Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Red Hot Chili Peppers
1991
Album Summary
Blood Sugar Sex Magik is the fifth studio album by American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, released on September 24, 1991, by Warner Bros. Records. Produced by Rick Rubin, its musical style differed notably from the band's previous album Mother's Milk (1989), reducing the use of heavy metal guitar riffs and accentuating the melodic songwriting contributions of guitarist John Frusciante. The album's subject matter incorporates sexual innuendos and references to drugs and death, as well as themes of lust and exuberance. Blood Sugar Sex Magik peaked at number three on the US Billboard 200, and produced the hit singles "Under the Bridge", "Give It Away", "Suck My Kiss", "Breaking the Girl", and "If You Have to Ask". The album propelled the Red Hot Chili Peppers into worldwide popularity and critical acclaim. Frusciante quit the band during the 1992 tour, uncomfortable with fame; he rejoined in 1998. Blood Sugar Sex Magik is recognized as an influential and seminal component of the alternative rock explosion of the early 1990s, with Steve Huey of AllMusic calling it "probably the best album the Chili Peppers will ever make".
Wikipedia“Blood Sugar Sex Magic” by Red Hot Chili Peppers (1991) Here is an album with a diverse range of styles, from white hip hop (which doesn’t quite rise to the level), to white funk, to hard rock, to metal. One thing can be said about Red Hot Chili Peppers: the instrumentals are consistently excellent—bass, drums, guitar are very well performed. Bass and guitar solos on “Naked in the Rain” are very good. I wish they had been extended. But the compositions are uneven. Rap lyrics seem amateurish (although “Give It Away” is better). Sex references, while ubiquitous, are exceedingly shallow, as if love making is a hobby. It seems to be in perpetual search of shock. When I was young, I was more interested in doing it than hearing about it. Mindless lust is overrated. Has its cool moments. The album, that is. 3/5
Man this album sucks. It feels like something a chubby middle school kid would listen to before he puts on a fedora and goes to the school dance, where he just stands in the corner judging the kids who are having fun. Under the Bridge slaps, but the rest of this album is terrible.
Base score: 5 stars. This was an excellently crafted and performed album that undoubtedly succeeded in its intentions. PERSONAL BIAS DEDUCTIONS: I do not enjoy the Chili Peppers' sound: –1 star The 73-minute runtime subjected me to the equivalent of two albums' worth of Chili Peppers content: –1 star I already hated the song "Suck My Kiss" and never wanted to hear it again: –1 star I already hated the song "Give It Away" and never wanted to hear it again: –1 star Oof, that's a shame. I really would have loved this album if everything about it was different.
I mean it was popular at the time. But mullets were popular at one time. so was blood letting with leaches. Just because it was popular doesn't mean it was good.
The answer to the question; what on earth is that noise on the radio? is usually the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. So this is their classic album?! I just don't get it and probably never will. Under the Bridge is a nice tune but the rapping/singing style makes me want to bang my head against a wall to make it stop. Its just not good. Or of any merit. 1/5
I've literally wore the 1's and 0's off my cd from listening so many times.
Kiedis' white boy rap only gets more cringey as the years go on, and his out of tune singing is insufferable - only thing the man can half-way do is call and response blues hollers. Way too much rhythm and way too little actual musical ideas going on here overall. Though there are some stand out tracks, but the rest of it is so tedious the stand outs are drowned out. Aged real badly/10
An incomplete list of things that aged better than this album: pagers, Richard Nixon campaign buttons, Blockbuster, the crab meat you left out on the counter last night, the kid who played young Anakin. Best track: Under the Bridge
An album that I've probably only previously listened to once or twice, but love several songs form it. All-timer.
Funky rock. Love RHCP and this is a classic! Some real highlights on this one and after reading Scar Tissue and understanding the issues behind the scenes, it's amazing that they made it and continued to make music.
Straight up 5 stars especially coming from Mother’s Milk and their earlier stuff which was just pure chaos. This album was the true foundation for their super stardom and their future sound. Chad Smith is EXCELLENT in this album as is John Frusciante who is 20/21 recording this which is insane. Have a lot of these tracks on my main Spotify playlist. I also read that Flea didn’t use any slap bass in this album as he said too many people were copying his style at the time which is utter bollox because Naked in the Rain is all slap as is the outro of Power of Equality. Highly recommend watching Funky Monks which covers the making of this and the behind the scenes of them hanging out in an LA mansion and recording the whole album there with Rick Rubin.
Enough stank that it bails a gorged muskox from the podium. One of my favourite all-time albums, and a feature cassette in the Tarago.
OK. Under the Bridge is a great song. Preferred that style to the rest.
I tried listening with an open mind but they have created something monstrous here. Some of the ugliest music ever.
What a wildly inconsistent album. The first two songs made me want to rate it as a rare 1 star. Seriously, that frat boy rock rapping is so lame. It was a wild rollercoaster ride of garbage and gems. I was almost ready to start to look past the first two tracks until I heard the title track. Ruined. I’d give it a 2.5 if I could, but I can’t. So 2. The thing is, this could have been a 4 star album if they had only cut it down to 40 minutes.
First 4 tracks are amazing. Unique guitar and bass. Pronounced bass. Great use of stereo and songs blend perfectly - seamless transition between track 1&2 Singles dont even come in till later this album rocks, surprisingly enough ive never listened it it its entirety.
Really enjoyed. Hadn't list to much Chilli Peppers before Californiacation but this was really good. Some songs weren't great and much preferred the slower ones than the funky ones.
Not a single miss. Rock, funk, energy, segues, chunky rhythm guitar, Flea turned up to 11, and classic raunch liberally sprinkled throughout. Could listen on repeat for at least 3 times straight. PS this is my go-to album for driving crosstown through Manhattan.
Fantastisk og funky album. Kjører gjennomlytting av dette albumet med ujevne mellomrom - aldri lei.
Massively surprised by this one. I've heard a lot of RHCP when I was a kid because my brother loved them. Since then I've sort of discarded them because I found the singer's voice annoying on their best known songs like Californication. But this album is actual fire. Loving the funky guitars and the mix of playful and technical details. With this less pop-oriented style the singer's voice fits way better too.
Another album I know quite a few songs off of and several in rotation quite regularly but never listened start to finish so looking forward to it. The Power of Equality - SWING! - "Power of the equality" banger - if you have to ask - loving that guitar and the scream at the beginning - definitely an inspiration for fun loving criminals - "(If you have to ask) You'll never know Funky motherfuckers will not be told to go" worthy applause at the end Breaking the Girl - a sad love song - love the backing vocals Funky Monks - what is not to love and love how it is keidis doing his own "backing"/"repeating" vocals .... Dancin' down your avenue love the outro Suck My Kiss - oh yeah! - Suck my kiss, cut me my share just a banger of a song I Could Have Lied - complete change of direction, love it - stink face of a song can't believe i never heard this before "She struck me but I'm fucked up now" Mellowship Slinky in B Major - love the music and the lyrics are peak keidis "Good God, take me away now" The Righteous & the Wicked - i love the subtle background noises they left in like the whispering 1,2,3,4 at the begginning here finally some more fruiscante vocals i love their two voices together "Marvin Gaye my love, where did we go wrong?" Give It Away - not much to say on this, it is amazing and obviously one of their better known song "You do a little dance and then you drink a little water" love the "backwards" guitar sound/effect and keidis "flicking" when he says give it away in the chorus "I can't tell if I'm a kingpin or a pauper" Blood Sugar Sex Magik - can't believe i never heard this one either "Every woman has a piece of Aphrodite Copulate to create a state of sexual light Kissing her virginity, my affinity I mingle with the gods, I mingle with divinity" Under the Bridge - i love this song i have heard this so many times, album version, live, covers etc and I love every one but the best is keidis and fruiscante on a boat in the netherlands or somewhere playing this which is poetic considering the history and the future of their lives "Well, I never worry, now that is a lie" next 6 tracks except sir physcho would have been dropped if this album came out later, good songs but do dilute the album for me Naked in the Rain - good song one of the ones i like less but that could be 12 track in fatigue but shows the strength of the album Apache Rose Peacock "Said that girl who left me silly She liked the looks of me and my willy" The Greeting Song - even keidis doesn't like this one, but it is grand My Lovely Man - meh Sir Psycho Sexy - love it "Deep inside the garden of Eden Standing there with my hard on bleedin' There's a devil in my dick and some demons in my semen Good God no, that would be treason" They’re Red Hot - was not expecting that 4 - enjoyed it, will listen again. 5 - absolute belter so based on this has to be a 5
Una genialidad este disco. Todas las canciones son buenas y llenas de energia
Un dels discos més cool dels 90, i on sempre que tornes pots trobar nous temes que havies oblidat o no havies considerat el suficient, a més de poder disfrutar de nou dels hits de sempre. Una d'aquelles obres que marca una generació
This defined so much of that era. The hits still hit as hard as day one. I hadn’t listened to this all the way through in a long while but it still fantastic.
Brilliant, not as refined or mature as the classic late 90s/2000s albums, but a good fun mix of early Chilis progressing to the Californication sound. I still love this, even if it a bit too long. 5 star album.
A wonderful album from start to finish. I loved the Peppers before this but this album totally reinvented them as a band, showed just how good they could be as songwriters and be taken seriously rather than a throwaway party band. No question that working with Rick Rubin and stripping back their sound worked wonders and Frusciante getting the chance to not just replicate Hillel Slovaks sound. Absolutely wonderful from start to finish ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Uh, HELL YEA. I already loved this album (and RHCP). Killer album. One of, if not, the best album of theirs.
When I was 15 I loved this album. Bought the guitar TAB book and learned every single note that John Frusciante plays on this album. As a guitar teacher I still teach the odd song from it (particularly fond of the solos on I Could Have Lied, and Mellowship Slinky...). I thought I'd kinda outgrown the album and band but when it came up as today's album I listened again, and loved every last bit of it, cringe-inducing lyrics and all. NOBODY played their instruments like this back in the 90's. Peak RHCP brilliance.
For a while, and because of this album, and around the years following its release, the Peppers were probably the "biggest band in the world". I recall recording the album to a cassette. Several months later, when I realised I'm listening to that cassette every day (and despite investing in quality TDK cassettes, these things don't last) I gave up and bought the CD.
Give It Away and Under the Bridge are 2 of my favorite RHCP songs. Great album all the way through.
This really brought back some college memories... I remember I couldn't believe how good this album was back then. Still pretty solid but there are a couple of duds that I was blind to back then. Even so, I gotta say that the hits really outshine the duds. Could see it being annoying if you're not already into this kind of music but luckily for me, I am.
4.8 - such an amazing album. Classic RHCP sound. A bevy of great songs and a heavy dose of nostalgia. It’s been too long since I listened to this - so glad this project had me pick it up again.
Bangin album here So good the whole way through it Chilli Pepper’s best 9/10
Plenty of personal history with this album. Greased funk bassline grooves with Anthony's mercurial lyrical delivery comes together to make a really sonic statement. Power of Equality into If You Have You Have To Ask is smooth and sets the tone for the real groove flexibility the Chili Peppers display on the album. Breaking The Girl is a titan of a song. Suck My Kiss is another. The connective tissue on this record does the important work of creating the space for these monster hits. I Could Have Lied is a sleeper hit on the record. Give It Away punches us all in the face with how it takes over, with the most absolute insane soundscape. Followed immediately by Under The Bridge. Goddamn the hits literally cannot be stoped. The best part is there is this true thread that runs through all of these songs. They're Red Hot is a nice little bow on the end of the sprawling Mr Psycho Sexy. What a goddamn album.
To ne this is still the best RHCP Album. Those afterwards are still great in their own regard, but nothing beats blood sugar sex magic...
i only realized a few months ago that rhcp were funk! and this album is pure funk and rap, and i sure loved it! some of the lyrics are, uhhh, well beyond suggestive, but somehow i don’t mind with all of the amazing guitar, bass, and drums. i mean, rhcp certainly embraced their desire for unrestrained lyrics. a lot surrounds sex, but the opening song, “the power of equality,” being what it is and containing some scathing comments, makes sure we know they’ve got more to say. this album, as a whole, is so solid. the slower songs on the album don’t mess with the flow. “under the bridge,” in fact, remains this album’s highlight. it’s beautiful and relatable, regardless of situation. the rest of the album has such amazing instrumentation—it’s steady throughout. special mention to my favorite lyric ever: hicks don’t mix with politics.
Timeless, every song slaps. This album stands so on its own yet defines an era, which is rare
There's not much to fault on this well produced funky album which has great songs, excellent lead vocals and plenty of energy. Instrumentally, the group is on fire, creating some awesome grooves. I like that they experimented with sounds like backwards guitar on 'Give It Away', mellotron on 'Breaking The Girl, If You Have To Ask' and 'Sir Psycho Sexy' (also featuring marimba) plus Flea plays Trumpet on trumpet on 'Apache Rose Peacock'. They're not afraid to mellow the mood, like on 'I Could Have Lived' and of course there's familiar singles like 'Under The Bridge' and 'Suck My Kiss'. Unlike a lot of double albums, it doesn't feel like they beefed it up with filler. This was a really enjoyable and accessible album. A classic.
It’s been a while since I’ve really listened to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and I never listened to a complete album. I definitely appreciate them more now than I did then… they create incredible compositions in a wide variety of styles. The songs are interesting, include complex arrangements and unexpected instruments, and are a lot of fun to listen to! Really enjoyed this and glad to have found a new appreciation of this group that I had not appreciated as much as I feel I should have when this was new. This is an album I will be listening to again!
Last time I probably listened to this album was in my dads crappy old BMW around 2007. It banged then and it still bangs now- and I was fully prepared to hate this album
I remember there being a book of bass tablature in the guitar shop I got lessons from that was strictly for this album. Naive, 12-year-old me flipped through it one day landing on "Sir Psycho Sexy" (of course, the tab book had lyrics). Years later, I finally got around to listening to the record, and it became my favorite RHCP record of their entire discography. Love them or hate them, this is RHCP firing on all cylinders, a well-oiled machine of funk rock, somewhere they would never really touch again. Flea absolutely puts work into this record, and John Frusciante creates wonderful soundscapes for Anthony Keidis to go into full white-boy-rock-funk mode. It's, in my opinion, a great album, the right combination of youth, drugs, and just fucking going for it. There's plenty of vulnerability on here too, with "Under the Bridge" remaining a very important track to me. A few songs could be described "misses" on this project, but they'd be the best songs on a lesser album, so they get a pass. Favorite tracks: "Sir Psycho Sexy", "The Power of Equality", "Under the Bridge", "Blood Sugar Sex Magik", "Suck My Kiss"
Great album. IMO it's the RHCP best album. It brought back great memories from my teen years listening to it.
I recall seeing RHCP perform at an MTV Awards the year that this was up for awards. They set up to play Under the Bridge in formal wear and got through the first chords before ripping off their clothes and busting out Give It Away near-naked as 50 fans joined them on stage for an orgy for the eyes. This album is joyous.
Absolutely amazing album which hits like a baseball bat - Pure LA sound and a complete reshuffle/breakdown of the rock scene when it dropped. Every track is a winner and at least half this album is top 10s. 5/5
Geen twijfel over de rating. Funky, heel erg rockend. Goeie nummers en fantastische muzikanten
Banger, seminal RHCP album. Granted this came out in my junior year of college, so very nostalgic for me. Game changer that came out amidst the grunge movement. Breaking the Girl blew my mind. The opener is a wake up call. Took RHCP from weird funk niche California band to worldwide superstars and set the stage for the next few RHCP albums.
This is phenomenal! It's a double album that keeps you excited for the whole ride. I still haven't heard a chillies song I don't like and I get to see them in January!
Easy five. The king's of making me strut around the house. Suck My Kiss has been a favourite song of all time since I was a young bloke.
RHCP doing their thing. The back half is really strong, and quite a few strong tracks throughout. The only negative feeling I had about this album is that it continues to make me feel that Sublime was entirely slighted.
RHCP at their hottest and pepperiest. This is the perfect balance between the zany funk-rap weirdness of their early stuff and the catchy but safe alt-rock they grew into. I dig.