Only know a handful of their singles... which album is their funkiest and the best to start with?

You said you only know some, probably recent, singles. So the best place to start would be the greatest hits album and go from there.
Big drawback here is that it only features songs from four albums. But since it's the most recent four albums it will most likely work for you.

BUT, you asked for the funkiest album. That would be a tie between Freaky Styley (second album) and Blood, sugar, sex, magic (fifth).


Freakey Styley has the advantage it's produced by George Clinton (lots of funky horns) and features songs from the Meters and Sly Stone. It does sound quite 80's and still has that typical punky-energy of the young peppers.



BSSM however, gives you a funk high AND gives you mature, solid rock songs. This is the classic peppers album that made them big. If you like real and energetic music that's a crossover between funk and rock, this album really is a "no-risk disc"!

I had the same queation back in August and I found out that Blood Sugar Sex Magik and Californication is two of their funkiest. Also the debut album that George Clinton produced back in the mid-1980's was also funky as hell...

cod-funk.

Sander said:[quote]You said you only know some, probably recent, singles. So the best place to start would be the greatest hits album and go from there.
Big drawback here is that it only features songs from four albums. But since it's the most recent four albums it will most likely work for you.

BUT, you asked for the funkiest album. That would be a tie between Freaky Styley (second album) and Blood, sugar, sex, magic (fifth).


Freakey Styley has the advantage it's produced by George Clinton (lots of funky horns) and features songs from the Meters and Sly Stone. It does sound quite 80's and still has that typical punky-energy of the young peppers.


This one is their funkiest imo.
I started buying their albums since their 3rd album,
best album is however Californication or BSSM.
[Edited 3/27/07 8:18am]

silverchild said:

While Californication is an critically acclaimed album and has brought many fans (old and new) to the peppers, I can't hear the funk in this album.

The Chili Peppers are so overrated...

Huge Pepper fan her from the beginning. I used to go see the o.g. lineup play all the time out here in So. Cal. Have all of their albums. I favor their earlier albums and I suggest starting from the beginning. But their funkiest and I think their best album by far is Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magic.

I would say that Freakey is the funkiest in a pure funk sense.

However, blood sugar really pushed the envelope to much more complex compositions. They rock while never losing the groove or edge.

Tracks like melowship and sir pscycho just ooze raw funk

Frusciante imo is the second coming and can do no wrong.

Don't sleep on stadium arcadium its another masterpiece with only a few filler tracks, and not too mention some unbelievably dense mixes ala G. Clinton.

I would have to say Freaky Styley, especially since it was produced by Dr. Funkenstein himself. Subsequent albums have elements of Funk, but are fused with other (mainly Rock-oriented) genres.

Sander said:

Well there are a couple of funky jams in there like "I Like Dirt", "Purple Stain", and so forth.

Most definitley is Blood, Sugar, Sex, & Magik. Get that!

blackguitaristz said:

Co-Sign

I was into them for their first few albums and saw them live when they used to wear nothing but socks on their dicks. Freaky Styley produced by Clinton is their best. Without Clinton that album wouldn't have done well. But since then the majority of their stuff has bored me to tears. They remind me of Lenny Kravitz in some ways. Great hooks in their songs but that's about it. They go nowhere and are sort of like funk-lite. They do 'funk' well but are not funk at all in my opinion.