Take a walk on the wild side with Jane's Addiction

Jane's Addiction was one of the leading bands to emerge from Los Angeles in the late 1980s. They were considered one of the groups that helped set the stage for the massive "alternative rock breakout" that took place in the early 90s, yet Jane's Addiction didn't sound like many of the bands that followed. While their sound was distinctively their own, you could hear the influence of a certain late 60s LA band as well as the Velvet Underground in their music. Lead singer Perry Farrell had a charisma like that of Jim Morrison, while the lyrics had that "take a look at the evil and glamorous side" style of Velvet Underground era Lou Reed. The music had a punky hard rock sound to it that recalled Led Zeppelin in some ways, yet was undoubtedly distinctive.

Jane's Addiction released three classic albums between 1988 and 1991. In addition, Farrell helped organize the popular rock festival tour known as Lollapalooza and Jane's Addiction played on the inaugural one. Unfortunately, after that tour and after coming off the success of their "Ritual De Lo Habitual" album, Jane’s Addiction broke up in 1991.

Then, in 1997, just as pop was starting to push rock off of the charts and airwaves, the original lineup of Jane's Addiction decided to reunite for a tour. Or at least the bulk of the original lineup did. Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro and drummer Stephen Perkins did. Bassist Eric Avery opted out, choosing instead to concentrate on his solo project. Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea took his place. To commemorate the tour, a new album was released. Kettle Whistle was not your typical reunion "live greatest hits" album. It was a good combination of new and old material. Live tracks mixed with new version of old songs and two completely new ones.

Let's start with the two new tracks. First off, there's "Kettle Whistle". The song sounds like something that would have appeared on "Ritual De Lo Habitual". It has a slow groove to it that works well with Farrell's metaphorical lyrics about LA. "So What" is a hard rocker with fun lyrics about just getting down and drunk and partying.

Out of the previously recorded but unreleased tracks, there's "My Cat's Name Is Maceo" which features some great saxophone playing by Maceo Parker. The cat in question is Farrell's. (Farrell is apparently a big fan of Mr. Parker). Then there is "Slow Divers" which has a slow alternative rock groove to it. In a way it sounds like something that was recorded circa 1994 or there about.

Out of the live songs on here, the ones that really stand out include "Stop" and "Ain't No Right". In fact, both of these live versions outshine their studio counterparts. "Ain't No Right" is driven by a sort of punkish rage and blistering guitar riffs by Navarro. It culminates with Farrell pointing out a thug in the audience who "threw a Birkenstock".

"Stop" is probably the best of the live tracks on the album. The song rocks harder than the studio version on "Ritual". Especially entertaining is the part on the song's bridge where the audience sings along.

The studio out-takes and demos are entertaining and fun to hear. Particularly catchy is the beginning of the out-take of "Been Caught Stealing" which begins with Farrell ranting about "stealing a friend's girl" to a studio audience. None of the demos surpass the final versions, the way some of the live tracks do. But they are fun to hear.

Fun to hear is an accurate description of this album. It's not a classic on the level of "Nothing's Shocking", which is the first album a newcomer to Jane's Addiction should buy. But if you're a hardcore Jane's Addiction fan who owns and likes "Nothing" and "Ritual" you'll definitely like this one. Pick it up.