Jane’s Addiction “Ritual de lo Habitual” 1990. Soundtrack to my sophomore year at UW-Madison. At the blistering guitar intro on “Stop!” I’m instantly transported to the Lakeshore dorms, getting ready to head out to a party, listening to Jane’s Addiction SO LOUD the walls are shaking but my floormates don’t care because they are rocking it, too.

I love the subversive aspect to this album. “Been Caught Stealing” is infectiously catchy and poppy, and it hit #1 on the rock charts, staying there for 4 weeks. But the album cover art was deemed offensive and therefore two versions exist, the one pictured here and another clean version that quotes the First Amendment. The songs’ content range from a quote from Ian Dury and the Blockheads (intro to “Ain’t No Right”) to shoplifting to suicide to a heroin overdose. Despite this, the album went platinum and singles from “Ritual de lo Habitual” are used to sell video games and movies, even baseball.