Song of the Day: Jane's Addiction - Three Days

I still remember buying this album.  It was 1991, I had bought my first CD player, one of those all-in-one bookshelf systems with a radio, dual-cassette deck and 5-disc changer.  I had a few CDs, and I joined BMG music service to get 8 CDs for the price of 1.  Those deals were scams if you continued to be a member, but if you played it right, you could keep quitting and rejoining, and you'd end up paying about $40 for 8 CDs (this at a time when many CDs were $15 in stores.  Oh wait - remember CDs?).

I wish I could name every CD in that first shipment, but I can only think of two - EMF (whichever one had that "Unbelievable" song) and Jane's Addiction's Ritual de lo Habitual.  I didn't know much about Jane's - I'm guessing I had heard "Been Caught Stealing" on the radio.  But I was intrigued by the album cover, which looked like this:

The bottom of the cover cites the first amendment, but I didn't know why at the time.  Despite the plain packaging, the music inside was anything but - I was entranced by the opening monologue, spoken in Spanish by a woman, the only words me understanding being "senors," "senoras" and "Juano's Addiction."  And while "Been Caught Stealing" and "Classic Girl" still sound unique, they didn't sound out of place on the radio compared to the sprawling sounds of "Then She Did" and today's feature, "Three Days."

"Three Days" opens with Perry Farrell talking, and then a great bassline comes in (I used to know how to play it, albeit poorly).  I was always impressed with Eric Avery's bass playing, and it always just sounds so damn good.  Then comes some shimmering guitar, some light drumming, and Perry Farrell's unique voice.  While not a song suite like yesterday's MGMT song, this 10+ minute song showcases everything Jane's does best, and despite Farrell's always over-the-top imagery ("erotic Jesus" anyone?) it remains my favorite song of theirs.



Oh, and the real artwork is pretty damn interesting too: