Reviews (page 14 of 16)
Flere klassiske låter.
day 10. I chuckled when this came up, it's very timely as I was reading a reddit post about RHCP the other day and thinking about them a bit. Where I've settled is if you don't take them too seriously, RHCP are a solid band. Sure, get a better vocalist, write better lyrics and they could be great, but they also might be more forgettable. They have a vibe that works and Kiedis sells it well. Now, this album is verrry top heavy. #'s 1-6 are instantly recognizable, huge hits. Kinda surreal to hear them all one after the other. And the rest ... I like Easily and Road Trippin'. Right on Time almost made my ears bleed, but aside from that I didn't haaate the second half. It just could've/should've been cut down a bit. I've found that RHCP is a band that gets infinitely better when listened to with headphones. I appreciated them more on this listen. fab instrumentation, especially in these earlier funkier years. I still feel that I lack a connection with them, but they are fun to jam to and are undeniably iconic. tl;dr it's a good album, 4/5 (even if it's trendy to hate on RHCP, I can't in good conscious rate it lower), could be tighter though faves: Parallel Universe, Easily, Scar Tissue
RHCP are a favorite. Flea is supreme on bass. Lyrics are thoughtful. 3 stars. Good but not great.
La chanson Scar Tissue est là pour nous rappeler que tout n’est pas dans la basse de Flea – qu’il maîtrise assurément. Un bon mélange de funky, rock, mélancolie
I’ve previously said that the Grateful Dead are the most overrated band in American history. It’s possible I was wrong. At the least, the Red Hot Chili Peppers are hot on the Dead’s heels in second place. If you like this, it’s fine…you do you. But know this: You’re better than this and, frankly, you deserve better than this. …You know, I was going to leave it at that, but I got more to say. First off, are we just going to ignore the “Asian voice” stereotype in “Around the World”? “Bing-dang-dong-ding-ding-bing-bing-bing-bong”…get the fuck outta here with that. Second, and this is general consensus, but it bears repeating: if Anthony Keidas wasn’t in this band and someone who could sing was, they’d be much more enjoyable. The actual musicians in this band are all fantastic to incredible. When he’s not singing, this is pretty good music. His vocals and unbelievably stupid lyrics drag this band so far down that any goodwill garnered by the musicianship is overshadowed. Finally, this thing is so front loaded with hits, it’s a miracle that copies weren’t falling forward off the shelves due to the lack of weight on the b-side. If there was ever a case to be made for records being a maximum of 20-25 minutes long, the Red Hot Chili Peppers would be Exhibit A. Seriously. After the song Californication, this record really blows.
A great album for driving down the 1 along the Pacific coast. I’m not even a huge RHCP fan and I had fun listening to this all the way through. The band is at its best when Frusciante is on guitar. Not as interesting as their earlier funk/punk stuff, but it’s still the Chili Peppers doing their thing.
Discazo
Absolutely love this album Amazing songwriting and creativity and skips in the entire album Rhcp have to be in my top 10 bands of all time And rhcp as a band are amazing
great comeback.
Classic/10
Favorite song: “Otherside”. Overall, it was better than I expected, even though the occasional rapping really didn’t work.
Just about flawless. One of the great records.
I can't decide what to do with this album. On one hand, some of the songs are honestly amazing, instant partystarters, great guitar solos by Frusciante, amazing bass lines and style by Flea, and sometimes good vocal by Kiedis (I'm not really a fan of his singing voice, but one have to say, he fits into this band perfectly). And just like that, some songs from this album are all time great, instantly recognised by everyone, for all the right reasons. And finally, on the other hand, the album was so successful, that those songs are incredibly overplayed literally everywhere, that when I listened to the album, I found myself slowly drifting away, paying no attention to it. And furthermore, side b of the album is, at best, average. There is not even a one song that caught my attention. I think my rating in this case should reflect both my first and last impression, although the first contact with Californication was so extraordinary, I would feel bad giving it anything else than 5 stars.
esse é top
Overinflated score for childhood nostalgia
Almost my favorite RHCP album. Great blend of their signature funk with darker and slower influences. The lyrics even make sense sometimes.
not my type
Literally the definition of mid, maybe a little below. Singer is annoying, guitarist is meh, drummer is a standout, and Flea is rad as hell. Some of the songs were offensively bad/annoying. 4.5/10
I honestly don’t get the hype around this album. The funk tones of the bass is good, Anthony Keidis’ voice is okay, but nothing really stood out to me. Despite saying that, the rhythm section was fire. Favorite songs: Scar Tissue, Californication, Porcelain, and Savior.
Was fun listening to this after many years. Very front heavy with the singles, was fun to listen to the second half.
It gets good and slips into not so good. Never bad, as such. Just very unspecial. I like the sound musically. But there’s just something about it that isn’t right. I want to give it a 2.5, right down the middle
A phenomenal album, the best album the Chili Peppers crafted. Beautiful singing by Kiedis on Californication and Scar Tissue, a banging intro in Around the World. Funkiness personified on Purple Stain. And despite all of it, I still can’t stand Porcelain. But that’s how great the rest of the album is. That one song doesn’t break it’s magic
I do not want Anthony Kiedis near a microphone! I do not want his rapping, his singing, his riffing, anything! Maybe the Red Hots wrote a few good songs, but I cannot tolerate nearly an hour of them. It's evident from the opening track, they're not that good. My huge problem is that they consistently show promise and decent ideas, that are then marred by just the worst possible choices. Around the World has an excellent chorus that gets ruined by the goddamn "Ding ding, dong dong, ding ding, dong dong, ding ding" like come on man. I know people also dislike Rick Rubin's mixing à la the loudness war. This is best exemplified by clipping being found on the album (you can see the blocky waveforms for yourself if you google "californiacation loudness"), leading to many songs lacking the proper dynamic range that they deserve. I, personally, do not mind as much as others might, but ideally an album should be mixed properly for the best possible listening experience. It's slightly better than Blood Sugar Sex Magik, in that it doesn't get on my nerves as much and also isn't as long.
I'm not much of a Chili Peppers fan. This was certainly better than most of the punk stuff earlier in my list, but not worth another listen.
Very front heavy with hits, but still a good album, not my favourite of theirs but a solid entry.
Meh.
I spent my entire teenage years knowing all the singles of this album, and never paid attention to the rest. Clearly i haven't been missing much. Too long, too much of the same. Only knowing the singles was enough.
The bangers were still bangers, the rest was alright, production was high quality as should be expected
a couple good songs, a couple bad songs, and a lot of okay songs. i didn’t like when everything was super distorted
Great album from the peps, first one back with John F, first half legendary
Familiar with it, pretty good album
One of RHCP's best albums with their best lineup. They got some songs like "Get on top" that are still old school funky Chili Peppers but most of them is their "new" style which I very much prefer. The only two problems I have with the album is that the first half is much better than the second and that the mixing could be better. Rick Rubin, the producer, have done a lot of great work but his part in the loudness war is not one of them. Nonetheless it's still a fantastic album.
I've known this album for a very long time now yet I've never listened to it. After all this time, it's good to hear what the full album sounds like - fun, soft, groovy alt-rock that's catchy and pleasant. Overall a pretty good album.
look, the funk tracks on this album are detractors, sometimes they work, but often its just abrupt between cool riff indie adjacent guitar rock. flea gonna flea. his basslines work well in smart alt rock format as well as slappity doo da daying on their funk shit. the drummer has it. he drives frusciantes guitar and keeps a menacing pace and energy. however, it just feels overloaded with tracks that dont belong. kiedis lyrics are as dumb as ever “look at my spoken word gobbledeegook, im smart” nonsense. but thats what hes known for. so you get what you pay for. this is their album for a new generation and it mosty works. good for them.
Pretty shallow stuff, but it has its moments. Catchy, too. Standout Tracks: Parallel Universe, Scar Tissue, Purple Stain
Hate to admit it, but this is really good! Standouts: Otherside, Scare Tissue, Californication, Around the World, Road Tippin' Others: Parallel Universe, The Velvet Glove, Porcelain 4.0
I still remember the day this album came out.
this album was a stark disappointment to the chili peppers' earlier album, blood sugar sex magik. i do try not to compare either previous or future albums, but i was so looking forward to this album that i cannot help but feel some dissatisfaction. in some ways, this album seems like almost a caricature of bssm instead of standing on its own. that doesn't mean that californication was bad, but boy did that second half of the album fall flat quickly. on the plus side, "road trippin'" absolutely saves the second half from ruin. i'm not quite sure what it is. even when rhcp are at their weirdest, their songs can be so catchy and i can't resist loving them regardless. but i couldn't get behind "purple stain" or "i liked dirt." i enjoy their funk more, that's for sure. i think, with this album's shift toward alternative rock, it wasn't so much for me and my tastes. still, for all of my negative aspects, there were some really great bangers here, and they made up for considerable lost ground. 3.5
After Blood Sugar Sex Magik produced some amazing anthems in 1991 that carried across the decade, Red Hot Chili Peppers went through a big slump musically, failing to produce much noteworthy music. This album, just in time for the 2000s, revived them and brought them into prominence in the new millennium. And in the same way as BSSM, this album produced several outstanding alternative rock anthems for the new decade. The music here still has that quintessential Chili Peppers funk, but in my opinion it's dialed back on most tracks in favor of a more of-the-time alternative rock sound. In some cases, that is harder rock, and in other, it's more of a "chill" and relaxed alternative sound. Either way, this is a development that works well for them, as I believe this is the only album that rivals Blood Sugar Sex Magik, or even possibly surpasses it. I personally found the first half to be a lot better than the second half, but the whole album was enjoyable.
Bangers only
Nononononono 3/10 (1 stern weil ich glaube sonst kein album daran kommt)
This was pretty good.
I've listened to this album a million times and I still love it. That's a 5 star from me, Dog.
I’ve never listened to this album from start to finish before. We’ve all heard the singles a million times, though. God damn this album is loud and compressed. It’s bad enough that I’m finding it distracting. Lots of good songs on this. Some of the lyrics I would happily leave behind (Get on Top, I Like Dirt, Purple Stain) but those even songs have plenty of redeeming qualities. 3.75
There is a bit of a dip in the 3rd quarter of the album, but the rest of it is so, so good. Awesome instrumentals, fun lyrics, great balance between the two. RHCP are usually let down by their non-singles on their albums, but most of them carry their weight here. My favorite RHCP track overall is Otherside, so the other favorite non-single on this album is Parallel Universe
Parallel Universe - Scar Tissue - Otherside is one of the great 1-2-3 combos. It could’ve been one of the great 1-2-3-4 combos but they had to stick the very mediocre Get on Top in before Californication. Their penchant for punctuating the good stuff with throwaway funk filler is what stops this album (and a lot of the Chilis’ catalogue) being truly first-rate. By The Way is probably the RHCP that avoids this most successfully, hence it’s their real masterpiece. Still, for all their faults, these guys do subtle melancholia and gorgeous Californian harmonies as well as anyone, and are capable of some genuinely interesting left-turns too (like the bridge in Saviour). Every band member brings a distinctive style to the table and the chemistry between them is excellent. They get it right enough times on Californication to warrant a 4.5, and (as is customary) my nostalgic connection to the band means I have to round up.
Bit of an album isn't it? Remember it's release, getting drawn into the softer numbers but not being a big fan of the harder American rock numbers. Turns out that's still the case.
Would give 4 1/2 stars; this one only falls short compared to Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magic.
Californication is the seventh album by the American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers and is the band's most commercially successful - being certified 7x platinum in the US. This alternative rock album was softer and more melodic than their previous albums, showing an evolution of the band. The album's singles - especially its title track - were part of the reason behind the explosion in popularity because they were played so much on the radio. This is an awesome alt-rock album that marked a comeback for the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It's even a little nostalgic for me since the album came out during my childhood. Great music, band, and album. The RHCP need to release another album like this!
The first part is full of hits but the second is just not as good. But it’s still some good stuff.
Surprisingly didn't hate it. I'm not gonna buy it, but it wasn't offensive. I could go the rest of my life without hearing Get on Top and Californication ever again though. Clearly, they had stepped firmly into their elder classic rock statesman role at this point.
This has rightly been brightening up teenagers' bedrooms since '99
Can't fault many tunes on here. BIG UP the London song.
Absolute filth
Despite being a ‘hard rockin band’, RHCP best songs are the soft ones. Sot Parallel universe Scar tissue Otherside Californication Porcelain Road trippin 3.5/5
7/15, 47%
Classic.
Estilo inconfundible del grupo americano, con fusiones de rock, hip-hop, canciones más tranquilas,... Más de una canción fácilmente reconocible
Bland, repetitive and poorly produced with awful lyrics. As someone who doesn't typically pay too much attention to lyrics, when I do notice them and they negatively impact my enjoyment of the music it's a huge negative.
4/5
There was a time when I would have given this a 4, and maybe even a 5. But I've grown to find the sound of Anthony Kiedis' voice difficult to handle, especially when the lyrics it's conveying are at the level they are at. That said, RHCP will always be sorta fun. The musicianship is pretty fantastic, and I've gotta appreciate a mainstream funk act. This album is front-loaded with a lot of singles and other popular cuts, but I think "Scar Tissue" and the closer "Road Trippin'" are the only two songs I can still enjoy without rolling my eyes just a little bit. Don't get me wrong, it's still one of their better albums -- top 5 for sure. But the good stuff here has been overplayed.
So many classic songs. This formula worked so well that they re-recorded this album several more times.
Talk about right on time. When the world needed Red Hot Chili Peppers the most, they came through with what was perhaps one of the more awe-inspiring comebacks in rock. Seemingly having drifted through the wayside after John Frusciante's first departure and the admirably bizarre One Hot Minute (with Dave Navarro in tow), Flea, Anthony Kiedis and Chad Smith knew that they needed to refresh and regroup and that they had to do it with Frusciante, who was coming off a hellacious heroin addiction and regained his passion for playing music. The result was this album. The Chilis occupy a strange place for me, being a gateway for whatever musical taste I had developed but being completely left behind as a result. With that being said, this album is fantastic. Sure, Kiedis may be grating at times in regards to his lyrical masterworks but, when he delves into mature introspection, he is lifted up to the same stratosphere that his band occupies and that alchemy is the reason why they are highly regarded together. Regardless of how one feels about them, when Californication grabs you, it just grabs you and startles with one headbangingly mellow surprise after another. It sure did with me. Quite possibly their finest hour.
Hoo boy, another pile of OK. Not to mention another instance of reflecting on teenager me and inquiring to him "what was wrong with you?" While yes, there are still a couple of songs on this outing that I enjoy (namely "Scar Tissue" and "Otherside"), and recognize that Frusciante, Flea, and Chad Smith are talented musicians, Anthony Kiedis is the anti-X factor. Bluntly put, I cannot stand his herky-jerky brand of talk-singing, especially for over 50 minutes. Californication is absurdly uneven in quality, and it unloads mostly all of the choice numbers into the first half and seems to go on forever, with the passable closer "Road Trippin'" signifying the end. I didn't particularly enjoy listening to this for the first time in full since the early college days. Didn't loathe it either. I'd give it 2.5 stars if possible, but rounding up for the musicianship.
The singles are really the only songs on this album worth a second listen, everything else is boring with how similar it all sounds.
I was pretty much done with the Chili Peppers when this album came out. I loved BSSM as well as the darker turn they took with One Hot Minute so I wasn't excited about their "return to form" with Californication. I'm also not entirely sure how much RHCP a person needs in their life. Still, this is a pretty damn good record by their standards and I'm going to say it will probably have the distinction of being the last RHCP record I need to listen to.
I've always had a soft spot for the Chili Peppers in spite of being something I'd usually have disdain for. This album is just really gorgeous melodically, especially Kiedes's vocals.
Would have preferred Stadium Arcadium but this is solid. Anthony has kind of an annoying affectation imo and I've heard some parodies I cannot unhear so this is docked a bit for that lol. Would go 3.5
Un super classique des red hot. 5
My favorite RHCP album, and song!! Awesome!!! I am a big fan of the Chili Peppers, and have listened to them for years. Californication is a bit of a departure from their regular upbeat music, for a slower, more intimate feel. I can distinctly remember seeing the music video for Californication the first time. It was so futuristic!! The whole video looked like a video game, and was visually unlike any other video of the time. I love the funky bass driven grooves achieved by Flea. He is a hell of a bassist! RHCP have been known to be a bit weird (shooting music videos with socks on their cocks, or Flea playing a live show completely nude). This is part of their shtick, and is part of what separates them from other bands of the genre. Overall, an amazing album. Some filler on it though. The first half of the album is stacked with hits, but the rest is good, but not of the same caliper. Not my, first listen, and I will absolutely listen again! Favourite songs: Californication, Scar Tissue, Around the World, Otherside, Right on Time, This Velvet Glove, Purple Stain, Fat Dance, Parallel Universe, I Like Dirt, Road Trippin' Least favourite songs: Porcelain 4/5
I mean it's better than I remembered but the hits are so overplayed that it just kinda makes it hard. 2 stars
Better than the other chili peppers album...but bailed about half way through. Just a lot of the same sound
Dream of it
Huge staying power in the culture, 4 songs that could be considered huge hits and on a 15-track album I would say 10 are incredible songs. Road Trippin as the last song is a nice change of pace from funk to acoustic, but a few too many forgettable tracks on the back half overall.
The lyrics are really indirect. I always assumed i knew what Californication was about, and that it was painfully obvious. Some of these songs might not mean anything but create a vibe. They're certainly about something. The mixture of rapping and singing does feel very 90s california. Like the melodies themselves are part of speech. Some good grooves in here. I like Easily and Scar Tissue best. These are just rock bops. Easy to jam to. Driving and moving forward. Some fun bass stuff in here. None of the lyrical imagery grabs me well. So many lines feel unhinged from the line before them. They're not taking the time to build a scene or story. They create a feeling or a sense of what the song is about.
2/5 Having listened to it once, I have no desire to listen to it again. Not that I could say that it was bad, just not at all suited to my personal taste. Too many songs sounded like they were designed for an over-caffeinated Canadian goose - loud, repetitive, monotonous staccato of honking/singing.
I find this album really boring and somewhat reparative. I like Road Trippin' though as a album closer.
One of the biggest albums of my teenage years. Didn’t like it much then, don’t like it much now either.
Nothing to say, one of their best for me :)
I had to listen to this three times to solidify my rating. I was never into the Chili Peppers, but this exceeded my expectations, which was admittedly not very high, however, that's beside the point. I was this close to giving it a 4, but it really didn't impress me that much and it kind of fell off towards the end. And the only songs I'll probably come back to are 'Scar Tissue' and 'Otherside', so the lack of nuance there should speak for itself.
This band and album was quite literally fueled by heroin. Their lead singer was a junkie sex addict who desperately wanted to be a rapper. Their bassist was a junkie midget who jumped around on stage like a maniac. Their guitarist (for this album) was a junkie just out of rehab who quit as soon as the band broke it big so he could do more heroin. Their drummer was a junkie (cocaine this time) who joined the band only because they already had a record deal in place. Oh and not to mention the crazy amounts of sexual misconduct that they all got wrapped up in. Yet, individually all of them are so talented (minus whenever Kledis raps). Seriously, all of them would have made it big regardless, but they just happened to make it big together. Their music incorporates so many interesting elements and you can easily isolate each instrument’s sound. You get some funk, some punk, a dash of R&B, hints of classic rock, and more! Considering that they were just a group of buds from high school who went through hell together and through it all made it into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, that’s hella impressive. This is the best album they made, but as with many famous albums, we forget how bad some of the lesser songs are. It doesn’t warrant 5 stars unfortunately, but it’s close.
Actually diabolically hard to listen to while studying, got distracted at so many points... Doesn't take away from the greatness of the music at all. I love the chili peppers and this album is obvs up there for me. A lot of people don't like it bc they're wanna be hipster $#^kheads who think they can claim a very popular rock band for their own and then rag on their music when they get big or deviate from their roots in the slightest. Go gobble some $#^ks you f@#kin hens.
The first half was a 5, second half was a 3. I really wanted to give this a 5, but I couldn’t. Similar to Aladdin Sane, I didn’t expect to know much of this going in, but it turned out I knew almost every track due to the album being in my library for years. When I first started this album years ago, I audibly laughed at Anthony Kiedis rapping on the first track and stopped right there. However, after many viewings of one of my favorite movies, Point Break, which features Kiedis in a minor role, I’ve grown to love the rapping. Kiedis literally starts singing gibberish in the first track and we can’t handle some rapping? Also, when I found out the creepy looking dude from Back to the Future was in Red Hot Chili Peppers, I view them in a better light. When I listen to Kiedis sing and rap and speak in gibberish, it is honestly so relatable. I spend a good chunk of my days doing the exact same thing, only I don’t have Flea to back me up on bass. Combined with the fact that this album brought the original band back together, it’s one hell of a ride and I had so much fun for the first half, one of the highlights of this generator for sure.
Favorite songs were Scar Tissue and Quixoticelixer, get why daniel likes RHCP but not my favorite thing I’ve ever listened to, also I Like Dirt is a crazy thesis statement for a song to have and honestly I respect that
Bing-a-bong-a-bong-a-bong Burbank Gigga gigga, gigga gigga-Glendale
Never been able to get into the peppers. I find their swings between quasi-rap and super mellow to be disorienting. Clearly talented musicians and capable of writing good songs, but other than the hits there’s very little in this album that I’d like to revisit. High 3.
This is an album with a bit of an identity crisis. Musically it is less freewheeling and energetic than RHCPs earlier albums, but you can also see how the band is trying to mature into a more refined sound. When it works, it's fire. Like the first half, which boasts several exceptional singles. The rest of the album meanders a bit and is uneven in quality and tone. The lyrics range from surprisingly introspective and honest to inanely horny. For such a vibrant and talented group of musicians, I would have hoped to see a stronger album from them at this point in their career. Fave Songs: Scar Tissue, Otherside, Californication, This Velvet Glove, Easily
I heard it enough as a teenager. Didn't need to relive.
That was a show
It all sounds the same and doesn't touch me at all.
Once you realise that Scar Tissue is a perfect song then everything else falls into place. Frusciante's solo is one of the greatest by anyone. Ever. Get On Top is a classic Chili's breakdown that is sandwiched amongst famous, much more mellow, songs. That makes it even more fun while also setting the scene for the title track's anthemic grandeur. Right On Top is just insane then we go to the sweetness of Road Trippin'. Not many bands can get away with that but RHCP do it with ease.
i think the mind-numbing vapidity of Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Californication is well captured in its eye-rolling title: a tongue-in-cheek, silly portmanteau that would blow the mind of a failing ninth grader in the 90s because its innuendo sounds clever, when it’s really just plain stupid. all of Californication plays exactly like that — an overwhelmingly inane, juvenile collection of cheeky songs that pride themselves in their clever innuendos and double meanings, when really those lyrics are just “Ding ding, dong dong, ding ding, dong dong, ding ding” (a direct quote). there’s nothing of real substance to grab onto here, and despite being described as Red Hot Chili Peppers’ introspective and personal album, the music is as personal as a teenager scribbling on the walls of the stall at school as he ditches class (you can see the recurring theme i guess. give the band an A for consistency). the songs are fairly popular — the title track, as well as “Otherside” ended up being songs i recognized — but they’re stuck in their own time, never transcending over into timelessness. like a severe case of arrested development, RHCP’s Californication is the sound of a pubescent kid suddenly discovering his new found concupiscence. naturally it’s all aged like milk.
A couple of fantastic singles but not consistently outstanding
RHCP got stuck in a paradox, I think. Who could have predicted that these knuckleheads would make it into the 90s, let alone a new century? When you’re around that long, you have to evolve. But you can’t totally leave behind your identity. Well the core of this band’s charm doesn’t look good on a bunch of guys turning 40. And what exactly does barely clever raunch evolve into? As this record shows, definitely not wisdom. They used up whatever they had on Blood Sugar Sex Magic. In my dream, they made a deal with John Frusciante in the middle of the Blood Sugar Sex Magic tour that they would go out on top if he would just cheer up for a minute. They played a last triumphant show with Nirvana and Pearl Jam in support (look it up), gave each other a big hug, and called it a day. Through many twists and turns they all found their way back to each other and today they run a garden center together in Torrence. They look their age and they never ever mention that they were once a band.
That Bass + the different vibes are amazing (other side, scar tissue…)
Le rythme des chansons est bon mais elles sont parfois trop répétitives... shout out a Californication et Otherside
Il y en avait qui étaient quand même mélodiquement ouf, mais le rock je trouve que c'est toujours la même chose
Always having respected the Chili Peppers while never having been a fan in particular, this album was a real surprise. There is no bad song on here - not a single one. While the first three or four songs are outstanding (especially Parallel Universe) and the rest cant't quite live up to them, all of them are at least solid. Not once hat I the urge to fast forward to skip to the next track. The songs have quite a bit more melody than previous efforts of the band, Flea's bass sound is out of this world, and the songs are an intriguing mix of rock, funk and pop. Not iconic, but very close. 4.5/5
This album had its time and its place, however its place should not be on the 1001 albums list.
Strong tracks. Muddy mix.
I ended up replacing speakers in my 2000 Impala due to how poorly mastered this album was.
good and nostalgic but v long
I knew should be brillian and all, but I find it quite boring.
pass
This is where I object to the idea that I HAVE to listen to this album before I die. I really don't. I've heard as much of RHCP as I want to in my life. This is exactly what you'd expect from one of their albums, but at least scar tissue is pretty good
A few good songs here. Not amazing. Just a perfect 3/5, nothing more or less.
Oh dear. Rhcp have some great singles, but this is pretty awful as albums go. Emit Remmus (summer time backwards) an atrocious piece of shite written after Tony Kletus had an affair with Mel C from the Soice girls, made me want to rip my ears off. The lyrics are some of the worst I've ever heard. 'Though I know that every river bends Time to say hello to snow on the Thames What could be wetter than An English girl American man' Damn that's bad. Sure Californication and Scar Tissue are pretty great, but there are a lot of crimes to get past for the few good deeds.
The apex of Chili Pepper albums
🔥🔥🔥
Very strong album. Tons of great songs.
Good album
Boring
This music is so boring and predictable. I hate what this band has become. And yet, one of the tracks has over a billion listens on Spotify, so what do I know?
Probably their best work after 'Blood Sugar Sex Magik', so an incredible record but not perfect.
Overrated… never understood the hype about Red Hot Chili Peppers and this album. Decent rock, but not really more than that
Fantastic
I challenge the 1001 Albums website to add a sixth star with this album. Californication was one of the defining albums to a 14 year old Curtis Tonks...and its legacy lives on. Even my kids know several songs from this one.
For all the new bands and music this project has given me, it has also taught me that some of the music I used to like isn't quite as great as I remember. The hits on Californication still hit but otherwise the album is merely fine, or honestly markedly less than fine in places. Extra star for nostalgia value.
I only like RHCP in small doses and they get repetitive *really* quickly, so Californication has a tough job to tread a fine line and make me like it more than tolerate it. Kiedis' voice and delivery is irritating but it works selectively; Scar Tissue, the title track, Easily, and not really all that often. The back half of the album is poor, the first half holds it up just enough to get a 3 but they're really a marmite sort of band.
First half of this album is really really good (although part of that is probably nostalgia from when I listened to it a lot as a teenager). It's so catchy, mix of some classic indie and more funky stuff, very easy to listen to. Unfortunately, the second half of the album really brings it down; there's nothing there really worth listening to after track 7 (out of 15), which brings my rating down to a 3.
Musically it's pretty great, but that voice and those lyrics really bring the whole thing down.
PREFS : Parallel Universe, Scar Tissue, Otherside, This Velvet Glove, Road Trippin' MOINS PREF : Purple Stain
Upeesti lähtee kyllä tää tykitys, mutta ihan ei kanna loppuun asti.
Rhcp is a really interesting band, some of the stuff they do is so bad and some is among the best songs ive ever heard. Frusciante is a genius and so is flea and Smith, this album is so funky and groovy
Super energetic and stacked with hits
I've loved RHCP for a long time and this is one of my favourites. All around great album
Top 25 album of all time
not the best peppers album
Honestly the mixture of the sounds was so unappealing and gross to listen to. I really tried to give each song a chance but overall I didn’t like. I think the voice was meh and music was meh and together they were no.
I'm getting this outta the way first, because it's the first thing I thought after groaning upon seeing this album's picture this morning: there's not going to be a situation - now, nor looking forward into the future for 100 years (yes I am living that long) - where i'm not going to wish Anthony Kiedis was never a singer and I'd never heard of him. Just.the.worst. <Ok? are you done?> Yeah yeah I'm done, and it's a shame. Because the rest of this band is so good - in musicianship, creativity, spontaneity. It's frustrating because this band came so far from their first few albums - the music on this album from song to song is incredibly diverse - some beautiful and subtle moods in "Scar Tissue" - great rock songwriting and arrangements all around from "Around The World" to the funky "Get On Top" - but a song like "Right On Time" is a perfect example of what I can't listen to. I'd heard the big singles for years on the radio but never put on this album in full and in doing so today...discovered that this is one of the handful of worst-sounding / poorly mixed records I've ever heard from a major band. The mixes range from either not-great to just bad; e.g. Parallel Universe - what the hell happened to any low end on this song. So much of that song - and most of the others - is compressed within an inch of destruction - becoming really tiring on the ears pretty damn quickly. And holy crap - everything is just so damn "hot" and distorted - pops and crackles galore on every single song and seems to get worse as the album goes on - it all does a huge disservice to the music. I'll put the blame on producer Rick Rubin here even if he didn't mix it himself; ffs give us back *dynamics* in rock music - this was a dogshit job. A lot of what I love about this 1001 albums exercise is to challenge you (me) to revisit any preconceived notions about acts, good and bad. RHCP is one I've come closer to liking because of the music, but they'll never be a favourite because of well.... and damn a remix of this album is goddamn necessary. 5/10 2 stars.
Those boys love California
Great album, although a lot of songs blend together after a while Fav tracks: Around the World, Otherside, Californication, Get on Top, Road Trippin'
Good.
Big hits. Admittedly, the first half (minus Get on Top) is great, but the album takes a DEEP nosedive after the title track. The Red Hot are just incapable of making an album that is good from beginning to end. This isn't an exception. Great singles though.
It's not that it's especially bad. I just can't stand it, mostly because of the singer's annoying voice and the cringy effects he tries to make with it. The only thing I enjoyed was the bass.
Few hits help them gain their popularity, but does good singles make a ''album you got to hear before you die''..
2 very great songs that became classics and 13 others that I don't care about. The album is pretty boring and it sounds surprisingly bad.
The music video for the title track made me give this 1 star.
Guitar heavy album. Reminds me of 2pac and early hip hop stuff, but coming from rock side. Anthony Kiedis’ voice is very carefree. Very expressive in an assured fashion. The guitar (John Frusciante) is the redeeming quality of the album because otherwise the hooks in the songs are pretty weak. The lyrics don’t always make sense and work. He does have a distinct voice. It’s imposing in a good way. In a way I could tell they are inspired by the Smiths in the way the music just carries on in the background and Anthoy just carries on singing on a different wave (Emit Remmus). The bass on this album is also a work of art. The guitar and base have incredible harmony and coordination. The album does flow very quick. Always something happening. The album also shows you where rock music has stagnated right before The Strokes came to change everything. The lyrics are straight up absurd sometimes. Overall I feel like they are trying to get something going but this is ultimately their creative limit in this particular style. Only at about 4 or 5 times in the album does it all click together. yea its weird how even though they have a very workable voice, a great guitar and bass they still cant grab me. californication the highest rated song at 7.5. this is definitely an album to play on backgroun when driving someone around. but its barely even good enough for that.
I know, I know for sure Ding, dang, dong, dong, deng, deng, dong, dong, ding, dang
Classic. Nostalgia
I will say I have listened to this album before and enjoyed it, but it definitely hit a little harder on the 2nd listen. First four songs on the record are insanely good. Californication (song) might be their best. Fantasic closing track with road trippin'. Lil peep sampled this track because i was wondering how the hell i knew the beat. Good vibes 7/10
The opening of this album is honestly dynamite, hard to square with my discovered-but-avowed hatred of the Peppers. Some of it's familiarity, as proved by significant sag in the middle. But the band manages to close things out strong. It's pop music, highly of the time and fifteen minutes too long but worth knowing. Intentional listening wasn't too much worse than radio osmosis.
I enjoyed today's album, it had a nice relaxed ending as well
This shit slaps hard
There are some fun hits on this album, and overall, I think was a more mature effort than previous RHCP albums. In my opinion, it has not aged particularly well, however. Another reviewer mentioned the fidelity being terrible, and although I don't remember noticing it at the time, I agree it's a fuzzy mess! And not in a cool lo-fi way. It must have been less noticeable when hearing these songs on the radio in my old 1972 VW bug, flying down the freeway with the windows open ... There are some fun, even good, tracks on this album, especially in the first half, but the second half is boring and unmemorable at least until the last track. It hasn't held up super well over the decades, and what felt subversive in 1999 now feels obnoxious and crude to my (older, more matronly) ears (clutch pearls, lol). Still, I have fond memories, so 3/5.
Typical Chilis. Propulsive bass by Flea driving the songs. Choppy guitar.
I’m not much of a fan generally, but this is really very good. Not all the proto-Rock-rapping holds up, and the lyrics are often a little dumb (“hardcore soft porn” is not some kind of brilliant inversion). But it’s fun, high energy and sincere.
This album is pretty solid overall, some of the lyrics are a bit goofy, the title track is overplayed/overrated, and I wish it was a little funkier. But despite all that it's got some good singles and a couple good deep cuts. I wouldn't necessarily listen to it in full again, but there are good nuggets here. I dont know why it's become so trendy to hate o this band. There's much better targets for ridicule.
Best RHCP album, too funky to be 5
Loudness war album and one of the most noticeable. This is a pity, as this comeback album came as quite a surprise to me at the time. Despite being a couple of songs too long, it is even the best RHCP album I know (only know Uplift Mofo Party Plan, Mother's Milk and BSS Magik).
I'm glad I granted this a second listen. At first, it sounded a bit too mainstream to me, but half-way in I started to get into it more. With the second listen, the great musicianship come through, especially the bass and drums (that snare...). I think I still prefer Blood Sugar Sex Magic, but this album turned out to be very, very good.
Good mix of wild funky stuff with slowed-down sensitive songs.
Veel bekende bangers en vroeger dit album al paar keer geluisterd, maar lange tijd niet meer. Daardoor klinkt het wel bekend en misschien beetje nostalgisch maar begrijp dat ik dit toen ik jonger was beter vond. Is soms toch wat eenvoudige muziek en niet meer mijn smaak. Ik laat hem lekker in het verleden liggen.
Voor het eerst helemaal geluisterd en vond het best nice!! Kende eigenlijk al best veel nummers, maar het is nog steeds niet helemaaaal mijn smaak
“Ding ding dong dong ding ding dong dong ding” - Anthony Kiedis Ik heb dit album nog nooit in z’n geheel geluisterd, en ging hier met enthousiasme in. Wat kom ik hier bedrogen uit. De teksten zijn absolute nonsens, perfect voorbeeld van ‘ik ben 14 en dit is diep’. Soms zelfs compleet onverstaanbaar door Anthony’s debiele manier van zingen. Ik heb geen RHCP nostalgie, dus het zal mij waarschijnlijk minder doen dan wat oudere luisteraars. De singles zijn nog wel catchy (al heb je ze al 1000 keer gehoord), maar hoe verder je in het album komt hoe sneller je wil dat het afgelopen is. Ik lees dat het geproduceerd is door de legendarische Rick Rubin, waarom heeft hij de wereld niet behoed voor deze Karbonkel verschijning in albumvorm? Deze verzameling kattengejank heeft in 1 ochtend mijn houding van onverschilligheid tegenover de band naar dit-nooit-meer gebracht. Ieder volgend nummer richting het eind brengt mij dichter bij een 0/5, maar door deze site moet ik het alsnog een 1 geven. Onverdiend.
I was at one of their gigs when this album came out, love it.
This album is so good It's just Red Hot Chilli Peppers, there's no genre in it, however the album is long and some songs are not that good
This album sounded way too generic. It had a few good songs and the band's chemistry is good but overall this album was quite boring. My rating: 5/10 Need to be on this list: 7/10
Ok
Jahas samanlaista kuin viimeksikin, ehkä vähän ollaan rauhotuttu viime näkemästä, kymmenen vuoden takasesta.. Katotaanko 80.. vuotta... sitten rauha koittaa teillekin... MUUTOSTA ON TAPAHDUTTAVA ONNEKSI TAPAHTUI JONKIN VERRAN KOHTA KAIKKI KUPSAHDETAAN JA ALBUMIT OLLAAN SILLON KUUNNELTU TOIVOTTAVASTI.. ... ... Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day Fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way Kicking around on a piece of ground in your hometown Waiting for someone or something to show you the way Tired of lying in the sunshine, staying home to watch the rain You are young and life is long, and there is time to kill today PROPAGANDAA ASIAT KUNTOO BROIDI VITTU HETI SAATANA!!! SUOMESSA EI KATELLA TOLLASTA SAATANA!!! Kuunteleppas vähän jvg:tä niin vähän ymmärrät.... limanuljaska! herää himan nurkasta! hei! Suomessa ei laiskotella... on rhcp:n pojat vähän laiskotellu.. sentään vähän säädelty ja hieman kehitetty omaa soundia! Siitä kavereille iso käsi neljä tähtee jee jee.. EI kovin järisyttävä... MUTTA hyvä albumi.. ei tartte maa järistä.. niikun ei suomessakaan järise maa.. hehe..
I think it is difficult to overestimate just how massive this record was when it came out. A handful of the tracks were utterly unavoidable, and the only reason why anyone would want to avoid them would be Kiedis' awful awful awful awful lyrics. But the rest of the band? Man what a group. The return of Frusciante is really evident and brings a lot of life to the whole thing. And then there is the production... What can I say, it truly is a product of its time.
I can not fathom the amount of times I’ve listened to this in my teens. There’s barely a bad track on it (some of the heavier funk stuff, “Get on Top” and “I Like Dirt”, I don’t care for) and the band is amazing - too put it mildly. Especially the return of Frusciante is evident and much welcomed! Most of the lyrics are plain awful, but at this point it is by far Kiedis’ best vocal performance. Californiacation is just pure fun and nostalgia - and I can easily look past the lyrical mess.
Klassisk rhcp, både høj- og lavpunkter, flere bangers, men også lidt langt
Pleasant album, not really ground breaking but easy enough to listen to
En hel drös med bra låtar. En stark fyra.
Nothing much to say.
The first part is LOADED with great songs, it gets a little weak after Porcelain. Overall pretty solid album.
I can take RHCP in small doses. I was quite ready for the album to end a third of the way through. Up to then I was quite invigorated and then I just got an attack of the tediums. Happy to listen to the singles if they appear on the radio. But a whole album is too much. I like the Road Trippin’ song.
This album could do without "Savior" and "Purple Stain", but they don't stop this from being a 5/5 album.
Not as up on RHCP as I should be, so enjoyed this one. A number of bangers and I think they can do both loud/fast and chill with the weedy pop pops really well
Some of the standout RHCP songs on this album. The first half is so much stronger though and ranks as my 3rd favourite RHCP album of all time
Forgot how well I knew this album, which means I must've listened to it a lot when it came out. Solid. I remember Flea berating a Hyde Park crowd for not knowing the cover they had just played (White Cross, obscure US hardcore band). Must be something to hate 99% of your fan base...
This was my first 'live' experience with a Chilli Peppers album (I was 9 when the previous one 'One Hot Minute' came out). I was hooked on it as soon as I heard the distorted bass thumbing opening to 'Around The World'. It was on repeat in my walkman and the little portable sony setup we had when we went out skateboarding and being antisocial little pricks throughout that summer and years beyond - halcyon days! Yes, there is a fair bit of filler and it began their 'sell out' mainstream reputation. But it's still an absolute riot to crank up and it's got Rick Ruban's fingerprints all over it - that's always a seal of approval in my book.
Californication. Good, occasionally poor. Around the World, 2 to gale 3, Scar Tissue increasing severe gale 4. Rough or very rough, later. Rain, thundery showers. Road Trippin' Moderate, remainder of album occasionally very poor.
Always thought they were over-rated but really liked the whole album. Beginning was stronger than the end but fairly solid throughout.
John Frusciante made them a lot better when he came back. Some excellent songs on this. Very nostalgic to listen to again
Lots of memories of this album, mostly involving skate boards, watching my mates play in bands that sounded like RHCP, very ripped baggy jeans, converse, and 2 litre bottles of Strongbow cider
Le son est mauvais. À l’époque, j’ai acheté cet album et m’en suis débarrassé. Je considérais que ce n’était pas à la hauteur des deux précédents et que beaucoup de pièces m’ennuyaient. À l’écoute aujourd’hui, je remarque que Red Hot est en fait sur une pente descendante entâmé par cet album. Ils sont de moins en moins inventifs et variés dans leur musique. À postériori, c’est probablement leur meilleur album des 25 dernières années. Il y a plein de bonne choses, mais c’est dillué dans de l’ennuyant. Si on enlevait les 5 « fillers », ce serait une excellente galette.
Commercialement, cet album a frappé fort. Personnellement, j'ai bien aimé à sa sortie, même si je préférais Blood Sugar Sex Magic. Blood Sugar reste l'album qui représente l'authenticité du groupe, mais je reviens régulièrement à Californication (peut-être même plus que Blood Sugar..., quoique la réédition de ce dernier m'a réconciliée avec l'album). C'est plus commerciale, mais j'aime bien.
Start with the obvious - John Frusciante is back, a huge plus. Dave Navarro was a shitty fit and not even close to John Frusciante's extraordinary skills. Next, Anthony Kiedis is back (as he never left). For me his lyrics and vocals have always been a huge weak spot for the band. This came out a decade in to a now amazing 30 plus year run. Flea and Chad are solid as usual. The songs are consistently above average for RHCPs. The expected rock, punk/funk with a few mellow songs. This is one of the better RHCP release (Blood Sugar Sex Magic and By The Way are better in my book). I will go four, although would go 3 1/2 if possible, mostly because of Anthony Kiedis.
One of my favorite RHCP albums. This is what introduced me to the deeper catalogue.
Not my favorite RHCP album (probably stadium Arcadium) but an easy 5. This contains banger after banger and honestly sounds like it could have come out any year between its release in 2000 and today. I just listened ti an interview with John Frusciante who said that on this album he tried to create more space in his guitar playing and you can hear that in the dominance of Flea’s bass throughout.
With the exception of a few pretty bad tracks near the end I thought this album was pretty sweet. The peppers sticking to more of a melodic and low key style is definitely their best sound. Lots of classics and even some of the lesser known songs were really good. 7/10
A good album. Frusciante is fantastic, and flea is in great form on this - Kiedis for me is still a cripplingly weak link for the Chillis, and were it not for him this album could potentially be something special
I've got a lot say about this album because I used to work in the concert industry and I got into many, many arguments about how bad this album is. Everyone around me argued it was great. I am clearly the odd man out on this opinion. I used to love RHCP. I wore out my BSSM cassette. But this album, in my opinion, feels like they had a contractual obligation to meet. They took everything they had recorded that wasn't fit for an album and laid this turd. I hate it so much it makes me dislike their other music because it reminds me of this album. It's like their Coda. To be fair most of my complaint is not with the music. The writing is decent, the musicianship is decent to amazing. It's the vocal melodies and the lyrics. The melodies are repetitive and the lyrics are half-assed at best. Kiedis mailed this one in. Around the World ruins this whole album for me from the git. It reminds me of some old, white politician trying to appeal to POC voters. It's a terrible rap, and the lyrics are fucking awful. "Fox hole love Pie in your face Living in and out of a big fat suitcase." Or this classic - "Ding ding, dong dong, ding ding, dong dong, ding ding." I just can't. Much of this album has the same elementary vocal cadence of Scar Tissue combined with a monotonous vocal melody. It does the same thing over and over and over and over. Same cadence, same melody, on repeat. Doot, doot, doot, doot, doot, doot, dooo. Now do it on the 4th. Now the 5th. And now the root. Repeat. Or like Emit Remus, let's not change chords at all. Most of my disappointment with this album is that RHCP are better than this.
Appalling.
I like the funkier stuff on this album, but to be honest, songs like “Californication”, or “Other Side” fall into the same category as “Jump” or “We Are The Champions”: I’ve heard it so many times on the radio that I no longer feel any joy or positive connection to the song.
Probably the best RHCP album
I absolutely dislike this
I can’t stand the red hot chili peppers
Perfection
bah meu album de ouvir quando era criança. eu lembro que eu gostava porque eles eram pesados em um nivel que me agradava, nunca fui de coisa muito pesada. agora eu vejo que é porque o pesado deles é suprido com funk ao inves de metal. o funk da uma desleixada na musica que deixa mais natural a musica. rock pesado parece um hino muitas vezes, tipo rush e kiss. o red hot sabe ficar pesado no nivel certo e na hora certa, e isso fica claro nesse album. destaque pro baixo desse animal que é o Flea, puta que o pariu.
No thanks. I'm surprised one RHCP album is in the greatest 1001 albums ever, but two???
I like a few here, but then a lot of them seem kinda samey.
This is such an iconic album from the late 90s. I felt like it was everywhere for several years - but yet again, I don't think I ever sat down and actually listened to the whole record. It's good - real good. This is entering my normal rotation for sure.
Pretty amazing! Another album with songs I always liked but never was compelled to listen to the whole album. Very glad I did!
So many good songs on this album
No
Solid album, one of their best
89/112
About 60% great songs, 40% constipated funk workouts with terrible vocals, so pretty promising as a RHCP album goes. Many of these tracks are played to death on the radio, but with good reason. Overall, decent result
Großartiges Album!
a bit long but very enjoyable, good vocals and interesting instrumentation (fleas bass in partricular). fav song: around the world least fav: Californication
"Californication" is the seventh studio album from The Red Hot Chilli Peppers and marked the return of guitarist John Frusciante and to more funk-based rock from former guitarist Dave Narravo and the heavier album "One Hot Minute." It was produced by Rick Rubin and was recorded in three weeks. The music is softer and more melodic and deals with themes in drugs, death, sex, suicide, California and travel. I admit to not being the biggest RHCP fan but I did like this quite a bit when it came out. I did get tired of some of the songs since they were played a lot on radio but this sounded great today. The band and music are very tight. The album starts strong with four RHCP classics. A guitar distorted solo starts "Around the World" which goes into the Peppers' more funk-based music. It's about traveling. Is Kiedis with one girl traveling around or hitting it off with various women? Or both? Flea's bass just rocks "Parallel Universe." Just bad ass. Daydreaming or about an out of body experience? Kiedis gets serious on their biggest album hit "Scar Tissue" with the consequence of using drugs. Very melodic. Maybe the most recognizable RHCP guitar riff and solo. And maybe one of the most mis-interpreted lyrics in "with birds I share this lonely view." I had no idea what he was saying at first. The drug theme and the melody- based music continues on "Otherside." It's slower but builds...about drug use and in particular about the overdose of their former guitarist Hillel Slovak. Kiedis makes it personal about himself. Their fourth single "Californication" is more of a ballad. According to the band, this was the hardest song to complete. Excellent guitar -slide, the intro and solo. The fake nature of California. The album ends with their fifth and last single "Road Trippin'." This a unique RHCP song with its acoustic guitar, strings and slower pace. Kiedis is traveling with friends and leaving town on the road. I haven't dug into all the Chlli Pepper albums very deeply. This is one that I had and is my favorite. It sounded great today and I was skeptical if it held up. I think time away from some of the hit songs helped. It does suffer from the CD era clocking in at nearly an hour and I do have some issues with the mixing, particularly the volume and drums. Overall though, a very good album.
Two songs already liked on Spotify before listening (Scar Tissue and Californication). Know a few will be liked for sure, like Around the World, Parallel Universe, Otherside and Get on Top. Feels like after the first 6 songs the rest of the album is a write off (except Road Trippin’) Purple Stain would have been better as an instrumental Disliked: Right on Time Hated: I Like Dirt Great band with a terrible frontman
An album where the sound is still distinctly Red Hot Chilli Peppers as i expected, but not in a bad way. Ignoring my expectations of the band or the culture around them, it is clearly an enjoyable album 4 songs in. Scar Tissue is clearly good and obvious why it was a hit. I don’t care for the talk lyrics in the way they do it, it feels ska? is that correct? lol but overall it definitely is a good album and can see myself playing it on a road trip but not necessarily an add
Ehh.. I don't hate it but I don't love it. Like the other RHCP album, it's fine. The good songs are good the bad songs are bad. The album is quite one note and too long and by the 10th song they clearly ran out of ideas. Besides Californication I've already forgotten all the songs. At least it isn't offensively bad like some other albums.
the quality was definitely there some parts were a bit cringey but I consistently enjoyed the grand majority of it 9/10
Nostalgia
Never noticed the auto tune until this time around. But I guess that was the price of Anthony’s singing. Still has great Melodies, their third best album.
har faktisk høyrt sjukt masse på detta albumet i år hehe
Trudde eg skulle lika da litt mindre
It's hard to review an album you've never heard but heard almost half the songs a million times growing up on the radio. Moving away from their funk sound, these songs appeal to the mainstream audience, with pop structures that align with the dominant alt rock style of the time. Now, I will say I really enjoyed most of the tracks and has a ton of replayability. It's loud and energetic with memorable moments, especially during its most chaotic and melancholic moments. But where I believe this album falls apart is in its production and track ordering. Just like Oasis, this album favors loudness over quality. There's such a large emphasis on the vocals and lead guitar that everything else, especially the drums, sound muddled and often barely recognizable. This is mostly due to the high compression. All the instruments suffer from a fizzy effect which cause it to sound distorted, and combined with the high volume can cause an uncomfortable harshness, especially during the choruses. Another major problem is the sharpness of the cuts between clips, which are really annoying and bothersome one you notice them. From what I hear, most of these problems cannot be fixed by mastering, and so we're stuck with most of these problems, but fortunately due to modern techniques in streaming, they sound a bit better (at least what I'm hearing with Spotify). As for the track ordering, they attempt to put all the massive hits toward the front, and the rest seem to be randomly dispersed. Due to the range of moods and loudness, going from track to track feels conflicting and makes the record sound overall incoherent. The first 4 tracks are fine, but then the mindless dance punk "Get on Top" is placed between two introspective ballads. We get to a fun jam track "Easily" to the dream pop "Porcelain" (sounds straight from Mellon Collie) back to the grungy "Emit Remmus." It continues like this to the very end, and it just feels like a compilation. Despite all, the standalone compositions are amazing, beautiful, and unique, and it is unfortunate to say this is the lowest score I've given where I really enjoyed almost all the songs, even the bonus tracks. There's dream pop in "Porcelain", hip hop in "Purple Stain", disco in "Right on Time", baroque pop in "Road Trippin", and I already mentioned the punk, grunge, and pop rock tracks, making it a very diverse and memorable listen.
This is actually a huge classic as well, only great songs in there, I do think I never listened to it from beginning to start yet but almost 100% of the songs are great, well produced and have an amazing vibe ! 4.5/5
Crystal clear 5/5, something a little less than the other album with 5 but some songs are too good
One of my first rock albums
Easy 5
7/10
classic
This was an outstanding experience. This is exactly like I remember RHCP in my teenage years. Even though some songs could be better, the emotion here is responsible for my five-star rating.
10/03/2022 9am, currently listening. Read some of the reviews and didn’t realize how many people hate rhcp and Anthony kiedis 💀💀💀💀 it’s like…fru, flea, and chad are all goats and Anthony is just kinda bopping around… doesn’t know which way is up…. KDKDJD Love this album so much, reminds me so much of high school. Lots of happy memories associated with this album, so of course every song is a bop for me. People in the reviews seem to have a problem with Anthony's contributions the most, which makes me sad bc the time spent airing grievances about Anthony could instead be spent praising and celebrating all the musicians instead. I digress... -- 5pm, feeling the end of the day slumpies rn, but so far it has actually been a pretty good day! Two of my studio mates brought me cookies for my birthday, and tomorrow I am going to a cool art hangout that Kiyana invited me to. Hopefully it will be fun and a good way to spend my birthday. I miss Lukey a lot a lot, but knowing I get to see him again sometime soon makes me really happy. I never knew love could feel the way it does until I met him.
Bad music, bad attitude
Some classic tracks on here, even if they are a bit overplayed. But it's a solid album overall, they have quite a unique sound
3.5/5 catchy instruments but vocals get annoying after a while
The hits were still ok, but the rest of the album really drags on. The biggest issue is how it was mixed. It's just all middle with no low or high end. Also, can we all agree that RHCP lyrics are just bad. Literal nonsense.
nostalgic, some of my favorite songs ever are on this album. definitely can’t go wrong with RHCP.
Listened quite a few time’s nostalgia got me fucked up
FIRST OF ALL mr. flea on the bass??????????/// no further comments ur honour
One of the best albums of the late 90’s.
Hits em série com intensas audições em CD.
Good album
just a great album
Frusciante returns! This record was a true return to form. I remember seeing them on tour for this record, and there was a sense of renewal. Great songs, well performed and though BloodSugarSexMagic was the GOAT, to me, this was the more substantial record.
I remember when this came out, the amount of air play...was never a big fan of the band but it's hard to deny the tunes on it...Around The World, Scar Tissue, Otherside, the title track...I mean, damn... that's impressive...a few skippable tracks here for me, but nice way to end up with Roadtrippin'. 3.5 stars
Di sicuro centra il fatto di averlo già ascoltato più volte, ma mi piace molto. 'Scar Tissue' è meravigliosa. Idem Road Trippin' che non ricordavo
Love this album
Amazing album. Flea really stood out to me in a way I had not fully appreciated before, that guy fucking shreds a base.
Hard pass on anything after One Hot Minute.
Really inconsistent albums a lot of the songs are really fun and groovy and then sometimes it deng ding dong dong ding ding and then there's some questionable mixing/production on a lot of the tracks where it's just weirdly loud.
Otherside, scar tissue, californication...5!
Perfect album.
I thought I was a Red Hot Chili Peppers fan. Turns out, I only like their hits. Outside of the popular songs, this album SUCKS!!!!! I do not recommend people listen to this album. RHCP is not an album band. The only positives of this album is that the lead singer knows how to use his voice as an intrument. Lyrics do not matter to RHCP, but vibes do. Best Songs: Around the World, Scar Tissue, Otherside, Californication Worst Songs: Get on Top, Easily, I Like Dirt, Emit Remmus, Purple Stain
They polarise people don't they! I liked them a lot when I was young - and there are some nice passages here. I can understand the criticisms but aren't going to join in the pile-on
Notes trial, good album
Not their best album, but pretty damn good. Californication is a bop
It brings back a million memories of a summer when I was coming of age and weed was plentiful. It's a good album, the last of their imperial phase from Blood Sugar Sex Magic to this, but the warning signs of the bloat and blandness to come are here too. Still, you can't argue with Scar Tissue and Around the World. Hey, did you know they're from California?
Some great songs and a few ok songs
As others have said, the first 6 songs + Road Trippin' are pretty good (some of these I even put on voluntarily!), but then the rest of the album all blends together in meh-ness. What are you left with? 3 stars, I guess.
So good!
Red Hot Chilli Peppers is a good band. I like "Scar Tissue".
NO WAY I MISSED THIS LISTENING RN
bien qsy! no es lo mío pero no me disgustó 7,5 / 10
I don’t like the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Sorry :/
A few great singles, but overall the album is underwhelming and a bit annoying at times.
An album I grew up listening to and thoroughly enjoy. The interesting thing with RHCP is that there is arguably no one similar. The mix of funky rock and Kiedis lyrically delivery. Each band member is important to the overall sound. Californication has a great collection of tracks and starts of very strong. The album is great for the first half and then tapers off. Could do with a shorter track list for a more punchy experience.
Perfeição! Um dos melhores álbuns ever! Só música boa! Melhores músicas: Scar Tissue, Otherside, Californication, Porcelain, Around the World, This velvet glove e Road Trippin'.
I had no idea they had a song as beautiful as Porcelain.
Amazing album listened to many times
Most of the songs contained repeated lyrics, especially the word California to the point where it was overkill. Also hated this weird voice that the singer would do on occasion that sounded like he was mocking the stereotypical Asian accent. Only liked one or two songs.
Parallel Universe, Scar Tissue, Otherside, Porcelain
genuinely funny, sexy rock. favs: title track, get on top, otherwise, around the world
mejor álbum de los red hot no estoy dispuesta a discutir al respecto
Classic RHCP
Fantastic album!
I was a fan since Blood Sugar Sex Magic and this was a string development of their funk and straight rock sound alongside excellent songwriting. They haven’t released another album that so satisfyingly hits all the right buttons as strongly throughout (By The Way possibly, but that seems a deliberate embrace of their new found commercial market). It’s always worth waiting for Frusciante to rejoin the band.
This was the soundtrack to my 16th year and I remember learning all the guitar parts. Listening again now was refreshing, it still holds up today, a good mix of singalongs, funky and more thought provoking than I ever gave it credit for at the time in the slower ones
Classic Album, loved it since I was a kid. No more info needed.
Quite a dreamy album. Can definitely hear those 60s/70s California vibes coming through. Powered by those bass and drums, ties it all together.
Opening track, Kiedis annoying with his plain-spoken verses with little accompaniment. Like how bass-forward the album is, particularly Scar Tissue and Get On Top. Californication is a great song, well put together. Easily felt messy coming off the back of 4 great songs, but followed up by Porcelain which is a nice reprieve from the album so far. Not a fan of Emit Remmus, lyricism of "animal of California" felt awkward. I Like Dirt was fun and very bass forward, This Velvet Glove and Savior felt forgettable. Purple Stain is funky as hell, probably my favourite song on the album, feels very Hendrix.
Around the world - Classic bass line. Energy expected for an RHCP track. Drags on a bit and loses a bit with nonsense lyrics in the last quarter. Scar tissue has the most mondegreen lyrics.
Overall solid album. Though it contained many of the classic RHCP songs that I knew from the radio, it's not an album that I'd put on from start to finish. Besides those poppier radio-friendly tracks and a few of the classic-style hard funk tracks later on, the remaining tracks were pretty forgettable. Could have been a really tight, short album maybe.
Identifying the Red Hot Chili Peppers : It’s the Red Hot Chili Peppers
"CALIFORNIA CALI CALI FORNIA CALIFORNIA CALI CALI FORNIA IT'S CALLLLLIFFOOORNIA CALIFORNIA DA NANG DA NANG DA NANG DA NANGNENG NENG NENG" Every single RHCP ever
Love-Hate relationship with RHCP. Some great songs followed by all just more of the same. Starting with this album. Inoffensive but unremarkable. I actually find Stadium Arcadium the most interesting post One Red Hot Minute album other than the 2 hour length.
a couple of good hits but Im not a huge fan of their sound
I really tried my best to be objective with this album but fuck me the Red Hot Chilli Peppers are just the lamest fucking band around. I don’t care what anyone says, this band caters to two audiences with their tactless brand of dumbass dad rock: bank managers/ insurance brokers who let loose to Californication after a hard day at the office; and (worst of all) musicians whose fixation on Frusciante and Flea’s undoubted technical abilities completely obfuscates from the inanity of the music they produce. Oh, and kids. Kids for whom a shirtless Anthony Kiedis flailing around like a jackass is the coolest thing ever before developing a thing called self-awareness. Truth is, I was one of those kids and I adored RHCP for a brief period of my adolescence. But looking back I see them for what they are: painfully safe, totally uninspired fm rock. This album does nothing to change that fact. While I would even go so far as to say a couple of these tracks actually grew on me, the majority of this album is just so generic that no amount of intricate guitar work or flappy slappy bass guitar can make up for its shortcomings. Frusciante and Flea would probably flourish in another band (the former’s first solo album emphasises that point). But here they just play it so safe and, to their credit, they sold plenty of records. But I was astonished to see how little criticism emerged in the reviews of this asinine jabroni douche rock. Whatever semblance of innovation this group may have had as a rapid-fire punk/funk outfit had long vanished by this stage in their career. I do dig the artwork though, and “Parallel Universe” was a pleasant surprise. So it’s two stars. But fuck this band.
So many hits in the first part of the album! Overall: really good songs peaking through bad songs. Makes it a bad album for me. Underwhelming. Should have been an 8 song album and would have been perfect.
Kad se sve zbroji i oduzme ovo im je najbolji album
I have this game where I try to figure out how a release from the past will be received today. If it is d genuine classic or not. No idea where californication as a whole would land. Good listening fun though
Californication - Red Hot Chilli Peppers
I liked it obvi, love the peps no doubt. Some good sleepers on here, Porcelain, parallel universe. And lots of good bangers too
I can't quite put my finger on what it is about this band I don't enjoy. I appreciate their honesty, but something leaves me flat with this band. As in the case of "Otherside" — I was thinking, "hey, this is a really nice tune," but before the song was over, I was less smitten. Kind of emblematic of how I feel about the RHCP. There are plenty of great moments, and while Anthony Kiedis is a singular presence as a vocalist (and Flea as a bassist), I prefer him when he goes with a "less is more" approach, and that's not usually his style. I also wasn't knocked out by the guitar work. I guess this is just not a band I love. I've had bandmates (bassists, specifically) who love this band, and they've been on my radar from early on (1985's Freaky Styley), but I've never been drawn in. I like them on a song-by-song basis, but not enough to go all in.
yeah, nah, i'm just not into these guys. mostly, i think i just don't like Anthony Keidis, even though he actually has a pretty good gift for melody. but i just can't stand the way he sings. At least they try different sounds and a few approaches to songs. i don't hate them the way i hate Limp Bizkit. but they're just not my jam. also that album cover is pretty bad.
I first heard Red Hot Chili Peppers when Mother's Milk came out. Thought it was such a cool new sound and groove. Always considered myself a Red Hot Chili Peppers fan. Always found it curious that my musician husband didn't love them. But with this album...I really struggled to get through it. Blah. Meh. I wish I gave Fela a 3 because this is most definitely a 2 of me.
Excellent.
10/10
So many great songs on this album. Parallel Universe is probably my favorite. I guess in a different world everybody sleeps on a really large bed (California King)?
It's probably got a bit too many FUNK songs on it for my personal taste, everything that is a bit more dark moody i think is amazing. A great album.
Excelente,de los mejores discos que escuché.
A classic. Full of tunes that have stuck around for almost 20 years
Liked some, not so much the rest
This album was such a commercial success I was very familiar with several tracks. I still find the melody of Otherside to be very catchy or ear-wormy anyway. But overall, I’ll not that enamored of this effort. It certainly has plenty of Flea-driven funk and all that but I guess for me it just starts to sound like the RHCP formula at work. I don’t know. Just not as much a fan of this album as of some others.
Some genuinely good stuff on here. Bits I’m not into as well. Dunno if just the Apple Music mastering but wildly different volumes across a couple of tracks.
Particularly radio-friendly stuff here from the Peppers. Some good tunes if I try not to be too pretentious about it for a minute. Not my fav work from them though.
Great tunes, such a classic album that you know every word to.
rhp is hit and miss for me, and this album is more miss than hit. this album could have been half the tracks and under 30m. after easily, you can smash skip until "right on time". i'm not mad at californication being a hit, but it's sooooo long, and for what? my ★★★★☆ cut of this album: Around the World Parallel Universe Scar Tissue Otherside Get on Top Easily Right on Time Road Trippin'
Great return to form with the pivotal return and influence of John Frusciante being no coincidence in making this their greatest album to date. Full of recognisable tracks that combine to make one of the greatest albums of all time in my opinion
Close to being 5 stars
Half good songs. Half lame funk rap. Just buy a greatest hits to avoid the dross.