Jane's Addiction
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Jane's Addiction was an American band, named in reference to Jane Bainter, a (now ex-) heroin addict who was a housemate of the band. The band formed in the late 1980s, dissolved in the early 1990s, briefly toured in 1997 and then returned in the early 2000s. The band was influenced by punk, gothic rock, metal, funk, hard rock, progressive rock, and psychedelic styles; the lead singer once described the band as a cross between Duke Ellington and Bad Brains.
Ranked #35 in VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock [1]
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History
Formed out of the ashes of frontman Perry Farrell's previous band, Psi-com, Jane's Addiction is often compared to iconic '70s rockers Led Zeppelin. 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. Although Farrell and Avery worked well together, Psi-com disbanded before they managed to play live with their new bassist. Later, Eric's sister introduced the duo to Stephen Perkins. Following this fortuitous introduction, Perkins suggested 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 housemate, Jane Bainter. With this lineup, the band released three albums: Jane's Addiction, Nothing's Shocking, and Ritual de lo Habitual.
Though the band had only released two studio albums and one live (Jane's Addiction), their effect on the rock and alternative music scenes was enormous. They became the poster children 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 their hey-day, Farrell created Lollapalooza, the alternative rock festival that revolutionized the North American concert promotion world by bringing together an ecclectic 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 and rampant drug usage lead the band to break up in 1991 after playing two nights at Hawaii's Aloha Tower; with Perkins and Farrell performing part of the final show completely naked, without incident.
The band members pursued other projects in the 1990s. Farrell and Perkins formed another band, Porno for Pyros, which had some success making two albums "Porno For Pyros" (1993) and "Good Gods Urge" (1996); meanwhile Avery and Navarro formed Deconstruction, and put out a self-titled one-off album in 1994. The band briefly reformed after Porno For Pyros (with Flea and Dave Navarro guesting) recorded "Hard Charger" in 1997 for Howard Stern's "Private Parts" and soundtrack, even performing live in New York with Howard introducing them to play "Hard Charger" and "Mountain Song". The Jane's Relapse tour followed, with Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea replacing Avery 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. Again, Avery declined 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 1990's Ritual De Lo Habitual and brought in 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 their final album, Strays.
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 US tour. Following the 2003 tour, Jane's Addiction broke up again, according to guitarist Dave Navarro's site in June 2004. Although details surrounding the band's demise are sparse, Navarro claimed that the reasons for the breakup were essentially the same as they were in 1991. {see below to read the full announcement}
Navarro, Perkins, and Chaney have since formed a new band, The Panic Channel, with singer Steve Isaacs. They are currently recording their debut album. Perry Farrell has also moved onto a new project entitled The Satellite Party and unveiled material at Lollapalooza 2005.
In the future, there will be a release of a Best of Jane's Addiction, tentatively scheduled for sometime around May-June 2006.
Members
Core Members
- Perry Farrell - vocals (1985–2004)
- Dave Navarro - guitar (1986–2004)
- Stephen Perkins - drums (1986–2004)
- Eric Avery - bass (1985–1991)
Others
- Martyn LeNoble - bass (2001–2002)
- Chris Chaney - bass (2002–2004)
Guest members
- Flea - bass (1997)
Discography
Studio albums
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Live albums
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Compilations
 Live and Rare
<center>(January 22, 1988) <center>Warner Bros. |
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Singles
| Release Date | Title | Chart positions | Other Information | Album |
| US Modern Rock | ||||
| December 1988 | "Mountain Song" | Not Available | U.K. seven inch vinyl single | Nothing's Shocking |
| August 1990 | "Stop!" | #1 (2 weeks) | Released along with Three Days | 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) | None | 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.
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
References
- Ruhlmann, William & Prato, Greg. "Jane's Addiction". All Music Guide. Retrieved June 13, 2005.
External links
Band
- Jane's Addiction's official website
- JanesAddiction.org: Fan site
- Xiola.org: Fan site
- An Interview with the band for their Strays album
Band members
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