Jane’s Addiction was one of the most influential and volatile bands of all time. Their undeniable influence is still heard in bands today. The enigmatic foursome created music that was groundbreaking and genre defining. In a way alternative music wouldn’t be what it is without Jane’s Addiction.
The bands second album, Ritual De Lo Habitual is highly regarded as a masterpiece and a classic for many great reasons. While the album spawned two massive radio hits in “Stop” and “Been Caught Stealing,” it’s the albums deeper tracks that really solidified this as a groundbreaking album. In particular the song “Three Days.” The subject matter of the song deals greatly with addiction and the mortality of it, the music is what truly makes this song so special. Rather than rely on making a hard rock song, the band created an epic that is almost eleven minutes long. Surprisingly, “Three Days” was released as the second single from the album. The guitar work on this song by Dave Navarro reaches near stratospheric heights. The layers and textures Dave creates and plays with stretches the bounds of unpredictability and artistry. The guitar solo on “Three Days” is one of those that is as intriguing as it is intense. The mood and vibe it gives off matches perfectly with the lyrics and vocals. Then you add in the rhythm portion and it all clicks on levels untouched since. Dave Navarro is a pioneer of alternative rock guitar and rightfully so!
This is a fun topic to get into. I listen to a ton of music on a constant basis but, there are always certain albums or songs that just stay with me and I’m compelled to continuously keep them in rotation. Being that we are only a few weeks into 2022, I still have a few albums and songs that have remained in constant play. So here’s a few albums and songs that I can’t stop listening to!
Songs:
01) Centershift- My Own World (Single):
This song is tremendous. It’s the right amount of melodic rock that I dig. The accompanying video for this song is stunning and really captures the essence of the song. Definitely give this song a few spins and check out Centershift at their upcoming shows.
02) Quicksand- Colossus (Live Version):
The moment I heard this song from Quicksand’s new album, I was hooked. This song is so damn good. The riffs and rhythms along with the vocals/lyrics are superb. I had the pleasure of seeing Quicksand live a couple months back and they absolitely rocked the Troubadour. Plus having Stephen Brodsky (Cave In, Old Man Gloom, Mutoid Man, etc) on tour with them as their second guitarist and hearing him play on these new/old songs was out of this world amazing! If you haven’t heard the new Quicksand album, you should get on that!
03) Sparta- Air (Live Version):
I still remember when the debut Sparta album Wiretap Scars came out. I remember putting the album on and letting it play. A couple songs into it and then I dead stopped and started the song that just ended again. I was in total awe. That song was “Air” and it hit me at the right time. This is a perfect example of a great song with great dynamics. I remember too seeing them live back when this album came out in 2002/2003 and when they played this song live, oh my! Listen and you’ll see why almost 20 years later this song is still a gem!
04) Jane’s Addiction- Three Days (Live Version 1998 w/ Flea on Bass):
A friend of mine has been looking to expand his musical palate and I’ve been recommending bands for him to delve deep into. One of the ones I suggested was Jane’s Addiction. Naturally, I went back into the Jane’s catalog a bit too but more on the side of demos and live versions. One of my favorite eras of the band was around their Relapse reunion and Kettle Whistle album release. During this time Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers joined Jane’s for a tour and he was awesome with them. The first time I saw Jane’s was around this time and it’s forever been stuck in my head. Enjoy this one!!
05) Blink 182 with Robert Smith of The Cure- All Of This:
The other day I had a song stuck in my head but just the music and I couldn’t figure out who it was. fast forward a few hours later and I figured it out. The end result was a killer collaboration between Robert Smith of The Cure and Blink 182. On the latter’s untitled 2003 album there is a track on it called “All Of This” and it’s so damn good. Hearing this song back in 2003 was what made me buy their album. Actually, the untitled album is a great album and the best thing Blink ever did! This song is one of those that you will want to put on repeat for sure.
