Let's Talk: Week One - Red Hot Chilli Peppers

[The Curmudgeon]

So this is a new weekly topic where we talk about bands that everyone knows but have never really been mentioned too much in here. This week, everyone's favourite dong-sock jock rockers, Red Hot Chilli Peppers.

I'm actually talking about them this week because I bought their Greatest Hits album a few days ago. There's a second hand store near where I work that is now selling CD's for the ridiculous price of 25 pence, which in American money is.. 40 cents? Maybe? Stupidly cheap anyway, but there's absolutely no risk purchases right there. If it sucks, fuck it. 25 pence?! Madness.

RHCP are a band that have always been around, and they've been part of my life for as long as I can remember, albeit in a third hand capacity. Some friend somewhere always had a Chilli Peppers album on in the background, and when they suddenly, inexplicably, became the biggest band in the world for a time they were fucking inescapable. How did that even happen?

So the RHCP Greatest Hits, then. A collection of songs I've heard for years but never actually played myself. Some good (Under the Bridge, Scar Tissue), and some really fucking bad (I remember "Suck My Kiss" sounded pretty bad-ass and cool back in the day. Heard it recently? Ouch). They're a band I've never really liked but were always there.

What about you? Any love for RHCP? Any songs I should absolutely hear?

[trashcanman]

Old Chili Peppers is amazing. So unique and cool. But they definitely got bored after they made it big. When I saw them on the Californication tour, they were shockingly boring. STP blew them the fuck off the stage. They played like 80% hit ballads and just never kept that energy that made them famous in the first place up. I'll take Suck my Kiss over Scar Tissue any day. Flea is one of the best personalities in rock too. So humble and just insanely talented at the same time. Kiedis's lyrics and melodies are hit-and-miss big time though (and his war on the much more talented Mike Patton hasn't helped him in my eyes), and they struggle without Frusciante or Slovak (deceased) on guitar.

Knock Me Down and Johnny Kick a Hole in the Sky are just awesome and Higher Ground is one of the greatest covers ever, hands down. Actually, do yourself a favor and get their first "Best of" album. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Best_of_Red_Hot_Chili_Peppers

Way more rockin' then their hits compilation and a better indication of what the band the used to sound like back in the day.

[The Curmudgeon]

See, I'm glad I did this because I dunno why, but I figured you wouldn't be into RHCP at all, Trash. In fact I thought you'd have hated them.

I'll say this, talking about the Stones in an earlier thread, I can mention a few great bands I can think of that the Stones inspired (Primal Scream, Dandy Warhols), but I can't think of any good bands inspired by Chilli Peppers. The only band I can think of is Crazy Town. Brrrrr.

I am enjoying their best of more than I thought I would initially. Give it Away is still bad-ass and By the Way is enjoyable nonsense. I might give their earlier stuff a go if I see it around. No fan of Scar Tissue though, Trash?

[trashcanman]

Eh. Lame lyrics and by the time it came out it just sounded like the unwanted leftovers of under the Bridge and Soul to Squeeze to me. The Chilis are such a weird band that it's hard to make music influenced by them without flat out copying them. Kiedis threw a massive fit when Faith No More got big because Epic had kind a rapping/singing thing too and funk bass was part of their sound (although the two bands are hardly alike in any other way) and spent years trying to ban them and Mr. Bungle from playing any festivals with them so I could see why a lot of bands wouldn't even attempt to incorporate elements of the RHCPs style.

[Ben]

I've always casually enjoyed or casually disliked various Chili songs. I dig some of the big singles, wasn't a huge fan of Stadium Arcadium, and really just don't care about them all that much. I guess I have a kind of begrudging respect for the band, but their stuff has always been hit or miss for me.