I just heard Scar Tissue one of these radio stations on my Napster Player and I have become so addicted to this song. When I heard it was by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, I was in awe. I heard this band are innovators in funk-metal and I am interested in buying their new double album and their earlier Blood Sugar Magik Sex. Which one should I start off with first, because I'm really interested in buying their new album?
[Edited 8/21/06 11:32am]

i havent heard the double album yet but i'd say start with 'Blood Sugar Sex Magik'. it has a lot of nice tracks that'll help you get a feel of thier sound. i consider it a classic.

Yeah 'Blood Sugar Sex Magik' might be their best. 'Mother's Milk' is also really good. That one has their cover of Stevie's "Higher Ground" which they do justice. But if you really wanna hear them funk then myabe you should listen to the 'Freaky Styley' album produced by George Clinton.

sextonseven said:

oooh la la, i never heard of that one (such a bad fan ), gonna have to check that one out.

brownsugar said:

It is very funky, but missing some of the musicality they would develop later, particularly in the vocals (always their weakness). The whole of freaky Styley I'm wishing George would just take over the vocals.

I'd agree with Blood Sugar Sex Magic as the one to start with. That's where their sound had matured, but they were still wild.

Some people love Mother's Milk, but to me its pre-Blood Sugar. Some great songs, tho, and not as loooong (another one of their problems IMO) as Blood Sugar...

One Hot Minute rocks the most of anything they've done. I think this is underrated.

Californication & By the Way are good, but softer & more pop.

Stadium Arcadium is funkier, but maybe still a bit soft and has some fat.

Mother's Milk is the only chilli peppers cd you need!

None.

Stadium Arcadium is a mixed bag, there's alot of blah songs on there where they're just spinning their wheels. Though I LOVE the title track.

Californication and By The Way are great albums, kinda Beach Boys-ish.

Blood Sugar Sex Magik

weepingwall said:

weepingwall said:

For real, I could get by on that greatest hits CD.

CinisterCee said:

Which one?

sextonseven said:

I meant the second one, but now that you mention it, would it have "True Men Don't Kill Cowboys"?

NDRU said:

What so funky about their new album?

Mother's milk is the shit!

CinisterCee said:

The first one contains "True Men Don't Kill Coyotes" (not "cowboys").

If you are looking for an overview, both Greatest Hits packages are good. The first contains material from their early career, while the second is the latter, WB years. While both are missing a few key tracks, they do give you a good idea of their sound.

Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magic is their Purple Rain. It's a great album, hailed by many as a masterpiece, although some hardcore fans dismiss it as being over-rated. Personally, I think it's brilliant, but not their best. Of their early works, I'm partial to Mother's Milk and The Uplift Mofo Party Plan. Some good punk/funk hybrid stuff, with a raw urgency to it.

Many folks like to hate on their later albums, but I think they're great. There isn't the crazy vibe from their pre-WB days, but they have grown so much as musicians and songwriters. One Hot Minute, their only album with Dave Navarro on guitar, is much maligned, but it has some incredible music on it (it's just incredibly uneven). Californication is a solid album, through and through, with some wonderful melodies. By The Way is incredibly understated, and shows the boys experimenting with new sounds.

The newest album, Stadium Arcadium, is a double-disc set that many critics are hailing as their greatest yet. Personally, I think this is overstating things, but there is no denying that there is some great stuff on it. It's one of those albums that you discover new things on with multiple listens, and the songs really grow on you. In many ways, it feels as if it's some sort of greatest hits from a parallel universe (no pun intended), as you can really see examples of the different styles they've experimented with over the years. No real new ground is covered here, but it's still a solid effort.


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[Edited 8/22/06 6:33am]

Krystal666 said:

I agree. If Blood Sugar Sex Magik is their Purple Rain, the Mother's Milk is their 1999.

JediMaster said:

Hha shoot, my bad. I ain't heard that record in yerrrrs.

sextonseven said:

As a Chili Pepper fan, I would strongly agree. But also get "Californication" if you wanna hear a mature and wiser Chili Peppers. But if you want the best of their early days with their original guitarist(Hillel Slovak RIP), get "The Uplift Mofo Pary Plan". It has the same production and sound as Mother's Milk, but the songs are slightly better.

Krystal666 said:

Sure is.... and while I feel BSSM has a more developed sound and some stronger individual songs, I think BSSM is a bit too long to listen to all the way through.... Mother's Milk is shorter, and more energetic and dirty
And to the thread starter: If you're planning on buying Mother's Milk, I should mention that there are two versions of the CD out there: One is the original CD from '89 which has a very low sound-level, especially compared to the remaster from 2003 (think the difference between the volume on SOTT compared to The Gold Experience)... the remaster has some bonus tracks, including longer versions of "Knock Me Down" (one of my all-time favorite RHCP songs) and "Sexy Mexican Maid".... Also, the instrumental song "Pretty Little Ditty" (sampled in Crazy Town's "Butterfly") is presented in it's original, full length version, so I would recommend getting the remaster

One hot minute is one of my personal favorite albums...

jacknapier said:

It's a very underrated album. I love the guitar work on it. It's a huge shame they don't perform any songs from it.

united1878 said:

Yes One Hot Minute is phenomonal...I still listen to this album alot!

I'd actually start with Stadium Arcadium. That album has dirty funk, rock, soft rock, all the chili's styles in one album. It's really great. Also get Mother's Milk, Blood Sugar Sex Magik and Californication. Then if u really enjoy those albums buy the rest.

And I don't like One Hot Minute. I lacks the funk. And the Chili's were missing the magic that they experiences with Slovak and Frusciante. Navarro didn't go as well with the Chili's has Slovak and Frusciante did.

silverchild said:

Scar tissue is not on the new album, but on Californication. Good lp, one of their best.




The new album is pretty good, but it's a double with quite a few weak songs on it too.

I would say the album that best represent their music and has the best songs on it is BSSM.

If you want some more freaky funk rock you should check out earlier albums such as Mothers Milk, Freaky Stylie and the Uplift Mofo Party plan.

More recent albums like Californication, By the Way and Stadium Arcadium are more softer than their earlier work.

But it's all good if you ask me.

silverchild said:

Since you like this song you might want to try Californication, the album it's from, or the new one which is more of that newer more melodic style, along with some of the older style funk, like Hump De Bump.

The 80's albums are lauded by the older fans of the funk, but you won't find much in the style of Scar Tissue on them. Not really until Blood Sugar Sex Magic--Under the Bridge & Breaking the Girl--did they start to do softer ballads.