Porno for Pyros (album)

Porno for Pyros is the eponymous debut album by Porno for Pyros, released on April 27, 1993, on the same label as Jane's Addiction, Warner Bros. Records. Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro and bassist Eric Avery, battling substance abuse issues, had left the band in 1991 in an attempt to stay clean, though the other half of the band wished to continue creating music. The remaining members of Jane's Addiction, Perry Farrell and Stephen Perkins, were joined by guitarist Peter DiStefano and future Jane's Addiction bassist Martyn LeNoble, and continued under the new band name Porno for Pyros. The band (and album) name is a reference to the 1992 Los Angeles riots, which are mentioned throughout the songs on the album as a recurring theme.

The album was certified Gold in the U.S. by the RIAA and contained the No. 1 Modern Rock single "Pets".

Music
Before the album's release, the musical direction and focus of the band and album were said to be "laid-back", "ethnic-influenced" and "edgy and experimental". This ultimately proved to be inaccurate of Porno for Pyros, though the 1996 follow-up Good God's Urge eventually made good on the assertion. Critics often compared the sound of Porno for Pyros to that of Jane's Addiction upon its release, noting many parallels in song structure and overall sound.

Such comparisons may be unavoidable; three of Porno for Pyros' founding four members (Farrell, Perkins and LeNoble) have either been past or are current members of Jane's Addiction. In addition, a number of songs on Porno for Pyros, namely "Blood Rag" and "Bad Shit", were written during the pre-1992 Jane's Addiction period, although they would remain unfinished and unrecorded until the Porno for Pyros album.

The songs "Cursed Female" and "Cursed Male" were released as the album's first single. The songs appear on the album as two separate tracks. In addition to the two respective album versions, the single also included the two songs together in medley form as a single track. This medley was also released on the album's second (and highest charting) single, "Pets".

Another non-album B-side, "A Little Sadness", was released as a track on Porno for Pyros' fourth and final single, "Sadness". Recorded during the album sessions but left off in favor of its namesake, the song was a complete reworking and rerecording of "Sadness". "A Little Sadness" featured primarily acoustic guitars, subdued vocals, bongos and saxophone, a sharp contrast to its electric progenitor. In an unusual move, a video was created for the B-side rather than the album track.

"Porno for Pyros", "Packin' .25" and "Black Girlfriend" all referenced or were inspired by the 1992 Los Angeles riots.

Personnel

 * Porno for Pyros
 * Peter DiStefano – guitars
 * Perry Farrell – vocals
 * Martyn LeNoble – bass guitars
 * Stephen Perkins – drums, percussion


 * Additional musicians
 * Skatemaster Tate – sound additives
 * Matt Hyde – sound additives


 * Recording personnel
 * Matt Hyde – Production, recording engineer, mixing
 * Perry Farrell – Production
 * Rob Seifert – Recording engineer
 * Damien Wagner – Assistant recording engineer
 * Chris Belman – Mastering


 * Additional personnel
 * Tom Recchion – Art direction, design
 * Bill Hofstadter – Artwork, photography
 * Perry Farrell – Artwork
 * Barrie Goshko – Lettering
 * Cecil Juanarena – Computer imaging
 * Ted Gardner – Management
 * Don Muller – Booking agent
 * Ted Mico – Publicity