The Great Escape Artist
Encyclopedia
The Great Escape Artist is the fourth studio album by American alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...

 band Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction is an American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985. The band's original line-up featured Perry Farrell , Dave Navarro , Eric Avery and Stephen Perkins . After breaking up in 1991, Jane's Addiction briefly reunited in 1997 and again in 2001, both times...

, released on October 18, 2011, on Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...

. The album is their first since their 2008 reunion, and features multi-instrumentalist Dave Sitek on bass guitar, alongside Chris Chaney
Chris Chaney
Chris Chaney is a rock bass player who has performed with artists including Jane's Addiction, Alanis Morissette, Slash, and many others. He was the bass player in the third incarnation of Jane's Addiction and a member of Morissette's touring and recording band for seven years...

 who rejoined the band during recording. The album has been preceded by the singles, "End to the Lies", which was released as a free download on April 7, 2011 and "Irresistible Force" released in August 2011. Regarding the album's title, vocalist Perry Farrell
Perry Farrell
Perry Farrell is the frontman for the alternative rock band Jane's Addiction. Farrell created the touring festival Lollapalooza as a farewell tour for Jane's Addiction in 1991; it has since evolved into an annual destination festival. Farrell continues to produce Lollapalooza with partners William...

 states: "I love being able to escape my past, even though my past was great. I just love the future even more."

Describing the album's overall aestheic, Farrell has noted: "it's a strange mixture of that post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...

 Goth darkness that Jane's had, with what's going on today with groups like Muse
Muse (band)
Muse are an English alternative rock band from Teignmouth, Devon, formed in 1994. The band consists of school friends Matthew Bellamy , Christopher Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard...

 and Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...

. As much as I want to appease fans and make old Jane's fans love me, I just can't help myself from moving forward." Following the album's completion, producer Rich Costey
Rich Costey
Rich Costey is an American record producer, engineer, and mixer who has worked with many bands including Muse, Cave In, Thursday, Franz Ferdinand, Glasvegas, The Mars Volta, Doves, Bloc Party, Ontronik , Jimmy Eat World, My Chemical Romance, Supergrass, Audioslave, Rage Against the Machine, Nine...

 stated, "This was a real Jane's Addiction record."

Background and recording

Jane's Addiction began writing The Great Escape Artist, shortly after founding bassist Eric Avery
Eric Avery
Eric Adam Avery is an American musician and is the former bass player for the rock band Jane's Addiction. Avery played in Jane's Addiction initially from 1985 to 1991, and rejoined the band in 2008 before departing again in 2010....

's departure in 2010, with vocalist Perry Farrell
Perry Farrell
Perry Farrell is the frontman for the alternative rock band Jane's Addiction. Farrell created the touring festival Lollapalooza as a farewell tour for Jane's Addiction in 1991; it has since evolved into an annual destination festival. Farrell continues to produce Lollapalooza with partners William...

 stating, "Eric did not want to record. So we took him out of the equation. We couldn't live with not recording." Commenting on the relationship between the remaining three members of the band, Dave Navarro
Dave Navarro
David Michael "Dave" Navarro is an American guitarist who plays in the alternative rock band Jane's Addiction and cover band Camp Freddy. He has also played with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Panic Channel, and many others.- Early life :...

, Stephen Perkins
Stephen Perkins
Stephen Andrew Perkins is an American musician and songwriter. A drummer and percussionist, he currently plays with Jane's Addiction and Hellflower....

 and himself, Farrell stated: "Dave and Steve and I are like brothers. I've got children, and my kid smacked my other kid in the head this morning, but at the same time they hate being separated. On a plane one will say, 'I wanna' sit with my brother.' That's how I feel about Dave and Steve. I hope they'd tell you the same thing."

In January 2010, Velvet Revolver
Velvet Revolver
Velvet Revolver is an American hard rock supergroup consisting of former Guns N' Roses members Slash, Duff McKagan, and Matt Sorum, alongside Dave Kushner formerly of punk band Wasted Youth. Stone Temple Pilots vocalist Scott Weiland was Velvet Revolver's lead singer from their formation until...

 and former Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...

 bassist Duff McKagan
Duff McKagan
Michael Andrew "Duff" McKagan is an American musician and writer. He is best known for his twelve-year tenure as the bassist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s...

 joined the band for nine months, assisting in the writing process, and performing live with the band. Describing his arrival, McKagan stated: "I went to dinner with Perry. He talked about how he was kinda bummed out. I guess, because Jane's had started the writing process for the record, and then they went through whatever they went through with Eric. He kinda lamented that, and at the end of dinner, he asked if I had any songs or anything like that. Basically, he was asking me for my help. [...] I started coming to Perry's garage with the rest of those guys, where they have a ProTools set up and so on. We just started jamming a few songs, and then went into a bigger room." Navarro noted: "We've been longtime friends, we've played together in a lot of the same scenarios, we're from the same time, the same city, the same scene to a degree. Those elements were in alignment." Upon joining, McKagan phoned former bassist Eric Avery: "I just wanted to let him know that I really respected everything he had done, and that I wasn't in there trying to take his place. We had a really great talk."

Despite describing the songs as "really cool," "really heavy," and "Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...

ish." McKagan departed from Jane's Addiction in September 2010, with Farrell noting, "he didn't like the idea of electronics
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...

 at all. That was his complaint." Following McKagan's departure, Farrell commented on the band's morale, stating "there was a moment of silence. Everyone had gripes, but at the same time, it was a sad time because we were building something together. It's like a sports team, then one guy gets traded, or retires, or gets injured. But your team has to go on. That's the state we were in." Navarro remarked, "whether he stayed in the band for ten years or five minutes, he kept us in the direction of being productive. At the end of the day, that's really all I can ask for."
After considering a number of producers, including Flood, the band subequently enlisted Rich Costey
Rich Costey
Rich Costey is an American record producer, engineer, and mixer who has worked with many bands including Muse, Cave In, Thursday, Franz Ferdinand, Glasvegas, The Mars Volta, Doves, Bloc Party, Ontronik , Jimmy Eat World, My Chemical Romance, Supergrass, Audioslave, Rage Against the Machine, Nine...

 to produce the new material. Regarding the decision, guitarist Dave Navarro
Dave Navarro
David Michael "Dave" Navarro is an American guitarist who plays in the alternative rock band Jane's Addiction and cover band Camp Freddy. He has also played with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Panic Channel, and many others.- Early life :...

 stated: "Rich is great. I worked with him on my solo album
Trust No One
Trust No One is the debut solo album by Jane's Addiction and former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Dave Navarro, released on June 19, 2001 on Capitol....

, and we have a long-standing, close relationship. I really trust his instincts and his ears. [...] As it turned out, we all really gelled with Rich. The communication between all of us was there immediately." At the suggestion of Costey, the band continued writing and recording, with TV on the Radio
TV on the Radio
TV on the Radio is an American art rock band formed in 2001 in Brooklyn, New York, whose music spans numerous diverse genres, from post-punk to electro and free jazz to soul music....

 multi-instrumentalist Dave Sitek joining the band on bass guitar. Sitek, however, has not joined the band on a permanent basis, with Farrell noting: "He's like a pretty girl that I'm sleeping with but don't have to marry." Initially, both Navarro and Sitek split bass guitar duties during the writing and recording process. Described as "a solidifying element to the line-up," drummer Stephen Perkins
Stephen Perkins
Stephen Andrew Perkins is an American musician and songwriter. A drummer and percussionist, he currently plays with Jane's Addiction and Hellflower....

 remarked that Sitek's involvement "opened up my eyes to a lot of new ideas as a drummer," and noted that "There is this feeling we can make something ambitious. There is this ambition we have in us to break ground again. We really want to, as artists, move forward. That's an exciting thing, just like in the old days. We want to capture that danger and excitement again, and it's worth taking our time to do that." Navarro later stated, "it's strange to write with a guy who, by all accounts, is a member of the team, yet has very little investment in the project following the release. He worries only about what we are making; he doesn’t have to tour, answer questions in the press and make this his life for a while. That kind of perspective is both unique, invaluable and hard to come by. He only cares about the music and nothing more, he goes back to TV on the Radio when he finishes working with us."

Perry Farrell recorded his vocal parts at his home studio, sending audio files, by email, to Navarro, Perkins and Sitek. Regarding this method, Farrell stated: "I am enjoying it. I'm not sure if it's because I've finally gotten old enough to calm down, and just let things kind of unfold or what. In the past, there was a lot more friction."

During recording, former bassist Chris Chaney
Chris Chaney
Chris Chaney is a rock bass player who has performed with artists including Jane's Addiction, Alanis Morissette, Slash, and many others. He was the bass player in the third incarnation of Jane's Addiction and a member of Morissette's touring and recording band for seven years...

 re-joined the band for its live performances, and subsequently began recording bass guitar parts, alongside Sitek, for the forthcoming album. In May 2011, Farrell commented on Chaney's involvement stating: "I have to keep [Chris] away from Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...

, who want him and they're not gonna' get him unless we're not doing anything. Then they can have him. I'm getting him on the record and then he's gonna' come out with us for eight months." According to Navarro, "There are a few moments on songs that I am playing bass parts, but overall the bass duties are split between Dave Sitek and Chris Chaney, both creative and talented players. Chaney will be touring with us when the tour to support the album begins. He is the only bassist that has recorded a full length album with us, and is truly a member of the Jane's Addiction family, besides Avery, especially on the road. We are certainly lucky to have him."

Writing and composition

Regarding the various line-up changes which preceded the album's recording and eventual release, guitarist Dave Navarro
Dave Navarro
David Michael "Dave" Navarro is an American guitarist who plays in the alternative rock band Jane's Addiction and cover band Camp Freddy. He has also played with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Panic Channel, and many others.- Early life :...

 stated that: "All the changes we've gone through are a necessary part of the process this time. This is one of the most enjoyable journeys that I've been on in many, many, many years. [...] It's a completely different direction for Jane's Addiction, however, it still sounds very much like Jane's Addiction," with drummer Stephen Perkins
Stephen Perkins
Stephen Andrew Perkins is an American musician and songwriter. A drummer and percussionist, he currently plays with Jane's Addiction and Hellflower....

 noting that "it's important to not repeat what we did. We know we can make a rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

 record with rock riffs and a big drum beat. I don't want to do that. I want to go in and make a listenable onion with layers and layers and layers so you can actually digest it. It's definitely been a good writing experience and a good changing experience. [...] There are songs that take you on a journey, songs that grow from soft to hard to tribal to psychedelic
Psychedelic
The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλοῦν , translating to "soul-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the striking perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly...

 to metal in one song. We're trying to explore that hybrid again."

Vocalist Perry Farrell
Perry Farrell
Perry Farrell is the frontman for the alternative rock band Jane's Addiction. Farrell created the touring festival Lollapalooza as a farewell tour for Jane's Addiction in 1991; it has since evolved into an annual destination festival. Farrell continues to produce Lollapalooza with partners William...

 commented on the writing process, stating that it was "very different" to how the material on their previous albums had been conceived: "We have options now to make music through technology and we're taking advantage of it; we're not afraid of it. [...] We'll write some tracks and send them back and forth, and we'll deconstruct a demo. Everybody's ears need to be excited with fresh sounds, interesting chord structures, arrangements, and compositions. And it's not easy to come up with something original and fresh. What can help you are electronics." During recording, Farrell elaborated further, noting that "Now that we're working with these modern things, our attitude has had to change. Where you're not playing on this part, and that's OK; it's for the greater good of the song. This is what we're doing today. That's what I look forward to, and what I like about writing this record." Drummer Stephen Perkins
Stephen Perkins
Stephen Andrew Perkins is an American musician and songwriter. A drummer and percussionist, he currently plays with Jane's Addiction and Hellflower....

 stated, "When it's the first record that we've made in ten years, it’s got to be perfect, but then again perfect means also having some rough edges. You got to be dangerous with the sound. Me and Dave Navarro played without Perry for two or three months and just blew-up and found a new sound and then to innovate the record we just recorded demos and sent everything to Perry."

Guitarist Dave Navarro
Dave Navarro
David Michael "Dave" Navarro is an American guitarist who plays in the alternative rock band Jane's Addiction and cover band Camp Freddy. He has also played with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Panic Channel, and many others.- Early life :...

 stated: "We are utilizing other instrumentation and new technologies, but our mental approach has remained wide open."

Describing his guitar contributions to The Great Escape Artist, Navarro noted that his "approach has become more melodic and simplistic. I'm not doing tons and tons of overdriven rhythm guitar tracks, and not a whole hell of lot of soloing that doesn't add to the melodic nature of a track. I've really been enjoying exploring different guitar textures in the studio." During recording, Navarro also stated: "My favorite guitar players from the '80s are probably the simplest players around, and I’m pretty inspired by them right now."

In an interview with Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...

, Farrell noted that the band has "enough material for three albums," and that he wants the tracks to "have a groove impact and hit you like an atom bomb. We've been doing that, so I feel like I'll die happy after this record."

Three of Duff McKagan
Duff McKagan
Michael Andrew "Duff" McKagan is an American musician and writer. He is best known for his twelve-year tenure as the bassist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s...

's collaborations with the band will appear on the album ("Broken People", "Words Right Out of My Mouth," and "Ultimate Reason"). McKagan commented on his writing contributions stating: "My biggest concern was that if I was gonna' be involved, it had be darker, and heavier, and more vicious than they've ever been before. I can't be seen as the bass player who came in and made them light, or made these really crappy songs. [...] We've got some really, really cool songs, some really heavy stuff. Really Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...

'ish type stuff that meanders and goes out. I think with the right producer, these songs could be really, really special."

Track listing

The Best Buy Deluxe Edition contains an 11-track live concert disc.

Jane's Addiction

  • Perry Farrell
    Perry Farrell
    Perry Farrell is the frontman for the alternative rock band Jane's Addiction. Farrell created the touring festival Lollapalooza as a farewell tour for Jane's Addiction in 1991; it has since evolved into an annual destination festival. Farrell continues to produce Lollapalooza with partners William...

     – lead and backing vocals
  • Dave Navarro
    Dave Navarro
    David Michael "Dave" Navarro is an American guitarist who plays in the alternative rock band Jane's Addiction and cover band Camp Freddy. He has also played with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Panic Channel, and many others.- Early life :...

     – lead and rhythm guitar, keyboard (1, 3, 5-10)
  • Stephen Perkins
    Stephen Perkins
    Stephen Andrew Perkins is an American musician and songwriter. A drummer and percussionist, he currently plays with Jane's Addiction and Hellflower....

     – drums, percussion
  • David Andrew Sitek – bass guitar (1-6, 8-10), keyboards (1, 3 5, 6-9), programming (1, 3, 5-10), additional rhythm guitar (2-4, 6, 8, 9)
  • Chris Chaney
    Chris Chaney
    Chris Chaney is a rock bass player who has performed with artists including Jane's Addiction, Alanis Morissette, Slash, and many others. He was the bass player in the third incarnation of Jane's Addiction and a member of Morissette's touring and recording band for seven years...

     – bass guitar

Additional musicians

  • Master Musicians of Jonjouka - rhaita
    Rhaita
    The rhaita or ghaita is a double reed instrument from Northern Africa. It is nearly identical in construction to the Arabic mizmar and the Turkish zurna....

     and additional percussion (2)
  • John Hill - additional keyboards (4-6)
  • Jamie Muhoberac - additional keyboards (8)

Recording personnel

  • Rich Costey
    Rich Costey
    Rich Costey is an American record producer, engineer, and mixer who has worked with many bands including Muse, Cave In, Thursday, Franz Ferdinand, Glasvegas, The Mars Volta, Doves, Bloc Party, Ontronik , Jimmy Eat World, My Chemical Romance, Supergrass, Audioslave, Rage Against the Machine, Nine...

     – producer, recording, mixing
  • Perry Farrell
    Perry Farrell
    Perry Farrell is the frontman for the alternative rock band Jane's Addiction. Farrell created the touring festival Lollapalooza as a farewell tour for Jane's Addiction in 1991; it has since evolved into an annual destination festival. Farrell continues to produce Lollapalooza with partners William...

     - co-producer
  • David Andrew Sitek - additional production
  • Charlie Stavish - recording
  • Dustin Mosley - recording
  • Chris Steffen - recording assistant
  • Vlado Meller - mastering
  • Mark Santangelo - mastering assistant

Artwork

  • Matthew Goldman - album art direction
  • Perry Farrell
    Perry Farrell
    Perry Farrell is the frontman for the alternative rock band Jane's Addiction. Farrell created the touring festival Lollapalooza as a farewell tour for Jane's Addiction in 1991; it has since evolved into an annual destination festival. Farrell continues to produce Lollapalooza with partners William...

     - cover art, character design, fabrication
  • Adam Lawrence - miniature set design, fabrication
  • Jedediah Cowyn Voltz - minature props, art
  • Jed Hathaway - on-set artist
  • Tom Hester - additional character fabrication
  • Brian Capati - additional character fabrication
  • Bela Temesvary - cover photography
  • Eliot Lee Hazel - band photography

Reception & Commercial Performance

The album has so far received mixed reviews, mainly giving 3 out of 5 with the exception of MOJO and NME which have gave 4 out of 5 and 8 out of 10 respectively, and The Tune
The Tune
The Tune is an animated film by American filmmaker Bill Plympton.-Plot summary:Del, a hard-working songwriter, is trying to write the perfect song for his slimeball boss, Mr. Mega, so he can keep his job and his girlfriend Didi...

, which gave the album 2.3 out of 5. The album debuted at #12 on the Billboard 200 chart. It dropped to number 67 during the second week.

Charts

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! width="230px"| Chart (2011)
! Peak
position
|-
|Polish Albums Chart
Polish Music Charts
The Polish Music Charts are two official album charts and seven singles charts in Poland, provided by ZPAV, the Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry . The first, the Top 100, is a monthly chart based on data received from the album companies...


|align="center"|22
|-
|Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...


|align="center"|12
|-
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