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Red Hot Chili Peppers

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Red Hot Chili Peppers
File:Stadium Promo.jpg
Left to right: Michael Balzary (Flea), Anthony Kiedis, John Frusciante, Chad Smith
Background information
OriginLos Angeles, California, USA
Years active1983-present
MembersAnthony Kiedis
Michael Balzary (Flea)
Chad Smith
John Frusciante

The Red Hot Chili Peppers are a California based rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983.

Through line-up changes and personal problems, the band had started with original sound that combines elements of Funk, Punk, Rap, Psychedelic rock and lately Pop Rock.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers have produced nine studio albums which have sold just over 50 million copies worldwide.

Sound philosophy

Flea's bass style is an amalgamation of punk rock with funk and blues, borrowing from artists such as Bootsy Collins of Parliament-Funkadelic and John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin. The groove-heavy, low-tuned melodies, composed through either normal finger style or slapping, have contributed to a RHCP signature style. While Flea's slap bass style was prominent in earlier albums, later albums (post Mother's Milk) have toned it down.

The guitar styles of the four guitarists that have recorded albums with the Peppers share common traits, featuring distorted, sharp sound with strong range. Replacement players such as Sherman appear to have made a point to stay as close as possible to original guitarist Hillel Slovak's style with it's heavy blues and funk elements. Frusciante brought more melodies, texture, and depth; Navarro brought a style rooted in heavy metal, progressive and psychedelic rock.

The band doubted Chad's dedication to funk music, and Anthony Kiedis told him he had to shave his head before he could join the band. Smith then turned up to rehearsals the next day with his hair still in a bandanna, but was allowed to stay because Anthony thought his obstinacy was impressive.

Kiedis provides a range of vocal styles for RHCP songs, with his style of rap and spoken verse (characteristic of his vocals up to Blood Sugar Sex Magik) complemented with more traditional vocals have helped the band maintain a relatively consistent style.

Political views in the music

The Red Hot Chili Peppers are concerned about social justice and environmental issues[citation needed], as reflected in many of their songs. The song "Johnny Kick a Hole in the Sky" from Mother's Milk is about the plight and affliction of the Native Americans, and this particular song made the public see Kiedis as part-Native[citation needed]. The song "Green Heaven" from The Red Hot Chili Peppers highlights police brutality and racism in America. "The Power of Equality" speaks out against racism, and the lyrics are very similiar in style to the music of Public Enemy (which is mentioned in the song). "Californication" also speaks in opposition to globalization.

History

The 1980s

Fairfax High School alumni Anthony Kiedis, Michael Balzary (Flea), Hillel Slovak and Jack Irons, founded the Red Hot Chili Peppers (originally "Tony Flow and the Miraculously Majestic Masters of Mayhem"), after what was supposed to be a one-time performance in 1983. The four gathered a sizable following for a band that had yet to release an album, mainly through their connections to the Los Angeles music community and their manic live performances, which occasionally included them playing with only socks covering their penises. Later in that same year, they secured a record deal with EMI. However, Irons and Slovak were already committed to their original band, What Is This?, so for the recording sessions of the debut album, Jack Sherman was brought in on guitar with Cliff Martinez on drums. The result was the self-titled Red Hot Chili Peppers. Arguably poor production by Andy Gill (with whom they often argued), a failure to catch the aura of their live performances, and lack of band chemistry doomed it to commercial failure. The tour did not fare much better, as problems between Sherman and the other band members arose, resulting in his removal from the band. Slovak would then leave What Is This? and come back on board full time in the beginning of 1985. The first RHCP hit from the first album would be "True Men Don't Kill Coyotes".

Parliament-Funkadelic maestro George Clinton took over production duties for their second album and with the line up of Kiedis, Flea, Slovak, and Martinéz, they recorded and released Freaky Styley. Described as straightout funk played at a punked out speed, it featured a rendition of Sly & the Family Stone's "If You Want Me To Stay", and cult classics such as "Jungle Man" and "Catholic School Girls Rule", which would appear on college radio stations. The album did not attract the eye of the mainstream. Martinéz would leave the band soon after the release of the album, leaving room for the return of original drummer Jack Irons in early 1986. The only recognisable hit off this album would be "Hollywood (Africa)" which received reasonable airplay in Europe as a single-only release, but didn't make the same impact back in the US.

The Uplift Mofo Party Plan and Slovak's death (1987-1988)

The next album, The Uplift Mofo Party Plan, was produced by Michael Beinhorn and released in September 1987. This would be the only album with the four original Fairfax High School friends peforming. "Fight Like a Brave" was the first single released, and would later be featured in 2001 on the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 video game. The album was their first to dent the Billboard Top 200.

Drug problems, which were prominent in the band throughout the decade, came to light when Slovak failed to stay clean during the Uplift Mofo tour. In 1987, Slovak's addiction resulted in erratic behaviour and botched performances. The band chose not to fire Slovak, and when the band toured Europe for the first time in May 1988, Slovak was clean again and all the problems seemed far away.

Shortly after the band returned to the United States, on June 27, 1988, Slovak was found dead in his apartment after a heroin overdose. Irons quit soon after, not wanting to continue with the band after his friend's death.

Mother's Milk (1989)

Kiedis (who had just spent a stint in rehab) and Flea decided to continue the band After temporarily employing drummer D.H. Peligro and guitarist Dwayne "Blackbird" McKnight, they settled on today's line-up of Chad Smith on drums and John Frusciante on guitar. The following effort, Mother's Milk, was recorded and produced with an energetic mixture of funk, rap, metal and jazz, and was released in August 1989. It included a cover of Jimi Hendrix's "Fire", which was the last studio track recorded with Slovak. On the strength of the touchstone "Knock Me Down" (their first top 10 hit), the cover of Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground", and other numbers including "Magic Johnson" (a tribute to their favourite basketball team - the Los Angeles Lakers) "Stone Cold Bush" and "Pretty Little Ditty" (which would be later sampled as "Butterfly" by Crazy Town), the Red Hot Chili Peppers finally entered the mainstream. They progressed to start a successful nine month world tour, which was just as eventful as their last and featured a comprehensive tour of Europe and the US.

Although Mother's Milk is considered to be a milestone in their career, the Red Hot Chili Peppers usually refrain from performing songs from this album anymore, due to John's dislike of the way he performed back then. Many avid fans regret it, as Mother's Milk is perceived by many longtime RHCP fans to be one of their strongest albums.

The 1990s

The Peppers jumped to Warner Brothers Records and hired Rick Rubin (whom they have worked with ever since) to produce their fifth album 1991's Blood Sugar Sex Magik which featured the singles "Give It Away" (their first ever #1 hit), "Under the Bridge," "Breaking the Girl" and "Suck My Kiss". Alternative rock was getting massive mainstream airplay by 1991, and coupled with increased label support, the album sold seven million copies in the United States alone. Blood Sugar Sex Magik is often regarded as the finest album in the entire Peppers catalogue. [citation needed]

Unfortunately, this success was taking its toll on Frusciante, who was finding the band's superstar status hard to deal with and was experiencing severe existential problems. This lead to the degradation of his relationship with other band members until he finally decided to quit the band during the BSSM tour in May of 1992, sinking soon after into a drug addiction. After headlining Lollapalooza festival in 1992 with replacement guitarist Arik Marshall, and briefly with Jesse Tobias, the Peppers found a more permanent replacement in former Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro.

One Hot Minute and Navarro (1993-1998)

Their only album with Navarro, One Hot Minute, was released in the fall of 1995 to mixed reviews. Many music journalists criticized the lack of chemistry between Navarro and the rest of the line-up, compared to what they'd had with John Frusciante.[citation needed] The album featured the familiar styles of funk, metal, and jazz, but this time showed increased psychedelia and heavy metal influeces and featured some of the longest songs ever produced by the Peppers. Despite the criticism, the album was a success, selling four million copies (2 million of them in the United States alone) and reaching double-platinum status; "My Friends" became a #1 hit, "Warped", "Aeroplane", "Coffee Shop", "Shallow Be Thy Game",and a cover of the Ohio Players "Love Rollercoaster" (from the Beavis and Butthead Do America soundtrack) also appeared on the charts. However, the line-up wasn't to last, as the band's chemistry progressively deteriorated. Kiedis' and Navarro's drug use was taking its toll on the band. At the end of 1997, Navarro and Flea played on the Jane's Addiction reunion tour, but the Peppers were in a state of creative stand-by, and Navarro, who wished to focus on his own musical projects after four years of working with the Peppers, left the band in early 1998. One Hot Minute is now considered by the band members as an exception in their career, because it was not inspired from jam sessions like other Peppers albums[citation needed]. After Navarro's departure the band ceased performing songs, which didn't match John Frusciante's style, from OHM live (except for occasional performances of "Pea" by Flea). Frusciante claims to have never heard the album[citation needed].

Frusciante's return and Californication (1998-1999)

Frusciante rejoined the band in 1998 after spending time in rehab and releasing two solo albums. The refreshed, refocused, and re-energized guitarist was on board for the Peppers 1999 release, Californication. The album produced three more number one hits--the Grammy-winning "Scar Tissue", "Otherside" and "Californication", and also made it onto the Singles charts with "Around the World", "Road Trippin'" (UK single), and "Parallel Universe", which broke the Top 40 despite not being released as a single. Compared to the previous Peppers' albums, Californication contains few rap-driven songs. The band went on a tour which lasted nearly two years and featured some of their largest shows, including a Moscow performance in front of 200,000 people. In 2001, they released their first concert DVD, Off The Map.

The 2000s

After returning to the studio in November 2001, the Red Hot Chili Peppers released By the Way, which received generally positive yet somewhat mixed reactions. The moody and mellow album produced two more #1 singles: "By the Way" and "Can't Stop". The Peppers then went on another two year tour, in the meantime releasing their second concert DVD, Live at Slane Castle in 2003 and recording new songs for their Greatest Hits album later that year.

In 2004, the Peppers released their first ever live album, Live in Hyde Park, recorded during their 2004 performances at Hyde Park, London. The concerts set a new world record as the highest grossing concert event at a single venue in music history. The three shows (June 19, 20 and 25) sold out within hours of going on sale, had a paying audience of 258,000, bringing in $17,187,234 (approximately £9,115,282) setting a new world record. The Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, TN had previously held the record, with a gross of approximately $14.5 million.

On October 6, 2004, lead singer Anthony Kiedis released his autobiography entitled Scar Tissue (Hyperion Publishing). The book includes details of his friends, loves, struggles with drug addiction, and music. It also contains lyrics from certain songs, along with the story behind each.

Stadium Arcadium (2005-2006)
File:RHCP-StadiumArcadiumPromotional.JPG

In 2005 they completed their ninth studio album, Stadium Arcadium. Although 38 songs were created, and originally intended to be released as 3 mini-albums spaced six months apart, it was released in 2006 as a 28-track double album. The first disc in the set is titled "Jupiter", while the second is called "Mars", and both contain 14 songs.

The album debuted at #1, becoming their highest charting album to date, and has thus far also produced a #1 single in "Dani California".

TV & Film

The group has been featured on many movies soundtracks, most notably "Show Me Your Soul" from the Pretty Woman soundtrack; "Soul to Squeeze" from the Coneheads, "Love Rollercoaster", a cover of The Ohio Players hit song from Beavis and Butthead Do America, and "Sikamikanico" from Wayne's World.

It has been revealed that Dani California, from the album Stadium Arcadium, will be on the soundtrack for the live action Japanese film version of the manga Death Note.

The band appeared in an 80s movie, THRASHIN' about a skateboarder, and they also appeared playing a song called "Set It Straight" in the movie Tough Guys, featuring Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas. Anthony Keidis and Flea have both had several big screen appearances. Kiedis was featured as gangmember Tone in the 1991 film Point Break with Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves. Flea has appeared in several films, including a role in parts two and three of the Back to the Future trilogy and a memorable turn as a nihilist in the 1997 film The Big Lebowski.

Flea and Anthony were also in the final minutes of the movie The Chase starring Charlie Sheen as rednecks in a pickup truck.

The entire band appeared briefly in The Simpsons episode in which Bart and Lisa helped Krusty save his career by showing a Krusty Komeback Special featuring many celebrities including the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Jokes include a reference to "Chilly Willy", and Krusty even suggests changing lyrics (from "What I got, you gotta get and put it in you" to "What I'd like is I'd like to hug and kiss you")--much to the Red Hot Chili Peppers' pleasure.

Flea made an appearance in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas as the guy in the bathroom who licks Johnny Depps hand.

Flea also makes a surprise cameo appearance in Gus Van Sant's 1998 re-make of Psycho (with Anne Heche) as the stubbornly nosey Bob Summerfield in the general store.

Flea also had a small part in Coen Brothers film The Big Lebowski as one of the three Nihilists.

Similar Bands

Influenced By

Same-scene Bands

Fishbone, Faith No More, Living Colour, Primus, Beastie Boys, Mr. Bungle, Jane's Addiction

Followers

Infectious Grooves, Rage Against The Machine, 311, Sublime, Incubus, Korn, Bloodhound Gang, Limp Bizkit, Hot Action Cop, No Doubt

Singles

Year Song US Hot 100 US Modern Rock US Main- stream Rock UK singles Album
1984 "True Men Don't Kill Coyotes" - - - - Red Hot Chili Peppers
1984 "Get Up and Jump" - - - - Red Hot Chili Peppers
1985 "Jungle Man" - - - - Freaky Styley
1985 "American Ghost Dance" - - - - Freaky Styley
1985 "Catholic School Girls Rule" - - - - Freaky Styley
1985 "Hollywood (Africa)" - - - - Freaky Styley
1987 "Fight Like a Brave" - - - - The Uplift Mofo Party Plan
1987 "Me & My Friends" - - - - The Uplift Mofo Party Plan
1989 "Behind The Sun" - - - - The Uplift Mofo Party Plan
1989 "Good Time Boys" - - - - Mother's Milk
1989 "Knock Me Down" - 6 - - Mother's Milk
1989 "Higher Ground" - 11 26 54 Mother's Milk
1990 "Taste The Pain" - - - 29 Mother's Milk
1990 "Show Me Your Soul" - 10 - - Pretty Woman soundtrack
1991 "Give It Away" 73 1 - 9 Blood Sugar Sex Magik
1991 "Breaking the Girl" - 19 15 41 Blood Sugar Sex Magik
1992 "Under the Bridge" 2 6 2 13 Blood Sugar Sex Magik
1992 "Suck My Kiss" - 15 - - Blood Sugar Sex Magik
1993 "If You Have To Ask" - - - - Blood Sugar Sex Magik
1993 "Soul to Squeeze" 22 1 7 - Coneheads soundtrack
1995 "Warped" - 7 13 31 One Hot Minute
1995 "My Friends" - 1 1 29 One Hot Minute
1996 "Aeroplane" - 8 12 11 One Hot Minute
1996 "Coffee Shop" - - - - One Hot Minute
1996 "Walkabout" - - - - One Hot Minute
1996 "Shallow Be Thy Game" - - - - One Hot Minute
1997 "Love Rollercoaster" - 14 - 7 Beavis and Butthead Do America soundtrack
1999 "Scar Tissue" 9 1 1 15 Californication
1999 "Around the World" - 7 16 35 Californication
2000 "Otherside" 14 1 2 33 Californication
2000 "Californication" 69 1 1 16 Californication
2000 "Road Trippin'" - - - 30 Californication
2000 "Parallel Universe" - 37 - - Californication
2002 "By the Way" 34 1 1 2 By the Way
2002 "The Zephyr Song" 49 6 14 11 By the Way
2003 "Can't Stop" 57 1 15 22 By the Way
2003 "Dosed" - 13 - - By the Way
2003 "Universally Speaking" - - - 27 By the Way
2003 "Fortune Faded" - 8 22 11 Greatest Hits
2006 "Dani California" 1 8 1 1 2 Stadium Arcadium
2006 "Tell Me Baby" - - - - Stadium Arcadium
  • 1 currently active on charts

Members

Current

Former

Discography

Main article: Red Hot Chili Peppers discography

Videography


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