| Strays | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Jane's Addiction | ||||
| Released | July 22, 2003 | |||
| Recorded | 2002–03 at Henson Recording Studios | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock, alternative metal | |||
| Length | 48:22 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Producer | Bob Ezrin and Brian Virtue | |||
| Jane's Addiction chronology | ||||
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Strays is the third studio album by American alternative rock band Jane's Addiction, released on July 22, 2003 on Capitol Records, and the first album to be recorded by a reunited Jane's Addiction. Released 13 years after Ritual de lo Habitual (1990), the album marks the band's longest gap between studio albums, although the group had recorded and released a handful of new songs just 6 years earlier on the compilation album Kettle Whistle (1997). Strays is the first album to feature bassist Chris Chaney. Regarding the decision to record a new studio album after 13 years, drummer Stephen Perkins stated that the band had already completed two reunion tours performing old material, and that Jane's was ready for "a new challenge."[1] Vocalist Perry Farrell states that the band "went into the studio thinking fast, hard, modern and to the point."[1]
Upon its first week of release, the album sold 110,500 copies in the United States and is currently certified Gold.[2] In the UK, the album is certified Silver, having sold over 60,000 copies.[3] The single, "Just Because", was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2004.
Contents |
According to drummer Stephen Perkins "it all started around March or April 2002 with Bob Ezrin producing a Porno for Pyros track for the movie Dark Blue, an incredible song called "Streets of Fire" which was just epic. That segued into the Strays project."[4]
The band entered Henson Recording Studio in 2002, with producers Bob Ezrin and Brian Virtue. Speaking of Ezrin, Farrell noted that: "he raise[d] the bar for all of us. It's like training for the Olympics - something you're aspiring towards in creating art. You're trying to make the most beautiful music, you try to break new ground creating sound that no one's ever heard before. When working with Bob; doing that becomes a very real possibility."
Bassist Martyn LeNoble, was fired half-way through the recording. LeNoble states that he:
recorded pretty much the whole Strays record. And Perry erased it. He suddenly fired me on the spot in Japan when we still had a whole flight back to the US. That's the last time I talked to him. Perry and Bob (Ezrin) replaced all my bass parts on Strays. Perry was saying everything I played sounded like shit, but then they had the new guy pretty much play exactly my parts, maybe a couple of little changes, so I guess they couldn't have been that shitty.[4]
LeNoble was replaced by Chris Chaney, whom Dave Navarro described as "perhaps the most intense musician I've ever worked with."[1] Regarding his arrival in the band, Chaney noted that:
Dave and Stephen have been playing together since they were 13 years old, they have quite a synergy or chemistry and for me as a bass player to be able to come into that is really remarkable, it gives me a great opportunity to shine. I did a record with Tommy Lee and we needed a drummer to go tour with and what better drummer than Stephen Perkins. I was only able to do it for about six weeks because I was playing with Alanis Morissette and I had to go back to that, but in that short time, Stephen and I had a great relationship and last August he called me and asked me to do some shows.[5]
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| PopMatters | (favorable) [6] |
The album received generally positive reviews, with a Metacritic score of 75, based on 19 reviews.[7] Playlouder noted that "their glee and enthusiasm can be heard coursing through every bar.",[7] while NME claimed that Strays was "one of the best rock albums of 2003."[8] and Alternative Press stated that the album was "better than anyone could have predicted."[7]
While still giving the album a positive review, Stylus Magazine notes that the album is "good in its own right, but perhaps you're better off listening to it in isolation from the rest of their canon."[7] and Pitchfork Media claims that "Strays lacks what made the band great in the first place: believable songs and lyrics."[9]
In 2009, Navarro stated that he "really liked [Strays]. I had a great time working with Bob Ezrin, who produced it. That’s what makes doing stuff like this really amazing for me."[10] In 2011, Perkins stated that the album was "an interesting point in our sound."[11]
This album was included among a group of 15 DualDisc releases that were test marketed in two cities: Boston and Seattle. The DualDisc version of the album was not reissued after the test market run. It has the standard album on one side, and bonus material on the second side.
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Billboard Top 200 | 4 |
| Top Internet Albums | 4 | |
| Top Canadian Albums | 4 |
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | "Just Because" | Billboard Hot 100 | 72 |
| Modern Rock Tracks | 1 | ||
| Mainstream Rock Tracks | 4 | ||
| Triple J Hottest 100[12] | 36 | ||
| "True Nature" | Modern Rock Tracks | 30 | |
| Mainstream Rock Tracks | 35 |
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