This post was originally made offsite in February 2018.
Background
I’ve been a lifelong fan of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I wanted to go back and actually review one of their most lauded albums and one of my favorites of all time. This is their eighth album overall, their second album after John Frusciante rejoined the band, and one of their most successful.
Track by Track Thoughts
Even from the introduction to the introduction to the album, “By the Way” is great. I love how Flea’s bass and John Frusciante’s guitar go from working together to almost playing against each other. The lyrics, of course, make no sense. It’s a Red Hot Chili Peppers record, right? Anthony Kiedis is back rapping, but putting them at the beginning of the album might lead you to believe that they’re more prominent than they actually are throughout. That’s not a knock on the song itself but it’s an interesting choice for a lead single, title track, and album opener. Chad Smith alternates his drumming masterfully between restraint and wild jungle-y energy. There’s a nice buildup into the “heavy” sections of the song, and for a rock band the guitar plays so much less of a role than any listener would come to expect from the genre or the band. You’ll hear this a lot in this review but John comes through with amazing backing vocals, with tracks both in a high register and matching Kiedis’. The way they build with every iteration of the hook is really cool, and the timbre between the two singers is really nice on the ears. My only gripes are that the “bow wow wow” and vocal effects on the verses aren’t too great isolated, but even still they add to the feeling of the song. I also still wanna know what the hell he’s saying on the bridge even if it’s just gibberish.
“Universally Speaking” is relatively subdued, but since it follows the soft ending of “By the Way,” it feels a little bit more powerful. There’s almost a tension in the instrumentation which is really interesting to listen for. This is one of the tracks where you realize the interesting niche genius of Anthony’s vocals. It’s not technically proficient or amazing on its own but it all always just works so well with the music he’s over. The guitar tone on this song is really really good, I love it. One thing I don’t like though is the effect on the guitars in the pre-chorus; it’s mixed so badly as is the final hook on this track. The backing vocals, on the other hand, are so perfect. On the subject of Frusciante, this is a typical solo of his: it’s simple and it follows the bones of what’s there, nestling in so nicely the actual technicality is irrelevant. The song as a whole doesn’t exactly go anywhere musically, but it’s still nice.
“This Is the Place” is the first bass-led song of the album, with a really nice riff that unfortunately disappears in the mix after the intro. I’m not the biggest fan of the held notes in the vocals, it’s never been Anthony’s strong suit. A positive thing I can say about the production is that the chorus is mixed so well. The high end, low end, and mids are all represented really nicely and come through clearly. The backing vocals are great, naturally (seeing the pattern?). There’s a terrible transition between vocal takes around 1:22 in, it’s so distracting and takes you out of it if you’re listening intently. The synthesizer “woo-oo-ooo” is pleasant, but it sounds so similar to John’s voice that I wonder if it would have been better as a bit that he sang. The guitar tone on the chorus is so nice. I like how it bursts into the bridge without needing to be heavy. The vocal melody is so good they reused it for B-side “Rivers of Avalon.” The backing vocals are amazing. Sublime. The lyrics are powerful throughout this track and are a great microcosm how personal Anthony’s writing has gotten on this album. It doesn’t have a big ending or anything but it doesn’t need one.
The four-part guitar section on “Dosed” is absolutely beautiful. Flea actually contributed to some of the playing. It’s so hard to accomplish without the magic of a studio or a bunch of players that they didn’t actually play this song live for fifteen years; it took a new guitarist and a lot of loop pedaling to get it done. There’s delightful vocals on this thing from John and, more surprisingly, Anthony too. When that hook hits and John’s voice comes through so clearly it’s just awesome. The way they trade lines, the emotion, Anthony’s counterpoint harmony that’s low but audible in the mix, it’s just a perfect chorus. The little switch-ups on the last repetition and the transition into the bridge are really great too. The solo is, again, nothing special on paper, but with the beauty of the song as a whole and in particular the guitar work, any sort of flashiness would almost certainly detract from it all. One thing that’s often overlooked are Chad’s drums on the Chili Peppers’ studio recordings. They’re flawless every time. The tone, the way he creates and sits in the groove, the way he complements all three members of the band while laying down tracks that are so nice to focus on all on their own. It stuck out to me more than usual here. This is a perfect track as-is and that’s not easy, usually even less so when you break the five minute mark.
“Don’t Forget Me” is the second song where Flea’s bass leads the charge. I’ve always been a sucker for pretty bass chords and that’s this whole song. I’m not a fan of the echo on the vocals though, especially after the solo. The guitar is simple and nice. It manages to be organized and frenetic at the same time somehow, peaceful and chaotic at once. There’s a big explosion into the hook, with nice backing vocals from both Anthony and John that are infinitely more interesting than the main ones, but I suspect they wouldn’t be nearly as cool if they were the focal point. It’s a well-written piece. It’s fascinating how many errant vowel sounds Kiedis can cram into the word “alone.” This one has another simple solo, with some vocals mimicking it that build up behind the guitar and sound so cool. The bass builds too, getting louder and sounding cool as usual. The ending almost feels improvised, like one of their live jams. While I’m almost certainly sure it isn’t, it gives the song a cool resolution and a different feeling than others on here.
I love the electronic drum beat that plays throughout “The Zephyr Song,” just below the live drums. The riff is so cool, I swear I could listen to it on repeat all day. The backing vocals on the verses are just profoundly gorgeous. The bass adds to the low end without distracting or taking away from anything. It’s just filling the sound out and I’d bet that’s a Frusciante decision. The hi-hat work is excellent. I feel like the chorus could be improved but I’m not really sure how…maybe more interesting vocals? Maybe more guitar? I dunno. You tell me. The transition back into verses is awesome, and John just keeps coming with the vocals until we’re right back in the chorus. The ooh la las are so great. You could count the notes in the solo on your fingers but it’s a nice little eight bar change-up. There’s more great vocals on the bridge too. There’s a really, really annoying AutoTune hiccup three minutes in. The dreamy ending is the cherry on top of this song, I especially like how Anthony’s “forever” fades into John’s vocals until he’s the only one that’s left singing.
Next is “Can’t Stop.” (Side note: I’m using the Frusciante single/video mix because it’s the one I have and I respect myself too much to listen to Rick Rubin’s mix.) This song has such a fun riff and buildup to start it off. Anthony brings back the raps. The bass is so good, especially when it kicks in; it makes the song. Then you get the backing vocals, which are awesome and turn amazing in the second verse and perfect in the third. I kinda wish the chorus would evolve in the same sort of way that the verses do, but it’s still a good one. All the elements hit you at once and come together. You can pick out any one to focus on and you’ll feel how good it is. The hand claps in the rhythm section add to the general fun feeling of the song. The reggae-influenced breakdown is cool, I wish the drums would have let up here but it still works the way it is. The solo is, in my eyes, really just an excuse to let the bass get over, it’s just so many held notes you can relegate it to the back of your ears if that makes sense. You get to really appreciate what Flea’s doing. I wish Anthony’s energy would come down with the rest of the song, but as long as we don’t get a repeat of this, I guess I’ll take it.
“I Could Die for You” is a slower, chiller number. I find myself coming back to it less for some reason even though I enjoy it. There’s a little issue with the vocals again at thirty seconds, maybe another problem mixing different tracks. This overall just feels like a quick little mini-ballad. The vocals on the chorus, all the voices and notes complement so well. The best part of the entire song is John singing “how we are.” The swirly atmospheric effects could have been left out for sure. There’s really cool guitar ideas just sprinkled in, mostly at the end.
“Midnight” has some of my favorite strings in any song ever. They add so much all throughout. It’s a hard track not to sing along to, especially as John joins in on the pre-chorus. They’re easy notes to reach, too, but they sound good. And who doesn’t wanna be a “lotus kid”? It doesn’t really venture anywhere musically, but it builds so well and sounds so good that it’s another one you can’t tinker with. On Anthony’s end there’s some great multisyllabic rhymes, at least great on the ear. I can’t really speak to the quality of the lyrics themselves.
Right away on “Throw Away Your Television” you hear this cool bassline, and then the drums kick in, bringing this cool primal energy to the track. The guitar starts off just playing these little stabs and scratches for the most part; it’s another exercise in buildup. This is a very digital track for this stage in their career, lots of effects and glitchy sounds and effects. I can’t tell if there’s an effect on the vocals at some points or if it’s bad editing, but I’m not a fan either way. The solo here is so cool. On the surface it’s just this series of random notes, no connection to each other, all thrown at you so quickly with no breather, but it works together to create the resolution to all this craziness. It’s like the whole song is a vehicle for it and it works really well.
“Cabron.” What a cute, pretty song. All acoustic which is rare for the Chilis. It’s got this Spanish feel to it which makes perfect sense when you hear the lyrics and understand it’s from the perspective of a gang member trying to end this warfare between his gang and another. It’s so upbeat and happy but still trying to get that feeling across and it does it well. And using “cabrón” as the title and hook is a genius move. It’s something you’d call your best friend and your worst enemy. No matter how the subject’s message and efforts are received, it fits as his response to theirs. This is one of my favorites.
“Tear” is too long if not unnecessary. It could easily be cut down to three, three and a half minutes if it even had to make the album. There’s no reason for it to though when there’s so many great B-sides like “Fortune Faded,” “Havana Affair,” and even the instrumental “Slowly, Deeply.” The keyboard is nice but this is one that can’t afford to not go anywhere. It should evolve somehow. The song’s best feature, as is par for the course on this project, is the backing vocals on the chorus. The bass is kinda nice and the trumpet is better, so John and Flea’s contributions are the only reasons to really play this one.
“On Mercury” is an amazing song and it picks up the pace after “Tear.” That sound is really nice, from the…horn? Maybe something else. It’s definitely some sort of wind instrument and it’s reminiscent of a car horn, but not in a bad way. It’s such a fun song with the bass, the guitar, the drums (especially the hi-hats), and the great vocals from Anthony and John (but we all know who the MVP is at this point). The way they expand on the pre-chorus the second go-round is cool. The second chorus repetition having the dueling backing vocals is even cooler, but the third, wow. You get absolutely steamrolled by this sexy, lush wall of sound. Synths and some dreamy guitar and John’s voice, all playing together and separately and making something better than the sum of its parts. Beautiful.
You gotta love that bass sound on “Minor Thing.” This is another fun one, but less than the one that precedes it. There’s a pretty cool percussive vocal pattern and almost a Hendrix-like solo sound, although not as obvious as what we’ll see later in their discography on “Dani California.” The strings are nice here but they’re not so necessary. They don’t add enough to be warranted in my opinion.
The penultimate song, “Warm Tape,” is more chill than the previous two by far. The acoustic guitar is used so well on the chorus, and gives you almost a Western feel when combined with the electric guitar’s notes in the background and the voices of Anthony and John. It’s a really cool song. The synthesizer is a nice touch. The “settle for love” vocals at the end don’t sound too hot, though. It’s got its charm, but it feels like a cool down before the main event, which it is.
“Venice Queen” has a really beautiful and sort of subtly tense riff to start with. Nice and understated. The atmosphere is built so well. It reminds me a lot of the album Shadows Collide with People, which just reinforces to me that it’s a Frusciante production. Both singers do great here, the melody, the harmony, everything. The piano and acoustic guitar that’s peppered in sound so good.
Then you get to 2:40 and you get an entirely different song. It’s chiller and more exciting all at once. The acoustic guitar goes from afterthought to forefront, while the electric slides to the background just giving the track texture. We get another great new vocal melody and, at the “G-L-O-R-I-A” bit, a really cool new riff, ascending and descending all at once. John’s backing vocals take the forefront at times here to great effect. The emotions are palpable again on this song, but interestingly more so through John than Anthony, even though these lyrics are presumably only personal to Anthony. Maybe John’s drawing from something in his own past, or maybe he’s just that good. My educated guess is that it’s both. This is the longest song on the album and for good reason. It’s essentially a twofer and both are amazing.
Final Thoughts
There were hints on Californication, but the funk rock, the punkiness, the youth-gone-wild je ne sais quoi of old is all but gone with this incarnation of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. There’s not much rap on this release, there’s not much of that old funky energy. Maybe you get hints on songs like “Can’t Stop” or “On Mercury.” But don’t mistake that for a bad thing. You trade that off but you get a grown man energy on tracks like “Throw Away Your Television.” You get better songwriting like on “Venice Queen.” You get a wider range of emotion. It’s definitely an evolution for the better.
This is as close to a John Frusciante passion project as the Chili Peppers could ever put out and it shows in the energies, textures, and guitar work that they never truly replicated before or since. If you’re new to this new group and looking for a follow-up, I’d recommend their latest album The Getaway from 2016, or Frusciante’s aforementioned solo album Shadows Collide with People.
There’s definitely things that could have been executed better or tinkered with here, but overall you can’t hate on this. There’s so many perfect songs and parts of songs all throughout. To me this is an easy 9.5/10, but since I don’t do decimals on here for whatever reason, my final score is a 9/10.