Saturday, July 19, 2008

634. Jane's Addiction - Nothing's Shocking (1988)

















Track Listing

1. Up the Beach
2. Ocean Size
3. Had a Dad
4. Ted, Just Admit It...
5. Standing in the Shower...Thinking
6. Summertime Rolls
7. Mountain Song
8. Idiots Rule
9. Jane Says
10. Thank You Boys
11. Pigs in Zen

Review

I've never paid much attention to Jane's Addiction, but I must say that I really like this album. Well at least a lot more than I was expecting. There was not in the late 80's a lot of good metal, and this is one that bucks the trend.

This is not to say that all the tracks are amazing, because they aren't, but there is plenty here to keep the more cerebral metal fan interested. The lyrics are quite good and the music is very varied indeed.

Jane's Addiction sounds like a love child of Sonic Youth and Def Leppard, making something completely different (and better than Leppard) in the process. Alternative Metal in the late 80s barren landscape can only be good. And so this is definitely recommended.

Track Highlights


1. Jane Says
2. Ted, Just Admit It...
3. Ocean Size
4. Summertime Rolls

Final Grade

9/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

This album was nominated for the 1989 Grammy Awards; the same year Jane's Addiction took a break.

In 2003, the album was ranked number 309 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. It is also number 19 on their list of 100 greatest album covers.

The song "Ted, Just Admit It..." is about serial killer Ted Bundy and contains spoken words by Bundy, from a statement he made.

The song "Jane Says" is about a real person, Jane Bainter. Bainter was addicted to heroin and was always "going to kick tomorrow". She did have a boyfriend named Sergio. She was a "white collar" junkie—she did not steal and was not a prostitute. She did, in fact, eventually kick the habit.

Jane Says, Live, NSFW:

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