Now that Jane’s Addiction has reunited for real (without original
bassist Eric Avery, there is no Jane’s), it’s box-set time. A
Cabinet of Curiosities gathers many of the band’s demos (some of
which padded out CD singles — remember those?
— back in the early ’90s), a compilation track or two
(covering Sly and the Family Stone’s “Don’t Call Me Nigger, Whitey”
with Ice-T on co-lead vocals was a decent idea badly executed, but
their take on the Grateful Dead’s “Ripple” is pleasantly bucolic), and
a DVD full of videos and live footage. But disc three (of four) is the
real jewel — an entire live show recorded at the band’s
absolute peak, in its L.A. hometown just before Christmas 1990.
Raucous, psychedelic, metallic, arty and loose, this 76-minute
performance proves for all time that Jane’s Addiction was one of the
best bands in the “alternative nation.” They had something special, and
yet they haven’t been as influential as they should have been
— maybe ’cause the grunge bands came along and bummed
everybody out. — Phil Freeman
This article appears in Apr 29 – May 5, 2009.
