Niandra Lades and Usually Just a T-Shirt
| Niandra LaDes and Usually Just a T-Shirt | ||||
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| Studio album by John Frusciante | ||||
| Released | November 4, 1994 | |||
| Recorded | 1991-1993 | |||
| Genre | Lo-fi, avant-garde, psychedelic rock, experimental rock | |||
| Length | 70:12 (cd version); 76:06 (cassete version) | |||
| Label | American Recordings | |||
| Producer | John Frusciante | |||
| John Frusciante chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| PopMatters | (favorable) |
| AllMusic |   |
| Entertainment Weekly | (B+) |
| High Times | (favorable) |
| Boston Herald | (mixed) |
| Rolling Stone | |
Niandra LaDes and Usually Just a T-Shirt is the debut solo album by John Frusciante, released on November 22, 1994, on American Recordings. Frusciante released the album after encouragement from several friends, who told him that there was "no good music around anymore."
Niandra LaDes and Usually Just a T-Shirt combines avant-garde and stream-of-consciousness styles, with guitar, piano and various effects on a four-track recorder. The album's first half, Niandra Lades, was recorded before Frusciante left the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 1992; during the recording of Blood Sugar Sex Magik. The second half, Usually Just a T-Shirt, was recorded while the band was on tour in the months leading up to Frusciante's departure. Niandra Lades and Usually Just a T-Shirt sold poorly upon its release in 1994, and was taken off the market, only to be re-released in 1999.
Frusciante joined the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 1988, at the age of 18, and released his first album with the group, Mother's Milk the following year. The follow-up album, Blood Sugar Sex Magik, was recorded in an empty mansion that the band decided to live in for the duration of recording. Frusciante adapted well to the environment, and often spent his time alone painting, listening to music, and recording songs that would eventually make up the first half of the album, Niandra Lades.Blood Sugar Sex Magik was released on September 24, 1991 and was an instant success. The album peaked at number three in the U.S. and went on to sell over 12 million copies worldwide. Soon after the album's release, Frusciante developed a dislike of the band's newfound popularity. He felt that the band was too famous, and wished they were still playing small nightclubs like they were before he joined the group. By his own admission, the band's rise to popularity took Frusciante by surprise, and he could not cope with it. During Blood Sugar Sex Magik's promotional tour, Frusciante began using heroin and cocaine heavily. He and vocalist Anthony Kiedis often argued before and after performances. According to Kiedis, Frusciante purposely sabotaged the Saturday Night Live performance of "Under the Bridge" by playing the wrong intro for the song and out of key. His relationship with the band had become progressively more strained, and he abruptly quit during the Japanese leg of their world tour in 1992.
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