Search - Jane's Addiction :: Ritual De Lo Habitual

One of the greatest albums ever made

selffate | Washington, DC USA | 06/10/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's really hard to put this album's greatness into words.



After the release of Jane's first major album Nothing's Shocking, the listener probably would have expected similar rocking frolicking songs that dealt with the bands familiar surroundings, psychedlic California, Oceans, beaches, all to a passionate driving rocking beat.



Ritual at first opens the same with an ingenious hooks of its predecessor album, and by the time Perry screams HERE WE GO! on the opening track "Stop" you have to hang on tight for the ride. For the most part you are, the bands killer greatness is still in awesome display, as everything just grooves so easily.



By the time the first half of the album is over on the funky participatory "Been caught stealing", the fun is to continue with more wacky, funky, rocking, obtuse and maddnening tracks. This is what alternative back in the day really meant. This album sometimes sounds like something the Rolling Rocking Stones could do, then it goes into guitar effect weirdness, then it gets funky, then it gets pounding metal blasts, you just cant get enough. However, once the listener is brought to the second half of the album everything changes for this band into a solidly grooving fun jaunt, to awe inspiring godlike proportions.



The pinacle and highlight track that starts the second half of the album is "Three Days". A nearly 11 minute epic song that I can only describe as the equivalent of alternative music's Stairway to Heaven. It is a song that slowly builds... builds... and washes over the listener into an epic explosion.. that leaves you completly spent after hearing it. It is hands down one of the best songs I have EVER heard in my life (and I listen to a LOT of different music from all sorts of styles). It also has one of the best guitar solos done in the form of Dave Navarro who is probably the most underated guitar player on the planet.



Finally, the second half continues into a sombre more introspective and somewhat saddneing but brilliant brooding of songs like Then She Did, and a perfect closer in Classic Girl, where you felt you heard the best lullaby ever as Perry in a barely audible whisper at the end says "good night". It is some of the most personal and heart wrenching stuff I have had to listen to from an artist.. it really seems impossible that the band can convey the emotion of the words being said but they did, and it hits like a brilliant wallop.



At first listen this album is incredibly hard to digest. In many ways it is almost too much, it is the equivalent of sonic overload in trying to digest all the imaginative and personal lyrics penned by Perry Ferrel, the incredibly wild and layered guitar tracks of Navarro (there's about 4-5 going on at the same time during Three Days), to Eric's driving bass riffs that start many of the tunes such as Ain't No Right.. all while Stephen Perkins pounds out like a mad man.



I had this album in the early 90's on tape, and flipping it from the two sides was the equivalent of listening to 2 different moods at will, somehow it didn't even seem like they belonged on the same disc now in CD... but everything just so flows perfectly.



Been Caught Stealing was certainly and overplayed song in its hey-day, but listening to it now, there isn't anything out there that I have heard since that comes close or sounds anything like it since.



This is an absolute MUST own album... If you want to hear one thing in your life before anything else... Three days is essential.. never mind the entire album, so pick up the whole thing. It's a real treat."