Kettle Whistle

Jane's Addiction

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 4, 1997)
• Original Release Date: November 4, 1997
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Warner Bros / Wea
• ASIN: B000002NI4
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #49,424 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Cult heroes Jane's Addiction are the Grateful Dead for the should-I-be-a-punk-or-a-hippy-or-metal-head-or-just-get-high-and-become-one-with-the-music underground; so Kettle Whistle, the band's collection of live recordings, a few new songs, and B-sides from their two albums, would be as must-have for fans as all those Dead bootlegs--even if it sucked. This is definitely an album for the converted, and the extended jams and live ramblings would be hard to endure without a frame of reference. The electronic filler and robotic knob-twiddling on the new songs, "Kettle Whistle" and "So What," suggest that Jane's Addiction's breakup was well timed, but the demos and live cuts ooze the band's tremendous energy and chemistry. In the 1988 demo of "Ocean Size," Perry Farrell's charismatic, raspy howl mingling with Dave Navarro's screeching guitar sucks you into the music and sends you to an alternate groove-plane. --Megan O. Steintrager

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Best, new, live, demos, etc., July 1, 2003

By	H3@+h (VT) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Though it's not one, you could kind of look at this as a live "best of" album, with new songs. Nothing will ever match the quality of "Nothings Shocking" and "Ritual de lo Habitual", but this is still a great listen for old and new fans. The new songs are pretty good. "Kettle Whistle" is similar to "Then she did", and "So What" has kind of a "Stop" feel to it. "Slow Divers" and "My cats name is Maceo" are both ok, and it's cool to have "City" from the "Soul Kiss" video. The rest of it is just classic live material, some not as good as the originals, and some better. There's also alot of pictures in the sleeve, and a little band history from "Henry Rollins". I would highly suggest getting this, right after the first three records.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Jane's Addiction - 'Kettle Whistle' (Warner Bros.), August 19, 2004

By	Mike Reed (USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

'Kettle Whistle' is a great compilation of the band that runs 75 minutes in duration,giving the fan their money's worth.The 22-page full color booklet is jammed with interesting info and photos.I've ALWAYS been a big fan of JA and was quite taken away with the disc's four unreleased tracks,like "My Cat's Name Is Maceo","City","So What" and the sonic-blasting title cut "Kettle Whistle".There's sort of a mini-concert here,four songs recorded at a past gig at the Hollywood Palladium "Three Days","Ain't No Right","Up The Beach" and "Stop".My favorites would be the demos for "Ocean Size","Mountain Song" and "Whores".If you're a true Jane's fan,it's simply really...you'll dig this release.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A bit of a patchwork but fine music nonetheless, August 4, 2001

By	Michael Topper (Pacific Palisades, California United States) - See all my reviews

With the latest Janes reunion underway it seems only fitting to look back at 97's "relapse" and its accompanying tie-in CD. This disc collects demos/outtakes, live tracks and four "new" songs (actually, only "So What" was penned after the breakup) spanning all eras of the group. Any Janes Addiction fan should find this stuff fantastic, especially the live material which captures their blend of punk/metal might and psychedelic artiness at its fullest--what can one say about

the live "Three Days"? The demos for "Ocean Size", "Had A Dad" and "Mountain Song" all present interesting (if not necessarily better) variations on the released versions. Of the four "new" tracks, "Kettle Whistle" is perhaps the most disappointing; one of their oldest songs (they played it live as early as '86), the melody and lyric retain their mystery but the quasi-electronic arrangement lacks real drive. "So What?!" is better, and proves that the group's sound could have evolved nicely into the 90s (the group later complained that the record company gave them little studio time to properly record either cut). The best one, however, is the dreamy "Slow Divers", a psych-oriented number from the acoustic show recorded for their first album given latter-day overdubs--Perry's vocal and echo effects on this sends shivers down the spine, and why it was not released earlier is puzzling. Other tracks like the jokey "My Cats Name Is Maceo", off-the-cuff "City" and the jazzy vocal arrangement on the "Been Caught Stealing" outtake round out the collection by presenting us with facets of the band not normally associated with their image. In essence, "Kettle Whistle" does what it's supposed to do--collect minor odds and ends along with some stellar live cuts--to present an overall patchwork-like but still enjoyable look at the finest and most influential alternative group of its era.