Yeah, he was a trainwreck. I like his solo work, but that stuff he did while he was strung out - not so much… And I ended up buying the remastered first three albums.
[reply]I don’t usually bother looking up anyone’s suggestions, so I thought I’d report back on this one. Cheers!
And I assure you, I have way better things to do than gush about how much someone should hear an artist - so, it’s a testament to how much I feel about his talent. Glad it worked.
Best examples of how talented John is.
For anyone interested, this is John, from when he was the most strung out. Definitely makes one see that heroin doesn’t ALWAYS make the best music:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xn9tnSgylqc
And then, literally a year turnaround after rehab:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQRGv83rCfE
Night and day.[/reply]
Wow. That “heroin” stuff (yeah, I sampled some of the other tracks too) is just too awful for words. It’s just inexplainably awful. Maybe I heard something from one of his “heroin” albums in the past or something, or maybe I just assumed as much, but this was exactly the impression and memory I had of him as a solo artist and why I never looked any deeper. I was actually pretty glad that I bothered to take your suggestion and give him another chance. When he’s not off the rails and recording pure retardation I REALLY like his voice and his emotional expression.
When he’s at his best I kind of feel like I wish he would actually BE the Chilis’ vocalist. And I don’t say this as a hater of Kiedis because I actually like Tony’s voice and think he’s a good performer. But when John is at the top of his game it’s just really something beautiful.
Anyway, thanks for sharing, Brother! And thank you also for not being one of those pretentious douche bags that has the nerve to defend awful crap (like the “junk” track you posted").
There’s some beauty in that track, but warts and all it’s basically what it is - aural heroin. I am glad he was, even in a haze, smart enough to put it to disc so that many can actually HEAR it.
Makes me wonder what the “ambient” stuff sounded like that didn’t make it to Dark Side Of the Spoon…
In any case, I too might check out the new Chilis. The “Rain Dance” song isn’t my thing, but I’d like to hear Josh’s guitar work more.
I like John’s solo work and a majority of the stuff he did with RHCP. But after awhile, it started getting stale and redundant. And the very second I heard that John had left again, I figured maybe, just maybe it was the change they needed, and I was right. Forced them to change up, but unfortunately cost them John to probably do it.
WHEN I SEE DAVE NAVAROO SHREDDING I TURN TO PUTTY AND MY DICK EXPLODES AND I DIE!
So I know it’s the Chili Peppers and I shouldn’t have wild expectations after the last album which left me cold, but getting a new guitarist hasn’t invigorated them in the slightest! There’s a huge latin influence on lots of these songs with percussion, horns and piano everywhere to be found and I can’t shake the feeling this was done to compensate for creative jam ideas on Flea and Smith’s end.
Pros - Josh has a really pleasant backing vocal, more feminine than John’s and makes opener “Monarchy of Roses” and best track “Did I Let You Know” into stronger songs than they actually are. Flea is still always very entertaining.
Cons - There’s almost no moments on here where Kiedis shuts his piehole. Red Hot Chili Peppers still aren’t funky and probably last qualified for that twenty years ago (or genuinely six years before that on Freaky Styley. Just about every song is written in the same plodding, mid-tempo formula they’ve been coasting on for over a decade.
It’s passable but then I’m torn because I don’t feel they’ve ever made a completely enjoyable album. This one just feels eclectic to make up for Frusciante’s absence and it hurts rather than helps its case.
I happened to run through the RHCP catalogue the other night after this thread was brought up and bar one or two songs from Mother’s Milk and One Hot Minute (which was always lambasted more than it deserved, maybe because Navarro was on it) the only interesting thing was Freaky Styley and I still could only listen to it once. Cannot stand Californication + By The Way now.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVAYUIYFUAE&feature=related
Wow. Interviewing junkies is just tedious as all heck.
Pros - Josh has a really pleasant backing vocal, more feminine than John’s and makes opener “Monarchy of Roses” and best track “Did I Let You Know” into stronger songs than they actually are. Flea is still always very entertaining.
Cons - There’s almost no moments on here where Kiedis shuts his piehole. Red Hot Chili Peppers still aren’t funky and probably last qualified for that twenty years ago (or genuinely six years before that on Freaky Styley. Just about every song is written in the same plodding, mid-tempo formula they’ve been coasting on for over a decade.
All of these observations are correct - yet there’s something about this new album that has invigorated my love for this band. I have it now and am really enjoying the hell out of it. In fact there are three or four songs here that are easily the best material these guys have ever come up with. It’s very breezy and upbeat but melancholy and sentimetal at the same time.
The last couple of albums were as boring as one could imagine these guys could get - especially By The Way.
Only RHCP to investigate:
The “What Hits?” compilation, and
“One Hot Minute”.
That’s it. That’s all. And I’m even a fan of John, but, god damn their other stuff is not interesting to me.
I’m pleasantly surprised by I’m With You. Although it does have its fair share of stinkers (Annie Wants A Baby, Dance Dance Dance).
Josh Klinghoffer was something of a find for them.
Chili Peppers to embrace:
I’m With You
By The Way (give it a go. I did and I never looked back)
Freaky Styley (easily their best)
Chili Peppers To Avoid:
The rest*
*although I’m kind of on the fence with Blood Sugar Sex Magic. At times it thrills me, other times it offends me.
everything up through Blood Sugar was good. the rest was mostly over commercialized crap.