2017 - August 5 - Up The Beach

Last night I went to the movies with Chris - one of my favorite things to do... the movie - The Dark Tower - was ok, but what triggered something musically for me was the trailer for the Flatliners remake (I am not sure why they want to remake it - the original was pretty good - but remakes, reboots, and sequels seem to be just about the only thing made these days (although Dunkirk was a spectacular exception to this). However, as soon as the baselines came out of the speakers, I recognized a Jane's Addiction song from the Nothing's Shocking album from 1988, but didn't remember which song. Coming home, I had to find it - and it was the album opener, Up The Beach.

Nothing's Shocking was the second Jane's Addiction album, but the first studio recording they released. The band is incredibly tight, and the foundation is laid with the drums of Stephen Perkins and the bass of Eric Avery. In my eyes, what really set Jane's Addiction apart from other alternative rock bands was Eric Avery's bass, which insists on being frond and center, driving many of the riffs for Dave Navarro to build a wall of guitar over. How Perry Farrell finds room for his voice atop all of this is still a mystery to me - but he does. Up The Beach is right up there, next to Mountain Song, as one of the quintessential Jane's Addiction songs, starting out with a simple but driving bass riff. Eric Avery is no longer part of the band, but he absolutely played a huge part in making them who they are!