Following this post and this thread, Iām committing myself to listening to the combined list of Consequence of Sound and Rolling Stoneās top 100 albums of all time! Fancy joining me?
With 1988ās Nothingās Shocking, Janeās Addiction helped lay the foundation for what would eventually become the alternative rock revolution of the ā90s. Equal parts heavy and ethereal, itās fitting that the album contains song titles like āUp the Beachā and āOcean Size,ā as the tracks play like waves crashing into the sea. Perry Farrellās celestial voice, along with the dynamic playing of guitarist Dave Navarro, bassist Eric Avery and drummer Stephen Perkins, makes Nothingās Shocking a truly unique album.
Combining the power of Led Zeppelin with the art-rock of The Velvet Underground on tracks like the explosive āMountain Songā with its magnificent bass line, or the acoustic āJaneās Saysā with its heart-wrenching lyrics, Nothingās Shocking represents a defining moment in what was soon to be a seismic shift in rock music. ā Spencer Kaufman
I donāt think Iāve ever deliberately listened to a note of music by Janeās Addiction. Iāll give it a listen later but feel free to dive in before me
In. So remember checking out some Jane a few years ago and liking it, but it didnāt get itās hooks in deep enough to draw me back. Do love Jane Says though.
I have listened to this album A LOT in the past but not particularly recently. Gonna go with my vibes review before re-listeningā¦
Was obsessed with Janeās Addiction when I was a kid. Initially got into them via the follow up Ritual De Lo Habitual after Been Caught Stealing got some serious rotation on fledgling MTV Europe. They were probably the first genuinely āalternativeā band I was aware of, as opposed to a lot of the more metal stuff I had been into up to that point. Felt like they had the world at their feet at that point. So, of course, they immediately split up. Fortunately Nirvana came along at just the right time.
To help get over their absence, I consoled myself but making my way through their meagre back catalogue. Itās hard to pick a favourite between Nothingās Shocking and Ritual as, despite both being uniquely Janeās Addiction, they are both very much their own thing. While Ritual contains some fully out there space rock on its second side, the most experimental they ever got, NS offers a wider platter - something for everyone.
Largely instrumental Up The Beach sets the tone with some slow build rock grind, before Ocean Size showcases their trademark sound; everything works perfectly in tandem - Perryās weird squark of a voice and Dave Navarroās skyscraper guitar, but also the lesser sung heroes of Stephen Perkinās muscular percussion and Eric Averyās hypnotic bass. After a fairly pummelling opening duo, we are then into some forays into whimsy with Had A Dad and Standing In The Showerā¦Thinking. Theyāve always had the knack of not getting too po-faced about stuff. Centre-piece Summertime Rolls washes over you in a delightful six minutes of psychedelia before we get heavy with Mountain Song. Trivia fans - this was an existing song which theyād recorded for punk western film Dudes that featured Flea from RHCP in its cast. And guess who turns up on the next track Idiots Rule playing trumpet? Itās only Flea from RHCP isnāt it! Jane Says is obviously their signature song, and it is more loveliness along the lines of Summertime Rolls but with an even more mellow vibe and some charming steel drums. Thereās then 60 seconds of oddity with lounge moment Thank You Boys because, well, why not. Album closer Pigs In Zen is a live favourite which always sees Perry ad-libbing the central spoken word section. Seen them do it a bunch of times, but I do love the album version - āIām in the midst of a traaaaaaauma.ā
So yeah, love this album. Not sure exactly where it would feature in my own personal top 100 but can guarantee it would be near-ish the top. Itās a 9/10 for meā¦
Love it. Used to be a purely Ritual man as it was the one i was into back then. I have grown to love Nothing Shocking though. Production dates it a bit but there are some choons for sure. More glam i guess.
Being in a metal band and hearing this album on release must have been like having made Flash Gordon, and watching Star Wars.
Just blew the windows out of metal. Had groove, swagger, genuine unease, darkness, sexiness, light. Couldnāt believe what I was hearing, and Iād heard Pigs in Zen on theā¦āscreamā(?) Compilation, so I knew they were doing something alien and special already. Absolute game-changer 10/0 work of brilliance.
Christ Iāve copped so many moves from Eric Averyās bass playing on this record and Ritualā¦. What a PLAYER.
Amazing how an album fronted by a man as unbearable as Perry Farrell can be this good. āTed, Just Admit Itā¦ā is excellent. āStanding In The Shower, Thinkingā is maybe the only misstep and even then itās a laugh.
Donāt think itās one of the best one hundred albums ever but itās a really good record with some great playing on it and sometimes thatās what you need.
yer manās vocals arenāt my bag really but musically thereās some fun stuff going on. probably would have been more into this if Iād listened as a teenager, riffs and that
Oof! This is one hell of a commitment ccb. Youāre looking at a good 18 months!
Iāll enjoy dipping in and out. Nothingās Shocking is a great album to start. Iāll have another listen after the weekend and come back with comments, rating, chat.
my advice would be to give yourself to Perry Farrellās vibes
donāt really know anything about him beyond Janeās, but thereās a unique arty hippyish (in a good way imo) vibe he has that is the emotional core of the music
like, a sort of childlike sweetness mixed with a radical post-US punk thing (I always felt like he was railing against traditional rock machismo, in a way - he certainly felt like he existed in contrast to it)
also as @Kallgeese says, Eric Averyās basslines are godly; theyāre of a post-punk lineage, which I reckon is a good hook for DiSers
as for Daveās guitar, I tend to think of it like itās graffiti over the walls of the rhythm section. or like⦠waves