A really enchanting piece of music. I wish all his songs were produced at this level. 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.

In 2004 John released `Shadows collide with people' on Warner Bros Records. 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.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....

i purchased this album when it first came out, i played it 4 or 5 times trying to get into it, but i couldn't... needless to say i was disapointed (at that point i would have given it a 1 star rating).

after listening to "Ataxia I", "the will to death", "dc ep", "curtains" and "inside of emptiness"; i was so blown away that i was left wanting more from Frusciante... so i revisited Shadows Collide With People, and only then was i able to see what John was trying to accomplish with this album. <>. i think if John were to revisit this album he could do a much better job and it would be the best of his solo projects. he just needs to losen the production and leave flea and chad in L.A.

4 stars because he allowed his creative passion to be overwhelmed by over-production and loyalties to the RHCP otherwise would have been 5

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his voice and style requires an acquired taste, but i love it. i never realized how few of lyrics each song has. for how long and moving they are, it seems like a huge long story. good job johnny.

I was a fairly self-proclaimed RHCP fan around the time I picked this album up. I kicked myself repeatedly for not realizing that John does work separate from the peppers earlier than I did (around summer of 2004 that is). Anyway, I found out he did solo work and I found this album in my local record store one day and decided to pick it up. I popped it in my car on the way back, and was literally blown away.

It's not the sheer fact that John makes music this interesting to me. It's the whole story behind his music, where he's come from, how dedicated to his work he is and his ongoing ability to output, maybe not perfect, but truly amazing work consistently. I was very fortunate to pick this album up when I did, it just so happened that The Will to Death came out only two weeks later and I basically was bombarded with John Frusciante for the next six to eight months.

However, out of all the albums that he's made, Shadows Collide with People has always seemed to me to be the most genuine John. Combine the earlier self-depreciating, drug-ridden works of Smile from the Streets you Hold and Niandra Lades and Usually just a T-shirt, the original vision and creativity of to Record Only Water for Ten Days, the output quantity and variety of his six albums in six months campaign and polish it up just a little, and that's Shadows Collide With People. It's really the sum of all the parts coming together.

There are some very clever depictions of John's past in this album as well. "Wednesday's Song", which depicts his favoring of one specific prostitue once a week around the time of BSSM, is a great example of this. I would certainly classify this album as the one to introduce others to his solo works, it's certainly his most accessible but doesn't sacrifice too much to that fact either. The electronic influence of other of his works is evident too in tracks such as "Double-0Ghost27", "Failure 33 Object", and "23 Go In To End". For some reason, "Chances" throws me back to the Beatles in some aspects and is always a nice fun, quick listen. And "The Slaughter" is just a song I could listen to over and over again, the absolute perfect way to end the album.

In short, Shadows Collide with People currently is and likely will be my favorite John Frusciante album. It does truly have "something for all his fans." Tracking John's growth as a musician both solo and with the chili peppers is something I continue to enjoy day after day and this is certainly, in my opinion, the best place to start.