The Will to Death

John Frusciante | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 22, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Record Collection
• ASIN: B000286RZM
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #24,306 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #62 in Music > Alternative Rock > Indie & Lo-Fi > Lo-Fi

Editorial Reviews

No Description Available
No Track Information Available
Media Type: CD
Artist: FRUSCIANTE,JOHN
Title: WILL TO DEATH
Street Release Date: 06/22/2004
Domestic
Genre: ROCK/POP

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Doubt, July 18, 2004

By 

M. Wells - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Will to Death (Audio CD)

John Frusciante has been a part of my life since I was 10 years old. I grew up listening to him and the post-Hilel Red Hot Chili Peppers, always paying closer attention to his guitar playing than I did to Anthony's singing or Flea's bass heroics. As cliched as this sounds, I suppose John is one of the few musicians I listen to, and I do listen to and enjoy a lot of musicians, whose work I can connect with spiritually. When I listen to John play the pieces I consider his most beautiful, I become filled with so much positive emotion I feel high. For whatever reason, I looked upon John's decision to release six albums throughout the remainder of the year with some trepidation. Would these albums live up to the high quality of Shdaows Collide With People? Was John Frusciante beginning to stretch himself thin? Would I even enjoy this record at all? The Will to Death is, up to this point, my favorite piece of work by John Frusciante. John's solo music is so special to me that I am apprehensive about playing any of his first three solo albums for people because I know how angry I will get if they criticize John's playing or voice. Shadows Collide with People is safe in this regard because it is so overproduced and essentially a pop album at heart, although it is very personal to me as well. The production on the Will to Death represents the perfect medium between John's first three solo albums and his fourth. In my opinion, this is how every Frusciante album should be produced. The songs themselves are all beautiful, with the deeper, more introspective songs on an already lyrically deep and introspective album taking on a life of and creating worlds of their own. John's voice couldn't sound better and his minimalist guitar playing compliments his rejuvinated vocals perfectly, allowing for his poetry to take center stage for the first time. The song which best exemplifies this is the Mirror, with it's ethereal whisps of smoke and haunting piano playing, it examines the self-destructive psyche of an essentially good human being. At the emotional apex of the song, Frusciante sings a crystaline, "Time doesn't crawl back to where it doesn't show, no one means me when they say people don't grow. The face in the mirror is not me." If you know anything about John Frusciante's life story, these lyrics and the sonic landscape they inhabit are familiar. Familiar is a good word for describing the subject matter Frusciante tackles on this record. Again, John examines ontological and psychological topics, such as loss, pain, life, death, consciousness, the nature of space-time, and reincarnation. John also examines love in the amazing Far Away, which sounds like something Lennon and Mccartney could have written if they had been able to reconcile during their solo careers in the 1970's because it meshes the two without ever really sounding Beatle-esque. My favorite song on the album is the mildly psychedelic "Wishing", which has the amazing ability to transport me back to childhood every time I listen to it, in part becuase of the background chimes that recall the ice cream truck man in the summer. Other stand-outs include the opening tack Doubt, The Loop, Days Have Turned, and the Will to Death. As a side note, Helical is one the best John Frusciante instrumentals, rivaling Ramparts in its beauty. This album is a very high watermark to set for one's self, which makes me all the more excited for John's next five solo projects and the work he is supposedly doing with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Omar Rodriguez of Mars Volta. Thank you, John.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just plain amazing, June 27, 2004

By 

Phil Trimble (Dekalb, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Will to Death (Audio CD)

TWTD is a deliberate change from the recent 'Shadows Collide with People'. After doing a high-production record, John wanted to not worry as much about perfection or the technical side of writing and just make music that he loved. It's totally apparent from the very first song. The emotion just oozes out of every single song. Once again, no fillers on this album. Guitar is great, vocals are great, and the sound quality is at that perfect place, where it doesn't sound over-produced but it is still really easy to listen to.

John really lets me voice out on this album. His voice is just plain amazing. And certain tracks isolate his voice on one side or speaker, so if you have good headphones like I do you can really hear just how great he is.

If you are a fan of any of JF's music, get this. You can't live without it. It really reminds me of his earlier stuff(minus the druggy screaming, but with all of that emotion). If you aren't a current fan, pick it up if you want to experience music, and not just listen to it. Great vocals, great guitar, great writing. Almost every single song sends a shiver up my spine. Fantastic CD, and I can't wait for the next one.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Brilliant Effort, June 22, 2004

By 

bart-q "dbq" (St. Louis) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Will to Death (Audio CD)

Frusciante and long-time collaborator Josh Klinghoffer bring back the raw feel of early Frusciante work on this album. While the songs are certainly more polished and refined than "Niandra La Des" or "Smile From the Streets", they seem to fit more along the lines of "To Record Only Water", being less produced than the songs on "Shadows".

As with all of John's albums, this one grows more pleasing with each play. The intricate little details can't be heard immediately - it takes a little time to appreciate their efforts. However, the payoff is worth it. There are some real gems on this album, and it's really good all the way through (for established John fans). The mood is dark, though, the lyrics don't always match that mood. Really, this album is fantastic.

Highlights for me: A Loop, The Days Have Turned, The Will To Death.

For those who are not familiar with Frusciante's solo work - check out "To Record Only Water For Ten Days" first. THEN, IF you enjoy that, buy this album. Also, try the Brown Bunny Soundtrack.

For Fru Fans - feel safe in investing in John's latest masterpiece. It's raw and beautiful. Can't wait for the next one.