Californication

I rate this album 3/5 because it is okay album with good songs like i like dirt and purple stain but my least favourite is around the world. So that is all.

I might now have aged the best but the singles still bang. Far from the best RHCP though 7/10

Some great songs, but not a perfect album

Some great songs on here, but as a whole album I found myself getting bored and a bit sick of it. Maybe I wasn't in the right mood idk?

Decent. A few great songs separated by either boring or bad ones with no ambition, just feel like filler. Many really good songs on here, just lacks consistency and drags on towards the end.

This album dominated MTV / the radio back in high school. Listening again makes me nostalgic for winamp skins. Like a lot of things involving Anthony Kiedis, the lyrics have not aged well. I do still enjoy Scar Tissue.

Nog meer dan Californication is Stadium Arcadium echt een soundtrack van mijn puberjaren. Maar Californication is dan misschien wel weer het grootste album uit het RHCP oeuvre. Bijzonder vind ik toch wel de eigen sound van RHCP. Echt de optelsom van een aantal unieke muzikanten. Na het stoppen van John Frusciante was deze sound echt verdwenen. Na de hits in het begin vind ik de tweede helft van de plaat erg tegenvallen. Scar Tissue is mijn favoriete RHCP nummer en Otherside en Californication zijn wel echt steengoed. Road Trippin' vind ik een pareltje in het tweede deel maar verder is het zonde dat het album zo lang duurt. 7/10 Highlights Scar Tissue Otherside Californication Road Trippin'

This is a very good album that’s let down by tracks not being good enough to be there, if they’d left the weaker tracks off this album it would’ve been stronger for it.

(Huh, somehow I've only just realised this album title is "Cali" + "fornicate". For over two decades, I've been reading it as "Californiacation", like the process of becoming Californian...) This album was ubiquitous for any rock-adjacent listener in the 2000s. I never owned a copy, but it seemed like System of a Down, Rage Against the Machine, and RHCP were common denominators between most of my early teenage peers. The first half of this holds up really well. I'm got no qualms with brash funk-rock, even with a bit of pseudo-rapping thrown in. There are some irresistibly fun tracks here. I like the impressionistic songwriting as well. Some aspects of their sound feel over-polished for the radio and stadium audience, at least to my ears. Personally, I would like more punchy, rough-around-the-edges sound from funk-rock, and maybe they had this on their earlier albums (Blood Sugar Sex Magik was a popular one when I was younger, but I never heard the four albums before that.) From the 25-minute mark onwards, there are at least 4-5 tracks I would happily lose. They are capable of writing slower/quieter songs well (like "Road Trippin'"). But at their worst, this band can be very boring. Still, there's enough to like on here. 3.5* The band always looked like a sleazy sex-pest group to me, and that seems to track with everything I've read about them. But I won't let that colour my rating of the album. My other impressions of the band are: A) did they only own one shirt between them for most of their career?; B) Anthony Kiedas looks like someone put Dave Grohl and Iggy Pop through a "what would our merged offspring look like" app.

3.5

Around the World, Scar Tissue, Otherside, and Californication are all absolute bangers. Parallel Universe was ok. Get on Top wasn't, but if it ended after Californication, it would have been a 4 star album. The problem is it didn't, and everything after Californication was middling to terrible

I have a love-hate relationship with RHCP. I love their singles, as does most people. They're catchy, groovy, just overall really, really well made. Then they have their B-Sides, which are usually just straight up terrible. It's almost like they make 3 songs, and then just mess around for the rest of the music on the album. That said, Flea is still one of the greatest bassists around, Chad Smith is an incredibly underrated drummer, John Frusciante has such a unique style to his playing that you can definitely hear a difference when he's not involved with the band. Lastly, Anthony Kiedis is a character. He writes completely nonsensical lyrics that make absolutely no sense, I don't think I've ever seen him with a shirt on, and he sings in a voice that's so easily accessible to the audience that it's incredibly easy to sing along to. Overall, an incredible band with incredible singles throughout the many years they've been around. As for this album as a standalone art piece, I'll give it a 3.

Some classics, some misses, and some decent songs after that. Overall good record/5.

Don't really care for it. Not something I really enjoyed listening to and definitely not something I want to listen to again. It has some good songs here and there, but not enough to make it good.

Californication is one of those albums which really defined my childhood and early relationship with music. It was blasting from the CD palyer of our Land Rover in the '90s, all over music TV in the 00's and I had another look later in the '10s. This is my first listen since then, and it's an album which is both very much of its time and holding up well. The first half is full of bangers and huge songs, great enough music to overcome the annoying production (it peaks!!) but the second half drags on. Favourite tracks: Around the World, Parallel Universe, Scar Tissue, Californication, Easily, Savior, Road Trippin

Lo tenía súper idealizado y que decepción. Un sólido 3.5 Fun fact que no leerás, mi mamá me regañaba por escuchar californication porque pensaba que decía fornication

No band could be as good as RHCP think they are. It is to their credit that sometimes they get close. There's an inventiveness musically here that marks it apart from contemporary bands. But... The production is very late-90s shallow. And it's not as good as Blood Sugar Sex Magick.

I was not an RHCP fan when this came out. As a bass player, I loved Flea's work, and I could admit that it was always catchy, but I was too punk for Top 40 songs. Now, I've slowed down, and I can fully listen to this album. It's good. Some of the grooves are great. Some feel like filler. Overall, it's still a good album, and I can finally admit that it was very good at the time.

Can't tell if I really like it or if it is just nostalgia. I like the funk rock groove

An incredible 30ish minute EP with 20 minutes of mindless filler thrown in. The section between title track and road trippin is tough.

Listening to this album made me realize I’m not a fan of Anthony Kiedis’ rapping. I’ve always been a bigger fan of their pop hits & that’s no different here. Scar Tissue, Otherside & Californication are all great, there’s a couple others I like too but the rest of it isn’t really for me. There's not much here I'd consider outright bad though, just... average overall.

It ain’t terrible. Except for Get on Top which is.

Classic

Ouvi a versão deluxe no spotify, acho que deu uma enriquecida no álbum, tem 18 musicas nessa versão, adicionei umas 5 que nunca tinha ouvido na minha playlist. No geral um álbum bacana de se ouvir se você é alguém que cresceu nos anos 2000

Four very good numbers and a a very nice cover

A classic band with a classic album. I really like the amount of times I’ve played Californication cause bass players cant get enough of the song

OKAY!

America thing?

I know Eric’s going to disagree but I feel like there are some great songs; rest of album needed editing! 3.5

* Had this a while, but not listened to it much until now. Liking it more now than before.

Some of their best songs. Mixed terribly

Red hot chili peppers mid change my mind

I remember this being a more full sounding album. The mix is terrible. That being said the band is so in sync it's a great album. I also think the singing is kinda terrible, but I don't think it really needs to be good. It just sets a general tone. First side would be a 4 but they get a bit lost in the weeds on the second side.

Some bangers some meh. I don't need a whole album of these guys. If you like them you should check out a band called Black Pontiac

Really enjoyed the first half but by the end of the album felt like I was just waiting for it to be over. Favourite: Scar Tissue

Nice!

Not bad, a bit too rap-like for me but still fine, better than Ragged glory but not as good as seventeen seconds, 4.39

I've heard the hits a million times, and they're still good. Parallel Universe is great, too. The others are...fine.

Not awful. But I’m just over most of these songs and the RHCP, so it’s his isn’t a fair review.

Strong comeback, but not a fan of the production.

I think this album is a microcosm of RHCP as a whole. There are a couple of legitimately great tracks here, a couple more decent ones and... a bunch of annoying shit. I mean, even some of the better tracks are annoying. "I know, I know it's you / DING DING DONG DONG DING DING DONG DONG DING DING" Also, did you know that these guys are from... California? All the name drops are a bit much. The exception is the title track, which isn't exactly profound, but a solid enough song. "Scar Tissue" is amazing, with its trio of guitar solos. Fav tracks: Around the World, Scar Tissue, Californication

Great album, has some of their best work on it -Scar Tissue -Parallel Universe -Californication -Otherside

Pretty good, a bunch of songs I NEVER HEARD

A good mix of mainstream rock going on, on this album. All the best songs are popular for a reason but some horrible songs. It gives off Australian summer vibes which I grew up on so it’s almost nostalgic. Some favourites include Otherside and Californiaction and I like dirt can smd cuz that sucked. A lot of 10/10 songs and 1 or 2 3s on this album but the good ones make up for it and just for that reason I would give it a 7.7/10 3.8/5

In late 2021 I listened to a good amount of RHCP including this album and I added some songs to my Liked Songs, mostly the hits. Listening to this album 3.5 years later I would agree with my impression of the band. I enjoyed the hits a lot, but there are only three. The rest is Anthony Kiedis trying to rap which kind of sucks.

Red Hot Chili Peppers r so mid that I think they r bad bc I feel like theres too many ppl on the other side saying they r good so I'll be a hater to even it out.

This is a tough one, because there are parts of this album - and even entire songs - that I do really like and think are quite good. However, Anthony Kiedis is the worst (pretty sure he bragged about sleeping with a 14 year old as an adult, and is just generally not a great dude) and his rapping is comically bad and makes some parts of the album unlistenable. So I guess this album gets a 3

Svo ljótt cover. Scar tissue er virkilega flott, Road trippin er mjög fínt, Around the World lika (fyrir utan aðalriffið), dittó Otherside og titillagið. Svo þetta gæti verið fjarki, en Jesús hvað það er mikill filler með. Frekar ofspiluð en nostalgísk, en þið vitið, samt fín.

Half is great. Half is absolute shit.

John Fruciante's tone makes me want to get rid of my strat. Highlights: Purple Stain Road Trippin

The Hits are exzellent But the Song in between Them just Sound Like the Same Hit Remade a Bit worse

I don’t have anything against anyone who likes this album. I also don’t understand the level of hate this band gets. I think Blood Sugar Sex Magik is an awesome album and I really like most of what this band did before that album. And I don’t like much of what they did after. I will always have love for Point Break era Flea and Anthony Kiedis. That buys them enough good will for me to consider this album.

The Peppers topped out with Blood Sugar Sex Magic. This record is okay!

Tracks 2-4 are undeniably good songs. Unfortunately the other 12 songs are a Red Hot Chili Peppers album.

This is pretty good if you can tune out Anthony Kiedas. Luckiest son of a bitch in rock and roll history.

Really uneven but there is enough that clicks here.

The back half negated the front

I was not looking forward to giving this a 5. Luckily, it's a 3.5. Rounding down for pedo-factor.

Impossible to divorce from my nostalgia (which is a toxic impulse IYKYK). Millennial is gonna millennial unfortunately.

The first half of this album is really enjoyable, except for Road Trippin' (amazing track!) the rest is a bit meandering. The music is fun, the lyrics are not particularly deep or interesting but fits with the vibe - Ding ding Dong dong. Lots of nostalgia for this album (and RHCP in general) Flea is a machine on the bass and I have really great memories listening to them over the years. Reading Scar tissue with my bestie started off the greatest book club of all time. 4 stars for the music, minus 1 for Kiedis being a pedo

Loved the radio hits off this album when I was a teenager but not stoked to listen to this whole album. Pretty over RHCP. Having listened, this is the first album I’ve come across that I want to rate a 4 and 2 equally. Some of the songs are great (even if nostalgia plays a part) but some are straight up embarrassing, and the mix sucks. I guess it’s a three.

Was one of my faves all time in high school. Now it honestly feels like it needs an editor. Some great tunes. A lot of middling jams. Pretty good, not great, in hindsight

Pretty good but I didn’t finish it

Interesting to hear the whole album, the singles stand out probably mostly because I'm more familiar with them so I do tend to like them more then the songs I haven't heard before

A lot of these are really strong, others wear out their welcome really fast. Overall it all blurs together, but it's mostly a good time. I like the peppers in moderation! Just have to pretend I don't know anything about their personal lives... 3.5

I'm sorry Red Hot Chili Peppers. This album has such a great, unique funk rock flair to it, but to my ears it sounds so dated and cliche! Purely a function of me associating it with my younger, cringe years I think. 3.5 stars.

Californication itself is pretty good. Some other good songs but the last three songs I didn't like.

I have mixed feelings about this album. In a sense it's a pretty good album. But it also represents peak new Chili Peppers, basically the type of sound that started with Under the Bridge has nearly completely dominated their sound. The funky rifs are all but gone at this point--only maybe Purple Stain and Around the World have that old Chili Peppers sound. I don't love Scar Tissue or Californication, they sound too generic, like just worse remixes of Under the Bridge. Other Side sounds like that too a little, but the haunting melody in that one gives it a little more merit for me. So all in all, this is great for people who began listening to the Chili Peppers because they liked Under the Bridge. Not so much maybe for the fans of funked up rap-punk OG Chili peppers. It kind of reeks of sell-out in that sense. But 25 years later, I'm sure they don't care, the Scar Tissue side of them is what defines most of their career at this point.

Better than I remembered

Scar Tissue and Otherside instantly transport me back to the age of 17-18, skiving off college and playing Darts and Pool in the Grantham Arms. Possibly more than any other songs, it hits me with a wave of nostalgia - happiness for the times we shared and sadness for friends lost. It could make me cry if I stopped to think about it. Musically its pretty meh and really tails off but 3 stars just for the memories.

very good

They are good but they make some terrible songs 2.8

Honestly, it's fine. I've heard the singles so many times on the radio that I'd be perfectly okay without having to hear Scar Tissue or Californication until the end of Trump's term. The other tracks are classic Chili, which again, are fine. It's a competent record but Californication<Blood Sugar Sex Magik

Tough to rate for me. I think the instrumentation is great… at times. When the songs get into psychedelia I think there’s a big drop in quality. I also find Anthony Keidis’ voice to be annoying and the lyrics can be very bad.

The Chili Peppers pretty much lost me after Mother's Milk (which damn well better be on the list because it's a fucking masterpiece). Blood Sugar Sex Magic was great, but I could see the direction they were going and it didn't interest me. I just find most of post BSSM Peppers to be boring. Californication, not unlike their live performance, rocks for a few seconds, but then settles into an hour plus of mild funk and weird ballads. No thanks. 3

If you look Around the world, head Deep inside a parallel universe, turn left and go all the way to the otherside, you’ll find a lonely view to share with the birds and a place where you can dream of Californication. After that, this albums really falls off.. I remember really enjoying this in its entirety in my head but as l listen.. I’m consistently disappointed after the first 6 songs.. of which 5 are certified bangers.. i went in thinking it was going to be 5 stars but I walked away with only 3 to give

Painfully 90s

This album meant to me a lot in my teenage years. While all other girls were listening to BsB or the Spice Girls, I was a cooler girl with my Californication CD. I loved the singles, especially Scar Tissue and Otherside, and the clips were creative as well. Fast forward a quarter of a century, I don't really love this music anymore. The singles still make this album quite ok, but from the second half, the quality drops. I like Frusciante's or Flea's work on it, but Kiedis' singing style is a bit too much as the album goes on. The ending, Road Trippin' is nice, so I give it a 3, but more wouldn't be deserved.

“I’m forever near a stereo saying, ‘What the fuck is this garbage?’ And the answer is always the Red Hot Chili Peppers.’” --Nick Cave I hate California a lot and I hate it more after listening to RHCP, but Flea is an amazing bassist and some songs are catchy 3/5

Really catchy, but that production is so off-putting. The only album on the list so far that has clipping artifacts I can hear with my good headphones.

Hmm

Favorite Track: Around the World

Prefer the "B-Sides" on this one to the ones that got more airplay.

pretty solid and now have a new song from them that I like.

Pretty solid. And I found a new song I like

Really enjoyed this one! Loved the great percussion throughout. Found the lyrics a little difficult to hear. Favorite: parallel universe Least favorite: get on top 6.5/10

This is tied to a very specific time period in my memory. Some absolute monster hits. I feel fairly ambivalent about it. It has some great moments of musicality and some /real/ questionable lyrics.

Not the biggest RHCP fan. I liked the singles.

A recognizable and popular album from the 90s

Good effort by them

Unreal opening 1-4 and 6. Singles way better than album tracks. Lost interest in second half. Too long.

The singles on this album stand amongst the greatest rock songs of all time, but there is little else of note that distinguishes the other tracks. Maybe it's because I'm more tuned in to this kind of thing from just hearing 'Blackstar', but I felt that the influences of jazz were especially noticeable here. Pleasant listening, but I wouldn't mind if I never heard this album again. (5/1001, 13th Jan. '25, 0954h.).

An immensely accessible and american alt rock album with many groovy rock tunes along with some duds. The first half is solid with tracks like Around The World, Parallel Universe, Scar Tissue (favourite), Otherside and the hugely popular 90s alt rock classic Californication. Just like California, it's a very sunny and optimistic sounding record. The second half could've been better. Except the crescendo of Purple Stain and the very melodic closer Road Trippin, all were boring. At first I thought the production was really good as it sounded very sharp. A bit of digging online showed me that it's actually an album known for it's terrible production due to the 'Loudness wars' of the 90s. It was only after that I felt it somewhat flat. Maybe I'm still not a music nerd after all.

6/10

When kiedis sings and holds a note most chords sounds the same, solid album with great hits on it, would give 3.5

You know, other than the hits most of this album is dogshit. Not too surprising from heroin addicted california junkies.

Side B falls off so hard. 3/5

Sunday morning listening

Ding dong ding dang

👍🏼

Outside of the main hits, the songs are very loose and blend into each other.

The more RHCP albums i listen to in full, the more I realize I really don't like them. Anthony Keidis might be the worst lyricist of any largely popular band ever. The band is musically talented but I just hate the funk rock aspect of this album.

Great white people music. I see why people like them. The album gives talyor swift - Good mediocrity.

By far the worst Reading Festival headliner I've seen all the way through. There was just no energy, AK had to keep resting in between songs and Flea brought on his (grand?) children to do cartwheels. WHY? That said, that event will not cause any unconscious retrograde bias for this album. I knew the singles and very good they are too (for them). The rest kept my attention well enough nit a big fan of Fleas bass playing but Frusciante's guitar playing is exceptional. They certainly aren't a go-to band at all for me, (in fact there are very few US bands that are) but I may play my CD in the car again sometime in the future.

I've always preferred BSSM and By the Way to this one. The first half I was thinking "Wow, this is better than I remember! 5 stars!" and then the second half I was just waiting for it to be over.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO okay i just listened to it. it wasnt too bad

6/10 Better than most RHCP albums. The guitar work is great. 12-16-2024

Listened to the deluxe edition, previous have heard scar tissue, otherside, and californication. 3/5 is my current rating, a few great hits but a lot of average.

Reminds me of my early teen years. Good stuff, but not necessarily mind bending

The album is carried by its few excellent tracks. It wasn't a no skip album. Constant California motifs help keep it consistent.

I fully expected to despise this, but somehow I didn't. It wasn't great, but it wasn't quite as bad as I was expecting. The vocalist is awful, but I somehow managed to put that aside and found enough enjoyment for a bland 3 stars.

I actually liked this record when it first came out but grew to loathe the hits over time. On this listen I didn’t hate it quite as much as expected and got a twinge or two of nostalgia for sophomore year of high school. Flea’s bass playing is always fun too. Nonetheless I’m good with never hearing it again.

I haven't listened to this album in probably 20 years, which is weird to say and makes me feel old. I'm only part way through Around the World, and what a shit track this is. I liked it much better when it came out. Parallel Universe is off to a much better start. Flea's bass break/the instrumental section was a treat, for sure. This is maybe the worst mixed/produced album I have encountered on this list. I'm not even listening on great gear, and I'm having a hard time listening because of all the artifacts and compression. It's a shame even the remaster is bad because there is music on this album I really like. I tested both versions on tidal. I still love Scar Tissue Otherside has always been one of my favorite RHCP songs. Still true today This album is SO FUCKING LOUD. Get On Top and Around the World, especially so Californication is always a treat Emmit Remus wasn't super enjoyable This Velvet Glove: if someone had never heard of RHCP and asked what kind of music they played, this would be the song I'd play for them. Not in any sort of negative way, though. I quite liked this song Road Trippin': I have always liked this easygoing guitar and soft vocal track. I can't give this album 4 stars, but it's just the slightest bit south of 4. 3.99

I'm getting this one 25 years post it's release. I personally don't love it, but it's hard not to hear all of the influence it had on a generation of artists. You can hear something from this album in almost every song played on alt Nation today. It's really amazing.

He's not a bad singer but it really isn't my style. That aside, they clearly have talent and a unique style and direction and make sense to be on the list. Rhythm section is sold. Otherside has a strong standout energy.

The amount of times i have had to hear most of these songs is nauseating. The musicianship is solid but the vocals not so much. This is an instance where I would not go with a trumpet to replace the vocalist, I would go with a cello.

Fav song: Porcelain Amazing singles!! I think RHCP are at their strongest when singing instead of doing that weird funk rapping. Scar Tissue is one of their best songs ever.

you know what yeah sure. favs r get on top and californiacation. the rest I could live without

Probably their most popular album with plenty of songs that made their way onto the radio and into the common lexicon. They definitely seemed to find their preferred formula. Frusciante comes back with this one, Flea tones down the funk and distances himself from being the BIG BASSAPOTTAMUS, Smith is tighter but still just as aggressive as always, and Keidis finds where a balance of where innuendo meets radio play lyric wise.

All the hits are overplayed, the rest was meh. 3/5

hot boys dont cry when i give them the 3 stage burn aber tbh ich glaub dasi mis rating kriterum usegfunde han (natürlich ufs ganze album bezoge) 1 - torture 2 - schlecht, aber han nöd müese brüele 3 - okay, würds aber ezt nöd namal lose for fun 4 - guet, das losi sicher mal wider 5 - ai caramber würd mich mal wundere wies mini fellow music enjoyers so gsehnd ;) aber ja das album hett scho em hoche nostalgie wert gha aber isch ezt au nöd revolutioniert worde dasis ganze am stück gloset han

Very good album; nice range of vocals & arrangement.

Hasn't aged well for me. The excellent singles are still overplayed on the radio and consequently have lost some of their appeal, and the album tracks are pretty forgettable.

I kind of like Scar Tissue, Otherside; I almost like Get on Top, Californication

Heavily frontloaded. The first half is amazing, full of hits, songs ranging from crazy funk to pretty pop songs. The second half is a bit of a mess and it's not clear where it's going, seems like a compilation of b-sides. 3/5.

Iconic, but too long and somehow doesn't hit the mark. The album didn't interest me enough to explore why exactly. Still, the experience was good enough to know straight away that this is good stuff. Open and shut case. 3.5/5

So many classic singles but the album tracks don’t hit the mark

This album was alright. Towards the end it was very repeative.

This is a fun album, albeit with bit too many filler tracks. It's probably the Chili Peppers best album, at least it seems to have the biggest amount of hit songs on it. Key tracks: Scar Tissue Otherside Californication Road Trippin

I was into Blood Sugar Sex Magic for a bit as a teenager, but overall the Chili Peppers don't do much for me. I recognize all of the singles from Californication, they're just ok, and the rest of the album is kind of the same. 2.5/3

I have much more nostalgia for BSSM and One Hot Minute than Californication, where only the hits really stand out to me. And the album is frontloaded with the singles, so that’s not a great look. The band’s funky roots do show up more profoundly later, which is good, but there’s still too much midtempo fluff to really appreciate, which is not. Eh, a C

I really wanted to like this more than I did. The softer rock songs are significantly better than the fast paced or hip hop stuff, and the lyrics are straight nonsense across the board.

3/5 it's alright don't really care for it

Addicted to the shin dig

It was exactly what I expected it to be lol

CALIFORNIA

Some of this is really good, some excites me a lot less, but all of it is well done.

Great bass lines throughout the whole piece, catchy and sad tunes alike.

The hits are fun but gets a bit samey tbh

this is my boyfriends rating off the top of his head ty next album please

I had this on minidisc and listened to it endlessly. It was pretty much the only album released on minidisc, so the amount of play it got doesn’t reflect the quality. It’s a good album, more listenable than BSSM, but I’m glad I haven’t heard it for years.

Not as bad as I was expecting.

I think this was the first album in over 250 I've faced listening to with dread. The songs I heard from it at the time I thought were the worst excesses of bland mass fodder. I've reassessed. It's not bad. The songwriting seems more mature and the guitar is certainly tasteful. Flea always provides a joyful lower end. Even Keidis wasn't as annoying as I remember.

Ok, this was one of those albums I really wanted to hate more than I actually did, but I have to admit, it had some good elements. That said, Anthony Kiedis is such an arrogant jerk, and it makes it incredibly hard for me to even want to give the Red Hot Chili Peppers a chance when they release new music. Honestly, he’s the biggest roadblock to me ever fully appreciating this band, and because of him, I doubt I ever will.

Idk pretty good. A lot of really plucky rat tat tat funk guitar lines. At times felt corny

Some pretty good highs but the lows kinda stunk. Not my jam overall, though I definitely had some of these on playlists in like 05

Like the rhcp, was a decent album

Considering I’ve never had time for this band or this album really, I was a little surprised by how nostalgic it made me feel, I was expecting to rate it a 1 or 2 but I think a 3 would be more fair, hadn’t ever really listened all the way through before, can see why it was popular

Never really into them. Appreciate the talent.

Real highs and real lows on this album. A lot of the songs are minor with a descending progression and gets little repetitive.

i like the alt rock, but the sounds are very similar. a few misses and no bangers

I think Flea, John Frusciante, and Chad Smith are pretty great-to-amazing players who seem to have been born to make music together. But then there's Anthony Kiedis. Look, there's a reason I'm writing this while and he's a mega rock star. This I know, this I have accepted. That aside -- I mean, come on. His voice isn't necessarily bad, for the most part. Sometimes, not bad even when he doesn't quite hit the note (honestly, that adds some character). But these lyrics? Well, you know what I'm going to say. It's almost cliche to criticize them for that at this point. Some of Kiedis' lyrical hooks work in the choruses ("Scar Tissue," "Otherside"), but even the opening track ("Around the World") stoops to near self-parody with the "bing-a-bap-a-doo-wap" or whatever line in the verse. But he does give Flea and Frusciante the opportunity to harmonize from time to time, and those are always pretty good. Just watch "Under the Bridge" on SNL. What I described above is represented across their discography, of course. Californication is no exception. All of that said, this is a decent but generally solid album, and to whom we can attribute this success is primarily Flea, Frusciante, and Smith. But I recommend going into it viewing the vocals as just another instrument. Which is, of course, true of every album (i.e., not limited to RHCP). It's just that on Californication, the more you view them that way, and the more you disregard the actual words, the more effective the album becomes. The highlight of the album, to me, is the trifecta of "Scar Tissue," "Otherside," and "Get on Top." These songs are preceded by the two opening tracks, and I'd rank these two just below the trifecta. "Around the World" starts as a barn burner that came to rip your face off, only to descend into a middling chorus. "Parallel Universe" is high energy throughout, but, if viewed singularly, is just all right. However, at its place in the album sequence, it works well. And it maintains the album's opening intensity better than the opening track. This leads us to the titular track -- "Californication." This is just all right, I begrudgingly guess. It makes sense to slow the album down at this point. I understand how people have always found the song catchy (especially the chorus), but it's not for me. I don't find it particularly interesting on any level. After that, the album oscillates between mid-level energy and very low energy (I really found the guitar tone/playing at the end of "Porcelain" very interesting, and it completely saves the song), but it never reaches the heights of the first five tracks. Although those tracks with "Road Trippin'" (the albums final track) tacked on after "Otherside" would have made for an unimpeachable EP. But an EP, this is not. The pacing of this album makes sense when viewed as a whole product, but the album started wearing out it's welcome by track nine, "I Like Dirt" (See? I told you to ignore the words), leaving six to nine more songs depending on the version you give a listen. For our purposes here, I am not counting bonus tracks when rating albums, but will call them out if they're great (they're not great here). With that said, we have a 15-track album I'm ready to turn off by the ninth track, and really only care for a third of the songs. And of course, we must address the following: it is painfully obvious that this album is compressed to hell as part of the "loudness wars," but I feel like that aesthetic fits the album more often than not. I'm giving this album three stars (2.5 stars if a half star was an option). I wouldn't object to listening, but I wouldn't request it. The album is more like a great EP (the first five tracks) with some other stuff they wrote tacked onto it to justify an album. These tacked on songs are far from incompetent, they're just...there.

Some great songs and some meh songs. Great drums perfectly matched to the songs, I really think he's one of the best drummers in rock today, gives the song exactly what it needs.

OK

3 stars for nostalgia.

Love scar tissue, probably my favorite rhcp track but the whole album got a bit boring

p852. 1999. 3 stars. Dated dad rock. A handful of great tracks on this, and on the plus side none of them outstay their welcome. There's a lot of filler though.

Overrated, funky, overplayed

Another modern classic

Hot, nonsensical garbage.

Ok so I knew the hits from this album ("Scar Tissue", "Otherside", and "Californication"), and while I'm not a huge RHCP fan or anything, I figured I'd probably enjoy this. Turns out I wasn't missing much beyond the hits. I'm giving this a 3 because the best songs are great, but I don't think I've come across an album with such a wide variance in how I felt. I swear basically every song was either awesome or almost painfully bad, with very little in between. It's definitely not nu metal, but I had moments where this reminded me of Limp Bizkit (which is not a good thing). I don't know, maybe I'm missing something here, but I just really thought this was all over the board. It's closer to a 2 than a 4 for me, but the hits are good enough to keep it at a 3. You can comfortably ignore the rest. Favorite song: Otherside Other: Scar Tissue, Californication, Porcelain, Savior, Road Trippin' 9/20/24

For some reason I don’t enjoy this. I should. But I don’t.

Love a lot of it. Not so much on some of it.

Started off fun but got boring

I can't relate to the Red Hot Chili Peppers at all. Not my thing, though a few catchy songs and good instrumentals.

Some OK songs with shit lyrics

bing dinga donga california! gotta gotta gotta get three stars now!

The cover of the album is so bad that the music feels worse because of it. How was this approved by the band? But away from badly designed covers and over to the Red Hot Chili Peppers legendary album 'Californication' which features the song of the same name and a couple of others Alt Rock and Funk Rock songs that give off the pure Summer California vibe that we all long for in the winter (well except me because I hate summer but let's ignore that for now). The album is pretty diverse both sonically but also with quality as there are some actual bangers as well as some dozy snoozers. The very funky 'Around the World' starts things off with one of the best songs on the album. It has a nice groove and the Rap verses just add to the playful and energetic song. It's just a really good song that's super fun to listen to and has a surprisingly good structure and chorus. I really like it and think that it's pretty much the essence of what makes the RHCP for so many people: early Rap Rock with a lot of groovy Funk, great bass lines and overall good made music that's easy to enjoy. And it is a really good song even if I think that some passages might not be the strongest, it still turns out to be a really well made track. It gets a little heavier and noisier on 'Parallel Universe' which seems to have some big influences of Post-Punk Revival in the chorus. It's a pretty good song but they could've done a little more with the song as it turns out a little bit washed and unfocused. The highlights are definitely there but one or two major problems arise in the verses mainly the vocal delivery which doesn't really fit at some points. But the lead guitar towards the end together with the fast bass is just crazy. Great song overall but with room for improvement. The heavy and raw energy is tuned back 'Scar Tissue' and replaced with some nice Pop Rock melodies. The detail work here is done really well: The guitars slight build up, the background vocals fit incredibly and the rythmn section's on point. It is a really enjoyable and just great written song which makes it overall just a really great track from start to finish. 'Otherside' keeps the Pop aspect but adds a more sentimental and dark twist to it. The song is just really beautiful in how it's written and performed. The vocals do not collide with the bass or the guitar rather they work together which is quite special on this album with how many raw and loud pieces are found here. It's another great maybe even incredible song and one of my personal favourites from the band. The Funk and Rap return right away on 'Get on Top' together with some Rap Metal which is really nice to hear right after the last song to get the mood up again. The song is pretty silly but it feels like they try to sound much more genuine then they turn out which does harm the song as this is a goofy song and not a genuine and deep song like how some parts are presented. It's still "good" but I just don't really like the presentation of how this "good" is set infront of you. It turns the song average and even annoying. 'Californication' is legendary and everyone's heard it but every time I hear it now I always think about how this is the same melody that Akira Yamaoka used on Promise for the Silent Hill 2 soundtrack which is like my 5th favourite album ever. But back to the song: You know it, the Psychedelic Pop Rock sound and the cute David Bowie reference, the chorus which everyone had stuck in their ears at least once. And yeah, the song is pretty good. Nothing crazy, nothing incredible. It's good but it should've been a little bolder with what it does. The little bits of Hard Rock on 'Easily' are quite nice but they don't save the song from being straight up bad. It's boring and when it isn't that boring it's annyoing. This is pretty much the worst thing music can be: forgettable and the things that aren't stuck in your mind as "not good". Straight up terrible music at least gets stuck and leaves with strong emotions of hate and opinions that you'll fight for. This just flows through one ear, scratches a litte, and leaves right through the other. The albums second half is started with something completely different. 'Porcelain' is dreamy and psychedelic Slowcore which is a pretty interesting touch and they perform this style pretty well considering that they normally are a loud Funk Rock band. It's quite the beautiful song and I really like how the guitar is used here. It's a really good song full of emotional moments and deliveries. They return to their usual style on 'Emit Remmus' which is pretty energetic and Punky with the chorus and the song is pretty alright as a whole but some of the structured moments do feel a little bit unfinished and not fully fleshed out. The track 'I Like Dirt' can be summarized with this meme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8a02zyht8B0. No but seriously, the song is bad but it knows that and it doesn't try to be good. It just plays with the silly and downright stupid aspect of it and turns out to be much more enjoyable than some other Rap Rock songs on this album. It's genuinely a really funny track to listen to and I absolutely love it, it's really good. 'This Velvet Glove' is maybe quite well made and the background vocals are a nice touch but I am really uninterested by it. Nothing really grabs my attention and it just flies past me with neither positive nor negative thoughts about it. It's just an average and basic song. The exact same thing is happened with 'Savior', it just flies past me and I do not care for it. It isn't bad but... it isn't good either. Still, the chorus is pretty nice but not enough to make me care for the song especially when the bridge is just that unfocused in how it's presented. The Rap Rock is continued on 'Purple Stain'. The lyrical reference to their guitarist is hilarious and the chorus is really fun. It isn't the craziest song on this album but it's quite good, I like it even if it looses its focus after a while. 'Right on Time' is short but but energetic with some Dance-Punk influence which happens to work really well with the Funky Rap Rock. It's pretty decent but you can't really f*** up a song this short, so even if I am not overly impressed, I still enjoy it. The album closes on the more laid-back Acoustic Folk inspired song 'Road Trippin'' which is a nice ending to the album. It is another song with a switch up of genres and again, it works fine. It feels a lot like an Elliott Smith song which is a nice touch but it doesn't feel overly inventive or like they actually know what they are doing as lyrically, this isn't great or fitting and the guitar carries this whole song. It's still pretty enjoyable though. favourites: Otherside, Scar Tissue, Around the World, Porcelain least favourites: Easily, Get on Top, This Velvet Glove, Savior Rating: strong 6 https://rateyourmusic.com/~Emil_ph for more ratings, reviews and takes

listened once months ago. didn’t want to revisit for this. chili peppers suck

Don't tell anyone...

A pretty good album, although I did love the lyrics or the singing. The guitar work is good. 3.5

Californication I really liked By The Way when it came out (and very much enjoyed them at V) and I subsequently listened to this a fair bit around that time. I haven’t listened to any RHCP since then so I was really looking forward to revisiting it. I don’t know whether I've changed or it hasn't aged well in the intervening years but overall I found this a bit of a struggle. There’s lots I should like; Frusciante’s guitar, Chad Smith’s drumming, Flea’s obvious skill as a bassist, and it's clear they can write some good catchy hooks as there are a few very good songs, Scar Tissue, Otherside and Road Trippin’, but there’s just something about the whole thing I couldn’t connect with. I found Kiedis’s voice tough going, in a way I didn’t 20 odd years ago, and while he can come up with the odd gem there is a lot of lyrical stupidity presented seriously. Also, I thought this sounded quite ropey - even on really good headphones it felt like I was listening on a portable FM radio from the 90s. It sounds like it’s all on one narrow band with no sense of depth, everything all bunched in the middle. The snare sound is also quite distracting. I do find Rick Rubin interesting, and he’s produced a lot of great records, but he does have quite a few bad sounding records in there too, this included. Overall it’s not that I disliked it, or I thought it was bad, or that they aren’t very skilled, I just found it hard going over the course of a few what felt like pretty long listens. Maybe it’s a result of the production, or Kiedis’s voice or that there is a distinct sameyness to their formula but I just felt like it’s not really for me, and doesn’t hold a great deal of interest beyond those few good songs. Somewhat with regret, as I was expecting more enjoyment, it's a 3, and an album I’m unlikely to come back to. 🌶️🌶️🌶️ Playlist submission: Otherside

This was too much Red Hot Chili Peppers at once; I prefer smaller doses of them. Also, the hits were miles better than the rest of the album. Stand-out: Road Trippin'

Bell’album, ringrazio Gemitaiz per avermelo fatto conoscere

play that funky music white boy

Had to restart this album several times cause I thought something was wrong with my streaming settings. Might have been a four if it didn’t sound so bad.

I've always enjoyed the instrumentals of RHCP, but the vocals can grate on me at times. There's something about the vocals that sound almost lazy, which might be on purpose, but I don't like it. Flea and John definitely carry the band in my eyes. Californication has some RHCP songs that I do genuinely like, such as Californication and Otherside, but I just don't think it is that great. I really hate the intro to Around the World as well, and all the poor attempts at rapping, if that's what it is meant to be.

Pretty good album. If I’m gonna be honest, I felt it was a bit too long - it dragged in parts and by the end I was waiting for it to be over. Not that it was a bad album, I enjoyed it quite a lot. There was some nice softer passages which I thought nicely complimented the harder/rockier/louder parts. Overall a really good album, I will need to listen to it again in hopes that it will grow on me a bit more. 6.5/10

DREAM OF CALIFORNICATION. this shit happened to me. around the world- 5 parallel universe- 4 scar tissue- 7. song i listen to when my wife leaves me cause im on a bender. otherside- HOW LONG HOW LOOOOONGGG. 6 kinda boring get on top- gorilla. 5 californication- DREAM OF CALIFORNICATIONNNN. the thing about this song is its not very good. 4 easily- 4 porcelain- 5 or 6 emit remmus- dont care 4 i like dirt- me too. 5 or 6 this velvet glove- 4 savior- 3 purple stain- 4 right on time- 5 or 6 road trippin- 3 or 4 mid

jo nervig aber au paar cooli lieder

ding ding dong dong ding ding dong dong ding ding 5.3/10 instagram reels carried me through this listen 😴

There are a lot of good songs on the album but this solidified for me that rhcp aren’t an album band - more anal bum band

Some catchy tunes but I'm extremely indifferent to the themes here. Very self-indulgent. The song "Porcelain" is downright cringey. Keidis' is no Freddie Mercury, let's just say that. Or T.S. Eliot. Flea and Chad Smith are a top-tier rhythm section (of course) and the harmonic interplay between Frusciante and Flea is compelling, and the thing that makes this an album not to miss before you are dead: in the ground or in an urn on your grandchild's mantlepiece, never really knowing whether you had an impact on others, never having the fulfillment of a life well lived. Perhaps your death will be a glorious one, say, fighting for the liberation of a righteous people whose only hope is to live autonomously, unburdened by interlopers, overlords, or autocrats. More likely though is that death will come to you through the inevitable and unremarkable disintegration of your physical being. If you heard this album before your imminent demise, well at least there's that. But like so many others, I wish Anthony Keidis was a better singer and they could think of something besides drugs, sex, and California to write about. There's nothing pulling me in on this.

Not a fan, but it was alright.

Funk rock fusion!

Its ok. Generic somewhat. Front loaded with the dingles

Chill funky 90s vibes.

I mean, def one of Chili's best, but I'm not chilis fan :/

Freshman year of college. Not their best.

kind of a fun listen, i can see why millennials like them so much

I think life might have been a bit better if I hadn't gone back and listened to this album in my mid-40s. I saw this band on the tour for this album, and it was incredible (the Foo Fighters were on the same tour). The older I get, the less I like RHCP. The lyrics are...I guess stupid is the word. The music is fun, but I've heard enough of RHCP's influences to know that their sound is not particularly original, nor were they the best to do it. With that being said, I do like Scar Tissue. I don't think this is a bad album, but it is the type of album whose flaws are obvious to me when I'm asked to review it critically. The crazy thing is that a ton of these songs were successful singles, but I don't want to listen to any of them 3/5 It's not bad, but Anthony Kiedis should feel bad about how stupid his lyrics are

https://youtu.be/xAzwAoOihG0?si=iUZo5Cm9AjEtsdSH

I liked this much more than I expected to.

5 star singles though. Defined, imo, the last good rock era

Well, I'd not really listened to the Red Hot Chili Peppers before, and I found this album really quite dull. Maybe back in 1999 I'd have had a different view. It's quite a tight album with solid songs but somehow doesn't engage me.

While an important listen, I feel modern pop borrows a lot from this, making it hard to enjoy

Enjoyed this a lot more when it came out, although listening back to it now. There's only a few tracks that really stand out

Very much an album of two halves. The first few songs are great and amongst the very best the Chilis have done (maybe with the exception of Get on Top, which is still quite fun). Songs like Parallel Universe diversify their sound a lot, while Scar Tissue and Otherside are two of their most emotionally raw performances. After the fantastic title track though, it all gets quite forgettable. I Like Dirt is another fun one, and Road Trippin’ is a gorgeous closer, but otherwise it really is lacking in that second half.

RHCP is the king of unbalanced albums. One half pop the other half funk.

Liked some of the songs but a very bloated album

Some great songs but a tad too long for an album. It’s a bit disjointed.

3.5

Got some hits

Первая половина сильнее второй. Приличный, неровный альбом. Лучшая песня - Otherside.

Some really good songs, and some not so good.

Really enjoyed it, on second playing

Variety of sounds, pop, funk and rap.

I was prepared to hate this because I loathed the last album we had by the peps, but the singles on this are really solid. The back half was forgettable but a much better experience this time with the RHCPs.

This is taylor made for Southern California. That’s the vibe

This was too much Chili Peppers for one sitting. I enjoyed the hits, though.

Plenty of familiar RHCP songs, but lots of stuff on there that I wasn't interested in.

Some good and unique tunes, but a lot of it just blends together in typical late RHCP style.

So this is my second RHCP album in this challenge and though I do like this one better than the other one (Blood Sugar Sex Magik), I feel that this album suffers from the same thing that put me off the other one. The length. The first half of this album is really really good. In fact, the album was just tracks 1-8 and 15, I would rate this five stars. But the problem is, tracks 9-14 exist. To me, they serve as nothing more than filler. That is a shame because the first half of the album is excellent, but since I really don't like half the album, I can really only give 3 stars at most. The musicianship is very good. I really like Flea's bass playing in this album, sounding very melodic. The surprising highlight for me in the album is 'Porcelain', a soft ballad with nice production and harmonies. Potentially an all timer album ruined by filler and length. FAVORITE SONGS - Porcelain - Californication - Otherside - Scar Tissue - Road Trippin' 3.5/5

A nostalgic first half, a mediocre second. Although I did enjoy the last song Road Trippin, or at least the beginning of it.

Otherside is a 4.5, rest is decent at best

Interesting album, that fast frenetic songs, Some. slow tempo songs, some that I would characterize as experimental. Flea’s Guitar work is Impressive. Would’ve rated it higher if there were a few songs that didn’t seem to match the brilliance of the better ones

Kinda shocked how much of this album was burned into my brain. Listened to it a lot in high school but it’s never one I’ve revisited at all. A couple undeniable bangers but nothing incredibly exciting!

Wow this was nostalgic. There was a place and time for the RHCP. Enjoyed Californiacation and Otherside…but oh the scat…it’s so bad..seriously….

Perfectly decent album… had to come to terms with why this doesn’t click with me quite as much as some other funk rock bands, which I think has to do with the fact that 1) it’s just kinda boring save for a few all-time classic bangers, and 2) I’m realizing it’s probably funk metal that I actually like …… the real question is …. Do they have songs that they need to be doing all that for (wearing socks on their weiners)

Odd that the slower songs that are hits are the highlights, when they try to inject some excitement it falls flat. The first two songs in particular are discouraging I almost gave up but the trio of slower hits are very good. The second half of the album seems lost and never finds the gravitas that works earlier in the album.

It's mid.

Talk about an album that fizzles... The first half is pure fire, but the last half lingers way too long.

cool

Corny but catchy

The first six songs on this album are funky and relentlessly catchy. Unfortunately, after the song "Californication" they paint themselves in a bit. They redeem a bit on the last song Road Trippin', which is a nice closing track. 2.8/5 -> 3/5.

A return to the classis Blood Sugar Sex Magik lineup, and the Chili Peppers are locked in a groove alright, but outside of the 4 or 5 singles this thing spawned the rest is kinda middling. RHCP are good as a "greatest hits" band, you loved the radio friendly songs you've heard a lot of, but any deep cuts are just not hitting the same.

Some good songs, but perhaps went on a bit too long and the second half was definitely not as good as the first. Decent album.

The rhythm section is so tight and really defined the sound of the album for me. Parallel Universe is a perfect example. Scar Tissue is the first radio hit off the record, and I didn't realize how good the solos are. The title track is hard to contextualize here as I've heard it so much. Unfortunately after this a lot of tracks go by that aren't clicking for me. This Velvet Glove is a nice slow builder though. As an album I found it top heavy, too long, and not outstanding overall but glad to have discovered Parallel Universe.

Suffers from being overplayed to death, but it was for a decent reason, it's good, not great. A lot of similar sounding style, but not a bad listen. 3.5/5

This has quite a few good songs on it.

I loved this when it came out. Not so sure I still do. First half of the album is great, but the last half is a complete waste of time.

Some good stuff on here but ultimately too long and started sounding repetitious towards the end. This hasn’t aged very well

Un par de buenos temas que destacan, pero el resto no me vuelve loco.

Thought it was better than this from memory. Must have just remembered the bangers (they are bangers) and forgotten the not so good ones

The Chili Peppers have been around for a long time, and they have perfected their style of radio-friendly pop-funk. Some clunkers here, but some timeless gems as well.

Ngl, very hesitant about this album because i kinda see the chili peppers as this redditor millennial band but this really managed to surprise me, the album’s reputation is deserved there are some true hits. At least, the first half. The second half really falls off. If it was just side a this would approach a 5 but as it stands i have to give the whole thing a 3

Rap rock that honestly wasn't cringy, I liked how funky it sounded and there were a good amount of feel-good songs I'd want to come back to. Favorite song: Californication Least favorite song: Right on Time

The first half has a bunch of fun, oldhead radio hits which is a good listen. If only it could've stopped there. No, instead we have like 8 songs in a row which don't really excite me all that much. If they had cut the fat from this, maybe had 12 songs instead of 15 I could've invested myself in the deep cuts. Fav songs: - Around the World - Scar Tissue - Otherside - Californication

peak late 90s radio alt rock. they don’t have much to say but at least they’re funky with it. 3.4.

Outside of "Road Trippin'" this takes a sheer plunge off a cliff after the title track but I'm not go and front and act like this doesn't have some bops nor will I try to hide my nostalgia for all the singles as they were alt rock radio STAPLES growing up, like trying to make it through 24 hours without hearing the title track or "Otherside" or even "Scar Tissue" over the lengths was and still is nigh impossible. And honestly I still have a lot of love for those songs, "Parallel Universe" had me low key geeking earlier, the chili peppers are permanently corny, but at least the hits were good songs. That being said listening to this on even a half-decent pair of headphones is a painful experience, gonna agree with everyone here begging for a remastered version. Also they [i]really really[/i] should have cut the gas and not Anthony Kiedis cook when he started pulling out the "ding dong dang dong" bullshit ruining what should be a perfectly fine funk rock song on "Around The World."

2.5 - Everything that wasn't Scar Tissue was kinda boring. Some of the songs had parts that would bring me back, but there is a lot of nothing in here.

AROUND THE WORLD 8/10 Amazing start Guitar lick in verses is amazing Anthony Kiedis provides great vocals Ding Dang Dong Ding Ding Dang Chorus has great backing vocals Bridge has great chord progression PARALLEL UNIVERSE 7/10 Chord progression is a bit basic Surprisingly, the lyrics are about California Flea's bassline in second half is really nice The ending is quite chaotic which i fw Mixing on chorus isn't great SCAR TISSUE 9/10 John Frusciante in his prime (That riff tho) Sounds even better in the context of the album Lyrics are minimalistic and catchy Solos are infectious Guitar tone is rich and crunchy yet clean OTHERSIDE 7/10 Guitar riff is unique Lyrics really grab your attention Great minor to major switch up Guitar riff gets boring after a while Production is annoying and jarring GET ON TOP 8/10 Instantly funky Great hook Chad Smith and Flea take centre stage here Lyrics are meaningless Switch up is mid Production is once again a bit scratchy Wah Pedal makes this song good A really fun experience all the same CALIFORNICATION 8/10 Lyrics are actually really good Guitar riff is iconic Chorus is quite good Production still hurts my head A bit boring but possibly my bad EASILY 6/10 I'm bored Lyrics suck Chorus is unique Frusciante is great on the chorus Drums sound awful Seriously, who tf produced this??? PORCELAIN 8/10 Smashing Pumpkins influence I like how different this is from the rest of the album I hate these lyrics Guitar and bass are dreamy Kiedis actually has some nice vocals EMIT REMMUS 7/10 Hugely better production Frusciante sounds great Flea's bassline is awesome These lyrics make me want to die. Nice switch up I LIKE DIRT 6/10 Obnoxious lyrics I like the funky though Chad Smith actually sounds pretty good Shouldn't exist THIS VELVET GLOVE 7/10 I kinda want the album to be over at this point I like the acoustic guitar Savior 8/10 I kind of like the guitar tone Switch up is actually really nice Some nice sounds Backing vocals are great Purple Stain 8/10 I hate these lyrics Guitar riff is funky RIGHT ON TIME 7/10 More funky Great backing vocals Bassline is unique Production is still HORRIBLE ROADTRIPPIN' 9/10 Acoustic guitar riff is pleasing Enjoyable lyrics Strings sound really nice Harmonies are brilliant The strings make this song good Most enjoyable song on the album Overall: Some good songs with terrible, terrible production that sounds more compressed than any other album I've ever heard. Rick Rubin did NOT cook. Lots of these songs are kind of nostalgic for me, but in the way that i already feel a bit bored of them. Nice effort though.

Yikes, some very enjoyable tracks, some of it becomes a little too much.

a lot rockier but also a lot more acoustic driven stuff. Still pretty good.

Enjoyed the young people singing

Rock, Rap, Punk, 1999 -> 3

A good album, I liked Californication, This Velvet Glove and Savior.

I know folks love these guys. I love certain moments by these guys. This album more brought me back to where I was when it was released than reminded me of the strength of the music. Certainly some real strengths, of course, and I remember the big deal when the album came out. But the unremarkable songs seem to cast a giant shadow. Probably just me.

Did not like this as much as I remember. Which is a little bit sad...

Oh. This one. Okay. Like anyone who was a self-respecting teenager when Blood Sugar Sex Magik came out, I have a fair bit of RHCP residue in my system. Over time though, it caused me to develop an intolerance to their music. And looking back, it may have been Californication, my absolut last point of contact with anything this band has done, that did most of this. I liked it a lot when I came out, but it's like its age unveiled a crass caricature: I put this on a few years ago and literally sat there with my mouth open being stunned by the nails on chalkboard experience. How much of it is due to the pain- and godawful mix or Kiedis kiedising I don't know, but bottom line: while there's some great song writing in here (Parallel Universe and This Velvet Glove have always been my favs), I simply can't listen to this anymore.

I listened to this on my good speakers that I set up for my turntable, and the first song sounds like Flea is blowing out his amp. Yikes. And is Porcelain supposed to sound staticky?? The whole album is super compressed—peak loudness wars on display. I vaguely remember having this album in high school (and by having, I mean burning it from someone, which is probably why I didn't realize how awful the mp3s sounded) but somehow I have zero memory of any of the non-single songs. I'm not upset about that. I also remember being so sick of Scar Tissue and Otherside being everywhere all the time—the radio, TRL, you name it, they were on. The music isn't terrible. A lot of it is good. Flea's one of the best bassists there is, and Frusciante's guitar is usually great. I've always kind of liked how they incorporate funk into their sound. But over 15 tracks, you start to notice a lot of repetition, and it wears out its welcome. The lyrics, though. I don't know if it's worse not being able to understand half of what Anthony says or being able to understand half of it. I don't hate his voice as much as a lot of people do (though it's not great by any means), but wow, most of these lyrics are dumb. The rap rock delivery is especially cringey. I somehow forgot about the bizarre Asian (?) impersonation on the opening track, but sheesh that's bad. I definitely would not seek this album out, and I'd probably turn the singles off 3/5 times if they came on. 3/5 for the musicianship and a couple decent songs

The first few tracks on this had me feeling very nostalgic for when I was 10 years old and discovered RHCP. But looking back now, this record is so front loaded, and has an awful lot of filler. 3/5 for the singles and the nostalgia.

lots of good songs on here

Despite this being shorter I think I prefer Blood Sugar Sex Magik. This album is very front loaded.

First half is strong, but unfortunately it’s just too long so that knocks it down a star.

Such a complicating album for me. On the one hand, you've got an album full of catchy songs with a distinct personality. On the other hand, none of it evokes even a single emotion in me, and it all ends up sounding too much like 'people pleasing music' to deliver any actual punches. In the end, I guess all I can I do is look at this album and say "yep, that sure is an album a lot of other people like".

Some undeniable bangers, like "Californication" and "Otherside", which are among the very few radio hits that I'm still not tired of, even after hearing them a trillion times. RHCP always make their albums super bloated for no reason though. And yeah, Anthony Kiedis is a douchebag. Probably their best? Ten times better than "Blood Sugar Sex Magik", that's for certain.

I remember thinking this album was great when I was much younger, but nowadays it just doesn't quite work for me. The general vibe of the album feels very dated, and while some songs are decent, many others seem to fall flat.

Some of the songs hit but some actually give me a headache idk

Tiene temazos pero también tiene mierdas

puff pues bueno, tiene alguna canción que es un temazo, pero poco mas

okay dad rock

Two absolute bangers in Scar Tissue and Otherside. Californication is solid. The rest of the album is forgettable popified Nirvana without a single memorable guitar riff. Purple Stain had potential, but they butchered it with the lyrics and cadence. Around the World is a misguided foray into rap that has not stood the test of time.

The Hard Times (a satire punk news poster on social media) posted once "Babbling 18-Month-Old Sued By Red Hot Chili Peppers for Plagiarism". I think of this every time I hear "Around The World" and Kiedis sings "Ding ding, dong dong, ding ding, dong dong, ding ding". He lyrics and singing blurs the lines between singing and rapping, and not in a good way. RHCP is maddening. For every song that has some sentiment and you think "Ok, that's pretty decent" like in "Scar Tissue" you get dumb songs like "Get On Top". Any rocker like "Parallel Universe" that's like "whoa that's kicking some ass" comes with "I Like Dirt". So there's probably about half an album that's good, an half album that's just stupid. Good and stupid don't really mix for me. Top songs: "Parallel Universe," "Otherside," "Scar Tissue"

some hits and some stinkers but overall a funky good time with the chili peppers

I'm listening to this just two days after another Peppers album - Blood Sugar Sex Magik - and my opinion of the band has remained very much the same, despite 8 years of discrepancy between the albums' releases. The vocals are largely misses rather than hits, often being a kind of half-spoken-half-sung thing that definitely isn't appealing. The riffs and overall rhythm section tend to make up for it, especially in the opening few tracks; the band is very well-practiced and in sync with one another, making for a great sonic basis for some good tracks. However, by the latter half of the album (excluding Road Trippin'), it's pretty clear that the Peppers are padding runtime for the sake of composing a (second) "masterpiece". I have some respect for the fact that this album was (and still is) wildly popular. However, it doesn't cover any particularly new ground or invent anything interesting. It just exists, as decent, aggressively inoffensive rock that's a microcosm of its time. Like the Eagles, but two decades later. (Eh...) Key tracks: Otherwise, Californication

Yes, it has a lot of hit singles and garnered critical acclaim, as well as being the RHCP’s best-selling album, but ‘Californication’ just doesn’t have the same brashness, edginess, sense of danger, or general sense of energy and fun (and funk) that ‘Blood Sugar Sex Magik’ does. Yes, they were older and went for a more mature rock statement and sound, but they sacrificed a fair bit of their funkiness in the process, and frankly, for me, that’s when the RHCP’s are generally at their best.

ja whatever

Ok

Probably my second favorite RHCP album after Stadium Arcadium, and probably the first one of theirs I listened to. I think it contains some of their best songs with the least duds of any of their albums (although it does have some duds like “I Like Dirt”). Probably their most consistently good album.

Even if it only offered the single best riff RHCP ever recorded on “Scar Tissue,” this record would be worth a listen. It’s next-level musical and lyrical maturity for the whole crew, and it deserved the recognition it received from fans and newcomers.

Great production and execution, you can tell everyone was in tune with the vibe of the album. Never been a huge RHCP fan but can see why they're praised. Good album. Would rate 3.5 if I could.

3.5 Preferred the first half compared to the end. Still a good album

3.

The first 6 songs are pretty great. And then you realize how stupid the lyrics and vocals are of every RHCP song.

(Mai ascoltato prima) Conoscevo già alcune canzoni, ci sono alcuni pezzi molto forti, altri un po’ neutri.

This has always been my thing with most Chili Peppers songs: - On the first listen, I think "this song slaps". - On the fifth listen, I think "yeah, this is alright". - On the tenth listen, I think, "I'm not so sure anymore". The Chili Peppers were always a band that I enjoyed whenever their songs played on the radio, but not enough to actually go buy their CD. I've heard this album quite a few times. "Scar Tissue" and "Road Trippin'" are awesome (plus, the video for "Scar Tissue" is legendary). But I'm mostly indifferent to the rest. It's good music, but I don't love it. And this might be an unpopular opinion: I've never really rated Anthony Kiedis as singer. He grates on me after a while. This album is a 3/5 by the most 3/5 band ever. 👍👍

Now here's a divisive one. Red Hot Chili Peppers is another example of a very love it or hate it band. Some people love them while others find them annoying. As for me, I can see aspects of both in my opinion, though I do lean more towards the former. Californication is a pretty solid album. I like the sound. I think John Frusciante's guitar playing is nice and there's a good reason why Flea is one of the only examples of a band's bassist being the most popular member. I don't love Anthony Kiedis's vocals though. They work on songs like the title track, but other songs like the opener "Around The World" aren't my thing as far as vocals go. The writing is also a bit hit or miss. Some songs are very introspective and really come from personal experiences that warrant writing songs about them. Others aren't quite at that level. I will say that the first half is quite a bit better than the second half. Overall, a good album with some good songs, but I can see why people dislike this band and album, even if I myself have a mostly positive opinion of it. High 3/5.

Both better and worse than I expected. It rocks harder and the grooves are nastier than I remembered, but the skeeziness is less effective too. It also gets repetitive. This is a long album and it feels like it. AK's flow and cadence get repetitive. "Take It On the Other Side" still slaps. "Around the World" hasn't aged as well. "Californication" and "Scar Tissue" hold up reasonably well. First time hearing "This Velvet Glove" and "Paralell Universe," and both are pleasant surprises. Solid album cuts. Found myself grooving to "Right on Time" I'm thinking strong 3 to a weak 4 for this one. Probably 3.5 as I'm not itching to hear it again.

Felt like it was long but this is also not my main genre of music and I see why it could easily get a 5. Fav song off one listen was porcelain

First 10 songs and it could’ve been the greatest set list ever, but they had to keep on yapping about who the fuck cares It was a nice introduction into punk rock until they realized that they can’t write and started spewing bullshit, the instrumentals are always great the writing has it moments but if it weren’t for songs like the other side and Californication it would be a 2, So close to a 4 and yet… 3.9/5

Playful, melodic, and a little repetitive. Not the best thing ever. Pretty enjoyable though

Not as good as I remember, and definitely not their best album.

Ambivalence. Some aspects of RHCP I really admire. Sometimes I think they are almost unintentional self-parody. Great moments but then it gets so samey.

Nostalgic when it came to the singles off this album. Everything else was fine. Good album.

Honestly? Some stuff I really like. But a lot of other stuff that hasn’t aged so well. 3/5

This band makes me think of being in junior high when their earlier album blood sugar etc was hugely popular. This album is fine. It kind of became omnipresent wallpaper during its height.

it's not the album's fault, i had my listening experience ruined at the end because my friend told me about something with someone's autobiography and statutory R-word... and yeah

Hate but also nostalgia

They're generally pretty good songs by a good band, but they kind of sound exactly like all the songs on the previous records. If I didn't know that, I would rate it higher, I guess. There are a couple of nice exceptions, though.

The singles are great aka the first 6 tracks. The rest is the long slide to the mopey, heroin-y RHCP that is known today. Goodbye good time skater pop punks with lots of funky influences. Hello sad boys with lots of personnel changes, heroin, stocktaking, and hopefully some rehab. It is like RCHP's music eventually became a thin gruel version of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. 3.3 stars rounded down because after track 6, this album is a slog.

"Tone, Tone mate - are you ever going to change these stupid place-holder lyrics? We're in the studio tomorrow!" "Ding dong deng deng dong."

I was dreading going into this, but was positively surprised. I truly can't stand RHCPs hits, and there are a lot of them. However, I have always wondered why I don't like them — I am after all a metalhead that went funkier and poppier the older I got. Listening to this whole album made me realize that there are some things that I really like. Basically, the heavier, funkier or sentimental these guys get, the more I like them. Sadly, its too little of all those things and to many zeitgeist hits.

It's not uncommon for their to be an act with singles that I like a lot, but the albums don't hold up. RHCP are kinda the opposite of that I think? Both BSSM & this one were way better than I expected, given that I'm not a huge fan of the singles from either project. 3.5/5

The RHCP haven’t aged well for me. Musically they’re awesome. Anthony Kiedas as a singer and lyricist is just not my thing. He brings it all down most of the time. This album and Blood Sugar Sex Magik are both still good though.

3.5 basicon todo el disco pero los ultimos 5 temas lo hacen cerrar de gran manera

Had potential to be a 4 but just slightly too samey for me. Lots of good songs though

Porcelain is a calm banger. Scar Tissue is an ultimate classic. This Velvet Glove is great. Otherside is nostalgic. 3/5 ranking

Listened Before? Yes This was one of the earliest albums I ever bought for myself. Remember being hooked in by the music video for Californication that looked like a video game. My 8 year old mind was absolutely blown. Around the World is a classic funky entry from RHCP. Unfortunately, right from the jump, the production fucking blows.Drums sound supper tinny and the rest of the instrumental is super condensed. Song sort of rips and still gets me hype even though the lyrics during the back half are fucking stoopid. But hey, who really turns to RHCP for lyrical depth? Similar production woes on Parallel Universe, but its a fine enough jam. Scar Tissue is one of their more popular hits off of this album, finding RHCP in tender territory. Solid sing-along track which receives solid entries from Frusciante, and the production works a bit better here. Nicely layered vocals with crisp guitar tones and mellow bass. The drums are still tinny, but they are much less prominent here. This is probably the most front-loaded album I've listened to in a while. With the exception of Get on Top, 5 of the first 6 tracks got significant radio play. After that, the album wanders into obscurity for about 30 minutes before coming back to Road Trippin'. Get on Top is a detour back into funky influences with a rather obnoxiously repeated chorus "Get on Top!" Still, its a fun little bop that sounds like straight doo doo (I really can't get over how fucking garbage this mix is). Californication is a solid enough song that taps into a similar writing ability found on Under the Bridge. Strong vocals from Kiedis pair well against Flea's skittering bass line. Just a solid single. Porcelain is a weird one that should have been cut in editorial review. RHCP ditch high energy and loudness in favor of a stripped down ballad that seems better fit for a cafe. Weirdly sequenced against Emit Remmus, which brings back that funk-hop groove. Always has been one of my favorites from this album. I Like Dirt is more proof that RHCP don't really need lyrics. This is an incredibly stupid song, but the groove is real and largely held together by Flea's unrelenting work on the bass and Fruschiante's oscillation between scratching funk groove to blistering solo. Purple Stain is another over-sexed funked up number with asinine lyrics. Has no right to be as entertaining as it is. Perhaps some of that is nostalgia popping up. So there is definitely some nostalgia tied up in here, and in a lot of ways I think this album was critical to the legacy that RHCP have cultured. This was the first major (and successful) album released by the band after their breakout Blood Sugar Sex Magic in 1991. This paved the way for their maintained relevancy into the early 2000s that was only boosted by the release of By the Way and Stadium Arcadium. I used to listen to the shit out of this album when I was a kid, and to this day I think there is plenty to enjoy. Unfortunately, the production really takes a lot of edge out of this one for me and makes it a tough listen (side note: fuck Rick Rubin). Some bangers to be sure, but I also wish they would have condensed about 4 of the songs into something better written. While a 2 seems too harsh, a 3 seems generous. I'm in a bit of a spot. I'll give it a 3 because I admittedly enjoyed most of the listen. Songs added to playlists: - Around the World (Skate Mix) - Otherside (Sunny-vibes)

I don't really vibe with Anthony Kiedis' singing or his penchant for statutory rape. That said, I have good memories of a lot of these songs, and they are still fun to listen to.