The Great Escape Artist

Jane's Addiction | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 18, 2011)
• Original Release Date: 2011
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Capitol Records
• ASIN: B004VF68AQ
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (76 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,316 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Underground

2. End To The Lies

3. Curiosity Kills

4. Irresistible Force

5. I'll Hit You Back

6. Twisted Tales

7. Ultimate Reason

8. Splash A Little Water On It

9. Broken People

10. Words Right Out Of My Mouth

Editorial Reviews

2011 release, the fourth album from the Alt-Rock favorites. Spun through a kaleidoscope of tightly wound riffs, hypnotic harmonies, booming beats, and an unmistakable howl, the record announces the beginning of the next chapter for the alternative rock torchbearers. Writing began in 2010 and by early 2011 the band entered a Los Angeles studio with producer Rich Costey, who introduced Perry Farrell, Dave Navarro and Stephen Perkins to TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek with the hopes of getting him involved somehow. After a couple of lab sessions, the chemistry was obvious. Sitek stepped into the role of songwriter and bass player for the album with Navarro, and touring bassist Chris Chaney, also sharing four-string duties. Sitek helped the band evolve their alchemy, expanding the sound even more. Farrell described Sitek's distillation of electronic textures, bombastic rock, and crazed punk to Rolling Stone magazine declaring, "He's like a scientist, and he's not afraid of making a monster."

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

63 of 65 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Jane Has Gone To Rehab. December 13, 2011

By Mr. E

Format:Audio CD

Listening to early Jane's Addiction was like going to the Asian jungle and encountering a wild Bengal tiger face to face amid the overgrown ruins of an ancient Indian temple. It was dangerous, quasi-mystical and terrifying. Jane's Addiction's latest CD is like watching an Animal Planet documentary about tigers on your big screen TV in your living-room. Safe, kind of bland and smoothly produced.

The phrase "Nothing's Shocking" has a whole new meaning here. This album is about as adventurous and wild and groundbreaking as a trip to the local mall. There's none of the danger, urgency or depth anymore. When I first heard Jane's Addiction in 1988, I imagined that I felt the way people felt hearing Elvis Presley for the first time in the 50s. Nothing as incredibly bizarre and wild as this had ever been heard before. (I'm not saying that JA sounds anything like Elvis. Just illustrating the newness and 'unsafeness' of early JA.)

Listening to Nothing's Shocking was almost a transgressive experience. It felt kind of like you were doing something considered unsavory and a little depraved by the mainstream, but at the same time, extremely satisfying and fulfilling. Ritual De Lo Habitual was a little more mainstream, but still unique and wild, free, mind-blowing and dangerous, and it contained the two best ever Jane's songs: 3 Days and Then She Did. The last Jane's song that approached that wild free feeling was Hypersonic on 2003's Strays.

The songs from The Great Escape Artist, however, can safely be included on a mix to listen to at the office with the latest Coldplay and U2 tunes. They won't clash at all. It's basically nice, clean, acceptable radio-friendly yuppie-rock.... Only Irresistible Force comes anywhere near the feeling of the early songs, but still falls far short of even Hypersonic. I imagine the people who will enjoy this the most are younger listeners who are more comfortable with the safe, over-produced commercial pop and rock of the last decade. Original Jane's Addiction fans from the 80s and 90s will be disappointed. It's not that we are stuck in the past, just that we have memories and expectations of far more adventurous and creative music from this band. To use a tired out cliche, Jane's Addiction has really 'sold out'.

It's an OK album, very good if merely taken as a major label rock release of 2011, but alongside early Jane's Addiction it's sterile, soulless and 9/10ths dead inside. I know Perry and Dave and Stephen are better off and happier and healthier as wealthy rock stars with supermodel wives than they were as edgy, half-crazed, slum-dwelling visionary junkies, but they sure made incredible music back then. I miss it very much. Read more ›

21 of 25 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars I suppose if I wanted to turn my mother onto Jane's Addiction this would be the album October 21, 2011

By Kurtz

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

How do I feel about Jane's Addiction latest release The Great Escape Artist? One word: underwhelmed.

And for me to use that word in connection to Jane's is something I never thought I'd do. Let's face it, it's not a horrible record as many feel it is but it's not a great one either. I apparently seem to be in the minority here because I was hoping to get something closer to Strays and or beyond what I'm listening to now.

Obviously many say that you can't really compare this new release to their earlier output because those were different times, situations and enviroments for the band who were creating their first two epic studio masterworks. I recognize this. You can include the Triple XXX "live" release if you'd like because it's pretty much a studio creation as well with all the overdubbing and added in live "atmosphere," but I usually don't. But let's face it, everyone IS comparing this record to the earlier music whether they admit it or not.

Now I'm not sure why Strays seems to get overlooked by the masses, and as a longtime Scream-era JA fan I thought it was an amazing effort, but it does. Sure, two songs were from ye olden tymes, "Suffer Some" & "Price I Pay," but songs such as "Wrong Girl," "Just Because," "The Riches," and "True Nature" were definitely up to par with much of JA's original material. Some seem to dislike Chris Chaney's efforts as compared to Eric Avery's but I'm going out on a limb to say that I'm betting a majority of people reviewing this new release may not have seen Avery in the bands' heyday anyway so it becomes subjective. I like Eric. I like Chris. Eric's gone again. Case closed. Bob Ezrin's production was excellent. He let the band do what they do best. Navarro and Perkins laid down amazing leads and percussion. Perry was on fire.... I also believe that the album was evenly mixed song-wise. It has a good flow. That record is SO underrated.

If there's one thing I think this release suffers from - in my humble opinion - it's the overwhelming influence, production and collaboration with TV On The Radio's David Stivek. He's all over this album! If he's not helping with the production, he's co-writing the tracks, playing bass (where's Duff and Chaney's recorded input?) or even playing guitars! Why in the world do you need Stivek playing guitars when you have Dave Navarro?!! I think that Navarro is set back in the mix too much and that this is the least guitar friendly Jane's album to date. It simply sounds muddy with nothing really coming out of the mix to grab you. I personally find it interesting that Jane's Addiction, after 8 years, had to go to an outside source like Stivek for all the work he does on Great Escape. Shouldn't his picture be in the insert where Chaney's is? I don't get it.

Track by track:

1. Great Escape starts off strong with "Underground." Driving rhythms, cool lyrics, and one of the best leads from Navarro on the entire album.
2. "End To The Lies." When released as a free download earlier this year this tune had my hopes up that Great Escape was going to be at least as good as Strays; hopefully better. A strong powerful track that reminds me of Jane's at their best. This one has it all. If this isn't a song about Eric Avery it sure as hell is going to be taken as one.
3. "Curiosity Kills." Killer bass groove on this one this one and some interesting vocal treatments. The lead/outro guitars remind me of something that the Simple Minds would have had on a record in 1986. Not Navarro in 2011. Yikes. A decent, but not as good as the two openers, song.
4. "Irresistable Force." This song trys so hard to be epic, and live, I can see the cell phones pumping in the air as I walk to get a beer. Sadly it fails in the pantheon of "epic" JA songs. Navarro plays a competent, but uninspired, lead towards the end of the song. Perkins excels as usual. I'm just not into this one. It may be the muddy production of Rich Costy (who did a great job on Navarro's solo album) or perhaps this TV On The Radio guy David Stivek?
5. "I'll Hit You Back." One of the better songs on the record. Killer hook in the chorus. A too short Navarro lead at the end of the track. This song evokes a groovy sinister mood. Again it is affected by the albums' mix and muddy production.
6. "Twisted Tales." Verse Chorus Verse. NEXT!
7. "Ultimate Reason." Slow to start this track is still up there with the better songs on the album. Powerful and driving. It sounds like Melissa Auf Der Mauer's "Follow The Waves," but that may just be me. This track is one of the three Duff McKagen-era JA songs.
8. "Splash A Little Water On It." I guess this is supposed to be the epic "Three Days" track on the album, and I would've settled for "To Match The Sun," but it isn't. Dave plays a decent (did I just use that word with regard to Navarro?!!) lead but the song merely plods along until that point. NEXT!
9. "Broken People." THIS is an amazing track. Live this is going to be incredible. The bass kicks ass. Perry's voice and lyrics are excellent. The song has a lounge club vibe to it. Perkins and the overall mood of the track lull you in and then Navarro kicks in with a driving guitar rhythm. Awesome!!! This is by far the best of the three Mckagen-era JA songs.
10. "Words Right Out Of My Mouth." Starts out like Perry's old "Words" spoken word bit from ye olden tymes. I think this is supposed to be a hard driving knock-out punch at the end of the album, but I would've ended with "Beautiful People" and placed this earlier in the track order. Hasn't grabbed me yet. The final McKagen-era JA track, I can only imagine what that record would have sounded like.

A good album to be sure. Not great. What did you think? Read more ›

31 of 42 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Jane's Addiction without Eric Avery is Jane's Addiction in name only October 20, 2011

By N. Duin

Format:Audio CD

Mountain Song. Summertime Rolls. Been Caught Stealing. Is anything on The Great Escape Artist breathing the same air as these landmark songs? Predictably, no. Even the most fierce Jane's defender has to admit as much. What do those great songs have in common? Superlative bass lines. Bass lines that only one person can produce.

There are some really good songs here. But let all of us Jane's fans be honest with ourselves please. 5 stars? Really? The best Jane's music was produced at a very specific time in Los Angeles. It was fueled by narcotics and mutual antipathy. Those conditions cannot be reproduced.

There is a reason that Eric Avery has refused to record new material with this band. I think this record is good for what it is, but I would rather they had recorded it using a different band name.

15 of 20 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Botched 'Escape' October 20, 2011

By K. D. Kelly

Format:Audio CD

Prior to the release of "The Great Escape Artist," Jane's Addiction could be described as a band rooted in rock the likes of Led Zeppelin and The Who, with their undulating, blues-charged peaks and valleys.

But on the band's fourth outing, after an eight-year hiatus during which original bassist Eric Avery rejoined and then left the band again, Jane's added electronics to the mix, with the help of multi-instrumentalist Dave Sitek of TV on the Radio as co-writer and bassist. Now Jane's sounds more like Garbage or Evanescence. Except for that cellophane yowl of singer Perry Farrell, the music is nearly unrecognizable -- and even Mr. Lollapalooza's voice is subdued and often slathered in treatments.

There is a sense of gratuitousness to "Escape Artist"; it's overproduced, overwrought, overthought -- and grandstanding guitarist Dave Navarro is let loose from his shackles too many times, though thankfully not as often as on 2003's "Strays." The album takes itself too seriously, even as Farrell wags his juvenile boasts and counterclaims like a self-conscious rapper.

About half of the songs start out decently enough, but other than the passable "Irresistible Force (Met the Immovable Object)," each one eventually devolves into a megalomaniacal farce. It's as if the members have let the success and accolades turn their melons into mush, or they're trying to move hair rock into the age of electronica.

As on "Strays," Avery's absence sticks out like a sore thumb. Early Jane's hits like "Been Caught Stealing" and "Three Days" would never have become classics without Avery's imprint. Brawny bass grooves are sorely lacking on "Escape Artist," and Farrell -- who literally phoned in (well, emailed) his vocals -- lacks the ferocity of previous Jane's releases....

Unless the grandiose "Irresistible Force" ends up on one of those monster romance soundtracks ("Twilight 5," anyone?), I doubt any of the songs off "Escape Artist" will be remembered six months from now. Perhaps a more fitting title would have been "The Great Vanishing Act." Read more ›