John is genious.

abierman said:

Actually Blood Sugar was before the smack... he was just smokin' weed at that point. During his smack phase he didn't record very much music at all, the music that was released during that period was largely recorded before his addiction, except for "Smile From The Streets"...


stormbringer

Such a shame what that shit did to him , he looks like an old man already , false teeth and all

Dewrede said:

He let that shit do it to him.....sorry, I can not bring up pity for millionaire-junkies.....

what is good is that he kicked it!

Anxiety said:

Yeah, his contributions are pretty sweet, hailing back to the style of his first solo album slightly. I disagree with just about everybody else in this thread though about the demise of the Peppers and all. I think John's style has matured nicely and grown more intricate, but it envelopes more than just the guitar playing and covers the songs, harmonies, keyboards, arrangements, etc. Definitely not as up front as the old days sure (his playing), but definitely not slacking either. It's more purposeful in some ways, and better on that level, he only plays what he feels is appropriate for the song. The punk/funk thing has been done. His solo records this year have featured a bit more guitar, and better material than his recent Pepper contibutions actually. From Brown Bunny to now there have been seven releases plus the new one next week! Damn, I'm excited. He's been kicking the good jams this year. But really, allow the Peppers to be more than just a one trick pony. You guys have Blood Sugar and Mother's Milk, wouldn't it be lamer if they simply remade those records over again? I think so, anyways. I'd rather them try to grow than repeat the past. I can always pop in Blood Sugar and crank "My Lovely Man" to eleven... Now I want them to take it to the next level!


stormbringer

fartman said:

Oh yeah, to get back on topic: no one can tell you if John's better than Prince on guitar. It's an entirely subjective thing. It is known though that John had chops for days by the time he was 18 or so, probably more technical skills than Prince ever had. He never displayed that in the Peppers, but he was supposedly a huge Steve Vai fan. Flea said when he first encountered John he had "serious Steve Vai damage". Obviously John has gone far from those technical days, nowadays he's just very methodical. But does that mean John was/is a better guitar player? Of course not. You must judge for yourself. But as a guitar player Prince's chops probably aren't as schooled as John's. They both were apparently the kind of teenagers who spent hours alone in the room practicing, only Prince was spreading it around!! John wasn't working the piano, bass, or drums angle also... only guitar. Anyways, they're both great and I can't imagine the two of them ever actually jamming together. John has for the most part abandoned his style which you call "so funky", though he can still whip that out live. It would be an interesting jam though, for sure...


stormbringer

I love Frusciante. He's one of my favorite guitarists and influential to me. He's definitely carried the torch of Hillel in the Chili Peppers and is perfect for that band. His solo albums are pretty out there though.

Stax said:

No way. BloodSugar is their best album ever!!!!!

NWF said:

I agree that Mother's Milk is the Pepper's best. I LOVE that cd. I have all the Peppers old cd's including BSSM up to Californication. BSSM is where they were accepted more commercially. Mother's Milk is pure rock/funk...

In regard to who is the better guitarist, John is great, but to me Prince is a guitar showman. When I saw Prince perform While My Guitar Gently Weeps on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Awards, I realized that Prince is just a master showman...a little like Stevie Ray Vaughan was, but Stevie was also very technically very accomplished. I've been a Prince fan for YEARS and have seen him perform live, but at that moment I was truly amazed. Maybe John might have technical prowess, but Prince is without equal as a total musician/performer.

I'd like to see Prince jam with John and FLEA!!!! I bet Prince and Flea could really tear it up.

Their styles are just different , impossible to say who's best
I think John sounds (more) like Jimi sometimes
(when playing rhythm)
[Edited 1/19/05 21:28pm]

Isel said:

Yep, the best example of the genre.

What I find funny is that when it comes to the Peppers, nobody ever mentions Chad Smith.....he's the doofus who plays the drum.....

yeah Prince should record with Flea on a punk-rock-funk album 4 a change

Isel said:

Hmm, I agree with everything you've said.

I'm a huge fan of John Frusciante. I've been buying all his albums from last year. Really good stuff.Shadows Collide With People is probably his most accesible album. The others are really good too. Some are more experimental than others. I would love for him and Prince to work together. It would probably be some interesting stuff if they collaborated.
[Edited 1/20/05 8:58am]

minneapolisgenius said:

Listen 2 u! I knew there was a reason I dug ya, but couldn't remember why.

blackguitaristz said:

Have you been gone that long?

abierman said:

I agree about Frusciante. "Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magik" was their best album WITH John on axe. But their best guitarist was Hillel Slovack. The Peppers were by far their best at this time. I've seen them 3 times live and twice was with Hillel. They were staples in the L.A. area along with Fishbone. Sidenote: Dwayne "Blackbyrd" of P-Funk played with them for a brief period and destroyed all of the guitarists the peppers ever had at one fall swoop!

minneapolisgenius said:

Lori, were we married in another life?

blackguitaristz said:

I forgot about the Lori thing. And anything's possible.