Normally people know exactly when planning a trial at breaking a record. But not much is "normal" in the life of John Frusciante. While WOM magazine was reporting back in July that the guitarist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers planned to finish his creative year with altogether six albums and one EP, the fan community was pleased. And was amused at the astonished Frusciante for not knowing to have overtaken Frank Zappa's record of 1979 (5 studio albums in 12 months).
Now they finally can take a retrospective view, because six of the seven albums are out in the shops, the final to follow on January 25th. And astonishment is followed by admiration. Admiration for a musician who made it possible within such a short period of time to not repeat himself a single time, demonstrating assured quality consequently.
That doesn't mean, every fan of Frusciante would have to necessarily fancy all albums, because the musician proves to be ambitious in many directions – and to be an extremist. While his first two records in 2004 "Shadows Collide With People" and "The Will To Death" musically approached the predecessor "To Record Only Water For Ten Days", yet both of them showed a new inclination for drama.
With Ataxia, the trio of Frusciante, Fugazi's Joe Lally and Josh Klinghoffer, he paid tribute to his passion for early Seventies German progressive rock on "Automatic Writing". In songs like the over-ten-minutes-long "Addition" Frusciante's guitar wanders through imperturbable beats. Then the DC-EP followed with four pretty unimportant tracks, after that "Inside Of Emptiness" was like a pardon in Rock 'n Roll's major key, along with piles of quotes deriving from the Seventies, from songs of R.E.M. and the Peppers as well.
"A Sphere In The Heart Of Silence" is the last release of the year and the biggest runaway of the series. At the beginning it sounds like electrified spinet music from the Rococo, after that like the set-to-music nightmare of an electron's mind – alarming, lunatic.
At the end of January "Curtains" Frusciante's personal monument for the traditional model of singer with an acoustic guitar is waiting for the fans. No one ever took apart and put together again the genre that innovative. No fan will want to miss the monthly new one of John Frusciante in 2005. So let's go for new records.
One year with John Frusciante:
1. "Shadows Collide With People" (2004-02-23)
WOM-stars * * * * (4/5)
2. "The Will To Death" (2004-06-21)
WOM-stars * * * (3/5)
3. Ataxia "Automatic Writing" (2004-08-10)
WOM-stars * * * * * (5/5)
4. "DC-EP" (2004-09-13)
WOM-stars * * (2/5)
5. "Inside Of Emptiness" (2004-10-25)
WOM-stars * * * * (4/5)
6. "A Sphere In The Heart Of Silence" (2004-12-06)
WOM-stars * * * (3/5)
7. "Curtains" (2005-01-25)
WOM-stars * * * * * (5/5)