Niandra Lades and Usually Just a T-Shirt Reviews

• Niandra LaDes and Usually Just a T-Shirt

  
  By A1179UUQK5HXK1 on 2000-02-15
  I just have to say that these solo albums are amazing and have shaped my life and opened my musical and spiritual mind. I concider myself a very huge Red Hot Chili Pepper fan, I've been a fan since the 80's - a long time. I've followed John through the years and listens to all the music he has made. And I would have to say that Niandra LaDes is my all-time favorite album - better then any Chili Pepper record. Thats my opinion. Yes it was hard for John during that period of time, and there are a few songs he admits he regrets putting out, but I'm glad he put them out. It's a piece of art recorded onto a cd. He should be proud of the person he is, and I know he is. John Frusciante is the reason I bought my guitar, and he is the reason I feel power when I play it. He builds my confidence, and like I said... he's shaped my life. His music makes me think of things that no one takes the time to think about, the slightest little guitar lick gives me the greatest chill up my spine. John Frusciante is a true artist, and any critic who wants to bash on him and his art because it wasn't rated the best of the year shouldn't really be a critic. And I have read lots of reviews and felt so bad for him because he's not recognised as much as he deserves to be. He is a hero to me, he is the kind of person that people should look up to. He is a person that devotes his life to putting out good feelings and good vibes to people. He does it through his music. Music - something that everyone around the world share a bond with, a language that everyone can understand. John Frusciante does a damn good job of getting his feelings across through it. I rate Niandra LaDes and Usually Just a T-Shirt 5 big stars. He desrves it and much more. I think everyone should try to listen to this album without critisizing it. Just give it a chance and let it open up to you... and I garentee you wont regret anything.
  
  

• a window into john's soul

  
  By A1R8ZF8TZCNQBN on 2000-02-12
  I bought this and Smile from the Streets You Hold at the same time and I like this one a little more. This album is definatley not something you'll hear on the radio, but it just proves that some of the best music isn't heard on the radio. It was written during a bad period in john's life and you can tell by listening to it. You can feel what he's going through. The music reflects his life at the time. The more i listen to it, the more I want to listen to it. I love the fact that John sings off key for a lot of it. It's very emotional and pure. It makes all those teenyboppers look shallow. Overall, it's one of the most beautiful and open albums I've ever heard. John Frusciante is truly a genius one of a kind.
  
  

• Be warned: it may be too beautiful for you!

  
  By A27PSZX2SE0B51 on 2000-07-03
  To my ears, there is no greater sound than John Frusciante's guitar playing over a soulful Flea bassline. So what happens when the bassline is removed and the guitar is left to stand for itself? Magic.

  He manages to capture something that I don't think many of us could: the soul. I've always described John as a very soulful player, even before hearing this album. His work in the Chilis, while sometimes stepping into the metallic realm, has always been both necessarily funky and surprisingly soulful. Here, left to his own devices, he eliminates any semblance of song structure, and just pours his heart out through his six strings. And it's transcendent.

  Some may not understand. The singing is off-key at times, the production values are non-existent, there's some Les Paul style studio trickery that can be really confusing, the lyrics (when there are any) are juvenile and faux-shocking. Let it be. It's a gloriously beautiful album, from a very talented man during a very torturous time in his life.
  
  

• You Need To Own This!

  
  By A35OAGJ15K01O5 on 2001-04-09
  Listen-> The fact that this recording exists is absolutely amazing. As others have said Frusciante was having an plutonial problem with Heroin at the time this was recorded. The entire CD is disjointed, but strangly joined. The best part of the album is that Frusciante has no limitations, except the amount of heroin in his blood. It is as though he just lets everything flow out, and the record company does the same. There are no hit songs, many can cause severe headaches if played too loud. This ablum is a jewel, so raw and unfinished. It is very rare that something this unpolished gets produced any more, and that is its value. There is no comprimise. Most people who write these reviews are big Chili Peppers fans, I'm not. I appreciate this album outside of RHCP influence. John Frusciante is amazing. If you are looking for music that doesn't challenge your palette, do not buy this. If you like getting music that is fresh and unduplicated buy this.
  
  

• Usually just a really great album of experimental mind bliss

  
  By on 2002-11-19
  Wow, have you heard this one yet? Simply great. I always wonder what people think when they go to buy a JF CD for the first time..just what are they expecting? You can't compare his work to RHCP...you can't compare it to ANYTHING, really. I mean, I have heard comparisons to other artists, but I am going to resist the temptation to list those here, it really serves no function. I don't really know how to review this album. I give it five stars, which means I love it. So what is so great about it? Well, for starters, it's an album you listen to from start to finish, as it should be heard as a whole. It contains mostly recordings of John singing and playing his guitars. Some of the songs are instrumentals. Some of the songs are just fragments. But they are "genius" fragments. Some of the songs that are titled "Untitled" are less than two minutes long, but they're just fantastic. I really like the fragments where he overdubs a bunch of guitar parts and they're all just kind of doing they're own thing, but the melodies wind around each other, and just out of magic, through overdubbing, he creates these beautiful sonic textures. The first half of the album has a lot of "songs." I don't know how to describe John's songs on this album. Some of them are really far out. "My Smile is a Rifle" has some parts that are "improvised." Experimental improvisation. He uses his voice in the improvisation. For instance, at one point he screams and screeches and tries to hit the highest note his vocal chords will allow (which is a note so high that professional opera singers would be envious). Many of the other songs have similar improvised sections. I believe that John is pretty much the sole musician on most of these selections. At times I think he plays the acoustic guitar first, and often gets into strumming improvised chords that he knows he will paint over with lead guitar parts, and if he makes a mistake on the first "take," he covers it over (usually successfully) with other parts. It gives the finsished product a raw and ragged feel, but you as a listener get to hear something "new" with each repeated listen. John has a good sense of melody. The melodies are abstract and at times take a little getting used to, but with repeated listens you truly hear brilliant melodies. A small percentage of the guitar "riffs" and progressions sound similar to RHCP riffs. "Ten to Butter Blood Voodoo" features chord changes similar to things he has used in RHCP songs, perhaps a minute comparison to "Sir Psycho Sexy." But please take note that there are very few instances of Niandra Lades sounding anything remotely like the RHCP. "Been Insane" features strumming of an acoustic guitar with chord patterns minutely similar to "Breaking the Girl." But again, these songs are totally John. These aren't songs he would have submitted to the RHCP. These are clearly his creations. He has worked out the parts and ideas for these songs himself to go no further than his tape recorder. There is almost a sense that these recordings were done privately with no intention for release to a mass audience. I imagine some listeners are turned off by the sound of these recordings at first listen, perhaps at ALL listens. The buyer should purchase this album cautiously. You really don't want to buy it with the intention of bringing it home and putting it as "Disc 5" in your CD changer with the random mode on with all your other RHCP discs. You aren't going to hear these songs in grocery stores or department stores. You aren't going to want to play this album at a party- (well, it depends on who you're throwing the party with). So to sum this all up, to just give you an idea of what this sounds like to the best of my ability. It's a young man, with a collection of acoustic and electric guitars (and the odd piano or effect here and there) and a multitracking tape recorder, a raw voice, stream-of-consciousness lyrics, strange and haunting melodies, songs ranging from half a minute to six or seven minutes, a bit of random improvising, a bit of structered songs, a lot of tape hiss...and you get...Niandra Lades. No fancy or glossy studio production. A lot of moments that could only be reproduced by very skilled musicians with some clever sheet music in front of them. The vocals are strange at times... be forwarned. NOBODY sings like John, he is truly unique in this regard. His singing wavers out of key, notes aren't always hit in the proper fashion. Guitars stop in weird places. Overdubs are created to provide new colors and washes. I would say this a Jackson Pollack painting put to music. Except I am not going to make any comparisons. A true artist. A work of art that neeeds to be heard.
  
  
• A Door To Another World
  By A3J1W8LJSTS54R on 2000-06-29
  I was an ordinery boring person couple of months ago until John Frusciante opened my mind. Because of him i started to write music that comes from inside of me, from my soul. he guided me to his world of art and spirits and altough i never saw a spirit, and i don't really sure that they exist i feel comfortable in that world. now about the album. it's really two albums in one cd. the first album (Niandra LaDes) is from track 1 to track 12 and this album is a collection of beautiful songs. the second album (Usually Just A T-Shirt) is from track 13 to the end of the album and all the tracks sounds like one large song.

  so the bottom line is that this album is a door the another world. a haunted but calm world. there are some people who can't pass thru that door but i did pass thru it. and i'm glad i did.
  
  

• it's kinda like sex
  By on 1999-09-04
  You have certain expectations from what you've heard in the past. It's not what you expect. The very first time is kind of awkward and uncomfortable - even scary; Don't know what to make of it - not sure if you like it. After repeated tries, you become more familiar with it, and learn how to appreciate it. Comfortable in your nakedness, you allow yourself to become vulnerable. With eyes closed, you let yourself feel the intensity and be taken away by it. Sometimes it can be so overwhelming that you're moved to tears; emotions felt are beyond words. There's nothing like it; You desire it all the time. *WARNING* - not for the easily obsessed.
  
  
• The beauty of tormented insanity
  By A2YOH66Z8FLUK4 on 2001-01-10
  When I first put on Niandra I almost felt as though I were a voyeur: hearing things I wasn't allowed to hear. As you all know John made Niandra in his time away from the Peppers, only few know how fucked up he really was. Not that I regard myself as being in a position to give a meaningful account in any way, I'd like to tell you about a documentary that was broadcast on Dutch television about the time Niandra was first released somewhere in '94: John sitting on a beat sofa, dirty, guitar in hands, playing Hendrix-esque impressions, being unable to say anything that made sense to anybody, except for some brief moments of clarity, in other words: actually to painful to look at. In this light is where I want to put Niandra: his pain and feelings of not being able to heal his disrupted life are tangible, so intense... That's why I almost felt embarrassed when I gave the record its first spin, but if you are looking for a record of the purest honesty and a beauty that is only seldomly seen in contemporary music, this is your best bet! The album will take three, maybe four times to begin to be comprehended, but after that Niandra will take you by the hand and reveal to you a treasure of melody and feeling unheard of.
  
  
• Insight into his "lost years"
  By A32DSAPNEMNYXB on 2000-06-15
  I've read other reviews, so i won't restate what has already been said. The album is (ok well i'll restate a couple things) outstanding as far as pure guitar is concerned... though the vocals leave a bit to be desired, in most cases, though track 6 proves that john can deliver on vocals as well with an indescribable layer of sound that will bend your mind in 3 different directons at once. Some say not to expect to hear anything chili pepperesque in this album. But on one of the first tracks (3 or 4) I can hear a very "Scar Tissue" like riff. I believe John did a great job... If you are astounded by John's emotional guitar on any chili peppers track, don't leave amazon without hitting the "buy" button.
  
  
• John, my hero?
  By A3PRZJRWDA74NF on 1999-10-21
  I bought this record a day ago.I have been listening it all the time. John have been my guitar hero a long time and i love every note that he has played on peppers. This album has left me little confused feelings. This is great expression of feelings, good or bad, glad or sad. You can feel them in the songs. What i have read on magazines that in 1994 John were using so much drugs that he didn't know himself and he was close to ending his life ,that cind of explains the album. This is cind of scream of pain and i don't really understand it yet, but i'm getting to it. No qestion that the guy is a genious. This album isn't hit me yet but it has some great tunes as curtains and my smile is rifle for exampl. Buy it ,it's worth it if you're into john even little!!!
  
  
• speechless . . .
  By on 2000-10-18
  Don't expect anything, you can't possibly have any idea what you are in for. Just listen. If you find his voice grating at first, just try listening through to the end and see if you can't get past it. If you can't after listening all the way through, give it to someone who needs beauty in his/her life and mourn the fact that you can't be moved by pure, unmistakeable, undiluted, painful and thorough beauty in its most explicit form.
  
  
• Different....But Amazing
  By A20MFNB26O1T24 on 2000-12-22
  First off this album is a combination of two of John Frusciante's solo albums. Niandra Lades is the first 12 songs and Usually Just a T-Shirt are the last 13 untitled tracks. The music on this album is totally emotional and passionate. You can hear in the music how John was feeling at the time he recorded these songs. The album opens with the song "As Can Be." It is slow and primarily acoustic like every song on the album. He does however do an amazing eletric guitar solo towards the middle of the song. The next song My Smile is a Rifle is extremely emotional but is one of the weakest songs on the album. But don't let that coment take anything away from it. The song Head follows. It features some of John's most amazing guitar playing ever. Big Takeover sounds like a combination of Head and the Red Hot Chili Peppers hit Breaking the Girl off of Blood Sugar Sex Magik. Curtains is a piano based ballad. John's voice is extremely powerful on this track. Running Away into You is another moody song with some excellent effects in it that make it sound somewhat insane at times. The next songs Mascara and Been Insane are porbably the best songs on the album. They are literally works of art. Skin Blues is very slow but it has amazing guitar on it, both acoustic and electric. The best part about John Frusciante's guitar playing is that he uses the guitar as a way to express his feelings. The next song is another amazing song with a title that many people will snicker at when they hear it, it's called Your Pussy's Glued to a Building On Fire. I'm not sure what it's supposed to mean but the song is excellent. The last two songs are Blood On My Neck from Success and Ten to Butter Blood Voodoo. Both these songs are amazing. Since all the tracks on Usually Just A T-Shirt are untitled I'll just give you an overview of the album as a whole. It features many instrumentals. The songs with singing on them sound like Niandra Lades. There is also many special effects on the album such as backward guitar and voice processors that make him sound almost demonic. All in all this album is amazing, but it is very different. You must listen to this album with an open mind because it sounds nothing at all like the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It is also a Lo-Fi recording which means it sounds pretty much like it was recorded on a tape recorder. But no matter what it sounds like the songs speak for themselves and these songs scream genius loud and clear.
  
  
• A Masterpiece
  By A26BDKEEU40WWS on 2000-12-30
  Through the years there have been artists who see things in their own way and who share these unique views with the rest of the world. Artists like Picasso, Van Gogh, Stravinsky, Bergman, Kafka and Frusciante. Sometimes the majority is not very receptive to the vision of the artist and, sometimes, it takes years before the artist's work is appreciated. So far, only a very small minority have heard John Frusciante's solo work and an even smaller amount fully appreciate it for what it is. At times this music can be off-putting, but at the same time immensely beautiful in it's forthright presentation. Enough has been said of the arist's drug use, but I believe much of the music found here was created prior to that period. Regardless of the mindset of Frusciante at the time, this is music that skirts the boundaries and limitations of all forms of music being made in the last century. This is music created on it's own terms for whomever chooses to find their way inside of it. This record should be looked at as a wake-up call and a starting point for something new in the dawning century, not an oddity. Musicians are continually confining themselves to genres (especially rock/pop) that have worn themselves out over time, rather than freeing themselves by creating music that's unfamiliar and truly comes from within. Frusciante has done us all a favor that most have blinded themselves to. Why not begin a new movement by doing something that is unexpected, unsafe and daring? It's about time, too, since art (in all its forms) is dying away because of artists who are trying to re-do "point B" instead of beginning from a new "point A". Let's make the 21st century our own, not a carbon copy of the last one.
  
  
• I can't describe my love for this album
  By A3R6B6T1NISHO2 on 2003-07-09
  The music on this album is(without compare) the most pure expression of emotion through and instrument and through words. Every sound is either pure joy or complete agony, this is what the art of music really is at it's heart. I can't believe that anyone could dislike this music, it is 4track genius, irreplicable, honest, and almost perfect. RHCP and top 40 types should not expect the same appeal from this music, but really need to give it a chance.
  
  
• A Masterpiece!
  By on 2000-05-06
  All right... maybe not quite that good, but this solo release from the guitarist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers is well worth your money. John's stream-of-conscience lyrics and beautiful guitar playing will fill your mind with vivid images that can be both horrifying and humorous. As for vocals... well, John does sing with a passion. Undoubtedly, there may be points where his pained squawking and gargling will almost compel you to hit the skip or stop button. Resist this temptation though and you will be rewarded with moments of pure bliss where everything just seems to come together and work. Definitely a cd that will challenge your concept of what music is.
  
  
• Both Frightening And Seductive
  By on 1999-11-08
  To put it mildly, this record is NOT for fans of super-slick, polished sound that many of today's "artists" use to cover up their mediocrity. John recorded this album using a 4-track machine (and rather creatively), while badly addicted to heroin. Needless to say, it isn't what you hear on Top 40 radio.

  The highlights on this album, I think, are when John is actually trying to get a coherent song out of himself. Songs like "Curtains", "Been Insane", and "Mascara", while lyrically nonsensical, provide an alternative to the album's more avant-garde tracks.

  However, there is a certain beauty in those tracks, as well. The albums 13 untitled tracks are like a longer version of The Beatles' "Revolution 9", with backwards piano chords, people talking in the background, some out-of-tune guitar playing, and other odd elements.

  John's guitar playing on the album is a tad sloppy (he has said that he was high on marijuana for every note he played on the album), but nonetheless creative. Fans of pure emotion without a lot cluttering it up will enjoy this.
  
  

• unfiltered brilliance
  By A2YR0KP5BQ4DWB on 2000-03-29
  quick word of warning: if you pick up this disc expecting something that even remotely sounds like the red hot chili peppers, turn back now. although the chili peppers are one of my favorite bands ever, this solo disc from their on again off again guitarist hit me hard in the guts, much harder than any chili peppers album. if you lock yourself in your room and shut off all your lights while playing this album you'll swear frusciante's sitting right next to you, bleeding his silent dementia directly into your brain. you'll never get this album off your skin, no matter how hard you try.
  
  
• The Masterpiece
  By A29ZEECFF8MBAW on 2000-12-06
  This album is quite simply the most radical,creative and beautiful record you will ever hear. It is not easy listening so if you are expecting any Chili Peppers type funk avoid.However the dedicated music enthusiast will find this an unsung masterpiece.Highlights include "Running away into you"(a demented psycedelic soundscape where the human voice is distorted into a powerful orchestra of sound),Curtains(a delicate tragic moment of introspection)and Mascara(a Syd Barretesque journey into drug-fuelled psychosis yet brilliantly melodic).His guitar work astounds in the "usually just a T-shirt" section.Yet it is the first half that frankly surpasses anything else I have ever heard.Keep an open mind and I guarantee you will be rewarded.
  
  
• If you like RHCP, don't buy this...
  By on 2001-12-03
  I'm a big RHCP fan, and always will be. When I bought this, I thought that it would be like "To Record Add Water For 10 Days." THIS IS NOTHING LIKE IT!!! Its hardly music. Frusciante regularly is amazing on guitar, but after this CD, I lost some respect for him. (...)The only reason I gave it 2 stars is because there are a couple cool guitar parts, but the album isn't worth buying for them.
  
  
• What the...?!
  By on 2001-12-28
  Okay I read some of these other people's reviews, and they're real confused. This album is like a smeary fingerpainting in terms of the quality of the music, and people claiming they find all sorts of beauteous art within are frankly delusional. The only thing about this album that's beautiful is the message: Kids, don't do drugs, or you run the risk of doing something that will HORRIBLY HUMILIATE you for years to come.
  
  
• absolute genius
  By A2ODNH2ERXRNGU on 2002-01-21
  [...] anyway, the lyrics are awesome poetry, and John's guitar work on this record is just phenomenal, i'm so happy American has re-released this gem. just sit back and absorb this, dude. open your brain up and listen to it from beginning to end.
  
  
• BUY IT YOU WILL NEVER REGRET IT!
  By A2T90CCCPWJN6R on 2002-02-08
  I bought it 2 days ago and it beat my expectations.Its not only the best I ve ever heard,its the best of John.Just before buying I read through all those reviews warning it might be difficult at first.What I say is if you love music,you ll love this one.

  I bet many of these songs could easily be radio hits if it was John's aim but it gives you a feeling of what true music is like.
  Its all pure nature,pure energy and pure passion.John's voice is much better than on his latest work and the guitar is pretty FRUSCIANTE[what more can I say?]
  My favorite tracks are Mascara,Your Pussy's Glued to a Building on Fire,Curtains,Big Takeover and Skin Blues.
  I'm also a big RHCP fan,believe me it's [almost]the same emotions though the music is very different.
  Don't forget to lend it your friend after you bought it!
  
  

• Not a junkie when this was written
  By A11R808QJBA2FG on 2003-02-11
  A lot of people have said that John was a junkie when he wrote and performed these tunes. He was not, he recorded most of these tracks during the recording of Blood sugar sex magik. There is no production on this recording, no post mixing. It is very simple from a production standpoint, he is not a great singer and hits some bum notes on his guitar. BUT these are great songs with more production this album would have sold a lot of copies, but I have to say I like the fact that it is underproduced. I am giving it 4 stars because Usually just a T-shirt has only one good song, all of Niandra La Des is great so buy it for that.

  One last thing is that this album is so different from the Chilis and anything else out there that it will take the most open-minded person at least three listens to get into it. It is not for everyone. Better to buy it from a shop so you can return it if you don't like it.
  
  

• A religious experience
  By A8I56U6ZR6EIG on 2005-09-25
  As I sit here listening to this album for the first time, I find myself completely enthralled. It truly has been a religious experience. This man was on some stuff. It really shows. You have to have a solid background and appreciation in music to enjoy this album like I have. If you are looking for the beloved guitarist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, well, you are looking in the wrong place. It sounds very Frank Zappa influenced. This is a man at one of the lowest points in his life, yet, somehow, he manages to pull out some beautiful songwriting, and some of his best ever material. Frusciantes guitar is as good and lucid as ever. The second half (Usually Just a T-shirt) is much more chilled and instrumental. Great album by one of the greatest (and most underrated musicians) of the past decade.
  
  
• WOW!
  By AVXHE8MORIRQC on 2000-02-16
  I have been a Chilli Pepper fan since back when Freaky Styly came out. When John came to the band it was like wow, this guy plays with such passion and love for what he plays. I bought this solo from ebay and at first it was actually chilling. You can feel the pain he was going through. All in all its brilliant. I love it the more I listen to it.
  
  
• No
  By ALATV2AIE8KN on 2000-05-18
  This album is not very good. This record was made while John was a junkie and that's exactly how it sounds. He is a great guitarist and he should stick to that- not singing.
  
  
• A madman's musical diary
  By A688NQJB6RIRM on 1999-11-16
  After listening to this album, conventional albums begin to sound like antiquated dinosaur rock, their progressions become mere musical cliches, their arrangments pathetically adhering to conventions of the medium. Frusciante fuses sub-standard recording techniques with ad hoc flourishes to create one of the most personal sounding album styles I have ever heard. It plays like a scrapbook; intimacy, obscurity and bewildered profundity unfolding in intervals. It gives the listener the feeling of reading a madman's secret diary.
  
  
• art that you don't have to get.
  By A2FYO2AKVWCVL on 2001-01-10
  john frusciante is a musical genius. his guitar playing and songwriting capabilities are profound. this record really takes you into another place inside john that his work with the chili peppers never really did. the songs flow and at the same time jag. it's a journey into the realms of the fourth dimension. john's writing is coming from somewhere else and, if you're really open to it, you can get there too. at first listen, you may have some trouble getting through this, but if you keep your mind and your heart open, it will show you what art is really all about. at the end, you will walk away with a whole new concept of time and space.
  
  
• A Great Album
  By A2EH5GQ6GZO1MT on 2002-03-07
  it's a great album, john is a genius
  what more can I say.
  
  
• volitile and vulnerable
  By A33HUFE2UPTJNF on 2002-05-29
  John Frusciante has always had a wonderful touch with his guitar parts with rhcp. This solo album shows how incredibly emotional he is as a songwriter. He has an ability to sing very graphic (borderline perverted) but very comedic lyrics so passionately and genuinely that that there's no question he means them honestly. It may seem funny, but I doubt it was meant to be. All in all, the album is very sad, his personal turmoil is so violently placed before you that it almost rips you apart as well. Be prepared for some of the most raw music today.
  
  

• Shadows Collide with People
• To Record Only Water for Ten Days
• ATAXIA II
• Curtains
• Smile from the Streets You Hold