Red Hot Chili Peppers – The Califormulation of True LEGENDS | MUSIC is not a GENRE - Season 4 Episode #2
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Some bands are just around. Every few years they tour & release albums, and we take them for granted. Most of those bands are either past their peak or never really had one. They're largely unnoticed & unacclaimed.
But what happens when one of those bands is not only noticed & acclaimed, but has quietly created one solid album & hit after another? That’s when a legend is made.
We know the Stones & the Who. U2. Pearl Jam. These are legendary bands familiar to almost anyone. Probably most people can name a hit. They’re always looking ahead to the next tour & the next song or album they can create to keep the dream alive. They’re in a higher league than self-tribute legends like the Beach Boys or Chicago, who still tour & have active careers, but aren’t looking to add anything new to the music conversation. Nor are they like the Beatles or the Beastie Boys, who will always be with us in some way, but can’t continue the way they were.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers are a special case. They’re just quietly around all the time AND they put out hit albums & songs every few years with remarkable consistency. They keep true to their core but always look ahead to what’s next. Somehow, though, they’re not mentioned in the same breath as U2 or Pearl Jam or the Stones. We take them for granted, dismiss them, possibly because we still think of them as penis-sock-wearing partiers who don’t take anything too seriously. (I’d also put Green Day in this category. I would have said the same about the Foo Fighters a few years ago, but they’ve long since graduated to true elder statesmen legends.)
Think of the Peppers’ output. They started as funky punks carving out a special brand of proto rap rock, to where Anthony Kiedis didn’t actually sing until several albums in. They worked with George Clinton on their SECOND ALBUM. Once they added John Frusciante & Chad Smith, they pivoted and created their first bona fide masterpiece, Blood Sugar Sex Magik.
All that would already put them in the top ranks of alt bands. But they didn’t stop. After more than 15 years they REALLY blew up. Californication, By the Way, Stadium Arcadium. Three masterpieces. And they keep going. They are undisputed legends whose love for the music keeps them alive in every way.
They are the modern-day Stones: They started loosely, with okay material bolstered by a clear sonic vision, paying tribute to their favorite African American music, adding rock to the mix. They stick to their core members, other than periodic personnel changes (which for RHCP means Frusciante deciding when he wants to be in the band). And despite drugs & breaks & everything else, they always come back to the music & always give us something new.
RHCP’s mix of alt rock/punk, funk, psychedelic and pop is a close cousin to my music. I once told a drummer of mine: “When in doubt, make it funky.” Tthat’s what I do. There’s something funky and/or syncopated in every REC song. Plus I love the bass, and have written & arranged bass-focused songs that Flea would be proud of. You KNOW I’m into power pop – which covers the rock/punk/pop elements. And my production style has always had psychedelic elements & sweet layered harmonies. I could name dozens of REC songs as examples, but I’d say on the whole our album Parts and Labour is most representative of the RHCP influence. Especially “I’m Gone”, “Stop It!”, & “Some Things Happen”:
Discuss!
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