Jane's Addiction "Nothing's Shocking" [1988]

As if rock music didn't already have enough problems with redundancy during the late-80s -- filling the void between metal selling out and grunge buying in -- LA's Jane's Addiction released their debut, "Nothing's Shocking." Led by art-school stoner with the raspy voice of an old California prospector, Perry Farrell, this boring, pretentious collection of over-worked, over-long singsongy fake metal managed to garner a huge advance from Warner Brothers due to the utter lack of competition at the time. Among the violations to humanity Jane's Addiction is responsible for is the shroud of jagged depravity that gave Nine Inch Nails the stupid idea to start a scream electronic version of the same thing. Sure, they're edgy -- but "edgy" as in "grating," not "affecting"… unless, that is, you do as many drugs as these guys did. Big fucking deal -- this all had been well played-out by 1988: the 6+ minute dirges by feckless assholes on heroin; the abrasive, suggestive subject matter about as satisfying as a Vincent Gallo film; and faking the LA club scene as some sort of artistic movement it never was. Thus, while it may be absolutely true that "Nothing's Shocking," Jane's Addiction certainly had a lot to do with why.