Los Angeles quartet
Jane's Addiction were one of the most influential and iconic alternative rock bands of the late '80s and early '90s. Hotly pursued when they first debuted in the mid-'80s, they released a pair of landmark albums before dissolving in 1991. Subsequent reunions yielded additional efforts while they maintained their cult status into the 2000s. 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.
Ritual de lo Habitual followed in 1990 and was the band's commercial breakthrough, reaching the Top 20 and going gold.
Farrell designed the traveling rock festival Lollapalooza as a farewell tour for
Jane's Addiction. After the tour was completed at the end of the summer of 1991, the group split.
Farrell would continue to be involved with the organization of the annual Lollapalooza festival for the next several years; he also formed
Porno for Pyros with
Perkins in 1992, releasing their debut record the following year. After a couple of quiet years -- which included forming Deconstruction, a band that didn't release any records until 1994, with
Avery --
Navarro joined
Red Hot Chili Peppers at the end of 1993.
By 1997,
Perkins and
Farrell had dissolved
Porno for Pyros, while
Navarro was about to resign from
Red Hot Chili Peppers. After
Navarro began playing with his two former bandmates again during
Porno for Pyros' final tour, a
Jane's Addiction reunion tour was announced for the fall of the same year. The only catch was that
Chili Peppers bassist
Flea replaced
Avery (
Avery refused to participate, as he concentrated on his new band, Polar Bear). To coincide with the short tour, the newly reunited
Jane's Addiction issued the album
Kettle Whistle, which compiled classic live performances and demos alongside a few newly recorded tracks. The album didn't fare well on the charts, but the reunion tour was a rousing success. It didn't lead to a permanent re-formation, however, as members went their separate ways once more after its completion. A planned film documentary of the reunion tour failed to materialize, as a best-of compilation that chronicled
Farrell's work (with
Jane's,
Porno, and a few new solo tracks) was issued in 1999, titled
Rev. His first solo full-length,
Song Yet to Be Sung, saw the light of day in 2001.
Navarro's debut solo effort,
Trust No One, was issued a month earlier than
Farrell's, as another
Jane's Addiction reunion was announced the same year.
Avery again refused to participate, with his spot being filled by former
Porno for Pyros bassist
Martyn Lenoble.
Several years later,
Jane's Addiction readied themselves to do it again. In mid-2002,
Farrell,
Navarro, and
Perkins headed back into the studio for their first album of new material in over a decade. Bass player
Chris Chaney (
Tommy Lee,
Alanis Morissette) was added to the group and
Bob Ezrin (
Pink Floyd,
Kiss,
Aerosmith) signed on to produce the new record. Capitol prepped for the release of
Strays in July 2003 while
Farrell resurrected Lollapalooza after a six-year break.
Around 2004,
Jane's Addiction announced they had broken up yet again and the members began work on several other music projects.
Navarro,
Perkins,
Chaney, and vocalist
Steve Isaacs formed the band
the Panic Channel, and released the album
(One) in 2006. Also in 2006,
Navarro co-hosted the CBS reality music competition Rock Star: Supernova, in which contestants vied to become the lead singer for a supergroup featuring drummer
Tommy Lee, bassist
Jason Newsted, and guitarist
Gilby Clarke. In early 2007,
the Panic Channel and
Supernova toured together. Meanwhile,
Farrell and his wife
Etty Lau Farrell, along with former
Extreme guitarist
Nuno Bettencourt, formed the band the Satellite Party and released the album Ultra Payloaded in 2007.
In 2008,
Jane's Addiction reunited, this time featuring the original lineup including bassist
Avery, who had not performed with the band since 1991. The band quickly re-recorded two tracks, "Whores" and "Chip Away" -- which had never officially been recorded in a studio -- and joined
Trent Reznor and
Nine Inch Nails on tour. The lavish box set
A Cabinet of Curiosities appeared in 2009. In 2010,
Avery announced he was leaving the band and was replaced by former
Guns N' Roses bassist
Duff McKagan. Originally added as a temporary member,
McKagan ultimately signed on full-time and the band began working on new material. In May of 2010, the new-look
Jane's Addiction with
McKagan on bass premiered the song "Soulmate" during a Cinco de Mayo concert in Hollywood.
McKagan left the group the following year, and was replaced by
TV on the Radio multi-instrumentalist Dave Sitek, who also appeared on the band's fourth proper studio album, 2011's
The Great Escape Artist. For the supporting tour for
The Great Escape Artist,
Chris Chaney joined
Jane's Addiction and stayed with the band for the next few years, a time which was marked by semi-regular concerts and festival appearances. In 2016,
Jane's Addiction launched the Sterling Spoon Anniversary Tour which celebrated the anniversaries of Lollapalooza and
Ritual de lo Habitual. To accompany the tour, the group released a vinyl box set called Sterling Spoon. ~ William Ruhlmann & Greg Prato