Having appeared in the very center of America, Jane's Addiction has become a bright guide to the world of alternative rock.
What would you call the boat...
It so happened that in mid-1985, the talented musician and rocker Perry Farrell was out of work. His Psi-com band was falling apart, a new bass player would be the salvation. But with the arrival of Eric Avery, Farrell realized that something new was needed. So Psi-com ceased to exist, giving way to Jane's Addiction.
The name of the rock band was born spontaneously. While discussing potential names, Perry suddenly thought of his neighbor. Jane Benter lived near Farrell and suffered from drug addiction.
"And why not" - sounded in the head of the musician. True, the rest of the group suggested clarifying which drugs the girl was addicted to. But Farrell still decided not to cross the dangerous line, settling on a generalized version.
Line-up of Jane's Addiction
But failures with permanent musicians haunted the band from the first days. Finding a bassist, Farrell was left without a drummer almost immediately. Matt Chaikin, having visited several rehearsals with the new line-up, simply did not come to the rest. And Avery came to the rescue again. His sister was dating Stephen Perkins at the time, who was great on drums.
Having decided on the final composition, Jane's Addiction began to conquer music clubs. The first was the popular "Scream" in his native Los Angeles. In the mid-80s, performing and playing instruments filled with such energy made a splash.
Representatives of recording studios immediately began to "circle" over a potential client. But Jane's Addiction set their own terms of work. They chose the independent label Triple X Records for their debut album before moving on to Warner Bros. records. Talented musicians, coupled with a nimble manager, managed to get a contract for 250 - 300 dollars.
The debut live record, bearing the band's name, was recorded at the very beginning of 1987. It reached the mass audience only by the end of the year. However, this did not negatively affect the popularity of the new group. After all, by that time Jane's Addiction successfully went on tour with the British from Love and Rockets.
Leave on takeoff
Already in early 1988, Jane's Addiction began recording their first studio album. Of the entire discography, it is "Nothing's Shocking" that is considered the best in the history of the group. Not for nothing that the popular tabloids included it in the list of "greatest albums of all time". Clips were filmed for some of the singles. But the MTV channel did not dare to demonstrate such debauchery. Indeed, in one of the videos, his characters appeared with bare bottoms.
Ignorance from music TV led to unpopularity on radio stations. The songs of Jane's Addiction were in no hurry to play on the air. The sales of the album were not impressive, but the live performances became the salvation. Critics admired the rockers, and the new tour ended in victory.
Initially, Jane's Addiction went to him as an opening act for Iggy Pop's team. But towards the end of the tour, it was Farrell's band that became the headliner. The secret of success was simple - rockers offered listeners alternative metal. It was something subtly familiar, but completely new and original.
The popularity of Jane's Addiction
With fame came financial conflict. As the founder of the group, Perry Farrell requested an increase in his own fee. For writing lyrics and music, he wanted to receive more than 60% of the profits. This alignment did not suit the rest of the musicians.
The management of Warner Bros. Records opposed such greed, then Farrell announced the dissolution of the team. And this was at the moment of popularity, and even during the recording of the next album, I had to make concessions, but a crack appeared between the musicians and began to gradually expand.
Personal conflicts between Farrell and Avery only exacerbated the situation. After recording two albums, the musicians realized that they could not continue like this. And in 1991 they staged a farewell tour, announcing the end of joint work. The most interesting thing is that the Lollapalooza festival was created as part of the tour.
To diversify the concerts, the musicians invited other bands playing alternative rock. Since then, the festival has taken on a life of its own. It has become an arena for new names in alternative rock, hip-hop, heavy metal. And Jane's Addiction was recognized as an "icon" of alternative music.
The year-long tour marked a turning point in the band's history. The musicians simply could not tolerate each other any longer. Sometimes fights broke out right on the stage because of the awkward movements of one of them. In addition, the addiction of part of the team to drugs had a negative impact on the quality of work. The last concerts of Jane's Addiction were held in Australia and Hawaii, gathering full houses. After that, the group broke up.
They come back again and again
Love for music and creativity can work wonders. This is exactly what happened with Jane's Addiction. During the period from 1991 to 2003, alternative metalheads managed to scatter and converge three times. And each of them was the last and final.
So in 1997, the musicians tried to play together again and even arranged a small tour. Eric Avery did not agree to return to Jane's Addiction. He was replaced by bassist Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
But joint performances for a long time could not keep the group afloat. And even the release of the collection, which included two new tracks, did not correct the situation. Fans did not notice the new split, believing that their favorites needed time to build up.
Another round of Jane's Addiction was made in 2001. The Coachella festival was supposed to take place in Los Angeles. The organizers of the show, remembering that local alternatives would have an anniversary, decided to promote this. They contacted Perry Farrell and offered to rebuild the band.
After a successful performance at the festival, the musicians did not want to miss the chance and went on tour. Its specificity was that in addition to the best hits, it featured solo numbers of the group members. Guitar solos, African drums and half-naked dancers - a worthy show for the anniversary.
True, and this time Avery did not take part. Flea was also busy with the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I had to take Martin Lenoble as a tour bass player. The musicians knew him while they were engaged in side projects during the breakup of the group. The result of the tour was the recording of a new album, but Chris Chain played bass here.
The album "Strays" reminded fans of the very beginning of Jane's Addiction, but much of it was completely different in style. Perhaps it lacked the usual madness and drive. But it was too much in the daily life of the team. Yes, musicians never learned to compromise. Conflicts and fights have become commonplace. And after the next tour, the group broke up again.
The irreconcilable pull of metal
Realizing that they could not get along in one team, the musicians were looking for a way out of the situation. During the first breakup, Farrell and Perkins formed the group Porno for Pyros. But the matter did not go beyond two albums. Avery had a similar situation with Navarro. Having created the Deconstruction team and recorded one album, the group went into oblivion.
Stephen Perkins later joined the Banyan group. Dave Navarro has joined the Red Hot Chili Peppers. But creative differences and dissatisfaction with creativity interfered with the work of the teams.
The musicians rushed from side to side, realizing that they could only be in Jane's Addiction. That's just brilliant performances and high-quality albums did not save from new quarrels. And again, already in the new century, there were attempts to create other projects. But it didn't go beyond one or two albums.
In 2008, another attempt was made to revive Jane's Addiction. They even managed to get together in the original composition. The reason for the reunion of the legendary alternatives was the greatest hits album.
The compilation "Up From the Catacombs - The Best of Jane's Addiction" won the NME award. Only Eric Avery could not withstand the heat of passion. He finally left the group in 2010. Jane's Addiction released a new album "The Great Escape Artist", which became the last in their discography. And in 2016, the best alternative metal acts in the United States achieved global recognition. They were nominated for inclusion in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
New style and further activities of Jane's Addiction
Fans couldn't help but notice the change in the band's style. Musicians are fascinated by new technologies. The sound became more melodic and simplified. An element of tragedy and a certain pathos appeared in the tracks. Unfortunately, years of creativity and constant conflict have aged the rockers.
Jane's Addiction has lost its high-energy buffoonery, a healthy alternative to rock canons. They stood at the origins of alternative metal, offering the world a familiar sound. At the same time, it was served with a different sauce, which was noted even by rock legends.
Jane's Addiction managed to combine several directions of rock music at once. Critics can argue until they are hoarse, classifying the group as psychedelic or progressive rock. And those, and others, and even the third will be right. It seems that the jar of Jane's Addiction absorbed all the best from world rock. And after processing and rethinking, he gave the audience the original "dish".
Probably, it was for this that the musicians were forgiven everything. Endless line-up changes, disruptions of concerts and tours. They even said goodbye to breakups and reunions, which is not welcome in the world of show business. However, Jane's Addiction was able to create their own alternate reality, capturing the whole world into it.
