Old RHCP vs New RHCP

They were clearly better back in the 80s and had a great raw energetic funk sound that was more suited to the band. Hillel Slovak who is the Cliff Burton of Funk Guitar was more suited to the band than John Fruscante sure John is a highly talented guitarist and he did a terrific job on the first two albums but the biggest issue with having him in the band is he is influenced by bands like New Order and possibly Joy Division which have a dark sound which doesn't suit the band this is evident on the album californication. When they did BSSM it had the same issues as the black album the songs were good but the productiuon was too polished and clean. Now these days they have gone downhill completely by becoming the biggest radio whores of the millenium with their previous 2 albums which are complete turkeys that would attract an audience of teeny bobbin bimbos who listen to James Blunt, Rihanna, Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears

I like all of the RHCP, but I favor the first 3 albums over anything else.

the only thing i ever liked by them was their Stevie Wonder cover. that was good.

Both eras have their bad albums, but this band has been relatively great their entire career. Stadium Arcadium is a double album of 28 songs, and every song, in my opinion, is excellent. I'm not sure I've ever loved every song on any double album before.

Good band all around, but I find their earlier funk-oriented stuff more amusing.

I started liking them when Mothers Milk came out but it's all good.

I like the Red Hot Silly Peckers entire career, and I think John Fruscante fits in perfectly with the band, and 'Californaction' is IMO one of their better albums.

mc666 wrote:

the only thing i ever liked by them was their Stevie Wonder cover. that was good.

Ditto.

Not a fan at all.

They've had the occasional song I thought was catchy, but certainly not an amount that could fill an album (probably be hard pressed to make an EP with the number of their songs I've enjoyed).

Mother's Milk and Blood Sugar Sex Magick are the only ones I enjoy.

Fat Freddy wrote:

mc666 wrote:

the only thing i ever liked by them was their Stevie Wonder cover. that was good.

Ditto.

Same here. There might be one or 2 others that I'd listen to on the radio, but that's about it. Saw them live once too, but they're just not my thing.

fingers wrote:

Hillel Slovak who is the Cliff Burton of Funk Guitar.....

I prefer everything up to and especially "Mother's Milk".

suck my kiss is the only song I've ever liked by them.

I can count on one hand the amount of songs from RHCP I like. These guys are extremely overrated IMO. The more I hear of them the more it makes me cringe.

Soul to Squeeze, I Could Have Lied, and Aeroplane are the only songs I enjoy.

There's a pretty simple distinction between old RHCP and Newer RHCP.

Less socks on junk onstage attire which I think most people are thankful for.

fingers wrote:

They were clearly better back in the 80s and had a great raw energetic funk sound that was more suited to the band. Hillel Slovak who is the Cliff Burton of Funk Guitar was more suited to the band than John Fruscante sure John is a highly talented guitarist and he did a terrific job on the first two albums but the biggest issue with having him in the band is he is influenced by bands like New Order and possibly Joy Division which have a dark sound which doesn't suit the band this is evident on the album californication. When they did BSSM it had the same issues as the black album the songs were good but the productiuon was too polished and clean. Now these days they have gone downhill completely by becoming the biggest radio whores of the millenium with their previous 2 albums which are complete turkeys that would attract an audience of teeny bobbin bimbos who listen to James Blunt, Rihanna, Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears

Whoah! Slow down, sailor. We probably agree on more than a few points, but, I also see some hot points of contention here as well. You draw a parallel between RHCP and Metallica, and now that I look at the two bands I also see a fairly obvious parallel. Both groups went through a perfect five album evolution which brought them to the absolute apex of their craft. After that was achieved, there would be a lull, or a downward trajectory to some extent, as both groups became something 'other' than what earned them their initial following. Neither band would ever again reach those highs.

RHCP had a five album evolution which culminated in Blood, Sugar, Sex Magic. I feel that while this album saw them losing some of their raw, charismatic stage magic, they also perfected a side of themselves which was definitely striving for that higher degree of artistry. With the help of Rick Rubin, they fleshed out a whole bunch of stuff that was lurking right below the surface, unattainable just a year or so earlier. Songs like Breaking The Girl and Under The Bridge were utterly unprecedented for their time. I remember thinking that these tunes sounded like they were part late-60's, part future tense. And, all the funky tracks on the album were just funkier, heavier and much better produced than their earlier fare. To this day, son, that album impresses the heck outta me. It just delivered so much stuff right outta left field, stuff we had never heard before from no one.

Metallica also went through a perfect five album evolution that culminated with The Black Album. I really can't believe that I'm willing to enter another conversation which is aiming to sleight The Black Album. The music on the albums speaks for itself really, yet, for some reason, it still needs to be defended. This is all that really needs to be said: ANY Metal, past, present or future, only wishes that they had something of this caliber in their discography. The Black Album consolidated all gainst that the band had achieved up until that point and put it into a form that would be palatable to a larger audience, WITHOUT really compromising at all their core principles and sound. People really couldn't see it at all at the time, but maybe it's a little more evident now when you contrast the era against something which was actually a large departure, like the LOAD albums.

Both bands went through a five album evolution which culminated in a couple of releases which were able to convey to many folks what their earlier efforts only got across to a select group. In both instances, I think that the producer became the fifth member of the band, bringing to the table so many quality ideas, which, collectively, were able to push these groups up and onto the next level of craft. Another band's peak which is very similiar to that which was experienced by both RHCP and Metallica was what Pink Floyd went through during the Dark Side of the Moon era....I NEVER thought that the production on any of these three outings was overdone in the least. There is a difference between perfection and a glossy sheen. I desire the first in what I listen to, and abhor the latter. Now, what came after these titles are problematic to one degree or another...

MM, are you a political script writer?

Marc, Good points on the producer's role played in the development of both Metallica and red Hot Chili Pepper's career.

A few of the thier songs where okay, but not a true fan overall.

I like both versions, but I'm not a huge fan of the band in general.

Marc Mason wrote:

fingers wrote:

They were clearly better back in the 80s and had a great raw energetic funk sound that was more suited to the band. Hillel Slovak who is the Cliff Burton of Funk Guitar was more suited to the band than John Fruscante sure John is a highly talented guitarist and he did a terrific job on the first two albums but the biggest issue with having him in the band is he is influenced by bands like New Order and possibly Joy Division which have a dark sound which doesn't suit the band this is evident on the album californication. When they did BSSM it had the same issues as the black album the songs were good but the productiuon was too polished and clean. Now these days they have gone downhill completely by becoming the biggest radio whores of the millenium with their previous 2 albums which are complete turkeys that would attract an audience of teeny bobbin bimbos who listen to James Blunt, Rihanna, Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears

Whoah! Slow down, sailor. We probably agree on more than a few points, but, I also see some hot points of contention here as well. You draw a parallel between RHCP and Metallica, and now that I look at the two bands I also see a fairly obvious parallel. Both groups went through a perfect five album evolution which brought them to the absolute apex of their craft. After that was achieved, there would be a lull, or a downward trajectory to some extent, as both groups became something 'other' than what earned them their initial following. Neither band would ever again reach those highs.

RHCP had a five album evolution which culminated in Blood, Sugar, Sex Magic. I feel that while this album saw them losing some of their raw, charismatic stage magic, they also perfected a side of themselves which was definitely striving for that higher degree of artistry. With the help of Rick Rubin, they fleshed out a whole bunch of stuff that was lurking right below the surface, unattainable just a year or so earlier. Songs like Breaking The Girl and Under The Bridge were utterly unprecedented for their time. I remember thinking that these tunes sounded like they were part late-60's, part future tense. And, all the funky tracks on the album were just funkier, heavier and much better produced than their earlier fare. To this day, son, that album impresses the heck outta me. It just delivered so much stuff right outta left field, stuff we had never heard before from no one.

Metallica also went through a perfect five album evolution that culminated with The Black Album. I really can't believe that I'm willing to enter another conversation which is aiming to sleight The Black Album. The music on the albums speaks for itself really, yet, for some reason, it still needs to be defended. This is all that really needs to be said: ANY Metal, past, present or future, only wishes that they had something of this caliber in their discography. The Black Album consolidated all gainst that the band had achieved up until that point and put it into a form that would be palatable to a larger audience, WITHOUT really compromising at all their core principles and sound. People really couldn't see it at all at the time, but maybe it's a little more evident now when you contrast the era against something which was actually a large departure, like the LOAD albums.

Both bands went through a five album evolution which culminated in a couple of releases which were able to convey to many folks what their earlier efforts only got across to a select group. In both instances, I think that the producer became the fifth member of the band, bringing to the table so many quality ideas, which, collectively, were able to push these groups up and onto the next level of craft. Another band's peak which is very similiar to that which was experienced by both RHCP and Metallica was what Pink Floyd went through during the Dark Side of the Moon era....I NEVER thought that the production on any of these three outings was overdone in the least. There is a difference between perfection and a glossy sheen. I desire the first in what I listen to, and abhor the latter. Now, what came after these titles are problematic to one degree or another...

Ok they are major differences in comparing Rick Rubin and Bob Rock. They are two very different producers but I just think this clean sound that was imposed by Rubin isn't suited to the RHCP they are more suited to a rough raw funk sound ok NOT as raw as an early Voivod album. Despite the sound on BSSM the songs have alot of punch and fire and I have heard the songs live and they sound twice as better. But the songs they have on their recent 2 albums have tired riffs and the band sound like they've been on a valium binge and also way... too radio friendly

Meh, both era's suck

Haven't listened to RHCP in a long time but I did like Blood Sugar Sex Magic and What Hits?