Jane's Addiction | Artist
Jane's Addiction is an American rock band formed 1985 in Los Angeles by vocalist Perry Farrell and bassist Eric Avery. After a series of changes the lineup settled on Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro, drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Chris Chaney. Jane's Addiction was one of the first bands from the early 1990s alternative rock movement to gain both mainstream media attention and commercial success in the US. They came to prominence on the LA club scene, and won interest from a variety of record labels. The group decided to sign with mega-label Warner Bros., but they insisted on releasing their debut self titled album on independent label Triple X Records first, which was recorded live at a performance at the Roxy Theatre. In January 1988, the band recorded its major label debut Nothing Shocking. "Mountain Song" was released as a single but MTV refused to air the song's music video because of a scene containing full frontal nudity. Farrell then decided to release the music video commercially with added live footage to create the Soul Kiss home video. After the album's release, the band went on tour, opening for Iggy Pop and the Ramones. By the end of that tour, Jane's Addiction was headlining clubs and theatres. Their third album was the excellent Ritual de lo Habitual from 1990. Navarro later stated he had almost no recollection of working on the album due to his addiction to heroin. To support the release, the band embarked on a gruelling 13 month tour which included headlining the first Lollapalooza festival, which traveled across North America in mid-1991. The festival, created by Farrell and Marc Geiger, was to become a farewell for Jane's Addiction, but also a showcase for other cult artists. The band split in 1991, with Navarro going off to join Red Hot Chili Peppers for a few years. They then re-formed in 2001 for the Coachella Festival and went back into the studio to record Kettle Whistle, produced by Bob Ezrin. In total, Jane's Addiction released only five studio albums, plus several excellent live albums. Standouts include Jane's Addiction, Nothing's Shocking, Ritual de lo habitual and Live in NYC. The 2006 compilation Up From the Catacombs is also recommended. When starting out, the band was dubbed "Jane's Addiction" in honour of Farrell's housemate, Jane Bainter, who was their muse and inspiration.
Artist Website: janesaddiction.com
Featured Albums: Jane's Addiction
Related Artists: Perry Farrell, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Porno For Pyros, Dave Navarro
Video Clips: Jane Says, Just Because, Whores
