Not a reunion, just a relapse.

With an intro by Henry Rollins, this release is a tribute to the band that made things such as alternative music and traveling festivals possible.

The title track, "Kettle Whistle", is one of two tracks fully recorded during the Summer '97 "Relapse" sessions (w/ Flea performing bass duties in place of an otherwise occupied Eric Avery). Those who have ventured into Jane's Addiction bootleg territory know that this isn't actually a new song: The band used to perform this tune live quite frequently. Personally, I prefer the two live versions of Kettle Whistle that I've managed to track down... they're much more hypnotic, trippy and intense. But this reinterpreted studio version is welcome nonetheless. Its texture is very rich. From a production standpoint, this song would not be out of place on Porno For Pyros' last release, Good God's Urge.

"My Cat's Name is Maceo" is an old demo that has been cleaned up dramatically from what circulated as "Maceo" on many Jane's bootlegs. Horns have been added as well as back up vocals and other subtle effects. The attention paid to this song during the "Relapse" sessions make this easily the most improved song of the bootleg bunch. It's great to hear the early demos and experimentations of "Ocean Size," "Had a Dad," and "Mountain Song". Perry performs a bluesy scat version of "Been Caught Stealing" that I think is much better than the original (Mtv ruined that tune for me). "So What!" is the only track I don't recognize from a Jane's release or bootleg, but it is rumored to have origins in the '80s. I'm assuming it's brand new, for there is a distinct mid-90s techno feel running through it, not to mention (once again) a distinct P4P vibe. Navarro has a very cool, very Psychedelic Furs thing happening with his guitarwork toward the end of this track.

There's a funky (but short) live acoustic jam that pulls you in and gets your toe tapping only to let you down by leading into "Jane Says". Hasn't pop radio killed this song yet? Jane's Addiction only has four albums now, and "Jane Says" is on three of them. All right, I admit this is the best version of the three. But personally, I'd rather hear another three minutes of the cool jam from the introduction or something that isn't on this disc but should be... like that Jane's/Ice-T version of "Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey" from the first Lollapalooza.

"Slow Diver," like the new version of "Maceo" is heavily reworked and much improved over its original version. The production quality is that of the first Jane's album... this song was originally intended for that release. It's hard for me to tell how much of what I'm hearing has been added because my bootleg copy of "Slow Diver" is in really bad shape. "Three Days" and "Stop!" live... Perry needs to learn to turn off his voice echo effect during Dave Navarro's solo. It really detracts from the magic that dude is performing on his guitar. Hey Perry, call Gibby! He knows how to take trippy voice effects/samples and blend them with what is happening on stage! "Ain't No Right" and "Up the Beach" are from the same show and sound absolutley incredible... Why wasn't I in L.A. in December of 1990?!

–Mattro

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