Californication

Such an iconic album, a great listen that is filled with bangers. Just what I needed for today's workout. 8/10 [KEEP]

The album that made me really start listening to them with pleasure.

Ding, dang, dong, dong, deng, deng, dong, dong, ding, dang

Album#1 ----------- 1) 3.5/5 2) 3/5 3) 3.5/5 4) 3.5/5 5) 3/5 6) 4/5 7) 3/5 8) 2.5/5 9) 2.5/5 10) 2/5 11) 3/5 12) 2.5/5 13) 3/5 14) 2/5 15) 3/5 ----------- This album was a letdown. I had high hopes, but Californication was the only track that really landed for me.

lots of memorable tracks, overall a fun listen

Great hits that are sullied by their rapey-ness. “I Like Dirt” wtf was that?

A lot has been said about RHCP over the years. A lot has also been said about this album which many consider to be their magnum opus. I am convinced that some of the songs on it will forever be remembered. They are anthems that mean a lot to many people. I was one of these people. While I was in high school, this was one of my all-time favorite bands. Nowadays I don't listen to them as much but they will forever be in my heart. They manage to capture a specific type of warm melancholy dressed in a fuzzy fashion that can really touch your soul. The combination of Frusciante's masterful guitar riffs and Flea's punchy groove become a playground for the stories that Anthony Kiedies wants to tell on top of the rhythms of Chad Smith. It's one of those rare examples of a band fully complementing one another and working to achieving a unified synergy. I have only two main critiques for things that don't really work for me in this album. First is the song "Get on Top". It breaks the flow of a nearly perfect run and then the transition from it to "Californication" is terrible. The second one is that besides the one mentioned, there are some other filler songs in the latter half that to me only pad the duration of the album. It is still an iconic landmark in modern music. At the end of my comment-reviews, I usually pick out my favorite songs but here I will do something different. I will highlight a few lesser known songs, outside of the usual suspects. Songs that are often overlooked but pretty good from this album include "The Velvet Glove", "Savior" and "Porcelain". And just for the record, my all-time favorite from this album is "Scar Tissue".

Loved this album when I was discovering music in middle school, as it came out right around then and got a lot of radio play. Have listened to plenty of these songs on playlists over the years, but don’t think I’ve relistened to it as a whole since the CD days. First half of this album is awesome. It’s great song after great song. Not as much of that funky sound from early Chili Peppers, but Around the World through Porcelain is banger after banger. A few stuff on the back half of the album isn’t as memorable, but there’s a few songs that go heavy into the funk sound that are solid there. If this was shorter, I think it’s a clear 5. But it doesn’t need a lot of the excess of the last few songs. I’m leaning 4, but I love the first 8 songs of this album and that might be enough to push it over the edge. It may seem played out now, but the good songs here still rule. Kind of a definitive sound of late 90s/early 2000s alt rock.

Tres tres bien

Jammed out to this one a bunch back in the day. I remember it being John's first album back with the band after his rehab. Some pretty solid tunes on this one.

I guess if you're into the RHCPs, then this is probably a great album. It seems to be really well done and put together, but, RHCPs, to me, just aren't anything of interest. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt here and up what would have been 3 stars. Otherside is a pretty great track.

Great

fuck it 5 stars you guys are just scared of being basic

Man, it has been so many years since I've listened to this album. I used to really dig this when I was entering my rock phase in highschool, thanks to my father having the cd. Nowadays is incredibly rare that, to not say I don't, listen to them. Not that I dislike them, but I am not that crazy about their music anymore and the weird stuff some of the members did that has been surfacing the internet made me distance myself from them. Either way, this album is fun. It starts great with the track "Around the World", a very explosive start that gets super funky and also shows a nice point of silliness. However, the project gets serious with the next bunch of tracks. From "Parallel Universe" to "Porcelain", almost every track has a very mellow or sad tone, with the only exceptions being "Get On Top" and "Easily", which land in the cheerful and very funky side. These songs that are more melodic I also consider to be some of the strongest material, highlighting "Scar Tissue" with its beautiful guitars, "Otherside" being a very melancholic song and "Californication" having the most recognizable melodies of the whole album, and also a nice social criticism. The second half is way more funky and playful, but also the most forgettable. I think they still are incredibly decent and fun listens, specially the super silly "I Like Dirt" or the more melodic but with explosive chorus "This Velvet Glove", but overall, they feel a bit like filler. If the album had a lot less tracks, specially in this last side I mentioned, I would consider giving this a way higher score (even thought I think there is not a bad song in here).

This album belongs to John Frusciante. All of the best moments on here are his: the guitar freak out intro of "All Around The World," the backmasked guitar of "Emit Remmus," the simple melody of "Otherside," all of it belongs to him. Flea and Chad Smith prove themselves to be an incredibly solid rhythm section throughout the album, but of course the thing that ruins this record is Anthony Kiedis. The man's lyrics are like the smeared shit on the wall from a mental patient who will try telling you that the dried feces are the poetics of a master lyricist, but his lyrics are just that: shit. You know you have a problem when the guitarist's backing vocals are better than your lead singer's, and while John and the rest of the band are sometimes able to salvage these songs through the instrumentation alone, there are just too many instances where the songs can't be saved.

Nogle fremragende numre imellem, men meget fyld trækker ned.

funk rock album som er meget personligt fordi deres gamle guitarist kom tilbage og gav det en mere blød lyd. Det er i slut 90'erne hvor grunge bølgen var ved at dø og alternativ rock skulle finde på en lyd i en mere fragmenteret verden. Det blev til dette som finder sted i californien og går igennem det at blive super kendt og det blev det helt sikkert på dette album. Det er det bedst sælgende og gjorde dem kæmpe store og så populære som de er i dag. De genfandt en anden lyd som er mere stadium orienteret end deres tidligere som var mere funket. Der er en masse gode sange på og jeg elsker lyden af red hot chili peppers. Jeg har aldrig lyttet fra start til slut, jeg har kun lyttet til singlerne tbh, men det er godt at høre det i sin helhed. Det er også fedt hvor danceable nogle af tracksne er, nu hvor man ved det er de mere stille og store arrangementer af sange som er blevet store. Har svært ved at vurdere hvad jeg skal give den her tbh.

Not a fan. I have seen them live and they were phenomenal though. Weird huh?

Sehr gut.

This one has a pretty big nostalgia factor for me. It came out while I was in middle school and was just massive in the U.S., and Scar Tissue, Otherside, and the title track were songs I would watch MTV for hours on end in hopes of seeing their music videos. They were also on constant radio play. I also have a bit of a core memory in that I bought this album on CD on a trip to San Diego (I’m from the Carolinas) and it was perhaps my first experience of the joy of listening to an album in the place it’s about. Years later I’d have a similar experience listening to Sufjan Stevens’ Illinois while driving through snowy central Illinois. Anyway, this album is a little bipolar in that the top tracks are absolute bangers, but there is some filler here. The album as a whole would have benefited from being 3 tracks shorter. I think if you remove dumb songs like Get On Top and I Like Dirt, this would have more classic status. That said, those singles are genuinely amazing if you set aside your pretensions about them.

Decent 2,5

10/10

We need to make it legal to murder members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers

I hate doing this, but it's the rules. Plus one for the shout out to Wisconsin in Around the World.

I hope they put one of their good albums on this list too

Classik merci lila

was thinking about giving this 4 stars but had to skip "Get on Top" and "Californication" . and it was downhill from there for me….

Has there ever been a worse lyricist in the history of popular music than Anthony Kiedis?

Dreadful

Dreadful album, dreadful (and often creepy) lyrics, absolutely dire stuff. Flea's bass playing is wasted on this nonsense.

For the love of god…FFS. Is this slightly worse or slightly better than Petty? I can’t really judge, or moreover care as it is so so horrible to listen to. Tom.

I was pleased when this was over, dull

I mean, I liked some.

Classic

Surprisingly good. Thought I hated this band, and although the hits got a bit samey. Some great production and fun to listen songs

I actually think some of the songs would be a lot better with some punk shouting over them rather than whatever Anthony Kiedis is doing. I feel like RHCP is a 3 band for me so this gets a 3. I don’t hate it but I will never love it.

The singles really carry this album and still are amazing. Other half of the songs continue to not age super well.

Ding dang dong dong ding dang dong dong ding dang

This album has classic RHCP tracks on it. But I find the production holds it back. It’s very ear fatiguing. Also even if the album is just under 1h it feels longer as the second half drags by the end. Th first half of the album is pretty solid however. Scar tissue and Otherside are my favourite tracks of the album.

momma always told me the rhcp were demonic. anyways, solid album!

Great

Easy

Two things off the bat. First, we're used to it having heard it so much from this album and, separately, a TV show, but Californication is a goddamn stupid title. Second, the initial funk/thrash blast of "Around the World" gets me absolutely amped. It's sort of a drag that the song itself isn't that good and is an exemplar of some of Kiedis's worst faux-rap. BUT THEN, "Parallell Universe" IS the song you'd hope "Around the World" would be. Song rocks so, SO hard. Flea and Frusciante are both incredible musicians. When the band figures out how to deploy Kiedis (generally, singing, even though he's a bad singer), it really, really works. But when he gets all white-boy-rap, boobadopadeeCALFORN-YA it totally loses me. This album (along with the By the Way) was inescapable at the end of high school and into college. I still feel it, but it's incredibly inconsistent. Best tracks: "Parallel Universe" "Scar Tissue" "Otherside" "Porcelain" "Road Trippin'"

Fenomenal rock album

Great album. Had heard Californication and Scar Tissue, which are great, but really enjoyed it as a complete thing. The instrumentation is top class. Amazing bass playing and drumming is great. Overall, really enjoyed listening to it.

Such a classic and how great to see Flea’s new album out now

5 sterne

je l’ai pas écouté jusqu’au bout, mais c’est dla bonne musique. En vrai j’ai surtout aimé celles que je connaissais déja (scar tissue et other side). Bon album

Some real bangers and a generally fun vibe. I feel the singles stand out more then the album

Hasta el momento solo había escuchado dos canciones del album y la verdad salí gratamente sorprendida. Un sonido muy coherente a lo largo de todo el álbum, y aunque son 15 canciones no se siente larga esa casi hora de música. Gran bajo como siempre (Flea my GOAT). Vas de letras profundas a innuendos no tan sutiles y me encanta. Muy buena experiencia.

Excellent.

Funky. Always a fun listen.

Love this album… not much more to say

Great album! Love it!

This was better than I remembered.

It has a ton of radio/MTV hits. I guess it’s a good enough album but truthfully I’m kind of tired of hearing these songs.

Has classics but surprised how uncohesive this is

I'm not an RHCP guy--I loved Under the Bridge when I was in elementary, but never really paid them much attention after that. Of course I encountered their music, but it never stuck. So, in my mind they were basically the parody that everyone thinks of when they think RHCPs. However, this is a pretty fun album! I don't think I'd ever just throw it on, but I have a greater appreciation of them as musicians.

I’m obsessed

It’s just banger after banger. Shame the By The Way album isn’t on the list as well which surprised me. Californication is a brilliant album, start to finish.

What more could you ask of an album? Fun, energy, sleazy, sophisticated, gut wrenching lyrics, belters, immaculate guitar…songs to listen to on a sunny terrace watching the world away, songs to jump up and down and shout to, songs for a long road trip, songs to lock eyes with your best friends and enjoy the nth dimension of musical paradiso. Truly uplifted me. Made me reconsider whether By the Way remains my favourite RHCP album, excellent contender.

I hate these fuckers almost as much as I hate the Beach Boys.

I love the Chili’s albums and this one is no exception. Perhaps not there best but entertaining no less. Good - I already have this album in my music collection.

I knew I would like it but not this much!

Really like this album, has quite a few chart songs in it. A couple of weaker ones but still an overall 5 from me.

First half is excellent, hit after hit. The middle handful are pretty weak. If this were shorter and cut a few of the poor tracks out, it would be a 5.

God, this rocks. Usually, I wouldn't like his voice, but this album absolutely slaps and I needed to add Around the World immediately to my liked songs. The bass and the drums also really get me. Just a really good grungy feel that scratches parts of my brain.

At one point this was one of my favorite albums (along with the foo fighters self titled album). While it is still an absolute gem, has not had the staying power as other albums… 4.3

So much better than Blood Sugar Sex Magick. Some catchy tunes, really solid album. 7/10 Quite Likeable

Doesn't smoke like Blood Sugar Sex Magic but still pretty good.

Listened to this one in CD form on my Walkman. Thank goodness big JNCO-style jeans are back in, otherwise I wouldn't have pants with a pocket big enough for a portable CD player! This album has so much interesting guitar playing from Frusciante — a great example of how tone comes not just from pedals/amps/pick-ups but also how you "attack the instrument," as Les Claypool would say. I remember learning "Californication" on guitar as a kid and having my guitar teacher avoid explaining the name, which is just funny to me in hindsight. It's probably not just me, but I find it really hard to tell what the lyrics actually are on a lot of these tracks. I had to look up "Parallel Universe" to be able to hear Kiedis singing "Christ, I'm a sidewinder." Sometimes it sounds like he's really forcing the lyrics to fit the melody by putting emphasis on weird syllables. On top of this, I don't find the lyrics to be particularly poignant on any of the tracks on this album.

I would've rated this higher when I was younger, but it has grown a bit tiresome for me. Especially the lyrics/vocals. So much stupid innuendo. Actually the rest of the band is tight, so it's mostly just the vocals that I don't love. There are lots of iconic singles on this album that are definitely overplayed, such as Scar Tissue, Otherside, and of course Californication. They all seemed great to me when I first started listening to this album in high school to be fair. The rest of the tracks on the album never really grabbed me 10 years ago and they still don't. Giving this 3 stars because of nostalgia and catchiness of songs.

Stadium Arcadium & By the Way rank higher for me, but Californication still gets a bronze. Fun album, sick guitar riffs, love the vocal style and variation. I find it funny how people hate on the lyrics. Yes the lyrics dont get too deep and are pretty silly at times but who the fuck cares. Like honestly, too many artists are out there making lyrics about all this deep shit, all about loveee, all about being sad cause you got beoken up with, all about blah blah blah. Like go read a poetry book or some shit instead of expecting deep lyrics from every damn song on every damn album that has lyrics to begin with. Anthony uses his voice to its fullest potential by rapping, singing, belting. He's using it as an instrument and paying attention to sylables and rhyme schemes and flow, the lyrics make enough sense to not just sound like pure random gibberish. Go listen to Mr. Dylan puke out haiku lines, or go listen to a Kendrick album if you want some deep meaningful heartfelt lyrics. You listen to the RHCP to rock out, to groove and get into some lovely melodies, fast paced lyrical styles, crazy good bass & guitar riffs, and the vibes. 9/10

Always loved RHCP. This was a wonderful listen.

Rock on, RHCP! no idea what this guy is saying half the time but this album still slaps. 8/10

Not bad but I'd consider it very "average". Not in a good or bad way.

1, 7, 9, 12, 13, 18 좋다 !!! 문외한이어도 즐겁다

first track is cool, the rap parts sound like white ice cube i like the track californification too, reminds me of dirt rally 2. the rest is kinda boring, there's not a lot of variation in there, it's just the same instruments with different chords and arrangements. btw everything is clipping bro

Bien

ok

meh

I don’t think I’ll ever understand the hype

Much to proud of that portmanteau

objectively really good, but it definitely gets boring after a bit

This is a nice, thoughtful collection of songs, with the usual Peppers edge and some snarl, but not the bite of their earlier albums.

- you can really tell Frusciante reaaaally gets inspiration from Hendrix - love Flea’s base playing, super dominant, as if he’s the main guy - Frusciante and Flea play off each other so well

¡¡Ame profundamente!!

bing bang bong bong bang bing bong bong bing bang I am ashamed that I enjoy this album

The hits are really good but the rest is also solid. Could see myself day drinking to this

Incredible album. Favorite songs were Scar Tissue, Get on Top, Californication

Gillar de soft grejerna, men när det blir för mycket rhcp blir det lite tonårigt

จุใจจัด ๆ but not a fan of funk

Hay canciones que las he de escuchar mas veces para q me gusten, las otras m encantan

Boring, the shit youd play in the background, with some cool exceptions in some moments.

wow amazing i lop old rock

keren, lagunya ada yg gua suka dan salah satu lagu yg gua dengerin pertama waktu kenal rock

Nice

For every sick jam, there is an equally ridiculous wreck of a song. Scar Tissue - I Like Dirt

It's alright but these were never my guys

mira, uno fue adolescente y le tiene cariño a algunos temas. También recurdo a los abusones de colegio que acabaron de polis o violadores. Otros, lo hicieron en bandas como los Red Hot. Y el peor de todos siempre era el cantante. Dos estrellas por nostalgia y por Frusciante, que seguro que era el yonki que no se metía con nadie, aunque bien que coleguea con agresores

mierdification

Eventhough this usually would not be my go to album, there were some parts that were catchy and I enjoyed. Still i am not a fan of the vocal style, after a while it felt monotonous and nothing really stuck with me.

Giving it a five, would be californication

Sublime

The Chili Peppers had enough musical talent and melodic songwriting chops to write a hooky, funky alt rock album. But this, like all of their albums, is not that. There are some good songs here! Like usual, the more mellow songs like "Scar Tissue" and the title track are the best, though "Otherside" is also pretty good. The louder songs often feel clumsy, with riffs and choruses that feel sudden or out of place; the back half is full of interchangeable tracks like that. And of course this is very loud, to the point where Frusciante's riffs get lost in the noise. As for the lyrics: Kiedis's stream of unconnected topics works well on "Scar Tissue," but elsewhere - like "Get on Top" - it's ridiculous (the title track falls in the middle). If this was pared down and more restrained it would be fun, but as it is the good moments are lost in the noise.

Good.

It's funny going from Alice In Chains, to Q-Tip, to this. In terms of rock, Alice In Chains is way better. In terms of the "rapping", obviously Q-Tip is better. The writing of Californication is like white middle school kid trying to put together raps. They're doing it....but the writing isn't exactly impressive. Ok ok let's be fair, because after all, in 1992 Red Hot chili Peppers won the Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance with Give It Away over Alice In Chains' Dirt. I say this sarcastically. It's also unfair because I actually do like RHCP, even though Anthony Kiedis is a pedo....which makes the track Purple Stain particularly disgusting, which it's a pretty gross track regardless. This album was actually huge. Around the World, Otherside, Scar Tissue, Californication were, and still are, huge songs that pretty much everyone knows. They kind of unlocked the code to make extremely catchy rock music, and it's all on this album and it's almost to a fault. Good album and fun to listen to but for some reason I tend to naturally look down on RHCP's sound as if they aren't real rock music. I'm not sure why this is, but I definitely put them in different category from Alice In Chains. It just feels more on the funk side than the rock side, which is fine, and at times it borders on psychedelic, so I can't discredit it.....except for Purple Stain. That song is gross.

General thoughts: Having already gotten BSSM, this will be my point of comparison. Californication is less funky and much less metal; it's more harmonic and pop-ish. It's a considerate shift from their previous style, with more backing choruses, a greater focus on melodies, and less sexual lyrics. There is a clear signature sound; you can easily pinpoint what songs are from the BSSM era and which are from Californication. I value that. Lyrically, it improved, and that's because they were pretty disastrous before; they still lack sense, unity, and cadence, but sometimes they do provide imagery. The production is weird and sounds cheap, like hearing it through a radio. That said, I liked Rick Rubin's production of BSSM. I'm not sure if the production values changed from one album to the other. The resulting product has this nostalgic vibe that really makes you think, "Hey, this is the 2000s". RHCP has had this effect on me, in which the songs seem like the perfect recipe to rate it higher, the setlist is solid and steady, songs are catchy, and the instrumentation is always good, but there's always something on a higher level that makes me want to rate it lower as a whole. Last time, it was the lyrics; this time, it's the production. As with BSSM, it makes me question what is the best way of rating an album. Finally, kudos to 'Savior' which, strangely enough, has some kind of Pink Floyd vibes lol. Outstanding song(s): Right on Time, Around the World, Road Trippin' Weakest song(s): I Like Dirt Cover: Somehow like a fever dream Real rating: 4.03

Meh, 2-3 gros morceau le reste de l'album est mid, la voix d'anthony kiedis me gonfle

One of my favorite albums. Literally not a single bad song!!

I don't think this actually deserves only one star, but every song is just so grating and annoying.

I had a RHCP phase but I only listened to the hits. I was in middle school and me and my friend Faisal would listen to pandora radio stations in study hall. This album is the one I think of when I think of the peppers. The thing I like most about the group is that they felt like a real band. They had the look, the musical chops, and the edgy lyrics that appealed to a young person. I think a lot of the criticism is unwarranted by people who don't understand the concept of a metaphor and imagery. I don't like the rapping but it's liimited enough on this album that I can tolerate it. Ultimately, this is what I wanted, a band that was unapologetically west coast.

nostalgia

The singles on this album were so wildly overplayed that despite them being fundamentally good, unique, and interesting songs I can't really deal with them anymore. They're just not fun to listen to and I can't focus away from Kiedis's voice, which is easily the worst part of the Chili Peppers. He takes far too much of a center stage on this album. I remember when this came out that everyone was pissing their pants about how good Frusciante is on guitar and how he radically changed the sound of the Chili Peppers. He is an excellent guitarist and he did change their sound, but I still think One Hot Minute is their best album and even though Dave Navarro is a weirdo, that era of this band was better. I know it's a hot take but I stand by it. There are some actually great tracks on here like Parllel Universe, and out of the singles I do still like Scar Tissue precisely because of the Frusciante guitar line, but the rest of this...eh. It's not as great as everyone thinks it is. Like so many other rock albums of the time I think it was so popular because there was just so much bad rock music being pumped out at the time and this is different. I don't hate it, but I dont' need all of this.

Some fantastic chili peppers material. What a start to a record. I love some of the funky stuff on this record. They really make their start into their poppy sound on this record too and the poppy singles and a couple of others are really great. It does have a distinctive sound and it feels thinner than their previous records. I don't love it at all but I don't think I hate it as much as others. Flea is too low in the mix in parts. It's a bit overlong for me. I think it could loose some of the poppier content in the middle of the second half and be a tighter record

First half of this album is fire. Classic Chili Peppers for the new millennium. Everybody is firing on all cylinders with great California songwriting. Then it just kind of gets weird and falls flat.

2 only cause I love flea

Yeah it's cool

Обожнюю цей альбом

The album art here is stunning, some very basic color theory, coupled with some pretty stunning composition. I think it fits well with the timeless singles the album has to offer, but it's overkill for the overall production. Turns out this is not my favorite RHCP record, though it's a project that leans into the talent and I can definitely appreciate that. I also appreciate the execution at a conceptual level, really focusing on that Cali culture which serves as an introspective tool and a sweet focal point for the new listener. It's a record where they're really talking about themselves and why they sound like they do. The lyrics haven't aged very well, especially the style of them, we're definitely not Shakespeare here. A lot of times the songs are just on the verge of being boring or skippable. There's hits spaced out just right, it's impressive in that sense. I'd only put the record on again for those few tracks though, so not a lot of replay value, but I know this isn't the last time I'll hear this record. 3.4/5

Lots of bangers but not so good at the end

Ughhh. Valjda na najbl zaseden dan. 18.22 končno začenjam. "Around the World" je sicer hud začetek za album. Sam fak, kok sm over Kiedis & all his shit, da koj k začne whatever the fuck on dela, me kr mal mine. Naslednji, "Parallel Universe", mi je instrumentalno prou hud, minus vokal. Nekdo, ki je prisiljen poslušat z mano, se strinja, da je Rick Rubin na tej točki mal zgubu the plot, ker mix zveni horrible. Fak, ta stran albuma je prou single after single. In za vse mam nekak enako mnenje do zdaj. Muska mi je kul, itak me jebe tud nostalgija, besedila so velikrat fakin bedna, pa Kiedis me annoya. Ni stalno annoying, sam k pa je, je pa ful (trenutno poslušam "Savior" & omfg, kok je tip whiny!). U, za "Californication" morm rewatchat videospot, čeprav je verjetn ful dated dons, sam se spomnim, kok mi je bil hud takrat & sm si želela, da bi bla taka igra zares. "Road Trippin'" je fajn. Evo, done. Skor eno uro kasneje.

Red and hot like a chili pepper

Great album. Lots of hits.

Not a lot of albums that can transport you to both a time and a place, but this one sure can. RHCP was above my pay-grade in 1999, but I’ll never forget watching the “Californication” music on VH1/MTV (channels that my sheltered self wasn’t supposed to watch). At least half of this album went on to dominate the Alt Rock airwaves for the next 20 years, as well as my iPod.

An all time banger, road tripping is one of my favorite finger picking melodies

rhcp are soooooo fuckin good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! highway beachy vibess

yawn

red hot chili predators 👎

I’d probably rate higher had this band not been shoved down our throats for so long.

Favorite track(s): Scar Tissue, Otherside, Get on Top, Californication Heard before Previous rating: 7/10

great album, even if im tired of the band

3 de 5. Lo escuche cuando salio, lo tenia tototo. 1-esta muy buena para levantar a un muerto jaja, pero no la busco para escucharla pero si aparece en la radio la escucho sin problema. 2-mmmm esta ok, pero ni la dejaria si aparece en la radio. 3-la amo, la tenia grabada en spoty 4-muuuy buena, guardada en spoty claramente 5-no me gusto 6-uhhhh que temon! re guardada. 7-meh 8-cancion tranqui, no la tenia. bien, pero no la guardaria. 9-mmm no me gusto 10-mmmm no 11-meh 12-meh 13-mmmm no 14-no 15-uhhhhh siiiiii que TE MON! re guardada.

Rating: 4.7/5 Short Review: Melodic, introspective rock that trades the band’s earlier chaos for something more emotional and expansive. It balances vulnerability and groove in a way that feels both polished and personal. Favorite Track: Scar Tissue. The guitar lines are simple but expressive, and the laid-back feel gives the song a sense of healing and reflection.

The goat!

Yes, this is one for me. Listened to this a lot when younger. Arguably the first half is better with all the bangers

No solo marcó al rock sino que también a una generación, culminando los 90´s y abriendo los 00´s con toda la energía de los red hot, letras "profundas" y un bajo muy pero muy marcado que te energiza

Classic album, no skips, Flea and Frusciante at their finest. Around the world is one of the best album starters and this remains one of the best albums in the Funk-Rock genre. Rick Rubin did some incredible work on this album.

I love the Chilis. Flea , Frusciante and Smith rock and hard. And they funk and hard too. Kiedis is kind of the weak link for me, but they’ve kept him round for 40 years, so what do I know? The question is do they need more than one album on this list? 2.5 till I work it out.

Some music just gets better. This is another easy 5 for me - 2nd time for the Chili Peppers. I appreciate them more now that at the time (I was probably studying and working too hard to listen to them much). Alternative music just dominated for the whole 90s. They added Funk to Punk and defined hot hard energetic rock for a decade, and then came back with this to prove they still had it. I don't think anything comes close to being as iconic and energetic for the period: still conveys all the fun energy and mayhem talented musicianship it always did.

I've never really been into this band. I was surprised how many tunes I knew, Scar Tissue is a standout. I get the playing is really good, I think it might be the singer and that slightly out of tune strangulated singing style. What I'd say deadbeats is it is very much a case of whether it floats your boat or not.

I've been dreading this day. When I was a teenager in the 80s I really enjoyed the RHCP punk-funk thing. It was energetic and funny and silly and rockin' and kinda awesome. I played Mother's Milk until the record turned gray. And Blood Sugar Sex Magick was amazing -- one the best releases of a groundbreaking year. It was funky and playful and slightly less dumb than their usual schtick. I saw them live at the Hordern Pavilion in '92 or '93, and they were a terrific live band. But... Blood Sugar Sex Magick also had Under The Bridge, which was the beginning of the end as far as I was concerned. It gave Anthony Kiedis the mistaken impression that he was deep and soulful with profoundly emotional and poetic things to say. And that he could carry a tune. None of those things are true. The Roling Stone review described this album as "spiritual and epiphanic" which is just delusional. The NME was more on the money when they asked "Can we have our brain-dead, half-dressed funk-hop rock animals back now, please?" And my heart turned against them after about 1993. I began to despise the Chili Peppers. I avoided their subsequent albums as much as I could even though the singles from Californication were ubiquitous, and they turn up on the radio and cover bands and my kids' playlists even now, nearly 30 years later. Anthony Kiedis makes me angry. When he gets to that bit at about 2:42 of Around the World where he is just singing "ding dang dong a-ding a-ding dong" it is clear that he doesn't even care about making sense. It's just gibberish. Really, the whole album is gibberish dressed up as profundity. Listening to it makes me feel stupid. I made the mistake of reading Kiedis' autobiography, and I just don't have time for this tone-deaf, junkie, rapist idiot. I hate everything about Anthony Kiedis; his fucking awful lyrics, his faux sensitivity, his marginal singing, his truly terrible lyrics, his age-inappropriate dating habits, atrocious lyrics, and long-standing reputation for sexual harassment. I know I keep harping on about his dumb lyrics, but it is his misogyny (particularly his long and self-admitted history of predation and sexual assault) that I really cannot abide. He just seems like the most appalling human being, and I can't get over it. I did struggle through this whole album, and I will concede the band are damn good and some of the choruses are cracking tunes. I would love to hear a version where they ditched Kiedis and let Frusciante write some lyrics and sing them himself. Or even an instrumental version. _That_ I would have time for. Flea and Frusciante and Chad Smith are all great musicians and seem like stand-up guys -- I note that even Nick Cave has come around to them (https://www.theredhandfiles.com/red-hot-chili-peppers-flea-bear/) -- and so I too will try to overcome my prejudices of the past 30 years. But I just can't get past Kiedis. His presence on this otherwise fine album offends me greatly. This is a potential 4-star album, but I have to take 2 off for Kiedis. I don't even want to get into the world "loudness wars" issue.

Unfortunately I do enjoy quite a bit of this album

A sun-soaked party starter. Funky basslines, catchy riffs; warm, lively, and buzzing with energy. It might not be as cohesive as their earlier stuff, but it sure is a good time. Spins: 3 Playlist Additions - Around the World - Parallel Universe - Scar Tissue - Otherside - Californication - Easily - Road Trippin'

muitos hits, a primeira metade é super empolgante e boa, com um final entre legal e ok.

Great Album! When I was in college we would listen to this all the time.

I had this album. I remember opening it up inside my moms van and loading it into my discman in the mall parking lot. This album rocks.

Some noisy tracks towards the end, otherwise a great record feat. Californication und Road Trippin'.

Never realized that so many hits by RHCP were on this album. Overall, a cool experience, no real misses.

Awesomeness

People like to rail on RHCP, maybe they have a point, but it still won’t change the fact that RHCP’s music is catchier than the numerous std’s Anthony Keidis has probably contracted in his lifetime. Californication is a great album, still holds up since the first time I heard it. Almost every song is an earworm that’ll stick in your head for days. Actually, while listening to this album I realised I’d had the bassline from Emit Remmus stuck in my head for years

i wore this cd out as a kid. tbh the sound quality is kinda shitty overall, as with a lot of albums from this era (especially ones with rick rubin's signature on them). kiedis remains the weak link, his lyrics remain pretty juvenile for the most part and he can't help but reference california all the time, but his voice sounds better than before. frusciante's guitar work here is extremely simple, probably because he had to essentially relearn the instrument after taking a few years off to do heroin. honestly though the songs feel like they're built around his reduced capacities so it works. flea and chad smith do what you expect them to do. overall one of their best albums.

I like chili peppers on a song by song basis, solid album but not my favorite by them!

amazing listen to it everyday

Nice!

There are album bands and there are radio bands. RHCP is a radio band. Love hearing a Peppers song once every few hours during the day and they are almost always good. But sitting through a whole album is not where this band comes across the best. It’s grating and the white-boy hip hop is terrible.

first half was good and then i was just waiting for it to end

great album well worth 6 stars

Summer of 99, I was hired by a music store to work in the stocking department. I don't know why they hired a teenager, all of my coworkers were in their 20s, but to this day it's probably the most fun I've had at a job. One of the best parts of the job was the constant exposure to music, discovering new artists, getting lots of free stuff including concert tickets, and being around people who loved music and loved to party. Music was so integral in this job even though I was just putting CDs in inventory and stocking the shelves. In the storeroom, we would take turns playing music (aside from Howard Stern in the morning). Sometimes that meant popping in an album, but often it mean just selecting the radio station for an hour. For that summer, Californication was inescapable; either someone would put on the full album or one of the few radio stations we'd switch between would play no less than one song from it each hour. I was into metal and punk at the time. Anything "soft" was lame to me, and unless it was butt rock, anything mainstream was rejected without much consideration to whether it was actually good or not. RHCP definitely fell into the mainstream, rock for the masses, weak stuff, and this was especially true if you looked at their radio hits from this album, of which there were many. I mean, shoot, it starts with four in a row. So, I was programmed to dislike the album AND I had to hear it. all. the. time. It was inevitable I would come to despise it. But even 17 year old me could recognize it was "good" at least by popularity standards. I have to admit than"Scar Tissue" was a song I liked until it was overplayed, and if I hadn't been overexposed to the other singles as well, I probably wouldn't have minded them as much. Some years ago I heard one of these songs, I think it was "Otherside" but it's irrelevant what it was. What I knew is that adult, post-punk phase me liked it. I decided to revisit the album since I knew it was beyond popular in the day and part of the zeitgeist of the time. Would it hold up? And would I be surprised to find that once I got my head out of my own ass that I actually enjoyed it? A longer, more complicated answer would be that the Red Hot Chili Peppers are a problematic band. But, I'm not going to do what many reviewers on this site do and bring the character of the band members into my evaluation of this album. The question remains whether this album should be as critically acclaimed as it is or not. I do remember my relisten years ago and thinking to myself that I understood why it was so popular, and thought overall it was pretty solid. Now, I approach it with a slightly more critical ear but also with all those feelings associated with it still kind of lingering. They won't affect my judgment, but they will influence how I kind of nitpick this one. The short answer is yeah, all bullshit aside, this album is pretty strong. Like most albums that are about an hour or longer, it's a little long in the tooth. Some of the songs sound very similar. But that's not what's keeping this from being a five-star album. Anthony Kiedis really brings this album down. It's not just his juvenile lyrics, it's sometimes the way he sings, or when he tries to sing eloquently and not do that rap rock thing, he just isn't very good at it. He also has a very repetitive style, so even if the guitar riffs aren't similar to other songs, the vocal melodies are. Aside from a couple gems, the non-radio hits are just okay. So when you couple that with the lead singer leaving a lot to be desired, I could easily see this falling to 3 stars for the average listener, assuming they don't have predisposed opinions about RHCP. All in all, because I understand how big this album was at the time and how central it was to the musical landscape, at least in the US, I get why this is on the list, and I think it's mostly quite good. If you strip some of the fluff, it's easily 4 stars for me.

Standouts: Parallel Universe, Otherside, Raod Trippin, Fat Dance Lowlights: Porcelian - just too weird Already knew Scar Tissue and Californication, knew chorus of Otherside Slow songs weren’t as strong, amazing guitar, same vibe throughout album

An overrated album

If Red Hot Chili Peppers has no haters then I'm dead.

Really fun, rocky, smooth, soul,funk

Quite easy to listen, huge in charts, but not the most interesting record RHCP Made.

Wow what a musical potpourri of funkiness mixed w punk and hard rock sensibilities

There's no denying the monster hits on this album, although the quality drops off considerably in a lacklustre second half. The more I listen and read, the more Kiedis feels like the weak link; Flea, Frusciante and Smith are excellent musicians.

No. 142 Great album. So many hits.

Somewhere between a 3 and 4. Some decent tracks, but then some bogus tracks.

it was ok

Good album, bad cover.

One of my favorite bands. Unfortunately this album is heavily front-loaded and the back half kind of drags. Still, some all-time great RHCP songs here so this gets a 4.

Started growing on me

This was okay. A little long and samey, not my favorite vocals, but generally unoffensive (other than the gibberish bits in the opening track, that pissed me off for some reason). I recognize and enjoyed a handful of the songs.

Full of bangers.

Ret tæt på 3 tbh men Anthony Kiedis og filler trækker den ned. Der er nogle virkelig dygtige musikere i det her band

Bandet er virkelig tight! Svært at forstå hvorfor de gider spille sammen med Kiedis som er pissetræls at høre på

This albums sounds like it was recorded on a potato, making it very hard to enjoy. It almost sounds worse than them playing live.. ALMOST. Regardless of the timeless classics on this record it sucks balls. Anthony Kiedis' "lyrics" and "style" is so childish; wtf was that ding dong dang ding ding dong in the first song?

Around the World // Scar Tissue // Otherside // Californication // Easily // Road Trippin’ 3.5/5

What on earth is this rubbish doing here

Yes bro i listened to this in high school!!!! Ive been thinking about this album recently since people have been hating on RHCP, and i think they may be on to something. while anthony kedis is a terrible piece of shit, their music is also.. just okay. i did dig this when i was a teenager but looking back theres only a few standout tracks. The bands style becomes oversaturated by this point but i think it is their strongest album. After this is by the way which i did consider my favourite by them but i really dont think i enjoy their music anymore because i no longer need to get into every single band from the 90s anymore.

This is a good album. Fun group to listen to if you're an OG fan or new to their tunes.

I'm glad this 1001 albums resurfaced these songs for me

This was a formative album for me. My brother had a huge booklet of cds that I would listen to, this one being a huge influence on my musical taste. Honestly, of everything so far, I'd say this is the gold standard for a flawless, well rounded album. Unique songs that all deliver incredible musicality, diverse and clever lyrics, and range from heartfelt ballads to whatever 'i like dirt' is. This is a gif reminder of what a true 5/5 looks like

i have always liked many of these songs and yet i get kinda bored after the first few. none of the tracks are *bad* but they really don't do much to hold my attention. had they cut 4-5 songs from this album i probably would have rated it 4 stars

Still great

The best songs here are dumb fun: accessible pop melodies with a touch of funk. My favorite is Scar Tissue. The worst songs are just dumb: the nadir is Get On Top, which sounds like a bad RATM b-side. Lots of forgettable shit in between those extremes.

It makes me a bad American but I just can't get behind RHCP. A few songs I like but still you hear them twice a week just existing in society because they get played so much. I find the vocal performances kind of annoying, album was a bit of a slog to get through.

Banger

The most boring band with the most boring album

It’s a good album with some great songs. I’m only rating lower because I’m not a big fan of the style.

how about next time you try dreaming of some volume dynamics

This album has a bunch of good songs but all together don't equal the sum of its parts.

It’s inane babbling but it is funky

I think Anthony Kiedis should probably be killed. Not just because he's a serial pederast, but also because of his shitty "skibbity bibbity" funky white boy proto-drake sing-rapping. You put together such a deadly musical unit and then you ruin it with this bozo junkie's prettyboy babble poetry. Around The World is basically a crime.

I think this album is very much a case of less is more, especially with this deluxe version. For me, about 30% of the tracks are genuinely worth listening to, the rest are rather samey and uninspiring. I can see why The Greatest Hits album did much better as a collection of their better work simplified into one record.

The singles are good, particularly Scar Tissue and Otherside, but the rest is so annoying. It sounds like a band trying to sound like they’re jamming. I confess this may be PTSD from seeing them at Earl’s Court 15 years ago which was just such an awful, self-indulgent gig.

Not my thing but not bad.

First time listen Cookie cutter, radio safe idea of what "funk" ought to sound like. Really sterile and uninteresting for the most part. It's got a couple of their big tracks on here but I've never been a huge Red Hot Chili Peppers fan anyway, so the added fluff in this album make it pretty dull for me. Favorite Tracks: Californication, Scar Tissue Least favorite: Porcelain, Get on Top 2/5

Pennsylvania mentioned??

All over the place, had multiple good songs, I likes scar tissue and others that sounded similarly

another one of those good ones that dont stay at that level for the whole album unfortunately

This band has not aged well for me. But they still have some great songs on this record. Terrible ones like I Like Dirt bring it down.

baNGER

John Frusciante is such a great songwriter, he somehow makes Anthony Kiedis barely tolerable

Couple of tunes, some awful filler too.

Yes yes yes!!!!

О том что эта группа существует и какая-то очень известна я узнал только в общаге, но песни я часто слышал и до этого, безымянно звучащими из окружающего пространства, как будто саундтрек времени

Еще один рай для миллениалов. Мало какая группа настолько определила эпоху и была настолько для меня важна в то время. Количество хитов в одном альбоме здесь просто незаконное. Альбом конечно важен и благодаря триумфальному возвращению Фрущанте, который снова обрел человеческий облик после страшной зависимости. Хотя его пальцы все еще не вернули былую подвижность, поэтому многие партии и особенно соло здесь вынужденно простые, но это удивительным образом пошло на пользу музыкальности альбома. Ну и их былая связь и взаимопонимание с группой как будто и не терялись, хотя без него было совсем не то. В итоге к записи альбома почти 40-летние дяди (кроме шкеда Фрущанте), которых все уже трижды списали и забыли, подошли на пике творческой формы, что вылилось не только в россыпь культовых бэнгеров, но и в достаточное количество сильного материала, которого хватило для того, чтобы альбом не воспринимался набором синглов с пустыми треками рядом. Чего только стоят крайне недооцененные Right On Time, Easily, Porcelain, Savior, This Velvet Glove. При этом им удался отличный баланс между фанковыми запилами и лиричными треками, переносящими в жаркую калифорнийскую пустыню. Ну и дальше больше. 10 Хэнков Муди из 10.

Олдскулы не свело. By the way нравится больше.

Вторая половина альбома чутка филлерная, но в целом норм, как будто раньше альбом казался более дурацким

Лучшая песня: Scar Tissue Худшая: Purple Stain Динг-динг-донг-дэнг-дэнг

Никогда не был фанатом рхчп

californication хотел уже пропустить, но вытерпел и прослушал альбом целиком, ну это 5

Ощущение, что в 90-00-х именно рок-группы были настоящими поп-звездами, что некоторые клипы аж доходили до нашего нальчикского «Форт Мажора». Было приятно послушать группу, которая определила, наверное, целое поколение. Лайк, подписка

Нравятся эти ребята. Хорошая музыка, приятный голос, несколько бэнгеров и калифорнийское звучание, выкрученное на максимум.

This album contains some of my favorite songs (scar tissue, otherside, californication), so I was excited. I liked the rest, it was easy listening but nothing else stood out to me and with the songs all reasonably short, this album dragged on way too long.

Æ klare ikke høre hele, det gjør ondt

Some of this is really thoughtful and mature. Some of it feels like it was written by horny teenagers. Confusing

This type of music speaks to me, and i like it but ngl it's been too much of the same thing with this list and i'm kinda sick of it. Album sounded superb until the song after porcelain. Should have ended there imo.

Anthony Keidis is a creepy pedo.

Horrible. Horrible. Horrible.

One of those albums where despite not being a fan I somehow know most of these songs? I expect that'll be a common thread for many of these classics. MELLOW/VIBEY/CHILL/COOL/NINETIES

"I went into this album like ""man, I don't really listen to the RHCP, I'm gonna trudge through this"" but I was happily surprised. This album was a fun listen. The delivery of the lyrics was one of my favorite parts, super rhythmic and catchy. I liked this more than I thought I would. Good for you, Chilis"

A couple bangers, mostly misses tho

Didn’t understand the hype around this album until over halfway through it. It starts with the hits that I think most people are more familiar with (Scar Tissue, Otherside, Californication), solid catchy songs that play everywhere. Once you get past these, there’s a string of songs I would call misses (Easily through I Like Dirt) before picking back up with songs I hadn’t heard before but enjoyed much more, particularly This Velvet Glove and Purple Stain. Overall I think the album has too many misses or mid songs for me to call it great. The whole thing feels like a rubber band flinging back and forth between great instrumentals and interesting vocals to repetitive and boring. I can see how some would enjoy this album more, but I don’t think the Red Hot Chili Peppers are for me. 3/5 overall, some great songs but gets old fast for an 18 song album.

music is love

I used to listen to this album quite a bit, but eventually got tired of it. This is my first time listening to it start-to-finish in more than 25 years. ...And now I'm remembering why I got tired of this album: Anthony Kiedis. Otherwise, Flea, John, and Chad are really solid on this album. The other day, I was just thinking about the conflict over this album and Mr. Bungle's "California" ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_(Mr._Bungle_album)#Red_Hot_Chili_Peppers_conflict ). I feel Mr. Bungle's album is the better one and has had more staying power for me.

- tuttu albumi, raidat 1-6 aivan 5/5 kampetta, sen jälkeen taso pikkasen tippuu - loputkaan biisit ei siis ole erityisen huonoja mutta alku on sen verran tiukka että ihme olis jos sama energia säilyis koko levyn - hyvä platta tulee aika ajoin kuunneltua

genuinely, genuinely, no idea what the lead singer is saying at any point in this album. of course I had heard the red hot chili peppers before. It was about what I expected! Vibey and likely very good road trip music while driving contemplatively through hilly plains. I liked it but it wasn't anything life-changing. Maybe if I had listened to it in the early 00's? Alas, I was not alive for that. Otherside or the eponymous Californication were probably my favorite. Easily was also really good!

Historically I am not a Red Hot Chilli Peppers fan. They have a few great songs, but are largely not a band I enjoy all that much.

I don't really like Kiedis' singing voice. Really fun album though. I feel like everyone knows the singles from this one. Cannot understate how strong of a starter "Around the World" is as well

Fuck no.

Album has some really good songs on it, super unique sound but not totally for me

Aled made me listen. Fucking dogshite for non music listeners.

I really like this album, not just from listening to it now, but from listening to it when I was younger. Overall, pretty nice songs throughout the album, with a few of them being great even. I even really like Easily, which I don't recall listening to in the past.

Absolutely love most of it. Amazing instrumentals, grooves, vocals, it makes my head bob. The album is a bit overlong, I felt like some of the late songs weren't quite as strong.

Banger, but loses it at the end

Overt creative choices that demand respect. Aggressive sonics - guitar playing and vocal sounds strong. .

For a band so messy, this is a surprisingly clean and well constructed album. Around The World Scar Tissue Otherside Californication

Musical interpretation of a circle jerk

That's funny, I just saw a Chili Peppers cover band last week, and I think they actually started with Around the World. Really fun intro really with a wacky chorus, but Parallel Universe switches up to a more post-punky vibe that continues on Otherside. Scar Tissue is easily their sound, but at its most refined for radio, which is a good thing. Not a big fan of Get On Top, it kinda screams filler to me from the especially lazy Keidis lyrics to the repetitiveness of the rest. Don't know why the cover band had to play this song too, though. They sounded better than this album though, and that's all thanks to Rick Rubin, who decided that every instrument should have clipping distortion when played loud enough, and none of these four do anything quietly besides for two songs, Porcelain and Road Trippin. I really like the contrast between the former to the rest of the album, such a beautiful level of control. Compare that to Easily, which to me, contains audio frequencies being shoved through cheese graters. The crash cymbals that open that song sound like some industrial machine, and then when Keidis starts singing the whole thing sounds like it's ran through a wah pedal left on near the top position. Just awful. It's hilarious that Metallica caught more hate from the decibel boosting than these guys when it ruins the Chili Peppers' music more. This Velvet Glove is my favorite song on the album, it's just a fun composition. My favorite song on this album is not on this album, Quixoticelixer I can honestly just leave this album behind in high school though, P!ATD is less embarrassing to listen to than this nowadays.

I did like some of these songs when it came out. And it was everywhere. Surprised how much I remember it and like it. It takes until track 8 until I don't recognise one. Impressive for an album I never had myself. Could have dropped a few tracks from the second half. 4 Heard before? Yes Owned: No 52/223 (23%) Will I get: No

it's a classic rightfully so am i gonna come back? probably not but im happy i got to experience it "porcelain" new song on a loop

With the exception of Scar Tissue and Otherside, this is one of the more annoying RHCP records. There are some songs that are kinda gross lyrically and annoying vocally (Get on Top, ugh) and there is not much in terms of interesting production really. The bass lacks a good groove, the guitars are pretty plain overall. And the vocals are some of the worst in the bands discography. The massive hit Californication stands out for being surprisingly beautifully written and poetic considering its RHCP. But unfortunately most of the album is not worth the hype.

Love this album, I've heard most of it before. I found that once I was like 3/4 of the way through it sounded very samey. I love RHCP but I tend to jump around eras a little.

FK

I've been trying to catch up on the albums on this list and had been avoiding this one like the plague. But here it still sits. Although within a few seconds I was like wait I think I already listened to this for my prior list. Which I had. This is a really wonderful moment. But I'm not giving it any more stars. 5 star band, 1 star lead singer. Which equals 2 stars.

It does sag a bit around the two-thirds mark, but just about recovers by the time you reach Road Trippin, which is a great way to see out an album. And the first half is absolutely superb. Feels it would be churlish not to give it the full 5.

I like the parts where they sang about California. I was a big fan of the Blood Sugar-era Chili Peppers. And I really liked this album when it first came out too. I guess that makes it obvious that I'm a big John Frusciante fan. I truly think he's one of the great underrated guitarists of our time, with his energetic and inventive playing bringing Hendrix vibes to the Chilis' funky chaos. This feels like a transitional album. They never really hit the highs of Blood Sugar Sex Magik again, but on this album they came close. They brought a nice blend of that earlier chaos with their newer, more mellow sound. I'm not the biggest fan of the direction they ended up going over the next few albums, but here, throughout Californication, they hit a sweet spot. Songs like "Get on Top", "I Like Dirt", "Purple Stain" and "Right on Time" bring back the funky bass-slapping madness of that Blood Sugar sound. But everything else is leaning far more towards their new sound: quieter, smoother and more mature. Both sides of the Chillis work well, but this album is at its best when they blend both styles in the same song. "Around the World" is the best example of that. It kicks things off with an incredible intro bursting with all the energy and chaos of the old Chillis. The verses are familiar territory with Kiedis' faux rapping swirling around Frusciante's tinny funk chords and Flea's incredible bass lines. But then the chorus shifts to a more accessible, smoother melody, the sound the band would lean into over the next few albums. Frusciante's fantastic guitar work is the key to the brilliance of the best songs on the album. "Scar Tissue" is uplifting, bright and full of laid-back California coolness. It's also one of the all-time classic riffs: simple, catchy and instantly recognisable. "Road Trippin'" is absolutely gorgeous. The fingerpicking, the minor to major key changes, the shift into jazz chords in the bridge, all augment the vocal harmonies, the subtle background orchestration and the overall melody of the song itself. A proper classic. And "Savior" is the most underrated song on the album. Switching between quiet acoustic moments and louder, more aggressive chord strumming that make way for sweeping, epic guitar solos bursting with a gorgeous tone. Three highlights of the album that couldn't exist without Frusciante's amazing guitar textures. Even though there are albums in between, Californication somehow feels like the sequel to Blood Sugar Sex Magik. And while it's not as clever or inventive as its predecessor, it has moments to rival it. Together, those two albums capture the Chilis at their peak, thanks in a large part to the genius of John Frusciante.

this being the first album is actually funny. lmao girl i cannot!

The sound of California, a sound I feel that I've outgrown as I've gotten older

Right up there with Blood Sugar Sex Majik. No misses throughout the entire album.

Maybe because it's such an overplayed record, but I feel a bit numb listening to it. It's definitely one of the best albums in this genre with tremendous staying power.

I forgot how much I enjoy Red Hot Chili Peppers. Definitely heard a lot of them in my childhood. Remember far more of the lyrics than I was expecting.

Another great bassist with Flea in this one. A couple of songs like Porcelain had a different sound than what I'm used to hearing from them, which was kind of cool to hear them mix it up a bit. Overall just a very fun band that got me moving in the morning and reminded me of early childhood.

Some albums almost feel like cheating rating them well because the artist in question is just good. This is one of them lmao. The first song, Around The World, pulls a Crazy Train on you by promising a completely different song with its opening before delivering something else entirely.

You know what? It's fine. I liked Scar Tissue and Otherside, but it suffers the safe problem as BSSM. It's just too long. Just as good though.

The loudness wars took many casualties, but few met as gruesome a fate as this.

Jake: Greg: Annie:

Ugh I didn’t like this. The lead singers voice was too whiny and the songs were all so commercial. There was some good guitar work, but it was overshadowed by the annoying vocals.

A classic Red Hot Chilli Pepper Rec, if I'm not wrong this is probably the most known album? The flow in each song is so unique, one of the better recs!!

holy jumpscare at the end, but otherwise banger album: The guitar was gr8

It’s strange for its nonsensical lyrics this album felt like a coming of age album for the Chilli Peppers. Yes they’d had tracks like Under the Bridge long before tjis, but across a whole album it just felt more sustained. Obviously that view is undermined to some degree by the ding, donging of Around the World but if nothing else the instrumentation feels tighter, led by Flea’s bass. Parallel Universe feels like you’re in a speeding car hurtling toward the age of a cliff, which i’m not sure i enjoy as much as a 48 year old as i did when the album originally came out. Scar tissue is however still a great song. The guitar sound is just so chilled and chimes like a sweet bell. It shows that RHCP had the ability to deliver great songs when they slowed the high energy impulses down a tad. Otherside maintains this momentum and feeling of slight nostalgia of sunny days. Get on top is more traditional RHCP fare but you cant knock Frusciante’s guitarmanship. Californication is another ageless, beautiful track with its chilled instrumentation and more laid back Kleidas vocals building to “Dream of Californication”. After this there is a definite dip with songs like I Like Dirt and Purple Paint just unnecessary filler. Road Trippin makes for a good close, but overall not as good as I remember.

I wasn’t sure of my expectations going into this, having never listened to the RHCP other than their singles. However, I really enjoyed this. The singles, of course, are great - “Otherside” and “Scar Tissue” are exceptional - but the album tracks hold up against what are now considered classics. Some of Flea’s bass lines are astonishing in their intricacy. Are the lyrics a bit bonkers (see: “microcosm”, as an example) - sure. Especially when I came to the conclusion the word “microcosm” could be found in the same song as “salty cheese” (it’s “salty cheeks”, apparently). But it works.

I discovered during this listen that 56 minutes of Anthony Kiedis's singing in one go, is too much Anthony Kiedis for me. His vocals are distinctive but pass over into annoying very easily. However there are some really good songs on this album. Scar Tissue is the highlight of the singles for me, but I also like Californication a lot. There are some pleasant enough album tracks too. Then there are some absolute stinkers. I mean, did the world need Get On Top or I like Dirt? I suspect RHCPs think they're sexy as hell during some of these songs, but they were in their mid to late 30s during this period and it's just cringey. Overall, I think this is just scraping a 3/5

one of my fav albums of all time its really good cant wait to revisit it allwjfkajlkjlakjfl

Anything Chad Smith is good!

Some of the songs were okay, but the only songs I would actually choose to listen to are Easily and Porcelain. The songs that weren't okay were just outright terrible.

Great Album

It's kinda bland

This was everywhere in 99. I must’ve heard scar tissue a hundred times that summer. A banger of an album but about 15 minutes too long.

Good stuff. Nice tight playing.

While the album certainly didn't live up to my recollection of it from the first time I listened to it 10 years ago, it's still a pretty good album. The sound returns to this mix of funk and alternative that made them popular, boosted by the return of John Fusciante, who's guitar playing defined the band in the early days. They also dare to become spiritual, turning away just from lyrics of innuendo and jokes. Of course, there is only so far that goes, and listening to RHCP again it's fairly obvious that Anthony Kiedis is the weakest member of the band. This album has the same problem a lot of albums l. The first half is very good, and the second half is notably weaker. Now, I understand what they were going for in the second half, trying to be more spiritual and critical, but to me RHCP work best when they are full of energy, not really in their slower moments. The title track is an obvious exception to this, along with Saviour to a certain extent, but this doesn't change this from being an A-side album. But what an A-side it is, hit after him, more focused than the other albums of theirs that I've listened to. For the first 8 tracks alone the album us worth it, though the back half let's it down. Highlights include Parallel Universes (which may be my favourite song of theirs now), Scar Tissue, and Californication.

One of the albums that defines the band. Includes classic favorites such as Around the World, Parallel Universe, Scar Tissue, Otherside, Californication

Great vibes and some real bangers

Great album. So many hits.

There are not that many albums I've been listening non stop for the past 25+ years <3

I remember listening to this as a teenager and it’s still as good. The Peppers are somewhat overrated imo but there’s good stuff on this.

fun!

How To Be the Red Hot Chili Peppers 1) Come up with nonsensical lyrics for 90% of your songs 2) Apply a "sing/talk the verse, sing the chorus" formula to those songs 3) ?????? 4) Somehow they profited massively off that If Anthony Keidis just sang each song normally, this could be a great album. Otherside, Californication, Easily are legitimately good songs, as much as I hate to admit it.

Har aldri vært en del av RHCP-hatbølgen, selv om jeg anerkjenner hvor teit de kan være. De fleste av låtene på plata er såpass ihjelspilt, at det er vanskelig å ikke kjede seg litt. Sterk 3'er.

Har aldri vært en stor fan av bandet, men denne skiva er jo dritbra!

Dette er den verste plata jeg vet. Punktum.

Det e virkelig jævlig, og æ legg all skyld på Anthony Kiedis. Det han gjør med Around The World e utilgivelig. Først den fæle rappinga, så avslutte han med «ding ding dong dong ding ding dong» Æ mene i fullt alvor at plata ville vært bedre som en instrumental. I tillegg e produksjonen sinnsykt kjedelig og fantasiløs.

Hahah wooof.. Hørte på denne på en gåtur igjennom sentrum. Måtte faktisk le høyt av første låta, det er det sykeste jeg har hørt. Hvordan ble dette populært? Kom meg ikke forbi Get on Top. Lol.

Klarer ikke å hate det. Mye nostalgi.

An album of extreme contrasts between shitty and excellent elements. On the positive side we have a group of outstanding musicians with great chemistry. Some of the tunes have great hooks and the funky rhythms are sometimes fun. On the shitty otherside (see what I did there?), Kiedis rapping/jiving is horrendous, the singing is better but not by much. The production on this album is terrible, even a remaster couldn’t save it. How did a band with this much money make such a poorly produced record? I think I’d enjoy this album a lot more as an instrumental, but even then, I suspect the cappy production would ruin it for me.

Some all time classic songs. Album overall is a bit bloated though. Plus Anthony Kiedis is a real gross dude and by far my least favorite part of this band. Could’ve been a 5 star otherwise.

It's weird how nostalgia can be a key factor in determining whether you enjoy an album or not. Within the first seconds of “Around the World,” I am immediately drawn back to one particular warm and lazy summer when I was in my early teens. All my friends were away on holiday; I spent my days lying in the grass or biking around the neighbourhood, beginning to dig deeper into music and hanging around in our smalltown record store. Time did not seem to pass at all; the days blended into each other, and for the last time in my life I felt free of responsibilities (or, to put it more drastically, I was bored in the most positive sense — a state of boredom that cannot be replicated when you're an adult and your mental load tends to be so overwhelming that you count the days until your next day off). Californication soundtracked a lot of these days. In short, this album gives me a feeling that's impossible to describe in just a few words (and, most importantly, a - positive - feeling that I will most likely never be able to revisit, even though it is a state of mind I thoroughly long to be in again). Reminds me of the good old madeleine that drew Proust into a swirl of memories thought to be lost to time. Is Californication a great album? Nah, I don't really think so; not at all. It has so many duds (mostly the lyrics and/or the boilerplate drumming + guitar playing), and its runtime should have been generously trimmed (oh, the ’90s / they could have cut more than half of the tracks on the second side), but still, Californication is an album where profound criticism would feel out of place for me. Because I like it for reasons other than the quality (or lack thereof) of its songs. Of course, Flea's bass playing and Kiedis's idiosyncratic vocal style mayke this fun to listen to listen to. I cannot recall listening to the record with the utmost attention back then (especially since my English, as a non-native speaker, was terrible at the time and I understood onyl a few words at best), so I was pretty surprised that even the most remote details felt familiar when I put it on today. Long-term memory… you fascinating phenomenon. It seems I know Californication's first half "better" than some of the records I actually call my favorite albums of all time. Haha.

Love the album. A few misses but overall I can jam out to the entire thing.

One of my favourite albums. There are so many good tracks that I grew up with and they bring so much nostalgia for me.

as musicas calmas sao boas

gg mdr 10/10 j'ai rarement vu ça

This album is crazy good! I think about ten of these songs have been radio staples in Australia for a long time. Ten hit singles is unheard of right!! Couldn't give it five stars cos I'm not a truly massive fan of the peppers but this album is extraordinary

Very solid album. I marked 4 of the big tracks: Around the World, Scar Tissue, Otherside, Californication. But I enjoyed the whole thing. It is a little softer than their earlier work (e.g. Suck My Kiss) but it's solid nonetheless.

Waffled between a 3 and 4. I've never really been a big RHCPs fan, but know and enjoy a lot of their singles. Going with a 3, since purportedly they have better albums and that'll give me some wiggle room if any of them show up on this list.

It's like how Sugar Ray hit it big with that one song, and then proceeded to change their entire sound on every subsequent album. I mean, it took RHCP a little longer to sell out because they still did a few interesting things up until this alterna-pop cash in (I contend that One Hot Minute is pretty decent in places.) But man, this all feels like variations of all their prior hits because clearly they were tired of being poor.

For years I’d thought this was a pretty good album but nothing could compare to Blood, Sugar, Sex Magic. After another listen, my first cover to cover in years, I’d say Californication flirts with the same stratosphere.

Didn’t care for the rap/rock. Guitar was good though.

I like every musician on this band except for the vocalist. First half of the album is fine, but gets repetitive quiet fast (Porcelain and further). Last song (Road Trippin') is fine, Around the World is fine, title song not so much. Generally, a very overplayed album. Still worth a listen, i guess.