Three 65, Day 15
Jane's Addiction, Ritual De Lo Habitual

One of the first bands to bridge the gap between metalheads and college rock radio, Jane's Addiction were alternative with a capital A. They founded Lollapalooza, among other things, and put attention-hungry frontman Perry Farrell on the map as the spokesperson of disaffected youths everywhere. Never mind that he and the rest of the band were incorrigible heroin junkies; never mind that guitarist Dave Navarro grew up to be a shirtless sex God with nothing between his ears but visions of bouncing boobies. In 1990, Jane's Addiction was the first and last stop for above-ground tourists seeking underground thrills.

Ritual was their last album before breaking up for several years, and it was their last good album. An ambitious 51:30, Ritual is divided into two parts: the first half, a clutch of five unrelated rock tunes, and the second half, a series of truly otherworldly prog-rock numbers meant to evoke the memory of Xiola Blue, a friend of Perry's who died of a heroin overdose at the age of 19.

The first half is good. "Stop!," "Ain't No Right," and the immortal "Been Caught Stealing" are all great songs. But they pale in comparison to what the band does with the second half of the album, which starts with the epic "Three Days," almost 11 minutes of shifting and building rock fury that, by its end, threatens to set the world on fire. "Then She Did..." is a poignant reminder of Perry Farrell's mother, who committed suicide when he was young; "Of Course," often considered the most annoying song in the Jane's Addiction catalogue ("La la! La la! La la!"), carries a strong Middle Eastern influence. And "Classic Girl" is, well, "Classic."

The whole band brings something to the table on this album. There's the fiery guitar leads courtesy of Navarro, and Stephen Perkins' eclectic drumming. Farrell is, always, the consummate showman, but the real show here belongs to the bottom-heavy bass of Eric Avery, who also co-wrote many of the songs on this album. Avery is often considered the least essential member of Jane's Addiction, but I disagree, and if you care to argue the point, just listen to the abominable Strays or any of the live material released with other bassists.

The band would go through numerous line-up changes during multiple reunion and "relapse" tours, and a new album is expected this summer. I think they're wasting their time. Most bands only get to release one great album, and for Jane's, it was Ritual De Lo Habitual.