Nothing’s Shocking is Jane’s Addiction’s first studio album, which was released on August 23rd, 1988, and recorded in Eldorado, Los Angeles. During the time, the members of the band consisted of Perry Farrell, Dave Navarro, Stephen Perkins, and Eric Avery. The cover was created by Perry Farrell and Casey Niccoli, which shows two conjoined twins with their heads on fire. The album was produced by Dave Jerden and Perry Farrell, containing 11 tracks. Songs like “Jane Says” and “Pigs in Zen” were featured previously on their first album and the majority of the songs started from ideas from different members of the band, but also from just playing with each other and finding sounds they liked.
The album opens up with “Up The Beach,” which doesn’t contain any lyrics, but Perry is heard humming along. Eric starts off playing his bassline to then meet Navarro, building up tension, for it then to be released when the drums kick in with a melodic guitar solo following, shortly after. “Ocean Size” comes after with a quiet intro and then breaks off with multiple guitar solos in between. This was the last song they played together in their most recent tour in 2024, breaking up due to a fight on stage. The third song is titled “Had A Dad”, written by Perry and Eric. The idea came up from Avery from his struggles. It’s fast-paced and doesn’t have much of a chorus, like almost all of their songs. The longest song on the album is “Ted, Just Admit It…” and is about Ted Bundy. About halfway through the album “Standing in the Shower… Thinking” is heard, which sounds similar to something the Red Hot Chili Peppers would do, making Navarro a good fit for them in the future. My favorite song “Summertime Rolls” follows with a very simple and melodic bassline at the start. It runs over 6 minutes long and has a very peaceful sound to it.
Nearing the end of the record, “Mountain Song” appears, which was one of the first songs Perry Farrell and Eric Avery wrote together before putting the rest of the band together. To me, when thinking of Jane’s Addiction, this is one of the songs that sounds like and describes them the best, with a heavy guitar riff and Eric’s unique bass playing. “Idiots Rule” is the next song, which was also written early on. It features Flea playing trumpet and Dave’s interesting guitar-playing technique. It has an upbeat and exciting impression. One of the most popular and well-known songs of theirs “Jane Says” comes next. As the only acoustic song on the album, it’s about the band’s old friend at the time, Jane Bainter, and her struggles. Changing the flow, “Thank You Boys” shows, which is a short jazz-style interlude and was occasionally played during live shows while waiting for Perry to get ready for the next song. The final track is called “Pig’s In Zen”. This was previously played on their first album and sounded different to this version. The name of this song is questioned, due to different titles for it. In their self-titled album, it was listed as “Pigs In Ten” as a typo on the original CD, but meant to be named “Pigs In Zen”.
This album is one of the best and most influential in rock history. The band’s chemistry and style make every song great. To me, some other albums that are similar to this and Jane’s Addictions work in general include, One Hot Minute by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, which Dave Navarro is featured on, and Facelift by Alice In Chains, produced by Dave Jerden as well. To anyone who likes rock, I highly recommend listening to this album.
