JANE’S ADDICTION�Kettle Whistle�Warner Bros.* * *This grab...

JANE’S ADDICTION

“Kettle Whistle�

Warner Bros.

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This grab bag of vintage demos, studio outtakes and live recordings is really nothing more than an ancillary byproduct of this hugely influential late-’80s/early-’90s band’s reunion tour. The two new tracks, in particular, are just warmed-over Porno for Pyros, and feature singer Perry Farrell’s annoying, quasi-mystical musings. The live material, on the other hand, is a jolting reminder of just how incendiary the group was when firing on all pistons.

If “Kettle Whistle� has anything to prove, it’s that Jane’s Addiction was a great band, and not just a supporting cast for Farrell. On the 1990 live recording of “Three Days,� guitarist Dave Navarro, drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Eric Avery (who isn’t joining in the reunion) segue from a subdued dirge into an extended, hypnotic tribal war dance.

Similarly, “Ain’t No Right� and “Stop!� feature the epic blend of Zeppelinesque thrash boogie and Grand Guignol histrionics that helped ratify Jane’s reputation as one of the preeminent bands ever to come out of Los Angeles.

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