Jane's Addiction - Nothing's Shocking
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Free Music Notes for Nothing's Shocking
Free Music Review: Nothing Shocking about why so many people like this album
Hit: 5 Stars
Everyone seems to dig Jane's Addiction--ever notice that? Indie-snobs, punk-rockers, arty types, metal-heads--they all seem to agree that Jane's Addiction were pretty cool. Why is that exactly? If one listens to the band's debut studio album "Nothing Shocking" (1988) one can get a sense of why that is.
"Nothing Shocking" is an interesting album in that it's hard to pigeonhole. People will probably use the all-generic term "alternative" to describe the album, but that label seems a little unsatisfactory. Maybe the album is arty and off-center, but it isn't like a Sonic Youth album in that it's really obscure or avant-garde. In fact, the album is loaded with infectious hooks and terrific solos, and the album rocks, and rocks hard. Therefore, a guitar aficionado who is a fan of Van Halen or Hendrix, or just of guitar rock in general, is going to dig "Nothing Shocking" as much as the Sonic Youth/Velvet Underground crowd.
Additionally, "Nothing Shocking" has attracted many fans and praise no doubt because of the album's unique flavor. "Nothing Shocking" can sometimes be very gentle and soothing, and then, just like that, it's aggressive and even ferocious. Elements of jazz, new-age and funk are interspersed throughout. It's a very unpredictable album and one never knows exactly what will come next. The sound of the album is spacey, yet full; it's abstract, yet at the same time it's an album that many listeners can connect with. The structures of the songs are also non-traditional in that many of them don't follow a verse-chorus-verse pattern and the listener often doesn't know where a song in going; yet everything works.
Charismatic singer Perry Ferrell has a wholly unique voice that's really hard to describe. It's higher than that of most singers, and not really "full," yet carries everything on the album just fine. Ferrell's lyrics are not easily comprehensible, yet they don't sound pretentious either. He's not speaking in gibberish, he has something to say, yet it takes some thought to try to figure it out.
Guitarist Dave Navaro's solos are awesome and the dude obviously is a terrific player--yet he shows restraint, making sure that the killer solos avoid grandiosity and are just one element in the band's sound. Drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Eric Avery provide and exciting and unpredictable rhythm section.
"Up the Beach," a three minute instrumental sets the perfect tone for the album--spacey, eerie and psychedelic. It's peaceful yet with an undercurrent of disharmony. "Ocean Size" is one of the album's more straight-forward rockers. It is one long, hard-hitting song, with gentle acoustic strumming sprinkled here and there. "Had a Dad" starts out hitting hard, but then a colorful, lush chorus kicks in, throwing the listener for a loop. "Ted, Just Admit it" is one of the album's more off-beat songs. It starts out unhurried, with a jazzy bass-line leading the listener through over noodling guitars, and then, almost without knowing what has hit you, the song suddenly becomes chaotic and there is a feeling of entropy. The lyrics are rather abstract and low-key, until around the middle when Ferrell repeats "sex is violent" over and over again, like a mantra. The drum solo and hectic soloing add to the feeling of disorder. The funk-laden "Standing in the Shower thinking" has a touch of Red Hot Chili Peppers to it and moves the album along nicely. The subdued, sleepy hypnotic "Summertime Rolls," much like the opening "Up the Beach" is tranquil, yet with a feeling of unease. The hard-rocking "Mountain Song" has a Led Zeppelin-like riff and vibe but with psychedelic underpinnings. The album takes a 140 degree turn for the jazzy/funky "Idiots Rule." The saxophone, trumpet and trombone blend in perfectly and add a really quirky but cool touch to the album. Jane's Addiction's most well-known song, the acoustic melancholy "Jane Says," tells the story of a woman with a heroin addiction. While the song is a modern/alternative rock staple, it never seems to get old. The jazzy minute long off-beat "Thank you Boys" is kind of strange and comes out of nowhere, but its inclusion works. Another abstract song, the closing "Pigs in Zen" makes for a good conclusion.
Released in 1988, "Nothing Shocking" sounds as fresh today as it did nearly twenty years ago and is one of the least dated albums I can think of. And while it has sold two million copies, and received much praise, it still manages to hold the allure of cult status. No matter what kind of music you are into, "Nothing Shocking" is an essential purchase. Hopefully a new generation of fans that are currently being force-fed Nickeback will discover the album.
Free Music Review: Nothing Should Be Shocking, Jane's Still Rules
Hit: 5 Stars
I have a review earlier for this album in here, and it shocks me how musically incomplete I was, even though I loved this album. I got into Jane's around late 2003, and for a while hated Jane's Addiction until a car ride to Sacramento that left me hooked on this album. After a while, I wanted more Jane's and went and bought Ritual (I like it a bit more) and eventually became hooked on Strays (ugh). For a while I went to a time where I listened to bands like the Offspring and Green Day, and then in late 2006, I came back to Jane's world. They age like wine, the longer it is since you have heard them, the better they can get and itt makes Jane's such a great band. This whole album is amazing and it shows how many different styles Jane's has mastered, Navarro and Avery going metal on Oceansize, Funk/Blues on Idiots Rule, Perry Farrel's amazing singing quality, and Perkins being able to slow down the drums, go to metal drums, and even to swing beats. It has a modern sound, but not overly mixed like too many songs are today, and is a throwback from the last Jane's Addiction album, where Dave Navarro had become a goth look a like, and Perry Farrel looked like a pimp more than a singer, and this is truly one the best album's ever made.
1. Up The Beach. This is the one song that my ears tend to skip over on this album, I hear the song, but I don't listen to it. It just skips over me unless I'm playing my guitar along to it, but it is a great song to start an album with, some good guitar, interesting drums, and it gets you into the album well. 4/5
2. Oceansize. This is no doubt a great song, and it can get anyone that I show this song a true headbanger's delight, but until you can play an instrument, you cannot truly appreciate this song. From the spanish guitar, played on a 12 string, to the surfer metal heavy guitar, to the bass lines that bring you back to swing days, to Dave's three solos, this song is a true masterpiece. 5/5
3. Had A Dad. Great song on the drums, shows Perkins amazing skill on the bass drum and snare and it really highlights how good Jane's is at dynamic and tempo changes. Navarro's guitar solo's show how well rounded he is, particularly in his blues guitar. 5/5
4. Ted Just Admit It... Eric Avery is a truly amazing bassist. He has great timing, and riffs like these that are slow and down are amazing when they go with Navarro's heavy guitar work. Perkins; drumming is amazing, with the slow beat at the beginning, and the psychedelic at the end.
5. Standing In The Shower Thinking.... Nice uptempo song, I like the guitar part in this, very funky, and Perkins' drumming is amazing as always. Good song, but compared to the rest of the songs on this album it's really a filler. 4/5
6. Summertime Rolls. Absolutely amazing song, Avery has another great bass line, slow and driving, Perkins nails the slow drumming and makes it sound like brushes. Perry's singing is amazing, great lyrics and Navarro's guitar is great accompanying this song, and not as the main part of the song. 5/5
7. Mountain Song. One of the two great head banging songs on this album, great drumming on this song, sick heavy guitar play, and another amazing bass line by Eric Avery. The solo on this song is amazing, great use of guitar effects and very simple to play. 5/5
8. Idiots Rule. This song really shows how great of a variety of styles Jane's can play. Navarro has a great bluesy funk style guitar on this song, Avery nails the bass and makes it sounds like a line you'd hear out of Tower Of Power's greatest hits, and I am convinced that Perkins would be the greatest funk drummer of all time if he played funk. 5/5
9. Jane Says. This is one of Jane's more popular songs along with Been Caught Stealing, it can still be heard on the radio today, almost 20 years from when it was made and with reason. This one of Jane's great slow songs, with a great guitar, simple bass, great singing, and amazing metal drums by Perkins. 5/5
10. Thank You Boys. Not really much of a song, but it makes me jealous of Dave Navarro's musical ability. You can hear his guitar, smooth and jazzy, and Stephen Perkins' old school be bop drumming. 3/5 for the song, but for musical ability 5/5
11. Pigs In Zen. Another great rock song, nice and simple, but with some nasty guitar solos. The slow part of the song really shows what Jane's Addiction used to be in live shows, great music with intimacy and a singer and a band that wasn't afraid to speak it's mind, and it puts on a great finish to this album. 5/5
Free Music Review: Nothing's Shocking
Hit: 5 Stars
The year was 1988, and the door for alternative rock was about to be blown wide open by an extremely talented punk-goth-progressive-any other genre you want to call them-band called Jane's Addiction. The alternative rock band consisted of Eric Avery on bass, the John Bonham influenced Stephen Perkins (who happens to be the best drummer since the aforementioned influence), virtuoso guitarist Dave Navarro and the most intriguing prescence in the band: Perry Farrell, the lead singer who screeched his angry, frustrated passions out through a voice like no other. Together this unique, original band created one of the greatest alternative rock albums of all time: their arguably finest recording, Nothing's Shocking. Read on for a song-by-song reading.
Up the Beach- 4/5: Good opener, but more of an interlude and a mood-setter. This slightly experimental and wispy intro serves as a good pathway into the heart of this amazing album.
Ocean Size- 5/5: The dreamy acoustic opening guitar soothes you into an expectant mood for another Up the Beach style track. However, the first of Perry Farrell screams immediately jolt the listener: "THREE, FOUR!" With its left field tempo changes, screeching vocals and piercing guitar work, this is easily one of the best Jane's Addiction recordings, and is the true opener for Nothing's Shocking.
Had a Dad- 5/5: The amazing Ocean Size is followed up by another great track, Had a Dad. The extremely personal lyrics cut through the airwaves like a knife, elevated to the highest possible level with Perry's hauntingly angry screams. Dave Navarro's and Eric Avery's playing lifts this track to a whole other level, and the powerhouse drumming from Stephen Perkins is the only thing keeping it firmly anchored with a great beat and rhythm as well as lead playing that launches out of this stratosphere.
Ted, Just Admit It...- 5/5: The slight experimentation of Up the Beach is completely ripped apart by the truly weird experience of listening to Ted, Just Admit It. The lyrics deal with the media's keeping the world in a state of fear, and their dramatic tension is heightened by the tribal drumming, reggae bass and snippets of interview dialogue about death and destruction. This song is guaranteed to haunt your dreams.
Standing in the Shower...Thinking- 5/5: One of my personal favorites, it's a truly fun song to follow the creepy Ted, Just Admit It... Slightly funky guitar and bass and an fun, upbeat rhythm and feel. Is it possible to not like this song?
Summertime Rolls- 3.5/5- The worst song on the album, it's a rather boring acoustic song that doesn't hold up in comparison to the other slow/mid-tempo track: Jane Says.
Mountain Song- 5/5: The bass starts out with a deep intense groove before letting loose with a scream from Perry Farrell and some intense, slightly metal guitar and heavy-hitting drums. Amazing song, and a great metaphor for coming down off of a heroin high.
Idiots Rule- 5/5: Yes! This song is amazing! Straight-out dirty funk, with horns and everything! This could have come off of a P-Funk album. Truly exhilarating.
Jane Says- 5/5: Probably the most famous Jane's Addiction song, next to Been Caught Stealing. Jane Says is the breakthrough single off the album, and you can see why. It contains some of the best lyrics Farrell ever wrote, an exquisitely beautiful acoustic guitar part, and steel drums that'll bring a chill down your spine. One of the best.
Thank You Boys- 4/5: Good swing song that shows off the band's crazy talent to cover all kinds of musical ground. However, despite being such a showcase for their talent, it really doesn't add much to the emotional depth of the album.
Pigs in Zen- 5/5: This song must be heard to be believed. Alternative music at its best. If this doesn't blow you away, nothing will.
Free Music Review: The masterpiece of its generation.
Hit: 5 Stars
One of the most original and unique records of its era, "Nothing's Shocking" is the album that turned into the bar for alternative music. In many ways the LA variant of grunge, Jane's Addiction successfully combines the sounds of '70s arena rock with a punk sensibility and a post-punk feel, adding Perry Farrell's esoteric and often dense lyrics on top of this. While commercial success would follow with "Ritual de lo Habitual", its controversial artwork and its hit single, this is in my assessment the superior album, and the benchmark for alternative music since. Its a testament to Jane's Addiction that few records have been able to match this.
Admittedly, Jane's is probably not for everyone-- its hard to deny the instrumental prowess of this band: guitarist Dave Navarro can wail away with the best of them, and its through him that the influence of '70s and '80s arena sounds come through. Bassist Eric Avery has a very different sensibility, if there's one thing about Avery, its that he's really a master of sitting in a pocket, whether featured in a melodic context or even just marching to the guitar line-- he phrases slightly off to provide that sort of groove feeling. And drummer Stephen Perkins is probably the best of his generation, with a fine technique and an expressiveness that is really quite rare to find in modern drummers. But the band's calling card is really Perry Farrell, and he's the kind of thing you sort of like or dislike straight off-- his kind of punk-meets-Queen vocal approach, very much over the top the way Freddie Mercury was, but filtering out much of the technique in place of passion and a raw wail. It's not for everyone.
Getting past the band, the music on this album is intense-- their proclivity for rambling, musically, further accentuates the tighter material, and they manage to strike a fine balance between the two that they'd miss on future releases. Avery and Perkins lock together and provide propulsive foundations, laid back grooves, and ambiance to the pieces-- Navarro either explodes or focuses on color, and Farrell maintains a surrealist presence, drifting, seemingly randomly at times, in and out of the pieces, content to babble abstractly rather than provide coherent lyrics at times. It sounds like a mess, but it works well, from the explosive "Ocean Size"-- a driven modern rock anthem to the funky, laid back, atmospheric and deeply disturbing "Ted, Just Admit It" (about serial killer Ted Bundy) to the delicate, lilting ballad "Summertime Rolls". The band could rock ("Mountain Song"), swing ("Thank You Boys") and get plain funky ("Idiots Rule"), or move into a delicate mode with acoustic guitars and steel drums (single "Jane Says"). And for the album closer, they give in to Farrell's most self indulgent tendency with the totally bizarre "Pigs in Zen", an alternative masterpiece that needs to be heard to be explained.
The members of the band would manage one more album before literally getting into fist fights on-stage at Farrell brainchild Lollapalooza, and while they've all gone on to produce some great music outside of the band, none of them would quite reach this level. Essential listening.
Free Music Review: Best Album in Rock
Hit: 5 Stars
Alternative rock's founders name was never Nirvana. It was, has, and will always be: Jane's Addiction.
The album Nothing's Shocking starts with Up The Beach, which is sorta musical solo with Perry howling every once in a while. Then you really start to get in the main part of the album with Oceansize that is just a complete powerhouse with explosive energy and tons of guitar solos that only guitar god Dave Navvaro could do. The next song Had A Dad arguably is one of the best songs on the album, followed up with Ted, Just Admit It the title track that has the one of the best base lines from the best bassist on earth Eric Avery, and awesome drumming by Stephen Perkins. Next you into a funkier tune, Standing in the Shower Thinking. And then you get into the first of two ballads in this incredible album: Summertime Rolls, which is about the hot lazy summer and falling in love with a girl. Next song that you will learn to worship is Mountain Song. With another incredible bass line and sick guitar solo, this is another of the best songs on the album. Next up is the jazz/funk tune of Idiots rule that is just a bit too unexplainable, and then the highlight of the album and perhaps Jane's Addiction: Jane Says is a beautiful ballad about the bittersweet life of a girl Jane. That song went on to become one of the most played songs in rock history. Next up is nothing just a piano and Perry saying "Thank You Boys." So it doesn't really count. So last song on the album, (tear starts dripping down my face) Pigs in Zen, which is very similar to, Had a Dad.
I will rate each song 1 being crap, 5 being incredible if my review doesn't convince you.
Up The Beach 3 and a half
Oceansize 5
Had a Dad 4 and a half
Ted, Just Admit 5
Standing in The Shower Thinking 3 and a half
Summertime Rolls 4
Mountain Song 5
Idiots Rule 4
Jane Says 5
Thank You Boys doesn't count as song.
Pigs In Zen 4
So after reading this review and others get off your lazy butt and buy this album and a MP3 player so that you can play this song whenever you want.
Jane's Addiction came out with their second album Ritual De Lo Habitual in 1990. The album was a hit and it went platinum (You'll be very sorry that you didn't get this album, so get this with Nothing's Shocking). They broke up in 1991 but had a farewell tour and also an alternative rock festival called Lollapalooza, which has had some big bands like the Beastie Boys and The Smashing Pumpkins. Six years later Jane's Addiction had a reunion with everyone except Eric Avery (Avery was replaced by Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers). Then in 2002 they were back but with a new bassist Chris Chaney. In the summer of 2003 they came out with their third fantastic album Strays. Just two months ago they broke up again. Dreadful shame. Well enjoy your Jane's Addiction album!