theme song of HBO's hit series "Entourage."

Separate Paths

The band members pursued other projects in the 1990s. Farrell and Perkins formed another band, Porno for Pyros, who had some success with their two albums, Porno For Pyros (1993) and Good God's Urge (1996); meanwhile, Avery and Navarro formed Deconstruction and put out a self-titled one-off album in 1994. Since then, Dave Navarro has been seen in a host of different bands and cameos, including Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill, Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, and most notably the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

In 1995 Perkins had started a band named Banyan, with core members Nes Cline, Mike Watt, and Willie Waldman (with revolving studio guests), and released a self-titled CD on Cyber Octave. The second CD was released in 1998 for Cyber Octave called Any Time at All, and in 2004 the third CD was released called Live At Perkins Place on Sanctuary Records.

Porno for Pyros briefly reformed after the release of Good God's Urge, with both Dave Navarro and the Red Hot Chili Peppers's Flea guesting. Porno for Pyros recorded "Hard Charger" in 1997 for Howard Stern's movie, "Private Parts" soundtrack, even performing live in New York with Howard introducing them to play "Hard Charger" and "Mountain Song."

Relapse and New Life

The Jane's Relapse tour followed, with Flea replacing Avery as bassist, after he declined an invitation to rejoin the band. Four years later, Jane's Addiction rose from the ashes again for a full-blown tour. The Jubilee Tour featured all the old Jane's Addiction songs, while showcasing the recent solo release from Navarro, Trust No One. Fans were told to expect a "Sexual Psycho Circus, I am not sure if you will want to quote me on that, but fans will see half-naked, penny rafters, guitar solos, and tribal drums..." This was exactly what the fans got. During renditions of Classic Girl, illuminated, scantily clad stage dancers filled the arenas. For the tour, again Avery declined any involvement. With Flea busy with the Chili Peppers, Porno for Pyros bassist Martyn LeNoble was brought in to fill the gap. Following the success of this tour, the band decided to record a follow-up album to 1990s Ritual De Lo Habitual and tapped Chris Chaney to replace LeNoble on bass. They entered the studio with legendary producer Bob Ezrin in 2001, recording as a band for the first time in over ten years. The result was the group's final album, Strays.

Lollapalooza Returns

The band spent 2003 on an extensive worldwide touring in support of Strays, including, in a homecoming of sorts, a summer headliner slot in a reincarnated Lollapalooza U.S. tour. Following the 2003 tour Jane's Addiction broke up once again, as Perry Farrell refused to record or tour in order to focus his attention on the 2004 incarnation of the Lollapalooza Festival (which was later cancelled due to dismal ticket sales). Although exact details surrounding the band's demise are sparse, Navarro claimed on his website [2], in June 2004, that the reasons for the breakup were essentially the same as they were in 1991. {See below to read the full announcement}

Announcement of the 2004 break-up

The following was posted on Navarro's site in June 2004:

State of the Union

OK. We know we can't avoid this anymore so we will give it our best shot. What's the deal? The deal is that it simply didn't work out. Sometimes things just don't work out. In all honesty, we have broken up and rejoined roughly four times over the years. Perhaps that should shed some light as to where we are now. We really don't know. We do know that we really gave it everything we had this time and we actually made a really great record after so many years of silence. That was definitely a great thing and we are all proud of it. We were able to do a lot of shows and travel and see the world again. We had some amazing times. Why didn't it work out? So many reasons. Some of them over 15 years old, some of them new and none of them worth mentioning. Maybe we are just a volatile combination. Maybe that is why we were so great. The bottom line is that we are all extremely creative and motivated people and I know we will all continue to create and work on many different projects.

After 20 years, just like in any relationship, you have your highs and lows and some amazing memories that can never be replaced. We were able to create great music together, and for that... We feel blessed. But sometimes relationships don't work, no matter how much time or energy you put into them... and at that point... you realize it is healthier to go your separate ways than to keep trying to recreate the magic of the early years. Sometimes people grow apart in the relationship, it is nobody's fault really... just a fact of life... an inevitable creative dissolution. Sometimes the best creative relationships are the most combustible and they aren't meant to last forever.

We know this doesn't answer all of your questions, but hopefully it answers some of them. We would personally like to say, "thank you" for all of the love and support you have shown us over the years, we greatly appreciate it and we love you.

Stephen, Dave & Chris

Post-Break-Up

Navarro, Perkins, and Chaney have since formed a new band, The Panic Channel, with singer Steve Isaacs. They released their debut album, (ONe), on August 15, 2006. Perry Farrell has also moved onto a new project entitled The Satellite Party, with former Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt and No Doubt bassist Tony Kanal. The Satellite Party unveiled new material at Lollapalooza 2005. The band, who signed with Columbia Records, will release their debut album in May 2007

Members

Core Members

Other Members

  • Chris Brinkman - guitar (1985-1986)
  • Matt Chaikin - drums (1985-1986)
  • Ed (last name unknown) - guitar (1986)
  • Flea - bass (1997)
  • Martyn LeNoble - bass (2000–2002)
  • Chris Chaney - bass (2002–2004)

Guests Appearances

Abbreviated Discography

Live albums

Studio albums

Compilations

Singles

Release Date Title Chart positions Other Information Album
US Modern Rock
December 1988 "Mountain Song" Not Available UK seven inch vinyl single Nothing's Shocking
August 1990 "Stop!" #1 (2 weeks) Released along with Three Days. Featured in Guitar Hero 2 and Burnout Dominator. Ritual de lo Habitual
August 1990 "Three Days" Not played on radio Released along with Stop! Ritual de lo Habitual
November 1990 "Been Caught Stealing" #1 (4 weeks) One of the many songs featured on Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas radio station Radio X Ritual de lo Habitual
July 1991 "Classic Girl" #15 None Ritual de lo Habitual
1991 "Ripple" #13 Radio Only Deadicated: A Tribute to the Grateful Dead [compilation]
November 1999 "So What!" #22 Contains five mixes of "So What!" performed by Deep Red Kettle Whistle
July 2003 "Just Because" #1 (1 week) First single since their return Strays
November 2003 "True Nature" #30 The band's final single Strays

The band also released a video entitled Soul Kiss, which consisted of band interviews, Farrell's home movies, and Jane's Addiction music videos banned by MTV. In addition, Farrell led a movie effort entitled Gift, a modern gothic tragedy.

A comprehensive discography is available here: http://janesaddiction.org/discographies/disc_list.phtml?artistID=1

References

  • di Perna, Alan. "Birth of a Nation." Guitar World. March 1996.
  • Mullen, Brendan. Whores: An Oral Biography of Perry Farrell and Jane's Addiction. Cambridge: Da Capo, 2005. ISBN 0-306-81347-5
  • Ruhlmann, William & Prato, Greg. "Jane's Addiction." All Music Guide. Retrieved June 13, 2005.
  • [3] Ain't No Right interview with Perry Farrell, 2001".

Notes

  1. ^ di Perna, Alan. "Brave Noise--The History of Alternative Rock Guitar". Guitar World. December 1995.
  2. ^ Mullen, Brendan. Whores: An Oral Biography of Perry Farrell and Jane's Addiction. Cambridge: Da Capo, 2005. ISBN 0-306-81347-5, pg. 48
  3. ^ di Perna, Alan. "Birth of a Nation." Guitar World. March 1996.
  4. ^ Mullen, pg. 51

External links

Band

Band members

Music Notation

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