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Your thoughts on RHCP's " Californication"

#41
Everything post BSSM doesn't really do much for me. I like a lot of their earlier stuff, but Dave Navarro didn't work and not much else has since his departure either. I think they still have good songs, but nothing blows me away anymore.

I really like a lot of John Fruciante's solo albums, though. To Record Only Water For 10 Days is just wonderful, as is Niadre Lades/Usually Just A T-Shirt.
 
#50
Alan Vorse said:
And I actually liked One Hot Minute.:hiding:
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One Hot Minute may be my favorite Chilis album right now...
not to mention the bass playing is phenominal.

anyway, i was hoping they would have released a remastered version of Cali by now. Speaking of that, ive got an mp3 of a version of Around the World that some guy remastered on a forum I used to belong to. id upload it, but im not sure how.
 
#51
Easily is easily my favourite :D

I really like this album. Not genial, but quite fun with some beautiful moments. Scar Tissue has such a tasty, sincere sweetness. Roadin Trip is a great way to close the album.

Throw me to the wolves because there is order in the pack...i dont know why but i really love this line.
 
#52
"Nobody Weird Like Me" - On the back side of the tape "single" with Soul to Squeeze"... I used to listen to that until it warped. I warped the TAPE! I was about 11 years old and remember seeing them play that live while i listened to the tape...

Then I actually got to see them... post Californication.

I loved the show, because I say my favorite band, but the t-shirt spinning during give it away... the contrived energy... the typical John moves, the Keidis glove.... all that stuff was just... energyless.



Good news is they're playing it now!

So the OP's question... I like the album, but LOVE BSSM, and LOVE OHM... and no :hiding:! As bassists how can you guys not love the album Flea wrote?! "Falling into grace with you"... There's also "out in L.A." which is a cool CD to have.."Pea" off OHM, "I could have lied" off BSSM...

RHCP has always written with a genuine reflection of self. I do feel that the stage presence is contrived in recent years, and that the most recent album is a reflection of a disconnect from their original sense of self as a unit... but you have to admit that their lives are reflected in the music. The story of RHCP can be told through their albums, and you can't say that for 99% of bands out there.
 
#53
I suppose I'm not surprised to see One Hot Minute regarded more highly at TB than anywhere else. It is more of a bass album than nearly anything else they've done and certainly the most bass driven since maybe Freaky Styley. I attribute that to Dave Navarro just having a clash of writing style with the band. RHCP have always been a band that jammed songs into existence and Navarro has a much more measured approach that just didn't jive well so he ended up writing to what Flea jammed for the most part. From what I understand, after his firing the band nearly broke up.

Californication has always sounded like what it is, a great guitar player relearning how to play guitar after almost losing that ability (and nearly his life) to drug use. I didn't like it when it came out and never bought it (or BTW or OHM) since I started listening to RHCP with Uplift Mofo Party Plan as a kid and loved BSSM. It just seemed like the band I dug was gone. But once I stopped bemoaning the change and judged each album on its own merit, I saw how good they were.

For what it's worth, here's my rankings of RHCP albums:

Blood Sugar Sex Magic
Uplift Mofo Party Plan
Stadium Arcadium (especially since I've made a one disc version with my favorites)
Californication
Freaky Styley
By The Way
One Hot Minute
Mother's Milk
Red Hot Chili Peppers
 
#54
To whoever said that it sounds like there is scratchiness to the album, that is intentional. The entire album was recorded so that it just clipped a tiny little bit. Some people don't like it and find it annoying, but I believe, and i'm sure others can agree, that the album was a very important piece of the chili pepper evolution.

If the peppers kept putting out material reminiscent of Uplift and Freaky Styley, it would get boring. A band has to evolve and try new things. Why do you think the peppers have been around for 25 years? Its because they tried new things and advanced to different levels.

As far as One Hot Minute goes, it is very different from any chili peppers album, but thats what makes it great. There are so many haters that say that it is a terrible album because John wasn't in the band, but that isn't true. The peppers needed Navarro to make that album so that they could carry on while John was on his drug-hazzed experimental journey. One Hot Minute allowed the peppers to create Californication, By the Way and Stadium Arcadium.

The beautiful thing about music is that everybody is entitled to their own opinion. As long as people are somewhat open minded, they will understand my opinion.
 
#60
CapnSev said:
No kidding! I have a lot of bass students that want to learn Flea stuff, and when I ask if they want the "new" Flea or the old 80s crazy Flea, they say "Old 80s crazy Flea?" Then they look at me like I'm stupid. Most people these days don't realize RHCP existed before BSSM. I would dare say that most people under 18 don't realize RHCP existed before Californication.

Me however: All hail the Uplift Mofo Party Plan! :D
Click to expand...

I didn't realise there was anything beyond One Hot Minute for a very long time and I'm 21 :p

Do really like Californication, it's the only soft rock album by them I really like though, anything past it sucks apart from the odd couple of songs.

Crazy 80's funky and heavy as f**k Chilis is best though, favorites are definitely Mothers Milk and Freaky Styley, although One Hot minute is a particular favourite of mine too.
 

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