Jane's Addiction "Nothing's Shocking" (1988) - got it
Jane's have been compared to Led Zeppelin in the past, and I can kind of
see it. Unlike bands like Wolfmother or Greta Van Fleet who emulate
Zeppelin like they're a covers band, Jane's channelled the same energy
into an original sound. Four members each with masterful control over
their instrument. Pounding drums, wailing high vocals, twiddly
bass-lines and guitar that melds folky-acoustic, psychedelia, stadium
rock and virtuoso soloing.
The songs have an energy and danger to them, dripping with sexuality and
cynicism. This is one of those albums that laid a lot of groundwork
for the 90s alt-rock movement. In fact it was bands like Jane's with
their mix of stadium rock, psychedelic pop, funk, atmospheric rock etc.
that led to the 'alt-rock' label to be coined... which must have
frustrated them, as the whole point for them was trying to make music
that avoided labels.
Jane's have always been a bit of a fraught outfit. During the recording
of this outfit, singer Perry Farrell suddenly demanded 50% of the
royalties for writing the lyrics and a percentage for writing the
music. Eventually he got his way and the rest of the band walked away
with 12.5% each. Inner conflicts eventually led to the band breaking
up, with intermittent reunions in the years to follow (almost always
sans original bassist Eric Avery).
Showing posts with label jane. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jane. Show all posts
Thursday, May 28, 2020
Friday, May 15, 2020
Day 0621 - The Trinity Session
Cowboy Junkies "The Trinity Session" (1988)
The Cowboy Junkies were something of a family affair, formed by lifelong friends Alan Anton and Michael Timmins, and eventually also featuring Michael's brother Peter on drums, and their sister Margo on vocals.
Margo was originally plagued with shyness, recording her vocals with her back to the rest of the band.
This album was recorded with the band grouped around one microphone in Toronto's Church of the Holy Trinity (thus the album's title). The result is a beautiful album of minimalistic, intimate country tracks. A mixture of original tracks and covers ranging from Hank Williams to Lou Reed.
The Cowboy Junkies were something of a family affair, formed by lifelong friends Alan Anton and Michael Timmins, and eventually also featuring Michael's brother Peter on drums, and their sister Margo on vocals.
Margo was originally plagued with shyness, recording her vocals with her back to the rest of the band.
This album was recorded with the band grouped around one microphone in Toronto's Church of the Holy Trinity (thus the album's title). The result is a beautiful album of minimalistic, intimate country tracks. A mixture of original tracks and covers ranging from Hank Williams to Lou Reed.
Wednesday, December 25, 2019
Day 0481 - Beauty and the Beat
The Go-Gos "Beauty and the Beat" (1981)
Originally started in LA 1978 as a punk rock band (their singer had even been in the Germs for a while). The band claimed that they could barely play their instruments when they started, but that they seemed propelled towards success, with this, their first album spending 6 weeks in the Billboard chart.
By the time this album came out, much of the band's punkiness had been airbrushed with a gloss of a new-wavey take on the old-school girl group pop sound. It actually works really well, like, catchy songs but with some guts and a bit of rock to them. Not a million miles from something like Letters to Cleo with their cover of "I want you to want me" in "10 things I hate about you".
Originally started in LA 1978 as a punk rock band (their singer had even been in the Germs for a while). The band claimed that they could barely play their instruments when they started, but that they seemed propelled towards success, with this, their first album spending 6 weeks in the Billboard chart.
By the time this album came out, much of the band's punkiness had been airbrushed with a gloss of a new-wavey take on the old-school girl group pop sound. It actually works really well, like, catchy songs but with some guts and a bit of rock to them. Not a million miles from something like Letters to Cleo with their cover of "I want you to want me" in "10 things I hate about you".
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