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Shadows Collide with People

John Frusciante - Shadows Collide with People Audio CD

A fair review of the John Frusciante "Shadows Collide with People" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all John Frusciante reviews here, or go back to the John Frusciante tabs.

Band: John Frusciante
Title: Shadows Collide with People
Rating:

Release Date: 2004-02-24
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Carvel 2: Omission 3: Regret 4: Ricky 5: Second Walk 6: Everyperson 7: - 00 Ghost 27 8: Wednesday's Song 9: This Cold 10: Failure 33 Object 11: Song To Sing When I'm Lonely 12: Time Goes Back 13: In Relief 14: Water 15: Cut Out 16: Chances 17: 23 Go Into End 18: The Slaughter

Simply brilliant
When you have a song like "Time Goes Back" preceding "In Relief". Seriously, one of the most brilliant albums in the past 20 years. . . . . . you know you have something special.

". . . . . . . . you know time goes on in reverse. . . . . . . . . ".

Amazing LP
A remarkable album. John shows off his unique & powerful voice and ability to write amazing pop songs. I put this record up there with anything released this century. .

Easily One of the Greatest Albums of All Time
Every single song is amazing and stands as a testament to John Frusciante's truly unique musical talent. I've had this CD for some time now, and it is one of the few albums I could listen to several times throughout the day without tiring of it. I, of course, bought the album as a Chili Peppers fan, but quickly became an even stronger John Frusciante fan. From one of the greatest bands of all time, comes one of the greatest musicians of all time. The songs mesh and flow perfectly even though each song provides a stunning originality that not only help to distinguish one sound from the other but separate them altogether from any other music I've ever heard.

Sweet sounds from a nice guy who's been through hell.
I wish all his songs were produced at this level. A really enchanting piece of music. So many diamonds in the rough . . . left unpolished and unheard. If he were to use his money and talent to make his music more listenable by proper finishing - he'd be bigger than the Beatles. As it is, the starkness of his production makes it seem as if he's a home studio wannabee with potential. Sad. His music could bring joy to so many people - but they'll never get past its "garage band" appearance. Sad. John share please. .

Straight out the top drawer
This album, in my opinion, is Frusciante's most accessible album overall, as the majority of the record has got all the ingredients for a classic Indie/pop record, (I. In 2004 John released `Shadows collide with people' on Warner Bros Records. E - upbeat, chirpy feel good songs mixed with slow `depressing'/reflective songs). I put the word depressing in inverted commas as these songs don't make me depressed, in fact quite the opposite because they are so well done it makes you feel good because they are enjoyable songs to listen to. But of course the lyrics and feel of the songs have a sad tone.

The difference between this album and your average indie/pop record is that it has 18 tracks on it compared to the usual 10-12 tracks. In addition to this it has 3 instrumental tracks; `-00Ghost27', `Failure33 Object' and my personal favourite '23 Go to the End' where John uses a Doepfer A100 which is an analog modular synthesizer. This makes the tracks stand out and creates some interesting and unconventional sounds. I have to admit it is only until recently where I have really begun to fully appreciate these tracks. The reason I took so long to get them was because I found them uncomfortable and difficult to listen to, compared to the rest of the album which is relatively easy listening. However I now realise these tracks add this ghostly kind of atmosphere. Listening to these tracks, I can picture Frusciante reflecting on his drug era where his demons use to hover about him and he was desperately trying to fight them. Such is strength and power of the sound created in these tracks; they act like a soundtrack to his battle.

If the tracks such as `Omission', ` Second Walk ` and `This Cold' are anything to go by. It shows a man who has definitely won the battle. Not only that but it feels like he is on top of the world, pouring his heart, soul, blood, sweat and tears into these songs. As you may have guessed, these are the feel good, upbeat songs on the album which could brighten up anybody's day on even the coldest of winter mornings. `Omission' sees Josh Klinghoffer sharing vocal duties with John Frusciante for the only time on the album. Josh's singing adds such warmth, honesty and delicacy to the song. `This cold' I think sums up John's fresh attitude towards life the best. While many would be outside in the cold, moaning and whinging, `I want the sun', `It's too cold', etc. John very much like myself just carries on life regardless and doesn't let things like the weather stopping him do what he wants to do. He captures it so well in this song singing `I feel this cold, I never stay, I never grow old', full of passion and enthusiasm along with a backdrop of rampant acoustic guitar playing.

Although the songs mentioned in the previous paragraph clearly show a man on the up. John is not afraid to look back on his past and reflect on what were undoubtedly the toughest years of his life. These are done through the more `depressing' songs on the album, the best of which are `Ricky', `Regret' and `Song to Sing when I'm lonely'. These are slow songs which are designed to `move' the listener. `Regret' has the most minimalistic lyrics on the album with only `I regret my past' and `Stay alone', are repeated regularly throughout the song to echo his sentiments and make sure they are drilled into the listener. I think the most powerful lyrics though, comes in the opening line to `Ricky' with `I was afraid to be me'. I think this lyric sums up best what the problem was and is delivered exquisitely.

The best song on the album for me, which is also in my top ten favourite songs of all time is `Time goes back. The reason for this is it has an epic feel about it because in my opinion it creates a massive impact on the listener. When listening to it, I stop whatever I'm doing because it's the only way I can fully appreciate it and take it all in. It's like a breath of fresh air, which unless you're out in the countryside is hard to come by these days. It is just such a joyful song which sends shivers down my spine with every listen especially the vocal harmony in between the first two versus followed by John singing `Jumping in the mind of a passer by' and `We live as one, two ways at once'. The lyrics to this song are genius.

Overall a great album and out of all his albums it is my favourite. Along with great songs the album has a certain degree of rawness about the production which adds this intimacy and honesty which enhance the songs further. I would definitely recommend this as the first port of call for anyone wishing to investigate John's solo stuff. It was the first John album I bought and I've never looked back. . . .
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You can see a complete list of all John Frusciante discography, or go back to the John Frusciante tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.