Daily O’Collegian review of Curtains
09th February 2005, Daily O’Collegian, USA
Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante continues to break down the walls of musical conformity with his sixth solo album in six months, the acoustically serene “Curtains.”
The album is the last of a six-piece series released on Record Collection records. With each album, Frusciante reveals a unique reflection of his soul not found on any other body of work he’s participated in, including the Chili Peppers’.
Technically, two are not Frusciante solo albums. Ataxia’s “Automatic Writing,” featuring Joe Lally of Fugazi and Josh Klinghoffer of Bicycle Thief, and “A Sphere in the Heart of Silence” is a joint effort by Frusciante and Klinghoffer. Klinghoffer plays drums on all but the “DC EP,” which features Jerry Busher, drum technician and member of French Toast.
Following the world tour of the Peppers’ 2002 landmark album “By The Way,” Frusciante recorded and released “Shadows Collide with People.” This album was different from previous efforts because they were either too fractured or not well received by certain critics.
Frusciante thought a statement to the music world had been made by contrasting his first three efforts with a professionally recorded studio album.
“On ‘Shadows,’ I wanted everything exactly the way I heard it in my head, but after that album, I started noticing that albums I had loved my whole life had tons of things I would have [at the time] insisted upon re-doing,” Frusciante said.
The result is the utilization of raw sound contrasting musical compositions like those on “By The Way” and “Shadows.” The six albums could be considered retro because of the few takes for each track, lack of high-quality production and that each be released on vinyl at the request of Frusciante.
“Curtains” was recorded on analog equipment from the 1970s and a warm feeling can be sensed through its entirety. Others may call it revolutionary or the shot modern music needs, and who better to journey down the path of pop music innovation than Frusciante?
The lyrics on all six albums discuss feelings never expressed by Frusciante on a solo-outing or Pepper album. Those feelings can be attributed to a miraculous drug recovery. In 1992, the 22-year-old guitar prodigy quit the Peppers for five years. Everyone close to him assumed the man they once knew was dead.
“I used to O.D. on cocaine all the time on my own and get myself out of it,” he told the L.A. Times. “That was how I got my kicks, from getting as close as I could to dying without actually dying.” He also said heroin became another drug of choice during those times.
The result of the five-year drug binge made a man out of Frusciante, and today he is shining as bright as his peers. The six Record Collection releases marks a time in his career when fans of his music can hear his deeply personal creativity.
— Brent Battle
