Janes Addiction

When this live date was recorded at Hollywood's famous Sunset Strip club the Roxy in 1987, Jane's Addiction hadn't yet become the darlings of alternative rock culture. The L.A. band's unorthodox fusion of Led Zeppelin-influenced hard rock, dark Velvet Underground-ish imagery, and stream-of-consciousness art rock wasn't as focused or confident as it would be on the commanding Ritual de lo Habitual. But even so, the band showed considerable potential. As erratic and self-indulgent as this set gets, many of the songs are quite memorable. Lead singer/composer Perry Farrell was always fascinated with the dark side of the human psyche, and that fascination serves him well on "Pigs in Zen," the twisted "Whores," and the alternative rock favorite "Jane Says." And things get enjoyably trashy on covers of the Velvet Underground's "Rock & Roll" and the Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil." But while this CD will interest completists, more casual listeners should stick to Ritual de lo Habitual.

Jane's Addiction were one of the most hotly pursued rock bands when they gained notice in Los Angeles in the mid-'80s, with record companies at their feet. Flamboyant frontman Perry Farrell, formerly of the band Psi Com, had an undeniable charisma and an interest in provocative art (he designed the band's album covers), and Jane's Addiction played a hybrid of rock music: metal with strains of punk, folk, and jazz. The quartet, comprised of Farrell, bassist Eric Avery, drummer Stephen Perkins, and guitarist Dave Navarro, had already released its debut album as well, in the form of a live recording from the Roxy in Hollywood. Finally, Warner Bros. won the bidding war and released Nothing's Shocking in 1988. The band's abrasive sound and aggressive attitude (typified by the nude sculpture on the cover) led to some resistance, but Jane's Addiction began to break through to an audience – the album spent 35 weeks on the charts.

Cult heroes Jane's Addiction are the Grateful Dead for the should-I-be-a-punk-or-a-hippy-or-metal-head-or-just-get-high-and-become-one-with-the-music underground; so Kettle Whistle, the band's collection of live recordings, a few new songs, and B-sides from their two albums, would be as must-have for fans as all those Dead bootlegs–even if it sucked. This is definitely an album for the converted, and the extended jams and live ramblings would be hard to endure without a frame of reference. The electronic filler and robotic knob-twiddling on the new songs, "Kettle Whistle" and "So What," suggest that Jane's Addiction's breakup was well timed, but the demos and live cuts ooze the band's tremendous energy and chemistry. In the 1988 demo of "Ocean Size," Perry Farrell's charismatic, raspy howl mingling with Dave Navarro's screeching guitar sucks you into the music and sends you to an alternate groove-plane.

The 1991 Jane's Addiction release Live & Rare is a Japanese-only collection that was comprised of live material, demos, and a remix.