Reviews (page 11 of 15)
Not the best RHCP. But good.
6.5/10 Favs: Road Trippin', Otherside
This is another very nostalgic album for me that I haven’t really listened to in adulthood. Specifically reminds me of visiting my friend in Wildwood, MO in the winter and wandering through the creek behind his house for hours.
sorry yall i fw it 😭✌️ Fav song: Parallel Universe CHRIST IM A SIDEWINDERRRRR IM A ... CALIFORNIA KIIING!!!!!!!
Would be a 4 but I just don't like most rap-rock.
50% killer 50% dirge. I thought I liked this LP. I was only half right
I actually like this album. But I really can't justify giving it more than a 3, because the bits I like - mostly the softer bits and the harmonies - are only barely worth wading through the plodding 'funk', exhaustingly crushed mix, and well, Kiedis. Even a 3 feels generous, but the bits I like, I really like...
A perfectly cromulent record/band.
It's strange how things come around and go around. This album was everywhere in 1999-2001 and my perception was that it had a pretty watertight reputation as an album that was probably a bit overplayed (not massively helped by having four or five big singles that were on the radio constantly) but universally hailed as a classic. Listening to it 26 years later is much less rewarding and the consensus seems to be that it's not held up. It's still got its great moments, the band is tight, in sync and it's very listenable. I'm a lot less excited about it now than I was then though, and I suspect that's down to my maturing music taste and the fact it's actually quite shallow as an album. Lyrically, it's all over the place. Musically, it's a catalogue of wasted potential; great moments that give way to uninspiring choices at every turn and too many humdrum tracks allowed to creep onto the second half. The opener Around The World sums this whole experience up perfectly. First, it breaks in with that trademark spiky, Flea-driven groove on the verses but then it flops back into a disappointingly middle-of-the-road chorus of 'life is beautiful around the world'. Towards the end of the song, Anthony Kiedis gets so bored of his own lyrics, he just resorts to lazily scatting to fill the bars. Even a signature funky instrumental bridge near the end can't quite save it, despite a lively flourish of guitars and slap bass. And that's one of the 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 of the record. On the album as a whole, we have moments of brilliance (Parallel Universe's swaggering rhythm section, the iconic guitar riff on Scar Tissue, recalling Under The Bridge but falling flat once again on the chorus. The rasping guitar-bass interplay on Otherside and Get On Top) but they give way to far too many forgettable numbers in the second half. 'Easily' is easily skipped and while we're at it, you can quite easily skip the whole run to Purple Stain and not really miss much. I will defend Right On Time to the death though, and Road Trippin' is a solid closer. I saw the Chilis live a couple of times around this era and while I remember them being excellent, I don't really recall much beyond the fact that I was there. And I think Flea was naked at one point. That feels a bit damning. (Not Flea being Flea. The fact I can't really remember much of the shows...) A few months ago I generated Blood Sugar Sex Magik and while I assumed it had 4 written all over it, I ended up giving it a 5 as it had all this but with a lot more edge to it. I'd have said Californication also had 4 written all over it but I'm pretty content rounding down this time around.
A fairly decent album let down by their nonce singer scat-rapping
Surprisingly disappointed with this. Wasn't bad but was pretty boring aside from the known hits. Was expecting to love it!
I’ll have to go back and see what I wrote for Blood Sugar Sex Magik, but I imagine it’s similar to what I’ll write here. Apart from recognising the title track, this mostly morphed into one vague worse-end-of-the-90s-rock-scene soundscape. Sometimes a song may open with a nice riff or perhaps have a nice solo, but these never seem to coagulate into a full product of a song that’s memorable. The only reason I remember the title track is due to its sheer popularity, although I’m incredibly surprised to see that two other tracks (Scar Tissue and Otherside) also have over 1 billion streams on Spotify. For the most part, RHCP follow the same formula, funky bassline, funky riff, funky drums, funky vocals, and yet no soul. They shall remain to me as they have been, a band that you see in bestselling lists and the like, but never anywhere near a ‘top 10’ list, and the like. They’re no Foo Fighters for sheer blandness, but they’re a more upbeat version of that same blandness.
It really should be a lower rating but I grew up in California in the 2000s. I'm sorry.
There's a few iconic songs on this album I actually like listening to. This does not mean I think Red Hot Chili Peppers was actually a good band. In the words of my old guitar teacher "even though their music was bad, they performed naked on stage and that was enough to get them sales"
RHCP was always decent background music for me in the 90s. I think the only album of theirs I bought was *One Hot Minute* but I also think I donated it. I knew the first four songs on here, though, plus the singles, and, well, it's not bad. I think I like it better than their other 90s albums... at least, from what I can remember. "Emit Reemus" was a standout for me during this listen-through.
First half of the album is great then drops off
Better than Coldplay
Jag kommer ihåg hur besviken jag blev när den här kom, som uppföljare till helt fantastiska Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magisk. Den är inte i närheten. Därför är det obegripligt att den är med här! En trea
Of the songs I've heard before, I like "Californication" and "Otherside". "Parallel Universe" and "Scar Tissue" are also good. Did not like "Emit Remmus" and "I Like Dirt". "Velvet Glove" is good, probably my favorite of the ones I haven't heard before. "Purple Stain" and "Right on Time" are kinda crazy rock funk, interesting but not something I normally listen to. "Road Trippin'" is a nice way for it to end.
An album full of bangers. For my regular listening, it's too smooth and too repetitive.
Although I still wish we could have gotten different RHCP albums in this collections than this one and "Blood Sugar Sex Magick", I *am* glad that I heard this one after "Blood Sugar", as it definitely improves on the latter, both musically and lyrically. It's a bit hard on this album to hear the band that were infamous for wearing nothing on stage but socks on their privates, but it's nice too to see that they managed to evolve a bit from the frat-rock hollow they swam in for years, and songs like "Get on top", "I like dirt" and "Purple stain" are nice homages to their funk past. The only songs that really stood out for me were "Otherside" (in large part due to the silent-movie-style Kafkaesque video) and "This velvet glove" (Frusciante's guitar work is particularly distinctive here). But I can see why their singles were impossible to miss on radio in the late 90s, even if the title track is far too unsubtle for its own good. And while I don't really feel like they earned four stars for this album, I'm happy for them that they managed to find a way out of the rut they had fallen into before this came out.
The songwriting seemed a little weak and forced; the music was strong.
5/10 Favorite: Scar Tissue
Outside of the hits, which are good, the rest lacks in quality.
I remember buying this when it came out. Enjoyed it then, enjoyed it now, but not a five star album. Sure, there are some catchy riffs, but...needed some pruning of filler.
Classic 90s album. Not normally into hard rock or rap but the combination of styles is unique and was great to listen to on bike ride
This band infuriates me, I will try to remain unbiased. Blood sugar is their best album, first off. But damn if Anthony can’t write a catchy chorus. Around the world is catchy as hell and fun, only complaint is ding ding dong dong ding dang ding dong ding dang. Parallel universe was awful until they opened it to that noise solo at the end. Scar tissue is a top 1000 102.1 the x song ever. Great riff great use of John that isn’t too much of him just jerkin it on a guitar. I love other side. Inverse here, a very serving the song and fun flea baseline, same with chads drumming. Get on top is the making fun of rhcp formula. Californication is obviously a hit but definitely one of the ones I usually skip when it comes on at this point. I have always liked how John and flea fit together during the verses though. Easily is not great considering the standard they’ve already set on the album. Porcelain hits me as a song I would really like if I was super into this album and listening to it a lot, but on first listen is strangely out of place. Followed immediately by another come to California tourist informercial. I like I like dirt because I found it when I was like 6 and I thought it was funny. Objectively, nothing special. I had to take a break during velvet glove, I have hit peak boredom and there's no hits in sight. I honestly forgot i was listneing to Savior. The end of purple stain was alright. This is a rough back half. I recognize roadtrippin, interesting that it's as popular as around the world but not radio shove down your throaty. In that same idea, it falls into that category of I would like this if I loved the album. I'm torn here because an album with four of the most famous rock singles of the past 30 years should probably minimally be a 4 but everything that is not a hit on here is so average or boring or bad. There is an 8 track run of songs on here that I would be fine never hearing again. There's a review in here that says something along the lines that this is a tragic misuse of musical talent where three of the best musicians are locking in in creative ways just for anthony to aimlessly wander over it and that it's a shame that some of the best earworms of rock history live in this soup. I think that sums up how I feel about this album.
As much as I TRY to dislike them, I just can’t. 3.5 stars
Gets a 3 because the highlights are really good songs. Some real nonsense on here though. They are going down as a greatest hits, not an album band for me.
It's not a bad album by any means, and the hits are the hits but I don't think it aged super well. It just ended up being fairly repetitive and fairly boring for me.
A few classics, and a surprisingly strong back half. Fun listen.
As time ticks on I find myself having more and more appreciation for Flea and less and less appreciation for Anthony. No hate for the guy but...in the end these RHCP albums were all about the music and Anthony's sorta-sung-sorta-rapped-but-not-really-lyrics were sprinkled on top to make it radio friendly, I guess? (That said the phrase "Young Kentucky girl in a push-up bra" will be forever lodged in the back room of my brain so, point to you, Anthony.) Good guitar, bass and drumming on here. But the album is a bit of a slog. Suffers a bit from the "hey, CDs have 80 minutes...let's fill it up if we can!" thing that was an issue around then. I feel this would have been a much better album if it were cut in half with some judicious editing. Not sure out of all the RHCP albums this one needs to be on the list.
Rating: 6.5/10 The highlights are amazing, the rest of the album is mostly okay with a couple of decent songs.
Anthony Kiedis is the biggest fraud in modern rock music.
A few surprisingly good tracks. Scar tissue is good. But the rapping can be juvenile.
It was fine, it didn’t make me a fan or anything.
Una de mis bandas favoritas
classic
Some good songs on this one.
2.87
I have fond memories of this one but now looking back its not as great as I remember. Not bad just ok
Aight
not the most my style but californication is iconic
I don't really know what to say. The first songs were good. Type of music i would listen during a car ride.
3.5
1. Around the World - 7 Good sound. The guitars sound great but some of the lyrics are very very weak on the track, particularly in the opening verse and in the bridge. Could have been a lot strong but the flow of the track is fantastic. 2. Parallel Universe - 10 AMAZING sound. The vocals do so well and the guitars are absolutely stunning. Just a great track. 3. Scar Tissue - 9 Great sound. Lyrically the choruses are amazing and the guitar in the bridge is absolutely superb to listen to. 4. Otherside - 11 I sung this song all throughout uni. Absolutely belter. Lyrics and instruments all sound excellent. Brilliant track. 5. Get On Top - 4 Lyrically this track is absolutely awful. Guitar sounds excellent on it but it's not enough to look past the bad lyrically performance. 6. Californication - 10 An all time classic. Brilliant vocals, especially in the verses. These are met with an excellent undertoned guitar in the verses and a crescendo of awesome rock sound in the choruses. 7. Easily - 5 It's an average, okay song. Lyrically it's a bit simple. Instrumentally it's not as loud and enjoyable and unique as the previous tracks. A pass over track. 8. Porcelain - 4 It's just an average middle of the road slow song. 9. Emit Remmus - 3 The rifts on this are excellent but lyrically it's very boring. Vocally it doesn't sound very good. 10. I Like Dirt - 1 Lyrically it's the weakest track on the album. Very lyrically a pointless a track. 11. This Velvet Gone - 8 Much better track. Love the verses and the choruses, especially the way the guitar goes from chord to chord. The drum's percussions leading the undertone of the song through the verses is brilliant work. It adds to what a chorus really should be: the main message of a song that is meant to be bellowed out louder than the rest. Solid work. 12. Savior - 7 Guitars at the opening are an amazing sound. Drumline is led brilliant by the deep base that helps build in and out of the lower bridge at the beginning. Sleigh bells probably don't need to be one the track however. It makes the bridges feel really out of place. 13. Purple Stain - 1 Pace of the song is painful to listen to and the lines about California are toothless. Verses are the worst part of the track. 14. Right on Time - 1 Way too repetitive and the lyrics are insanely hard to keep along with. Worst track on the album. 15. Road Trippin' - 7 Chords and the bass are the highlights of the track. They're absolutely brilliant and the addition of the strings is absolutely perfect. Lyrically okay, the sound of the vocals and the range used is excellent. Solid ending to the album. Average Rating: 5.87 Adjusted to a 5-Point Scale: 2.93 Rounded Up: 3 Stars
Interesting experience listening to this one. I remember when this came out, I remember hearing the singles on the radio, and I remember understanding that this album was something special. 25 years later, it holds up. Nostalgia glasses off, I don’t know what makes it more exceptional then other Chili Peppers releases, or other albums from this year. 3/5 I guess
This is fkd up, making me listen to RHCP two days in a row... This album was more enjoyable than I thought it would be, given I've always hated Scar Tissue, never cared for Californication, and really dislike Around The World (yeah, the song where he rhymes "my johnson" with "woods of Wisconsin"...), but it does have Otherside which I love, and some of the deep cuts were very likable. They're showing some growth; normally I see RHCP as rather one dimensional but thought the non-funk rock tunes were better than before, Anthony Keidis' vocals have improved (a lot) , and I was really surprised by Road Trippin'.
A classic!
I don’t know how to feel about this, I used to like RHCP but it feels dated and their style can be so exhausting. It’s got good hits but I’m tired of them so I’m not sure I can listen to this honestly. But ding ding dong dong
6/10
I thought I liked the Chiles, but it turns out I had just never listened to a whole album. They need a producer who can be a serious editor. Every album I hear from them is bloated with too much filler. A tighter album would serve them much better, because there are great tracks here. Like the little girl with the curl right in the middle of her forehead - when it’s good it’s very good, but when it’s bad, it’s horrid.
Much better to my ears than Blood Sugar Sex Magik. Kiedis is still pretty annoying, dont know what the hell he's saying half the time, but when I do understand him he's not always singing about his sexual prowess, and Californication is a lot more nuanced and interesting. Used to listen to this one a lot and a bunch of these songs hold up for me, especially Scar Tissue, Otherside, and the title track. It does fall off in the second half into more of a samey, bland sound, but ends strong with Road Trippin. If not for this album I would kind of hate RHCP, but its a pretty good one
Some albums have that 'one, two, three' hit thing - for my money the best is tracks 4-9 on 'Is This It?' by the Strokes. 3-6 on this would be up there if they'd binned Get on Top. This also drops off, massively, in the second half. To a really, really noticeable degree. Just couldn't get into it, but I've never been that much of a RHCP fan.
One of my first CDs, so of course it was on repeat all the way through my childhood. But then my mum went to see them a few years ago, so they have automatically become uncool. Sorry guys, I don't make the rules.
To my ears it has not aged brilliantly it would in the past have been a go to album but not it sounded jaded.
Pretty front loaded, 4 of the first 6 songs were major radio hits. That being said, Anthony Kiedis must be one of the least talented rock stars in the history of rock music. Thank Christ for Flea’s bass playing. Overall some catchy stuff here, but most of it is largely forgettable. I guess it sold a lot of copies tho…
This is a tough one. The band are so so good. Their playing, the warmth and emotion in their harmony is impeccable. Respect to john, chad and flea. When Antony sings and gets it right, the songs are about as good as it gets. Scar tissue and others are straight fives. But when the tempo goes up and the rap style delivery kicks in it really doesnt work and the songs fall down. And the mixing and production are awful, its so all over the place that it really affects the enjoyment of the music.
Lots of good high Lots of good low High 3
Ya hmm ok I like the 'hits' but the other stuff is a bit samey samey
Pretty good
I like the red hots, but never have been all in. Some songs good, some meh.
Heldigvis bedre enn BSSM, men fortsatt skuffende.
having never listened to this album before, I've had almost every song on it forcibly inserted into my ears for the last 26 years by society at large. it's fine.
First half good like a 4/5 second half is like a 2/5.
1st half is amazing. 2nd half, not so much
It’s all right.
Not the Chili Peppers best work
Fave
Ikoniskt o så men låtskrivandet är typ dåligt på vissa ställen?!
These boy's catch a lot of flak, and rightly so. Nevertheless sometimes homeboy's lyrics are the right kind of stupid, and they craft pretty memorable songs. I wasn't even remotely into them when this was ubiquitous and I could still sing along for a lot of it. Then of course you've heard all the songs you know and there are 9 left! Not too horrible but only the london sticks out. not necessarily in good ways.
Rating (1-5): ✩✩✩ Higlighted songs: Californication Idk, basic aaah music to me heheheh. Sounds really good though
Californication has some great songs in theory, and the production value is excellent. The problem is, I’ve grown bored of all the major Red Hot Chili Peppers hits and just don’t enjoy them much anymore. They all sound very samey to me, and it’s a sound I no longer connect with.
I'm not a bonafide RHCP hater. This album is good. Catchy songs, big hits. As with much of their catalog, it suffers from some songs being too similar, or Kiedis being downright annoying. Flea's basslines and Frusciante's feel are fantastic throughout.
I heard that this album was compressed to shit, but I wasn't expecting it to be this bad... It's loud for no good reason. It doesn't sound powerful, just dirty and unpolished. Loud mastering can sound good but not when it removes so much detail and sounds so peaky. This album certainly has its moments, but it's greatly held down by how ear-blastingly loud and overcopressed it is. The songs also were a hit or miss for me. And most of the better ones are not even that good (the title track is great, though). I got kinda bored during the second half. Overall, this album is not bad, but I won't listen to it again.
A solid album and probably their first widely accepted commercial success. Now difficult to separate the art from the artist(s) the album has aged better than the band themselves. A couple of tracks that feel like older RHCP and I’m unsure if listening to it now I still enjoy it because it’s good or because it evokes a lot of nostalgia. 3/5
Not great
not for me at all. once was a great band
I thought I liked the RHCP but it seems I was wrong. The whole album sounded like it was the same stuff regurgitated. The same sound. The same lyrics. Repetitive 'California' everywhere. I think it may improve giving it another listen with headphones but I just can't feel the urge to even be bothered. It's not you it's me. I'm not angry just disappointed. We move on. 2 Edit: So the weather has got a bit cooler and I'm not so tetchy. I did listen again and it's growing on me. But not that quickly. Now a 3
I both like and hate this album. Definitely overhyped. I like everything except these funk/hip hop elements, with Around the World leaving a particularly bad taste in my mouth. I’m pretty sure it influenced nu metal and I will never forgive it for that. The title track is a banger tho
I had heard a lot these in ether in summer of 1999. Unfortunately, never had been a Peppers fan. I see the appeal, but not for me. Meh.
I only knew the hits off this album, and I liked this more than I thought I would but am not into the punk / hardcore / rapping thing that Kiedis does.
Está bueno. Hay algún skip pero banco mucho las partes funky del album, tipo I Like Dirt, Around The World (temón) y Purple Stain, además de los temas que todo el mundo conoce. This Velvet Glove está bueno tmb. Me gusta como trata temas de adicción a drogas y tipo todo el tema hollywood y tal. Overall bueno pero no me resulta super impresionante. Detallito pero se nota el tema de que el rango dinámico es medio chico porque se masterizó para tener el mayor volumen posible, y hace el album un poquito peor. Le pondría tipo 3 y media si pudiera probably.
I obviously knew the hits going into this, but had never heard the full album so I didn't know what to expect to get from the unheard tracks. I enjoyed the first half, but somewhere in the second half this lost the spark it had earlier. Ultimately leading it to ending without the spark I was hoping it would bookend with.
I prefer Blood Sugar Sex Magic over this one, and I'd give that one 4 stars, so makes sense to give this one 3. Don't intend on listening again.
This is one of the first albums I’ve come across that I was already pretty familiar with the artist, and knew a lot of songs on this album already. I really enjoyed it but I can’t deny the fact that after listening to the full album, it is a little … samey? I really enjoyed the first half but it got real monotonous anfter that. And the ones that are super different, like Porcelain, become almost jarringly so. I do like the noise they’re making, but there’s a lot of it without a lot of variation so I can’t score it higher based on familiarity alone. I would listen again, and if it was playing somewhere, I’d happily enjoy it. But I can’t say I’d be able to differentiate what song exactly is playing.
Californication is punctuated by poignant funk bass lines and guitar riffs, however after the title track, the album falls into a state of inconsistent and uninspired tracks, running out of steam from an otherwise amazing and fresh first half.
The hits stand out, but not as good as I remember it being when it came out.
Around the World 3 Parallel Universe 3.4 Scar Tissue 3.4 Otherside 3.5 Get on Top 2.7 Californication 3.5 Easily 3.4 Porcelain 2.8 Emit Remmus 3.2 I Like Dirt 3 This Velvet Glove 3.2 Savior 3 Purple Stain 3.3 Right on Time 3.4 Road Trippin' 2.9 Score: 3.18
Good balance of gritty, high energy songs and melodic ballads. Not bad. Californication is my fave song from the album.
enjoyable 3.30
I know probably 2 RHCP songs. I've heard of this album though! So I'm excited to hear it. I feel like the RHCP songs I've heard I've liked? But not enough to ever look into them obviously. A lot more pop than I expected? Like not as hardcore as I was thinking it would be. His voice is not my favorite but it's very late 90s/early 2000s. That Hootie/Dave Matthews sound lol. This is like... marketable grunge lmao. I like it though! It's not revolutionary for me but I'm not disliking it. It's gotten easier for me to rate things as I listen. I'm still waiting til the album is over to give my official rating of course but I usually know by the third or fourth song. I liked the slower songs surprisingly! I like dirt was silly lmao. This is a long album though!
Pretty good
Oh boy. Real trip down high school memory lane, and not all in a good way.
This is a very front loaded album. The back half is unmemorable, but not bad, with the exception of Road Trippin. RHCP has better albums, but it's nice to have John back on this one.
This was not as bad as I remembered. Exciting times.
rounding down bc it’s really hard to listen to a 63 yo man when you know they’re dating a 19 yo. bleck.
Parallel Universe
Like with most RHCP records, its good but overstays its welcome
This album really sounds like a product of its time now, and I'm not sure if that is a good thing or not. Also wish there was the option for half-stars on this rate scale. 2.5 stars.
i almost got lost in the woods while listening to this album 3,5/5
Only caused mild pain.
Every song is 1/10 or 10/10
Front heavy
Dans le fond j'aime surtout la guitare de Frusciante. Pas mal de choses m'ont laissé ni chaud ni froid
I think this album is good but a little overrated.
Good, not great. Knew more of it than I realized.
This album saw the return of original guitarist John Frusciante, who had left the band some years previously after struggling with drugs and alcohol. The recording process sounds like they had fun, creating a relaxed west coast garage feel with a mix of punk, funk and laid back vibes. There are a couple of instances of white people rapping, but fortunately not too many to spoil things.
I find that I do like this better than Blood Sugar Sex Magik but it's not something I would revisit. It does contain my all-time favorite RHCP song. Favorite: Otherside Would I listen to it again: Probably not (except Otherside)
Many years ago, a new restaurant opened down the street from me, and it was the talk of the town. Despite my proximity, I missed out on the opening weeks, then I forgot about it, and even though the restaurant opened with great fanfare and media coverage, had great reviews, and I heard multiple word of mouth ravings, eventually I stopped hearing about it. Then, a year-on I heard the place was going to close shop. Feeling tremendous fomo, like I’d missed out on a vital cultural event, I made a reservation during its last few death-throw days. I had trouble finding people who wanted to come with me (and although that could be because I’m a wretched, hated individual, I’m going to blame the restaurant). The service was abysmal, but the food semi-decent. Still, the decor was top notch, and overall I couldn’t find too much wrong with it. I asked myself, why is this place closing so soon? What brought about its failure? Then, I noticed the music in the background. They only played Red Hot Chili Peppers. Songs repeated, sometimes back to back. It all became clear. In all seriousness, Californication isn’t the worst album of all time or anything. I actually saw the Chili Peppers in my youth at Lollapalooza, and it was fairly epic. I crowd-surfed the distance of like three football fields and wound up dumped in a tight mosh-pit of sweating naked bodies. Really, it was a Dante-esque experience. But, I’ve heard these songs so many times under so many horrible contexts with so many horrible people, it’s hard to listen to this objectively. My point of reference will be the songs I didn’t know so well on this album. They were actually pretty good. So, a four for the songs I didn’t know, and a two for the associations with the songs I knew too well. I’ll give it an even Steven three.
I've enjoyed and loved songs by them, some included on this album, but haven't ever really enjoyed a project front to back from them. Favorite Songs: Otherside / Californication
RHCP makes me sad in such an odd way. There is clearly a talented group but, for whatever reason, never put it together. Great songwriting is paired with incredibly mediocre songwriting. 6/10 Favorite Song: Californiacation
I enjoyed this album, I need to read more into the lryrics but a few songs were good and I enjoyed Californication.
2.8 I think, alright, few nice songs, overall not my thing tho
This album is a classic, and even though I don't like RHCP that much, I appreciate this record, and it can be fun to listen to at times.
Classic, but I've heard it so many times I'm kinda sick of it at this point
i'll say it: i'm born and raised in California, and I do not care about the red hot chili peppers.
Red Hot Chili Peppers has become an artist that I used to look at with hope and intrigue, mostly because my dad liked them, and I liked the songs I did know by them. Even when discussing specifically this album, Scar Tissue was a big hit for me in my formative years, although I can't really tell you why. Basically, what I'm saying is that I used to look at people who wore RHCP shirts and wouldn't very lightly cringe at the sight. I don't really, now, either, but maybe I will after hearing this album. The hits are most definitely still strong, and I can at least see why Scar Tissue appealed to my younger self's music taste, but any deep cut on this album is pure filler. I tried latching on to any instrumentation present on the album in my hour with it, but often my brain just went, "These drums are alright... doesn't that guy kind of look like Will Ferrell? That's so silly..." then I'd tune out anything else the song did for its often bloated runtime. It isn't technically bad, but despite Anthony Kiedis' popping vocal style, the whole thing just felt very sleepy, and ironically only woke me up a bit at the very end when they took things in a softer, slower direction. Perhaps a shorter album wouldn't of suffered from this fluff issue, but considering it is an album of the 90s, alas, it must. Just something I don't consider essential listening, and even makes me consider if RHCP was a singles band this whole time.
It’s hard to argue against Flea’s talent and innovation on bass. And I enjoy RHCP for the most part, but usually only in short bursts. I can go a really long time without listening to them and not miss a thing.
I still feel like making fun of the hip hop rock songs, even if they are okay.
I don't listen to RHCP much these days, there are some great songs on this album but plenty I'd have been happy to skip.
Catchy and funky. Good album overall but a few misses on some tracks. Singers lyrics are always a bit weird. Overall an averagely good album. 3/5
Has some standouts, but mostly just okay.
I've listened to this album a lot growing up. There are some real hits on here for sure, but every song starts to melt together into a pretty boring mess of sound and vocals who's novelty wears off pretty quickly.
I’m conflicted about this one. The run from Around the World to Californication is superb. Scar Tissue and Otherside, specifically, are great. After the title track, though, it severely falls off and includes too many stinkers. But I can’t let the back half bring down the overall enjoyment THAT much because of those other four songs being on it. 3.5/5, rounded down to a 3.
I have many memories with RHCP, and always enjoyed their bigger hits but never really bothered to sit down with their albums. This record has an insanely good run from tracks 1-8, and proceeds to shit the bed for the rest of its runtime. I'm fairly used to the band's questionable lyricism, and yet I Like Dirt still stood out as particularly awful writing. The last song, Road Trippin', is at least a real breath of fresh air to close the album, genuinely good song. Overall this is a bad album with some absolute banger tracks. Even the bad songs have some great instrumentations that are soured by Anthony Kiedis' weird-ass singing/rapping.
I wonder why I never got into the 90's RHCP? I like this album but they often sound very repetitive and have to be in a certain mood to enjoy.
It's okay
Not a huge Chillys fan anymore. Still a good album for sure
everything kind of sounds the same, there are some bad songs but there are also some good songs and all of it is tinted by nostalgia for me so 2.5 i guess faves are scar tissue and porcelain, and i'm surprised i didn't remember road trippin', i would've eaten that shit up as a teenager
3/5 what I expect from RHCP
It was fine
This was a fun one for sure. Soooo many hits ("Californication" , "Around the World" , and "Otherside" obviously). A RHCP album is going to be bass heavy and Flea doesn't disappoint. I think the rap style singing starts to get old throughout the 1 hour and 7 minute long play, but it isn't bad. The instrumentals are soooo talented (everyone in this band is). Lots of lyrics about resistance and freedom. "Road Trippin' " was a shocking song and sooooo nice. I want to learn it on guitar now. So many fun tracks but "I Like Dirt" annoyed me until the solo. Actually a 3.5. Liked Songs: "Around the World" , "Parallel Universe" , "Scar Tissue" , "Otherside" , "Californication" , "Easily" , "Porcelain" , "Emit Remmus" , "This Velvet Glove" , "Savior" , "Road Trippin' " , "Fat Dance" , "Quixoticelixer"
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 like dirt, i like dirt, i like dirt, i like dirt, i like dirt, i like dirt, i like dirt, i like dirt, i like dirt, i like dirt, i like dirt, i like dirt
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