Strays [Enhanced]

Jane's Addiction | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 22, 2003)
• Original Release Date: 2003
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B00009XBZ8
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (218 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #24,061 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. True Nature

2. Strays

3. Just Because

4. The Price I Pay

5. The Riches

6. SuperHero

7. Wrong Girl

8. Everybody's Friend

9. Suffer Some

10. Hypersonic

11. To Match The Sun

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Jane's Addiction helped put the word "alternative" on the middle-American map with a scarlet A, but their straight-up rock was always front and center. On Strays, the first Jane's Addiction studio album in 13 years, there's no mistaking Perry Farrell's trademark vocal sound (a nasal goose? a banshee in flight?) and Dave Navarro's ever-adaptable guitar style. But the band--only bassist Eric Avery is absent from their classic lineup, replaced by Chris Chaney--hasn't come to party like it's 1991. Sure, the balance of hedonism and earnestness, environmentalism and decadence, remains, but the quartet's approach is that of a unit ready to flex a few new muscles. Listeners will notice roof-raisers like "True Nature" and "Hypersonic" first, but some of the quieter tracks ("Price I Pay," with the classic Farrell rationalization "I always do the wrong thing, but I got a good reason," "To Match the Sun") are among the most effective Jane's mood pieces ever. Strays is certainly a much more apt return than 1997’s odds-and-sods compilation Kettle Whistle. --Rickey Wright

Product Description

Japanese edition of the L.A. rock icons' long awaited comeback album features 12 tracks including 1 bonus track, 'Suffer Some' (Live). Copy Controlled. Toshiba. 2003. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Give it a chance, maybe 1%, October 3, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Strays (Audio CD)

Like all good Jane's albums, you need to listen to them at least 10 times start to finish before determing whether they blow or not. I am beginning to love this album.

I was really bummed out that Perry's artwork was not on the cover or involved with the CD at all. I have a feeling they rushed this album out so it would sell while they toured.

"True Nature" and "The Riches" stood out as classic Jane's adrenaline tunes with great lyrics. I feel like the more the CD spins, the more I get into the songs I initially thought were horrible. The only song that is truly idiotic is "Superhero". What were they thinking?

The album is not as insightful or groundbreaking as previous works, but it keeps us late 80's/early 90's "Jane's freaks" from travelling to Madagascar to find rare and unreleased material. I truly think that, although drugs seem to have broken up the band, they WERE the band. I was always so interested in what happened to Perry on the streets or on some sort of wacked out heroin vision. It added a mystical quality to the music.

I hate to see these old farts on MTV. I used to think they were so cool. It just leaves a bad taste in my mouth to see the father of alternative rock try so hard to fit in to the MTV idiot crowd. Navarro thinks he is some sort of fashion model. Perkins is the only one who is cool enough to know that they are JANE'S ADDICTION. They don't need to try so hard. They are already the coolest band ever.

Anyhoo, buy the album. Listen to it without reading the lyrics in the CD sleeve. Listen to it again and again. There are layers that begin to reveal themselves. It's like a magic eye picture. You can see some cool stuff in there if you look long enough.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Los Angeles, nay, America's Greatest Band Returns!, July 26, 2003

By 

William A. Schooling "Al Schooling" (Alta Loma, Ca United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Strays [Limited Edition w/ Bonus DVD] (Audio CD)

Jane's Addiction is one of the only "Alternative" bands that actually fits that title. They were never just classic rock, country rock, or punk rock with new guitar settings. They were literally the Alternative to all that other stuff in the late 80's & 90's that was simply repackaged music under a different catagory title. Quite simply, this was one of the only bands that really matter of the last 20 years.
That said I had high expectations for Strays and they didn't dissapoint. They still sound unlike any other band around, even the ones who try and sound like them. This album is another classic. It's not just a repeat of Nothing's Shocking or Ritual Do Lo Habitual, but it still only sounds like Jane's Addiction.
One thing Jane's still has is some of the best changes and transitions of any band ever. If a song's not doin' it for you at first, wait a few minutes 'cos they'll get to the tasty part. Now let's just hope we don't have to wait 13 years for another follow up, but even if we do, this album proves that: a) reunion albums actually can be great, and b) even at 13 years, this one was worth the wait.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Token Comeback Album, September 20, 2007

By 

Margarine Hype "Spin Doctor" (Cavernous Churn, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Strays (Audio CD)

It's not awful. There are some very listenable tunes here (See "The Riches", "Wrong Girl", "Suffer Some"). "Superhero" was a decent song until it became the theme for HBO's "Entourage", now it's everywhere you see any mention of the show.

The main problem here is that this just isn't Jane's Addiction the way people know them ("Three Days", "Summertime Rolls", etc..). It's like trading in your Coke for Jewel Cola. Ain't got no right, right Jane's?? This is what you get when a band goes away in their prime, then comes back for the pity encore.

It's like watching Deion Sanders coming out of retirement, he's alright, but he ain't no Neon Deion. I suppose you can't really expect a bunch of aging icons to pack the same punch they did. It's just kinda sad to see them try.