New Chili Peppers album gets panned.

[pica]

The following quotes were taken from the music column in the Detroit Free Press:

"The Red Hot Chili Peppers have one of the finest rhythm sections in rock, but even the band's fabulous bass guitarist and drummer can't save the day on "I'm With You".

"To often painted into a corner stylistically, the Peppers only occasionally break out of a generic, funk-rock mold to create anything memorable on the group's first album since 2006's Stadium Arcadium."

Once again these are not my quotes so don't start flooding my inbox with hatemail.

[MonkeyBass]

I'm probably the only one that thinks this here on Talk Bass... but, well here goes...

I don't think RHCP have made a good album since Blood Sugar Sex Magic.

Don't hate me. It's just my opinion.

[bassike]

Originally Posted by MonkeyBass

I'm probably the only one that thinks this here on Talk Bass... but, well here goes...

I don't think RHCP have made a good album since Blood Sugar Sex Magic.

Don't hate me. It's just my opinion.

I don't think you are the only one.

I like a few songs of the other albums after B.S.S.M.

but that is that

[eyeballkid]

havent made it thru an album since Mothers Milk.

[BKBassDude]

Originally Posted by MonkeyBass

I'm probably the only one that thinks this here on Talk Bass... but, well here goes...

I don't think RHCP have made a good album

Don't hate me. It's just my opinion.

Fixed.

They generally have a few good tunes, but I've never heard an entire album by them that didn't have a few stinkers, with the bad to good ratio increasing since the 90's heyday.

I also think they would benefit from someone who was both a better vocalist and lyricist than Keidis.

[metallicafan18]

I for one love the new album. To each his own I guess.

[echoSE7EN]

It's pretty...meh. There are a few moments where my ears perked up. Look Around has a nice bouncy energy to it, though it sounds like a tune from the Californication record. Ethiopia isn't a terrible track, but again doesn't feel new. Goodbye Hooray is straight off Stadium Arcadium, but Josh isn't as aggressive as John. Which leads me to....

John is, to me, the deciding factor in much of the RHCP's pop/rock life cycle. Pre-John, you get some idiosyncratic music. It was cool, but really lacked for a sense of "purpose" when thinking in the framework of a song.

Mother's Milk gave John a platform, and still featured the energy of previous albums. However, BSSM is where the John/Flea song mechanic really shines. Those two writing together is what I think of (and probably the majority of listeners think of) when you want to hear a RHCP "hit". Whenever John has left...they just don't do it for me. Josh isn't bad, but I really miss the melodic weaving that John and Flea can do so well. Also, although I've only given the complete album a listening twice --- I can't think of a single tune that features a solo by Josh. When John ripped...he grabbed attention.

Sure, Josh is new...maybe he's feeling his way around...BUT...he's not only played with the Peppers in the past (live situations), but he and John have actually recorded and released music together. If John isn't there...I don't want a "John Clone"...but I do want an interesting guitarist to add something besides mixed-down-static-noise-and-the-too-seldom-lick-or-melody. JMHO.

[HeadyVan Halen]

"Red Hot Chili Peppers have won seven Grammy Awards. The band has sold over 55 million albums worldwide, has had eight singles in the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 (including three singles in the Top 10), five number one singles on the Mainstream Rock charts, and holds a record of eleven number one singles on the Modern Rock charts". (from wikipedia)


I think they've done ok.
Still able to sell records but not sell out...(well, By The Way, was not a total sell out, it was on sale though..)

[SoonerMatt]

Giving it a listen right now (I love this headphones okay at work rule ). So far I cannot say I'm impressed. I've been let down with everything after BSSM and I'm With You has made it very apparent that they aren't going back to the "good old days." To quote the internet, I am disappoint.

*EDIT*

After making it all the way through I give it a 2/10 and will go so far to call it their worst album to date.

[Marial]

Originally Posted by eyeballkid

havent made it thru an album since Mothers Milk.

Purty much.

[Swampman Cory]

I haven't listened to the album, but since we're talking about the Chili Peppers...

I was talking to a friend once and asked if he liked these guys. His answer was something to the effect of 'Not really. Some of their old funk stuff is interesting, but other than that it's just plain alternative rock and I don't care for it.'

I said 'That's funny because I don't like their old funk stuff but I love their plain alternative rock.'

[Bromosapian]

Originally Posted by eyeballkid

havent made it thru an album since Mothers Milk.

Mothers milk is probably the worst album that frusciante played on. It just sounds wrong in parts, even frusciante didn't like it in retrospect because of the way the producer was pushing him towards crapmetal riffs.

I'm with you is good if you come into it with an open mind. The guitar is nice and fairly subtle at times, the bass is solid, no stupid fast slap BS. It is good rock music.

[jbybj]

For me, "Scar tissue", the single most annoying, horrific, whiney, POS, that has ever been unleashed on the world, is SOOO bad, that it cancels out every good thing they may have done, ever, in the past or future.

I'm like a pavlovian dog, just a couple of notes of any RHCP song, and I'm reaching for my dial.

[faviobarrio]

Originally Posted by MonkeyBass

I'm probably the only one that thinks this here on Talk Bass... but, well here goes...

I don't think RHCP have made a good album since Blood Sugar Sex Magic.

Don't hate me. It's just my opinion.

I'm with you...I've been listening to RHCP since the 80's. Hard to believe the're around close to 30 years. I do like several songs after Blood Sugar Sex Magik but I think that's where they peaked.

Though I haven't listened to the new one yet...and I couldn't really get through Stadium and barely could listen to Hot Minute (? is that what it's called)

[Bromosapian]

I really don't get a lot of the incredibly strong reactions people have to some of their lower points. Stuff like scar tissue isn't really my style, but I don't absolutely hate it. Its just sort of there.

And the most annoying thing that has been unleashed on the world? Really? God knows crappy kid pop songs don't exist.

[UnfortunateTony]

Heard several of their new songs on teh radio and was really disappointed. To this day I love the album Mother's Milk and those that came before it, but their songs are all so generic and mainstream now that they've basically become the antithesis of what they were originally.

Oh, and Anthony Kiedis is the single worst vocalist/lyricist/frontman of all time.

[Floridabwoy]

I have to defend here. I thought Californication was an amazing album for them. They matured in their worldview and song writing. I encourage you to give it a re-evaluation and focus on Anthony's lyrics.

You cant write songs in an 18 year old angst forever like BSSM & MM. Can you imagine what kind of watered down crap Nirvana would be putting out if Kurt were still alive.

That being said. Yes, the new album is horrible.

[lowendgenerator]

Wait....RHCP put out a new album? If I, a man with his finger on the pulse of rock, had no idea you put out an album, you're not trying hard enough.

Agreed that the last GREAT album was Blood Sugar Sex Magik. Everything else has just been eye-rolling radio pander.

[agreatheight]

Let's face it, Anthony is the problem. I understand the band wanted to mellow out with age, but the biggest problem the CPs have, in my humble not-sold-a-bazillion-records-like-rchp-so-take-this-with-an-enormous-grain-of-salt is Keidis' jokey, rappy, rhymey lyrics and obvious, often tuneless melodies worked well enough when the energy and music were the focus of the tunes, but now that those elements have stepped back we are just left with crap. Trying reading his lyrics as a poem - I dare you. Or trying singing one of these tunes and then segue into another one. Often, you will find your self singing the same song.

[tdub0199]

B.S.S.M. was the last album that caught my attention for more than a couple of seconds.......