Two old bastards reassess the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Blood Sugar Sex Magik"

Thanks for writing that kick ass review Mr Dave. I was actually a little surprised that you were so enthusiastic about the album because I was under the impression that you felt the same way about it that I do. Nevertheless it was great to read and works as a great counterbalance to mine.

One particular comment of yours stood out for me:


I think you've just hit upon my number one complaint about Blood Sugar Sex Magik: Frusciante. If you read up about the recording sessions for Mother's Milk, you hear a lot about how unhappy Frusciante is with the guitar style on that album because the producer kept forcing him to play heavier. You know what? The producer was right. He played so much better on a tighter leash and the second he had more freedom he started in with this cheeseball classic rock stuff that seems to be a driving force behind much of BSSM. It's weird, I remember reading an interview with Flea when One Hot Minute came out about how Dave Navarro had such a big influence on their sound on that album because he brought in a bunch of classic rock influence that until then they had thought of as super-cheesy, but really it seems like it was Frusciante who did that.


Since a couple people seemed so shocked that I'd describe "The Righteous and the Wicked" as filler I figure I'll address your comments about it specifically. So this listen was the first time you noticed its similarity to "Mellowship Slinky in B Major"? That's kind of surprising to me because it was the first thing that jumped out at me when I listened to it. And I have to disagree with your description of it as a non-jam tune. I have no idea what the writing process what like for the song but it sounRAB very much like a half-assed jam to me. That, in a nutshell, is what I don't like about it. Can someone explain to me what exactly it is that they like about this song? Because when I listen to it I hear a weak performance from everyone, and I find Chad Smith's drumming especially bland.
 
I've had been meaning to hear this album for a long time. This is supposed to be the RHCP album to own.

As for the later stuff, I still think By the Way has it's strong points, and Stadium Arcadium isn't terrible, but not great either. It's too long and gets rather boring through a good portion of it. I agree with jackhammer that the Rick Rubin produced stuff can be pretty bland.

The older, pre-BSSM stuff sounRAB interesting, but I've never really gave it a real listen though. It seemed like they did have more of a sense of humor back then. That could be very good or very bad, depending. I'll probably give BSSM my own fair shake eventually. I did enjoy the review though.
 
the stooges cover is by the numbers.

sikamikaniko is in the same vein as 'the greeting song'

fela's c0ck is a fela kuti cover. i vaguely remember it and didn't think it was that great when i had downloaded it back when napster was new, quite different from their regular stuff.

like rezz said, they're all worth checking out. as i said in my own re-assessment 2 of those b-sides should have been on the album hehe. :p:
 
Yeah, I played 'Sikamikanico' the other day and I immediately thought of Janszoon and this thread. It is one of my favorites from this recording session... :thumb:
 
I don't understand your criticism of Frusciante on this album. You say his style is over-the-top and it sounRAB like classic rock, yet his only classic rock influence is Hendrix (at this time) and his sound is more melodic and subdued than your preferred album, Mother's Milk. On BSSM his focus is his high-end interplay with Flea's bass and a few somewhat forced guitar solos, while on Mother's Milk it was heavy and riff laden. His playing is far more overbearing on Mother's Milk.

'If You Have to Ask' and 'Funky Monks' bring plenty of funk to the table, even if they are at a somewhat slower pace. They were nearly 30 years old by this point after all. If Kiedis and Flea are what attract you to the band then I see no reason why you shouldn't like those tracks.

We have talked about 'Breaking the Girl' plenty before and you know how I feel about that one (I agree with you and it should have been replaced by 'Soul to Squeeze' at the very least).

'Suck My Kiss' is a classic and most certainly would stand out on any of their previous releases, just as it did here. It would have fit in great on Uplift Mofo. I especially like Chad Smith's playing on that song.

I think 'I Could Have Lied' is alright and love the guitar solos. Sure, it is too slow and prodding but I see nothing wrong with Frusciante getting more attention in a song. Lord knows Flea gets his share.

'Mellowship Slinky in B Major' is one of my favorites and just has such an awesome groove. Kiedis's "singing" on that song is indeed a little grating.

'Righteous and the Wicked' is far from filler and like just about every other song on the CD, Frusciante and Flea jam so well together.

Agreed on 'Give It Away' and 'Blood Sugar Sex Magik'.

As overplayed as it is, I still agree with this statement (whether it was sarcasm or not):



Then you have four songs in a row that I honestly can never remember the sequence, but they are all fine songs. Frusciante is great on 'The Greeting Song'.

What song doesn't have a great Flea bass line? And how is Frusciante's playing anything but perfectly complimenting Flea? Sure, Kiedis decides he can sing on this album (which sucks) and there is a little too much sappy guitar soloing along with a crappy ballad, but Chad Smith is grooving along and the two guitars are at near perfection.

I don't know if you ever had a chance to hear the b-sides so here is my favorite:

[YOUTUBE]gBL5XPu1zyE[/YOUTUBE]
 
under the bridge is a good song. everybody knows it is a good song. anybody who denies the incontrovertible fact that it is a good song is a liar who ought to be banned from listening to music for all eternity.
 
I enjoy I Could Have Lied. Basically don't listen to the album for the vocals, because as you pointed out there far from exceptional. The guitar though in this song, especially the slow solo is quite relaxing and not often replicated by other guitarists.

Secondly I have to fully disagree with your review of the Sir Psycho Sexy outro. The 2-3 minute outro in my eyes is plain pretty, why not end a song with it? Not to mention the chord progression is quite pleasant.
 
with all the recent BSSM talk i'm thinking i might have to copycat this whole thing. right off the bat i think 'righteous and the wicked' is a standout as opposed to filler :p:

while i've heard individual songs here and there over the years i don't remember the last time i sat and listened to the album from start to finish.
 
I think you and I just have very different perspectives on what constitutes overbearing guitar. "More melodic and subdued" is exactly what I don't like about Frusciante's playing on BSSM and why I find it very classic rock-ish and wanky. His playing on Mother's Milk is far from my favorite thing about the album but I certainly prefer the heavy, more high-energy style to what he was doing on BSSM.


You realize I'm 33, right? :laughing:
 
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