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Yer Mama Net Productions / Justin Hall / <justin@cyborgasmic.com>
Hey- welcome to the very first online newsletter for Jane's Addiction Freaks such as myself. A little bit of personal history- I unfortunately became hooked on Jane's in a very junior high kind of way. I heard "Stop" and "Been Caught Stealin'" on the local "alternative" radio station, and bought Ritual De Lo Habitual. I wore out those two song quickly, put it up for a while and didn't even think about it. Then after a dry spell, I began to listen to it for a while, and thus started the Jane's snowball effect that has consumed me to this very day- kinda sad, huh? Well, enough of this drivel...onwards! I'm not really sure how to conduct a newsletter (this being my first one and all) but heck- you get better with experience.
Perry Farrell: Formerly lead singer for Jane's, he is now currently (I belive) working on a new album for Porno for Pyros. At last notice in the late months of spring, early months of summer in a Rolling Stone article, he was preparing to record with Porno.Stephen Perkins: He too is helping Perry, continuing his support through his mastery of percussion for Porno for Pyros.
David Navarro: Recorded the Deconstruction album w/ Eric Avery in the latter months of '93. It was released in July of '94, but not before David joined up with The Red Hot Chilli Peppers- who are, by the way, expecting an album (much like a child) that should be coming out rather soon- keep your eyes peeled.
Eric Avery- Eric collaborated with Dave on Deconstuction, writing most of the lyrics as well as singing on the Deconstruction album, ( this was done on the American (formerly Def) label). He is continuing on with a solo? effort, working with Biff (I have no last name on this guy) from the now defunct California Techno/industrial-dance band Ethyl Meatplow. Biff used to be the drummer/ sequencer person in the band. Ethyl's only album "Happy Days, Sweetheart is availible" on Dali Records out of NYC, distributed by Electra. Their label broke up as (or because) Ethyl broke up, so if you're interested, you might have a small problem finding it.
Let's face it- no matter how much we want to delude ourselves, Jane's has broken up, and its notlikely they'll be getting back together. For us hard-core fans, the only way to live vicariously through their music is by buying previously unreleased bootlegs. If you live near a large campus record store, such as I do (I live just minutes away from OSU) you might have noticed the proliferation of bootlegs that are appearing in music store shelves. Beware! you might not get everything you're expecting.All of the bootlegs availible in the campus stores I've seen have been imports, which jack up the price to these things ASTRONOMICALLY. Most bootlegs I purchase have between a $25-$30 price tag, and for that amount of money you'd better be sure you're getting what you paid for. How can you be sure? Fact is, you can't. Here are a few tips for you folks to avoid getting burned by boots.
*****Following these suggestions can do nothing but help you in your selection and hopefully reduce the chances of being burned by a bad bootleg purchase. IT IS NOT a guarantee- just something to make life easier. Each issue I will review a different bootleg on many different factors including; sound quality, overall performance, set list, liner notes, etc.
- Don't buy on impulse or the boot's looks alone. Sure, that picture of Perry and the rest of the guys in concert on the cover may be tempting, but cool your jets and consider the rest of these suggestions before continuing on. You can't judge a book (or a boot) by it's cover, but if the layout/pictures graphics are shoddy, there's a chance the rest of might be too.
- Check out what's on it. 75% of the boots I've come across lately are from the final leg of their '91 Euro Tour, each of them ostensibly recorded mere days or weeks apart. This means that the set list(s) are probably the same. If you've got time, write down the songs of your bootlegs and take with you the next time you PLAN to buy a new Jane's boot. Writing down the DATE and LOCATION of your boot concerts is a good idea as well.
- Belive it or not, there are duplicate boots by different (possibly the same) companies of the same concerts (Nah, people aren't oppotunistic or greedy- they're just forgetful- yeah, that's it!). They're packaged differently, so this adds even more credibility to checking out the order of the song titles. (You might save yourself from making a $30 mistake!) I've made this mistake twice myself, once on a single boot, another time on a $50 double-disc set. Youch!
- Keep in mind your bootlegs might not have what exactly is advertised on them, either through mistake or conscious ommision on the part of the music companies that have so thoughtfully (and illegally!) made this wonderful piece of music history availible to us! My favorite Jane's song is Three Days, and I'll do just about anything to find boots that have it. I made the mistake of buying a boot for that fact alone. When I took it home and tried to play it (though it was listed on the jewel box) that track was non-existent! Another time I bought a boot with the track Mr. Song, thinking that this was a track never recorded (or at least released). Upon playing it, I realized it was MOUNTAIN Song- this particular boot was put together by an Italian music company, and becuase they couldn't spell right, it cost me $25! Arrrgh!
- Most imports aren't shrink wrapped. This increases the risk that the disc might have been previously played, or that there is wear or damage of some kind. Upon purchasing the album (before forking over your hard-earned cash) open the jewel box, **CAREFULLY** lift the disc out, flip it over and check for scratches or cracks on the side that comes in contact with the laser. Depending on the store, you might or might not be able to return this baby if it's defective, so check out the condition of the actual disc- if you can't do that and it's actually shrink-wrapped, check the store's policy on returns before leaving. One note- campus music stores seem to be less eager to let you return merchandise, even if it is defective.
Name of Bootleg: "Parephernallia" (No joke- this is how it was spelled. Perhaps these bootleggers ought to go to college).Distributor/ Record Label: Totonka Music/ Executive Producer- Carl Punjoninan. (Note: this particular label is one of THE main labels for Jane's boots- they're based out of LA, but there are no phone numbers or adresses on any of their boots that I own. If you have any info on this, please e-mail it to me post haste!)
Description: Rather than have all this material from one concert, there are 4 different concert venues listed, as well as studio outtakes from the El Dorado Studios. The earliest date is in February '87, and the latest is in November of '88. Most of the live material seems to be played in small theaters/ halls.
Set List:
CHICAGO SET @ CABARET METRO (LIVE) 11/25/88:
- KETTLE WHISTLE: Cover of some song unbeknownst to me- well done!
- OBVIOUSLY: Yes, the same one from Ritual! Full of energy- musically very good.
- BOB-HAUS: Combo of Dylan's "like a rolling stone" & a Bauhaus song- v.g!
- CHIP AWAY- pretty true to first album version- interesting improv by perry in the middle part, though.
MILWAUKEE SET * LOCATION UNKNOWN (LIVE) 11-29-88
- OCEAN SIZE: Wow! Pretty much the same as all other live vers. of this song, with a great electric guitar intro by Dave. If only that intro were on Nothing's Shocking!
LOS ANGELES @ EL DORADO STUDIOS (OUTTAKES) 2-25-88
- HAD A DAD: Completely differnt version than either the NS version or the demo. Perry cracks up halfway through, which is probably why they didn't stick it on the album.
- IDIOTS RULE: Virtually identical to the album version, with NO marguerita horns! Instead, a mediocre guitar solo by Dave take the horns' place.
- SUMMERTIME ROLLS: Again, virtually identical to the album version, except there's no lead guitar AND Perry sings in a low monotone, rather than the melodious high-pitched album version. Good, but different.
- MT. SONG: Vocals and guitar are different- more reverb on the vocals different vocal take. Guitar is differnent as well.
LOS ANGELES @ U.S.C. CAMPUS (LIVE) 2/87
- SLOW DIVER: On the jewel box after the title, it says "Unreleased". Could this be a Jane's song or a cover? In any case, Stephen plays the bongos, and Dave (I'm Assuming) plays keyboards. Eric is nowhere to be heard on this song. Poor sound quality on this song, but worth listening to.
LOS ANGELES (LIVE) 1988 * LOCATION UNKNOWN
LINER NOTES: By far, these are the best liner notes I've ever seen accompanying any Jane's boot. It's a 16 page color mini book, including a story written by Perry about a wedding he went to with Casey (one of her relatives.) Also included are a veritable cornocopia pictures of them on tour (REALLY, REALLY EARLY- pre- Nothing's SHocking.) as well as a collage of ticket stubs, club posters, and a page off of a contract rider from '87, stpiulating what kind of drink & food should be put in the artists' lounge.
- MACIO: Another "unreleased" Jane's song? (At least that's what the notes suggest). The sound quality is poor, but the song is interesting, apparently about a little dog. It's kind of cheery, a mood I've never heard Jane's portray.
OVERALL SOUND QUALITY: For the most part, very good. In some songs, it is lacking, and I've noted it if it is.
MUSICIANSHIP: Musically quite excellent. Perry does a good job vocally, and is not as outspoken as he seems to be at Jane's concerts.
Phil's Rating: J J J 1/2 : Not quite a 4 J, but almost. Well, we must keep searching for that elusive 4J.
Phil's Rating System: J= Don't waste the time or money.
JJ= If you've got the money, consider it. Not that
great, but it will add variety to a collection.
JJJ= Very good- a fine piece o' bootleg work.
JJJJ= A MUST HAVE for all serious Jane's admirers/afficanados.
Well folks, that'll bring closure to my VERY first online Jane's Addiction newsletter, and I hope you liked it. If you have personal experiences to add, bootlegs you'd like reviewed, questions you need answered, feel free to e-mail me. I am in no way (nor do I consider myself) the ultimate Jane's authority, thought that is seemingly what I'm trying to become. If fact, I welcome any and all submissions you folks have. In fact, to show that I too can be clueless, here are a few question(s) I would like answers to that perhaps one of you people can help me out with:
Who does KETTLE WHISTLE?
-EXCLUSIVE info from ERIC AVERY about Jane's as well as
present and future projects!
This will me an ongoing "column".
This has NEVER been published before in any newspaper or zine.
And, I might add, is only availble on THIS newsletter.
-More boot reviews!
-Personal experiences, perhaps? Only if you email me with them!
-Have a favorite song? Why? Tell us!
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| Phil Hayes is phayes@cerf.net |
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| "Never pay back,always pay forward" |
| -W.W "Woody" Hayes |
| "How much wood could a woodchuck |
| chuck if a woodchuck had a Black |
| and Decker gas powered chainsaw?" |
| "Exhibits of a totally new scale |
| and scope." |
| -R. Shafer |
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Links from the Underground