The Hour Of Music That Rocks My World…
John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the eclectic innovator, picks a peck of pickled platters.
“Albatros” Public Image Ltd.
Metal Box
VIRGIN. 1979
“The musical direction Johnny Lydon chose to follow after the Sex Pistols broke up was so admirable because it defied all simplistic notions of what he was supposed to stand for as a punk rock figurehead. Public Image had a disco element in their music that was totally confusing to critics trying to pigeonhole things. Also, I know for a fact that [PIL guitarist] Keith Levine is a huge Yes fan !”
“Orang-outang” Bow Wow Wow
See Jungle! See Jungle! Go Join Your Gang. Yeah, City All Over! Go Ape Crazy!
RCA. 1981
“To me [Bow Wow Wow guitarist] Mattew Ashman is one of the great guitar stylist of all time. At the time when we were making Californication, he and Bernard Sumner [Joy Division/New Order] were my main guitar inspirations. Ashman had such an interesting combination of musical elements: a Fifties’ influence, a punk spirit, a surf element, a spaghetti-western thing… His brain had a really unique approach to guitar.”
“The Medley: Plague of Lightouse Keeper’s” Van der Graaf Generator
Vital Live
CHARISMA. 1978
“A magnificent piece of music. It’s so deep, lyrically and musically, and it takes up a whole side of the album. This is really interesting LSD-influenced music in that there’s nothing Sixties-ish about it, and that’s the era one often associates with acid music. [VDGG leader] Peter Hammill has a stunningly original songwriting style, which really excites me as a songwriter. I’ve been obsessed with this group for the past couple of years. I listen to the vinyl. I don’t give a damn about CDs.”
“Komakino” Joy Division
Substance
FACTORY RECORDS. 1988
“What I love so much about this particular Joy Division song is that Bernard Sumner creates a feeling of insanity via a couple of guitar tracks. His playing has an all-over-the-place quality that makes my head feel really good. A lot of his playing in Joy Division was very haphazard, almost random sounding. I’m really into that kind of playing right now.”
“Up Side Down” Fela Anikulapo Kuti and Africa 70
Up Side Down
CELLULOID. 1976
“My favorite Fela song. It’s sung by an Amaerican named Sandra Akanke Isidore. She was the person who turned Fela on to the concept of black power. She lived in Nigeria for two or three months, getting her accent perfect in order to perform on this song. You just know it was all recorded in one take. The idea that she studied for three months to do a vocal that ended up taking maybe two or three minutes is so exciting.”
“Ekkehard Ehlers Plays Albert Ayler”
Ekkehard Ehlers
Ekkehard Ehlers Plays
STAUBGOLD. 2002
“More computer-made music. It’s a record with two sides: there aren’t any names of songs, just side one, side two. There’s no direct relationship with [free-jazz sax man] Albert Ayler either, not even a sample. But Ehlers is inspired by and playing with those parts of your brain that become nostalgic about things. He’s another one of the greats of abstract electronic music.”
“Milk It”
Nirvana
In Utero
DGC. 1993
“More guitar playing that’s beautifully random and all over the place. You can’t imagine this song being any heavier than it is. For me, In Utero is by far the best Nirvana album.”
“Forensic Scene” Fugazi
Red Medicine
DISCHORD. 1995
“When Fugazi tour, I’ll travel to as many shows as I can. Red Medicine was the first time they really knew how to use the studio to their ultimate advantage. The drum sound is so incredible. I love the slowness of ‘Forensic Scene’ and the beauty of the melody. It was so powerful and shocking for them to do a song like this, since they have a reputation for being loud and fast.”
“Drugs” Talking Heads
Fear of Music
SIRE. 1994
“What [producer] Brian Eno is doing on that song really takes me into a dream world. The sound of the backing vocals on the choruses is incredible. I love when people create such an unworldly atmosphere with a piece of music.”
“Untitled Number 3” Pita
Get Out
MECO. 1999
“The first time I heard this, I felt like I was on a cloud. Supposedly, this is a section of a piece by [Italian film composer] Ennio Morricone – looped, played backward and treated with a computer in a really extreme way so that there’s a lot of high feedback. I really love it when people embrace elements of sound that other peole run away from. Pita is actually Peter Raber, one of the giants of the abstract electronic world.”
“Main Man” T. Rex
The Slider
REPRISE. 1972
“I’d be hard-pressed to think of any music in the world that makes me feel better than a T.Rex song. Marc Bolan is one of the great songwriters. I.Rex were inspired by Fifties music, only their music didn’t have the lyrical limitations of the Fifties, when every song was about love. Bolan did interesting things to Fifties structures, like slowing them down intensely and then writing nonsensical lyrics.”
“Lisa Says” Velvet Underground
VU
VERVE. 1985
“This version, which was actually recorded in 1969, has such an incredible vibe. Lou Reed is tensing his voice in this really emotional way. I love it when vocals are not on pitch in a way that’s just perfect. The Velvet Underground could create such a great atmosphere just by playing live in the studio. So many concepts and ideas, and they all just seem to be happening in the air.”
–Alan DiPerna
