Jane’s Addiction, Nothing’s Shocking

By Christian Lipski

Nothing’s Shocking is a great example of an album that I liked more for the individual statement that those specific songs made than the band itself. I didn’t really follow Jane’s Addiction after their debut, and I never felt sad about that. What I do feel sad about is that I looked on my iPod and I do not have this album on it. Okay now I do.

This is another album that I associate with air conditioning, since I got it in the summer. It’s an odd mix of hard rock and trippy psychedelia, which appeals to me. When I first got it I remember feeling that dread in my stomach, worried that I had made a Poor Choice, because it was all crazy. After a few listens, though, I started to appreciate it more, even to the point of liking Perry Farrell’s screechy vocals. “Jane Says” was all over the radio, since it was the softest and most radio-friendly song on the disc, and I’m sure tons of people (like me) bought the album based on that song. This was before you could sample songs online or even very often in the record stores.

I haven’t heard some of these songs in a million years. I put “Summertime Rolls” on a mix hundreds of years ago because it was the driftingest, most dreamy track, but there are a lot of worthwhile songs here. I think that it’s mellowed in comparison to later rock, which makes it easier to hear the songs themselves instead of being overwhelmed by the newness of the sound. This record is Wild Summer, being just a little bit over the line, and grooving on it.

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