mother's milk

The Red Hot Chili Peppers tasted the pain and showed the nature of their spirit with the funky flavors of this redemptive rebirth. Fairfax High School students Anthony Kiedis, Michael Balzary, Hillel Slovak, and Jack Irons started out as “Tony Flow and the Miraculously Majestic Masters of Mayhem”, a one-off splinter group from another band What Is This?. The performance was such a success that they were invited back and took on a new name: The Red Hot Chili Peppers. When both groups were simultaneously offered recording contracts, Slovak and Irons decided to stick with What Is This? while Kiedis and Balzary (AKA Flea) recruited Cliff Martinez and Jack Sherman to record their eponymous debut with Gang of Four guitarist Andy Gill producing. The band was at odds with Gill over the sound that they wanted to produce with the producer pushing them toward a more radio-friendly sound. Slovak returned for 'Freaky Styley', which was produced by George Clinton who brought in some serious funk to their sound. The heavy heroin use of the rest of the band led to drummer Martinez leaving and Irons coming back to reform their high school line up. They worked with producer Michael Beinhorn on 'The Uplift Mofo Party Plan'.


When Slovak died of a heroin overdose the next year, Irons quit the band. After much soul searching, Kiedis and Flea decided to continue what Slovak helped built and teamed up with Parliament-Funkadelic guitarist DeWayne "Blackbyrd" McKnight and Dead Kennedys drummer D. H. Peligro. McKnight would be replaced by teenage prodigy John Frusciante and Peligro by the more metal minded Chad Smith. A brief tour got them warmed up for the studio.


Kiedis considered: "When Hillel died, the attitude change in the band was enormous. I felt like a bit of my soul had been chiselled away. He was such a big part of my life, a close friend and an amazing guitar player, that it was really like someone cutting half of your heart out and telling you to carry on. It was very enlightening as well. Sad as it is, I learned so much from him dying. The whole life that we lead is a series of losses and gains. By losing Hillel I gained a greater respect for my own life and also for the relationship and love that I share with my friends...As a youth growing up taking a hit of acid can be instrumental in the way you're going to lead the rest of your life. But I reached the point where it no longer worked for me. So I made the change in my whole lifestyle, which was difficult after 12 years of getting high on something everyday. I think that the change has lent itself to a more extreme focus on what the whole band is aboutand my music. We feel the need to stick together, stay strong, and finish what we began all those years ago with this band."






'Mother's Milk' was recorded at Ocean Way Studios and Image Studios in Hollywood, California with producer and engineer Michael Beinhorn and credits Flea on bass guitar, trumpet, and backing vocals; Anthony Kiedis on lead vocals and art concept; John Frusciante on guitar and backing vocals; Chad Smith on drums and percussion; with Hillel Slovak on guitar and Jack Irons on drums on 'Fire'; and added contributions from Philip "Fish" Fisher on drums; Keith "Tree" Barry on tenor saxophone; Patrick English on trumpet; Lon on trombone; Dave Coleman on cello; Vicki Calhoun, Wag, Randy Ruff, Aklia Chinn, Jack Sherman, Joel Virgel Viergel, Iris Parker, Julie Ritter, Gretchen Seager, Laure Spinosa, Sir Babs, Merill Ward, Bruno Deron, and Kristen Vigard on backing vocals. Tension arose with Beinhorn over his drive to produce a hit single with a sound that was closer to metal than the funky punk the band was after.


Despite all of that, 'Mother's Milk' broke the band internationally, going to number sixty-nine in the Netherlands, fifty-two in the US, forty-seven in New Zealand, and thirty-three in Australia. The album has sold over a million copies.







Flea revealed at the time: "I had a baby last year and I've been drinking a lot of breast milk from my wife's tit. It's great, the most sweet, warm, and beautiful thing. To drink it straight from the breast of a woman that you love is a very righteous feeling. But the main concept of it is mother's milk is very good for you. It keeps you strong and makes you healthy and the harder you suck the more you get. And that's what our music is all about. We think that with the new record we've given people music to keep them strong and healthy. Basically, it's f-cking good for you. Liking mother's milk isn't bervy, it's the giving of all life. You start your lif on it, if you're lucky. As for our own lives, as a band I think we've changed - two new members for a start. But what I think has happened is we now put far more emphasis on the future. I've always been a very irresponsible person, not worrying what people think. I don't care about my money or my clothes or my body, but now I have a child and since Hillel died I place more emphasis on the importance of living every moment in the best possible way. I want to see my daughter, Chloe, grow up and rock out like a f-cking freaktopotamus. That's how things have changed and i think it's cool."












http://redhotchilipeppers.com/












Higher Ground






'Knock Me Down'






Taste The Pain







Good Time Boys

'Mother's Milk'

full album:

All songs written and composed by Red Hot Chili Peppers (Anthony Kiedis, John Frusciante, Flea, Chad Smith) except where noted. 

1. "Good Time Boys" (contains excerpts of "Bonin' in the Boneyard" by Fishbone, "Try" by Thelonious Monster and "White Girl" by X)  5:02

2. "Higher Ground"   Stevie Wonder 3:23

3. "Subway to Venus"     4:25

4. "Magic Johnson"     2:57

5. "Nobody Weird Like Me"     3:50

6. "Knock Me Down"     3:45

7. "Taste the Pain"   Kiedis, Frusciante, Flea, D.H. Peligro 4:32

8. "Stone Cold Bush"   Kiedis, Frusciante, Flea, Peligro 3:06

9. "Fire" (performed by Kiedis, Flea, Slovak, Irons) Jimi Hendrix 2:03

10. "Pretty Little Ditty"  Frusciante, Flea 3:07

11. "Punk Rock Classic"   1:47

12. "Sexy Mexican Maid"   Kiedis, Frusciante, Flea, Peligro 3:23

13. "Johnny, Kick a Hole in the Sky"     5:12

bonus tracks

14. "Song That Made Us What We Are Today" (Demo)   12:56

15. "Knock Me Down" (Original Long Version)   4:44

16. "Sexy Mexican Maid" (Original Long Version)   3:59

17. "Salute to Kareem" (Demo)   3:24

18. "Castles Made of Sand" (Live) Jimi Hendrix 3:19

19. "Crosstown Traffic" (Live) Jimi Hendrix 2:53

californication

The Red Hot Chili Peppers came through a rough road to the other side to find elation and their greatest success with the lonely view of this mirror for the sun.  The group had struggled after the departure of guitarist John Frusciante during the tour for their blockbuster 'Blood Sugar Sex Magik' album.  They finished the tour with Arik Marshall and then recorded 'One Hot Minute' with Dave Navarro; but the magic was gone.  Navarro was ousted due to his drug problems and the group was ready to call it quits.  Bassist Flea said he would only be able to continue if they could get Frusciante back in the fold.  He had been caught up in a haze of heroin that had left him destitute; but Flea convinced him to get into treatment, after which he was invited to rejoin the band.  Frusciante reveals:   "When I originally decided to become a drug addict, it was a clear decision,  I was very sad, and I was always happy when I was on drugs; therefore, I [thought I] should be on drugs all the time. I was never guilty—I was always really proud to be an addict ... It was too high, too far, too soon. Everything happened or better everything seemed to be happening at once and I just couldn't cope with it...I really don't know how it all happened. There wasn't a single incident where I could put my finger on it and say, 'This was it.' It was just hard for me to cope with it all. You've got to remember that I was an absolute RHCP fan. Their music meant everything to me, and all of a sudden I was a part of them. They called me 'Greenie' because I was the youngest, but that didn't do it. I don't know what did it. I probably tried to fit in, make experiences the others made in a long time in a short time ...   It is a second chance for all of us. There is a weird chemistry between us. The way I play guitar, it only works when Flea is the bassist, and Flea can only write songs the way he does when Anthony sings. In a way we're all co-dependent and we know it, but we also trust each other."

Flea asserts:    "It's pretty simple. The old magic is back. Everything is possible and that's a great feeling. We've grown as people and musicians. So, the music is different. It's a different time, but it's still great, even better than it was...We're jamming and that works really well. We don't talk much about songs or how songs should be constructed. We just start to play and see what happens, how they develop. We improvise a lot. We find a groove. We experiment and somehow it turns into music. With Dave (Navarro), it wasn't possible to work like this. With him it was more like a long thought process, endless discussions and it took a long time. We talked about what riff should be played and all that. With John it's completely different. We just play. I don't mean to dis Dave in any way. He is a great person and he's a great guitarist, but the way we work is just different. You never know why it happens with some people and not with others. It's pointless. It's like asking why you fall in love. There is no real reason, nothing that can be explained or that would make sense."

Chad Smith says:   "We also found out that we work a lot better if we know what we want before we enter the studio. It took us only three weeks to record the album."  The sessions for 'Californication' took place at Cello Studios in Los Angeles, California with producer Rick Rubin and featured Anthony Kiedis on lead vocals;  Flea on bass and backing vocals;  John Frusciante on lead guitar, backing vocals, and keyboard;  and Chad Smith  on drums; with  Greg Kurstin on keyboards and Patrick Warren playing the Chamberlin organ on "Road Trippin'".  

Kiedis says the band's funk punk sound has always been spontaneous:   “Nothing’s ever been conscious, especially not at that point, because we were pretty high most of the time. Even now, when we get together, there’s never a discussion of what we’re doing. We just close our eyes and start playing...[On 'Californication'] there’s loss, but also joy and love and that little burst of euphoria when the whole world makes sense for about 30 seconds...I’m good at losing.  It’s one of my specialties...I feel like a new band.  When we get together to rehearse, we could write music together all day long—good music.”

'Californication' brought the Chili Peppers back on top all over the world.  The album went to twenty-two in Poland; seven in Belgium; six in Japan; four in Ireland; three in the US; two in Austria, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland, and the UK;  and number one in Australia, Finland, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, and Sweden.  It has sold over fifteen million copies worldwide and been certified platinum in fifteen countries.







http://redhotchilipeppers.com/








'Scar Tissue' became one of their biggest hits, spending sixteen weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart, and ten weeks atop the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.  It went to number nine on the US Billboard Hot 100, number five in the UK, four in Canada, three in New Zealand, and number one on the Canadian alternative chart.  The song won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Song.  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzJj5-lubeM



'Around the World'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9eNQZbjpJk



'Otherside'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rn_YodiJO6k



'Californication'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlUKcNNmywk



'Parallel Universe'




'Road Trippin''
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11GYvfYjyV0










'Californication'
full album:



1. "Around the World" 0:00
2. "Parallel Universe" 3:56 
3. "Scar Tissue" 8:26 
4. "Otherside" 12:02
5. "Get on Top" 16:17 
6. "Californication" 19:35 
7. "Easily" 24:53 
8. "Porcelain" 28:50 
9. "Emit Remmus" 31:35 
10. "I Like Dirt" 35:34 
11. "This Velvet Glove" 38:12 
12. "Savior" 41:59 
13. "Purple Stain" 46:50 
14. "Right on Time" 51:04 
15. "Road Trippin'" 52:56

by the way

The Red Hot Chili Peppers diversified their sound even further with the mature reflections of Frusciante's heavy glow. 'By the Way' was composed primarily by lead singer Anthony Kiedis and guitarist John Frusciante in the aftermath of their traumatic tour for 'Californication'.  Frusciante took control of the musical direction of the new album: "I spent a lot of time after the last tour furthering my understanding of chord theory and learning Beatles and Charles Mingus and Burt Bacharach songs. But I’ve got a lot more to learn...It just leads to making music with a wider variety of emotion. It makes me see even more how infinite music is."

Keidis recalls:   "We started finding some magic and some music and some riffs and some rhythms and some jams and some grooves, and we added to it and subtracted from it and pushed it around and put melodies to it."

Bassist Flea confesses:   "John went to this whole level of artistry. But he made me feel like I had nothing to offer, like I knew shit."

Producer Rick Rubin says:  “John being back makes a huge difference. He’s brimming with ideas, and he lives and breathes music more than anyone I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Frusciante had quit the band after the huge success of 'Blood Sugar Sex Magic'; and, after the band soldiered on with Dave Navarro for 'One Hot Minute', they sought out Frusciante to keep the band from breaking up.

Kiedis recalls: “All that resentment just evaporated instantly.  It’s like a boyfriend-girlfriend thing. Sometimes you’re so fucking hurt by somebody that you won’t allow yourself to be friends with them. It doesn’t mean that deep down you don’t love them. But, you know, ego. Ego and mind games."

Drummer Chad Smith admits: “New Agey as it sounds, I think we were put on this planet to make this special, magical music. When he came back we realised that. We don’t take it for granted now.”

Kiedis and Frusciante worked out most of the basic tracks at Chateau Marmont.  Kiedis says: "writing 'By the Way'...was a whole different experience from 'Californication'. John was back to himself and brimming with confidence."

John considers:  "Like 'Californiation', writing 'By The Way' has been one of the happiest times in my life.  It’s been a chance to just keep on writing better songs and improving my guitar playing...I did have a few guitarists who I was intent of emulating and who were big influences on my sound on By The Way, like Vini Reilly from the Durutti Column. The main thing about his guitar playing is that it’s really textural. There’s lots of really interesting chords and shapes and you can’t really tell what’s going on. It’s a combination of his Les Paul plus some echo, flanger, chorus and phaser and not using distortion. You can’t tell what you’re hearing. I have to really sit down and listen carefully to find out what’s going on. He’s just a great guitar player, full stop. I wanted to listen to these people who weren’t just about technique but more about textures. People like Johnny Marr, John McGeoch and Andy Partridge. People who used good chords... But I also noticed that the people I was really focusing on 'Califonication' had a bigger effect on my playing on this album. Matthew Ashman from Bow Wow Wow and Bernard Sumner from Joy Division and New Order: I noticed their influence on me this time too. Again, it’s a matter of texture over technique, and their influences are evident on tracks like 'Dosed' and 'Midnight'... Melodically, I’m far more influenced by Kraftwerk records than by guitarists’ solos. I’m really trying to get away from playing flashy stuff, and concentrating on not playing solos at all. There’s something about soloing that makes me feel like it’s almost irresponsible. I remember when I hadn’t played guitar in five years, I could pick up a guitar anytime any play that kind of flashy stuff, and I hadn’t been practising at all. But there was no feeling there...I’m having a lot of fun at the moment. It’s good knowing that you’re looking at the guitar in ways that it’s not been looked at before.  I really try to think in terms of what would be an interesting way for my playing to get better. And how to get my playing in a style rather than directly copying a player."

Flea says the album is a reflection of Los Angeles: “The soul of this city is a huge part of who we are, and I think the soul of this city is an old and beautiful thing...The fact that people can stay sincere and have joy in their lives in the face of phoniness or economic elitism is a testament to the spirit of Los Angeles. Whether it be street kids from broken homes like me and Anthony, or victims of huge racism like the black community, or the Mexican community, crawling across the border just to survive. There are pockets where all these people come together and live in a creative and vibrant atmosphere, and that’s the Los Angeles I love...The thing that survives has to be really beautiful, and have a really substantial core to it. And it has to be determined to stick to its guns and do what it’s gonna do.”


'By the Way' sold over thirteen million copies worldwide; going to number two in Argentina, Belgium, France, Portugal, Spain, and the US; and number one in Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK. 

http://redhotchilipeppers.com/

 

The single for the title track 'By the Way' went to number thirty-four in the US, twenty-nine in France, six in Australia, two in the UK, and number one on the US modern rock and mainstream rock charts.  

Standing in line to see the show tonight
And there's a light on, heavy glow
By the way, I tried to say, I'd be there
Waiting for
Dani, the girl is singing songs to me
Beneath the marquee of her soul
By the way, I tried to say, I'd be there
Waiting for

'The Zephyr Song' went to ninety in France, forty-nine in the US, twenty-one in Australia, eleven in the UK, and number six on the US modern rock chart. 

Fly away on my zephyr
I feel it more then ever
And in this perfect weather
Well find a place together
In the water where the scent of my emotion
All the world will pass me by
Fly away on my zephyr
Well find a place together

'Can't Stop' hit sixty-eight in France, fifty-seven in the US,   thirty-eight in Australia, twenty-two in the UK,  and number one on the US modern rock chart. 

The world I love
The tears I drop
To be part of
The wave can't stop
Ever wonder if it's all for you
The world I love
The trains I hop
To be part of
The wave can't stop
Come and tell me when it's time to

'Dosed' went to number thirteen 0n the US modern rock chart.

I got dosed by you and
Closer than most to you and
What am I supposed to do
Take it away I never had it anyway
Take it away and everything will be okay
Way upon the mountain where she died
All I ever wanted was your life
Deep inside the canyon I can't hide
All I ever wanted was your life

'Universally Speaking' hit number twenty-seven in the UK.

Come on, baby, 'cause there's no name for
Give it up and i got what i came for
Universally speaking
I take it back and you make me nervous
Nothing better than love and service
Universally speaking
I win in the long run
Silveretta the jets of a lifetime
Go and get her,
I got her on my mind
Nothing better, the feeling is so fine
Simply put, i saw your love stream flow

'By the Way' 
full album:





1. "By the Way" 0:00
2. "Universally Speaking" 3:37
3. "This Is the Place" 7:57
4. "Dosed" 12:14
5. "Don't Forget Me" 17:26
6. "The Zephyr Song" 22:04
7. "Can't Stop" 25:57
8. "I Could Die for You" 30:26
9. "Midnight" 33:39
10. "Throw Away Your Television" 38:34
11. "Cabron" 42:19
12. "Tear" 45:57
13. "On Mercury" 51:14
14. "Minor Thing" 54:42
15. "Warm Tape" 58:20
16. "Venice Queen" 1:02:37



B-Sides

blood sugar sex magik

These funky monks made a dramatic leap forward musically and hit the big time with this sprawling magnum opus. In the midst of moving from EMI to Sony Records, the band was wooed by Mo Ostin of Warner Brothers Records. They decided to work with producer Rick Rubin, who invited the band to record at his mansion in Laurel Canyon. Recording equipment was brought in and everyone in the band moved into the house. Because he thought the house was haunted, drummer Chad Smith would not stay and rode his motorcycle there every day during the more than a month that the band spent there making the tracks that would become 'Blood Sugar Sex Magik'. John Frusciante thought the ghosts were friendly and took inspiration from the setting, holing up in his room writing and recording. Anthony Kiedis recorded all of his vocals in his room, with plenty of time to finish his lyrics. Even Flea was able to calm down: "I was trying to play simply on 'Blood Sugar Sex Magik' because I had been playing too much prior to that, so I thought, 'I've really got to chill out and play half as many notes'. When you play less, it's more exciting—there's more room for everything. If I do play something busy, it stands out, instead of the bass being a constant onslaught of notes. Space is good." The cleaner production allowed the band to focus and diversify their sound to include simpler, more melodic bass lines; more emotional lyrics; and beautiful acoustic pieces. Peaking at number three in the US and number one in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, the album has sold over fifteen million copies worldwide.







http://redhotchilipeppers.com/

'Under the Bridge' was an international top five smash. Kiedis didn't think his dark lyrics about drug addiction and despair were right for the band; but Rubin convinced him to share them. Frusciante came up with the music to balance the lyrics: "My brain interpreted it as being a really sad song so I thought if the lyrics are really sad like that I should write some chords that are happier."

"Under the bridge downtown

Is where I drew some blood

Under the bridge downtown

I could not get enough

Under the bridge downtown

Forgot about my love

Under the bridge downtown

I gave my life away"

'Breaking the Girl' peaked at number twelve in New Zealand and number fifteen on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. Keidis lyrics reflect his misgivings over his many romantic partners: "As exciting and temporarily fulfilling as this constant influx of interesting and beautiful girls can be, at the end of the day, that shit is lonely and you're left with nothing."

"I am a man

Cut from the know

Rarely do friends

Come and then go

She was a girl

Soft but estranged

We were the two

Our lives rearranged"

'Give It Away' hit number nine in the UK and number one on the US alternative chart. The music came from a jam session with Frusciante and Flea. Keidis says the lyrics about valueless materialism were inspired by his former girlfriend Nina Hagen.

"Greedy little people in a sea of distress

Keep your more to receive your less

Unimpressed by material excess

Love is free love me say hell yes"

'Suck My Kiss' was a top ten hit in Australia and New Zealand. Kiedis says the song is about a kid at school who bragged about getting oral sex.

"Look at me can't you see

All I really want to be

Is free from a world

That hurts me

I need relief"

Keidis wrote 'I Could Have Lied' about his love affair with Sinéad O'Connor.

"There must be something

In the way I feel

That she don't want me to feel

The stare she bares cut me

I don't care

You see so what if I bleed"

'Blood Sugar Sex Magik'
full album:




All songs written by Red Hot Chili Peppers, except where noted.


1. "The Power of Equality"   4:03
2. "If You Have to Ask"   3:37
3. "Breaking the Girl"   4:55
4. "Funky Monks"   5:23
5. "Suck My Kiss"   3:37
6. "I Could Have Lied"   4:04
7. "Mellowship Slinky in B Major"   4:00
8. "The Righteous & the Wicked"   4:08
9. "Give It Away"   4:43
10. "Blood Sugar Sex Magik"   4:31
11. "Under the Bridge"   4:24
12. "Naked in the Rain"   4:26
13. "Apache Rose Peacock"   4:42
14. "The Greeting Song"   3:13
15. "My Lovely Man"   4:39
16. "Sir Psycho Sexy"   8:17
17. "They're Red Hot" (Robert Johnson) 1:12