Niandra LaDes And Usually Just A T-Shirt [Digipak] - John Frusciante

great first half...ok second half

Advantages: Skillful guitar playing, raw sound, very heartfelt
Disadvantages: too long

This was John's first solo album, released in 94 when he had just quit the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Firstly, completely ignore the fact that he was in the chilis because there is absolutely no link between the two, they're totally different (however all but one track was recorded before he quit the band). John recorded these tracks on a 4-track recorder, so it has a very raw sound. Niandra Lades consists mainly of fantastic tracks (As can be/My Smile Is a Rifle/Running Away into You/Mascara/Been Insane/Your Pussy's Glued to a Building on Fire), and there is a definite divide between 'Niandra Lades' and 'Usually just a t-shirt'. Usually just a t-shirt mainly consists of instrumental tracks which show off Frusciante's immense skill on guitar. There's also wierd effects, what sounds like a recording of a group orgy, and the final two ...

lionpaw 01.03.2007 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Niandra LaDes And Usually Just A T-Shirt - John Frusciante

Recommended as an introduction to John Frusciante

Advantages: good mix of 'moods', good length, balance of experimentation and classic rock
Disadvantages: tracks with numbers in are a little disturbing, and the cover doesn't say who the artist is

This was the first John Frusciante album that I bought, but after hearing it I was prompted to buy all 9 other albums, it really was that good. It is totally impossible to compareit with any other artist, so I won't try. 'Carvel' is the best track, but other greats include 'omission', 'Ricky', 'Wednesday's song', 'This cold', 'song to sing when i'm lonely', and 'Water'. The not so good tracks are the ones with numbers in, as they're pretty much just wierd noises. Great guitars and vocals, Josh Klinghoffer's vocals on 'omission' are beautiful. Also, the official John Frusciante website has all these tracks (except for those with numbers in) performed live and acousitcally if you're interested, which you should be. ...

lionpaw 01.03.2007 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful
Review of Shadows Collide With People - John Frusciante

Inside the Mind of a Troubled Genius

Advantages: Clear talent, beautiful music, gorgeous guitar lines
Disadvantages: Nothing too out of line, not "exciting"

Frusciante is the second main guitarist for the well-known band Red Hot Chili Peppers. Joining at the tender age of 18, he followed in the footsteps of Hillel Slovak, a major influence on his style, who died from an overdose of heroin. He stayed with the band to record the albums "Mother's Milk" and "Blood Sugar Sex Magik" but left in 1992, unable to cope with the band's rising fame. Slipping into heroin abuse too, John practically stopped playing, choosing to paint instead. He did record two solo albums in the time, Niandra LaDes and Usually Just a T-Shirt in 1993 (a dark but challenging album partly written whilst still with the band) and Smile From the Streets You Hold in 1995 (until recently, a rare find as Frusciante recalled the CDs on account of their being written, to an extent, to get drug funds) but, after, he even sold many ...

ElapsedSpiral 02.06.2005 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Will To Death, The [Digipak] - John Frusciante