Ritual de lo Habitual (Spanish for “Ritual of the Usual”) is the second studio album by Jane’s Addiction, released on August 21, 1990, by Warner Bros. Records. Co-produced by Dave Jerden, it was the band’s final studio album before their initial break-up in 1991. Singles from Ritual de lo Habitual include “Been Caught Stealing” and “Stop!”. Ritual de lo Habitual is certified 2× Platinum in the U.S. In 1990, one month after its release, the album had sold 500,000 units.
Two versions of the disc packaging were created: one album featured cover artwork by singer Perry Farrell and artist Casey Niccoli related to the song “Three Days“ and including male and female nudity; the other cover has been called the “clean cover“, and features only black text on a white background, listing the band name, album name, and the text of the First Amendment (the “freedom of speech” amendment, erroneously referred to as “Article 1”, which in reality establishes the legislative branch of government) of the U.S. Constitution.
The album is divided into halves. Tracks 1 through 5 are hard rock songs unrelated to each other.
Tracks 6 through 9 are in memoriam of singer Perry Farrell‘s deceased girlfriend Xiola Blue, who died of a heroin overdose in 1987 at the age of 18. “Three Days” and “Then She Did” bear a progressive rock influence, while “Of Course” carries a klezmer influence, with a prominent violin throughout.
Eric Avery refused to play bass on “Of Course” out of resentment from being told what to play on other songs. Recording engineer and guitar tech Ronnie S. Champagne, who would later confess that Farrell had a tendency to dictate the other members’ parts during the recording of this album, ended up playing bass on the song instead. For his part, Avery would later admit regret at not playing on the track.
“Then She Did” also chronicles Farrell‘s mother’s suicide when he was four years old. “It’s probably one of the reasons we were brought together…” remarked guitarist Dave Navarro, whose mother was murdered when he was a teenager.
“I have memories of us being onstage together and, before we played ‘Then She Did’, Perry would grab me and say, ‘Let’s do this for our moms.’ I still get chills when I think about it.”
“When you have something like that happen…” noted Farrell, “the better thing to do is to try to make some flowers grow out of it.”
“Ain’t No Right” begins with Farrell singing excerpts from “Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll” by Ian Dury and the Blockheads against a dub reggae backdrop of a drum machine and synthesized bass, which he eventually slurs into a profanity-laced rant. The intro ends and “Ain’t No Right” begins.
Tracklist:
- Stop!
- No One’s Leaving
- Ain’t No Right
- Obvious
- Been Caught Stealing
- Three Days
- Then She Did …
- Of Course
- Classic Girl
Jane’s Addiction
Perry Farrell: lead vocals, piano (“Of Course”), guitar (“Three Days”)
Dave Navarro: guitar
Eric Avery: bass guitar
Stephen Perkins: drums, percussion
Additional musicians
Charlie Bisharat: violin (“Of Course”), electric violin (“Then She Did …”)
Ronnie S. Champagne: bass (“Of Course”)
John Philip Shenale: strings (“Then She Did …”)
Geoff Stradling: piano (“Obvious”, “Then She Did …”)
Cindy Lair: spoken word (“Stop!”)
Other personnel
Herman Agopyan: photography assistant
Victor Bracke: photography
Kim Champagne: advisor, art hostess
Ronnie S. Champagne: engineering, guitar technician
Chris Edwards: photography assistant
Perry Farrell: artwork, production
Ross Garfield: drum technician
Liza Gerberding: advisor, word hostess
Dave Jerden: production
Bob Lacivita: engineering
Casey Niccoli: cover artwork
Tom Recchion: advisor, art host
Eddy Schreyer: mastering
