My definitive lineup:Michael "Flea" Balzary - Bass
Anthony Kiedis - Vocals
Chad Smith - Drums
John Frusciante - Guitar and backing vocals
Along with Metallica and The Offspring, Red Hot Chili Peppers remain one of the few bands I listened to as a kid some 15 years ago, and still do.
Though I had known and listened to them to some extent as a kid, I really found them with their 1999 album Californication - an album that is definitely one of the oldest in my CD shelf.
The stuff the band has done after Californication are somewhat familiar to me, unlike their earlier works. For a long time all I knew about the band was Californication and the handful of their most known singles before that. Only recently I have familiarized myself with their older works.
What really got me when I really started digging the band was the intensive groove delivered with powerful and soulful vocals - of both Anthony Kiedis and John Frusciante. Soon after I found the awesomeness of both Flea's bass lines and Frusciante's guitar work. Nowadays I even consider John Frusciante to be one of the most underappreciated guitarists of our time. He really doesn't show off in the album versions, but after having browsed through the RHCP videos on Youtube, it has dawned to me that this guy really is both pretty versatile and able. But I guess I really don't need to talk much about Flea - the man that is hailed as one of the best rock bassists ever. And I guess I agree.
The way I see the band is as the godfathers of funky alternative rock, and in most cases, that's really what the band is good at - pounding away alternative rock in heavily funky fashion. However, especially during the latter Frusciante era, the band showcased their strength in regular alternative rock, of which most of the funk was stripped away. To me, it has proven that this band isn't a one-gimmick group - they really are good at what they do, whatever they do.
In my head I have divided Peppers's works into three different eras, although I guess five would make more sense. My division is:
a) The early era, from the eponymous debut always to the 1991 Blood Sugar Sex Magik - a fierce blend of funk, punk and alternative.
b) The middle phase, including only One Hot Minute. This album showcased more heavy metal and hard rock elements than any other album, probably due to the new guitarist, Dave Navarro, of Jane's Addiction fame.
c) The alternative era, Californication onwards. The band's sound calmed down and shifted towards more melodic alternative rock sound. During this time John Frusciante's backing vocals - somehow reminiscent of 60's hippie music - became a prominent element to their music, and though leaving most of the funk behind, some of it was retained in some songs.
Some people would probably divide the early era further into the earlier Hillel Slovak and latter John Frusciante era, but I have listened so little to the early stuff, I really can't make any difference between them - yet. Also I'm awaiting to see if the alternative era should be further divided into Frusciante and post-Frusciante era. We shall see.
***
My top-10 list of songs that are worth checking out:
Aereoplane
Around the World
Blood Sugar Sex Magik
By the Way
Californication
Otherside
Scar Tissue
Snow (Hey Oh)
Stadium Arcadium
Under the Bridge
***
Reviewed albums:
One Hot Minute (1995) - 74/100
Though I had known and listened to them to some extent as a kid, I really found them with their 1999 album Californication - an album that is definitely one of the oldest in my CD shelf.
The stuff the band has done after Californication are somewhat familiar to me, unlike their earlier works. For a long time all I knew about the band was Californication and the handful of their most known singles before that. Only recently I have familiarized myself with their older works.
What really got me when I really started digging the band was the intensive groove delivered with powerful and soulful vocals - of both Anthony Kiedis and John Frusciante. Soon after I found the awesomeness of both Flea's bass lines and Frusciante's guitar work. Nowadays I even consider John Frusciante to be one of the most underappreciated guitarists of our time. He really doesn't show off in the album versions, but after having browsed through the RHCP videos on Youtube, it has dawned to me that this guy really is both pretty versatile and able. But I guess I really don't need to talk much about Flea - the man that is hailed as one of the best rock bassists ever. And I guess I agree.
The way I see the band is as the godfathers of funky alternative rock, and in most cases, that's really what the band is good at - pounding away alternative rock in heavily funky fashion. However, especially during the latter Frusciante era, the band showcased their strength in regular alternative rock, of which most of the funk was stripped away. To me, it has proven that this band isn't a one-gimmick group - they really are good at what they do, whatever they do.
In my head I have divided Peppers's works into three different eras, although I guess five would make more sense. My division is:
a) The early era, from the eponymous debut always to the 1991 Blood Sugar Sex Magik - a fierce blend of funk, punk and alternative.
b) The middle phase, including only One Hot Minute. This album showcased more heavy metal and hard rock elements than any other album, probably due to the new guitarist, Dave Navarro, of Jane's Addiction fame.
c) The alternative era, Californication onwards. The band's sound calmed down and shifted towards more melodic alternative rock sound. During this time John Frusciante's backing vocals - somehow reminiscent of 60's hippie music - became a prominent element to their music, and though leaving most of the funk behind, some of it was retained in some songs.
Some people would probably divide the early era further into the earlier Hillel Slovak and latter John Frusciante era, but I have listened so little to the early stuff, I really can't make any difference between them - yet. Also I'm awaiting to see if the alternative era should be further divided into Frusciante and post-Frusciante era. We shall see.
***
My top-10 list of songs that are worth checking out:
Aereoplane
Around the World
Blood Sugar Sex Magik
By the Way
Californication
Otherside
Scar Tissue
Snow (Hey Oh)
Stadium Arcadium
Under the Bridge
***
Reviewed albums:
One Hot Minute (1995) - 74/100
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