Red Hot Chili Peppers Totally Explained

Everything about The Red Hot Chili Peppers totally explained

The Red Hot Chili Peppers is a Grammy-award winning American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1983. For most of its career, the band has consisted of vocalist Anthony Kiedis, guitarist John Frusciante, bassist Michael "Flea" Balzary, and drummer Chad Smith. The band's varied musical style has fused traditional rock and funk with various elements of heavy metal, punk rock and psychedelic rock.
In addition to Kiedis and Flea, the group originally featured guitarist Hillel Slovak and drummer Jack Irons. However, Slovak died of a heroin overdose in 1988, resulting in Irons resigning. Irons was replaced briefly by D. H. Peligro, former Dead Kennedys drummer, before the band found a permanent replacement in Chad Smith, while Slovak was replaced by up-and-coming guitarist Frusciante. This lineup recorded the band's fourth and fifth albums, Mother's Milk (1989) and Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991). Blood Sugar Sex Magik was a critical success and sold over twelve million copies. However, Frusciante grew increasingly uncomfortable with the band's success and left the band abruptly in 1992. Kiedis, Flea, and Smith employed Dave Navarro of Jane's Addiction for their subsequent album, One Hot Minute (1995). It failed, however, to match the critical acclaim of Blood Sugar Sex Magik and sold fewer than half the copies of its predecessor. Shortly afterwards, Navarro was fired from the band due to creative differences.
Frusciante, while absent from the band, developed a severe drug addiction. In 1998, he completed rehabilitation and, at Flea's request, rejoined the band. The reunited foursome returned to the studio to record Californication (1999), which went on to sell fifteen million units worldwide, becoming their most successful album to date. It was followed three years later with By the Way (2002), which continued their success. In 2006, the group released the double album Stadium Arcadium. The band has won six Grammy Awards.

History

Formation and first album (1983–1984)

Red Hot Chili Peppers (originally Tony Flow and the Miraculously Majestic Masters of Mayhem) were formed by Fairfax High School alumni Anthony Kiedis, Hillel Slovak, Jack Irons, and Michael "Flea" Balzary in 1983. RHCP's first performance was at the Rhythm Lounge, to a crowd of roughly thirty people, opening for Tony Allen. One song had been created for the occasion, which involved the band improvising music while Kiedis rapped a poem he'd written called "Out in L.A.". As Slovak and Irons were already committed to another group, What Is This?, it was supposed to be a one time performance. However, the performance was so lively the band were asked to return the following week.
Several months after their first performance, the band was signed to the record label EMI. Two weeks earlier, What Is This? had obtained a record deal with MCA, and as Slovak and Irons considered the Red Hot Chili Peppers a side project, they quit to pursue their first project. Instead of dissolving the band, Kiedis and Flea decided to recruit new members. Cliff Martinez, an acquaintance of Flea's, was asked to join the Chili Peppers shortly thereafter. Auditions for a new guitarist produced Jack Sherman. Gang of Four guitarist Andy Gill was hired to produce their first album. Despite Kiedis and Flea's misgivings, he pushed the band to play with a cleaner, crisper and more radio-friendly sound. The Red Hot Chili Peppers was released on August 10, 1984, and was a commercial flop. It initially sold approximately 25,000 units, and garnered little marketable recognition. The ensuing tour fared little better, as continuing musical and lifestyle tension between Kiedis and Sherman complicated the transition between concert and daily band life. Sherman was fired soon after, with Slovak returning to the Chili Peppers after growing tired of What is This?.

Freaky Styley and The Uplift Mofo Party Plan (1985–1988)

George Clinton was selected to produce the next Red Hot Chili Peppers album, Freaky Styley. The album was recorded in Detroit's famed R&B and funky United Sound Systems studios on the edge of Wayne State University's campus. Clinton combined various elements of punk and funk into the band's repertoire, allowing their music to incorporate a variety of distinct styles. However, though the band had a much better relationship with Clinton than with Gill, Freaky Styley, released on August 16, 1985, was hardly more successful than the band's first release, failing to make an impression on any chart. The subsequent tour was also considered unproductive by the band.
Cliff Martinez was dismissed from the group in the summer of 1986, with Kiedis saying that he sensed that Martinez wished to leave. The band temporarily hired Chuck Biscuits before Jack Irons, out of work and finally separated from other commitments, rejoined the group, to Anthony, Flea, and Hillel's great surprise. The Chili Peppers attempted to hire Rick Rubin to produce their third album, but he turned the offer down. The band eventually hired Michael Beinhorn, who was the band's last choice. Songs began to form quickly, and the album's shape came into view, blending the same funk feel and rhythms as Freaky Styley, but also taking a harder, more immediate approach to punk rock and funk metal. Reuniting all four original members renewed their creativity, enlivening the recording process. On September 29, 1987, The Uplift Mofo Party Plan was released, becoming the first Red Hot Chili Peppers album to appear on any chart. Although it peaked at only #148 on the Billboard Hot 200, this was a significant success compared to the Chili Peppers' first two albums.
During this period, however, Kiedis and Slovak had both developed serious drug addictions, often abandoning the band, each other, and their significant others for days on end. Slovak's addiction led to his death on June 25, 1988, not long after the conclusion of the Uplift tour. Kiedis fled the city and didn't attend Slovak's funeral, considering the situation to be surreal and dreamlike. Jack Irons subsequently left the group, saying that he didn't want to be part of a group where his friends were dying.

Mother's Milk (1989–1990)

In an attempt to cope with the death of Slovak and the departure of Irons, Kiedis and Flea temporarily employed Dead Kennedys drummer D. H. Peligro and former P-Funk guitarist DeWayne "Blackbyrd" McKnight. Neither sparked any notable chemistry and they were each replaced rapidly. However, Peligro's brief tenure did have one vital, long-term consequence for the Red Hot Chili Peppers – his association with the band led to John Frusciante, an acquaintance of Peligro, to audition for the band's empty guitarist role. Frusciante was fascinated with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and, as a result, was particularly interested in auditioning. Following a constructive jam (which would later appear on Mother's Milk as "Pretty Little Ditty"), there was a unanimous decision to accept Frusciante into the band.
   Three weeks prior to the beginning of recording, the band was still without a drummer, despite several auditions. Eventually, a close friend of the band told them about a drummer she knew, Chad Smith, who was so proficient on the drums he "ate [them] for breakfast". Kiedis had qualms about allowing Smith to try out; however, he agreed to give him a chance. At his audition, Smith overwhelmed the band by not only matching Flea's intricate and complex rhythm, but even beginning to lead him. After this successful jam session, Kiedis, Frusciante and Flea admitted Smith into the band.
   The recording of the band's fourth album was hindered by conflict with producer Michael Beinhorn, whose primary agenda was to give Frusciante's guitar playing a loud, overpowering sound, similar to the abrasive tones utilized in heavy metal. This modification caused Frusciante great discomfort, as it didn't fit with his preferred style of guitar playing. An example of this can be seen on the song, "Stone Cold Bush"
   The Chili Peppers' fourth album, Mother's Milk was released in August 1989, and gave them their first top modern rock hits – a tribute ballad to Slovak, "Knock Me Down",

Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1990–1992)

Warner Bros. Records, with Rick Rubin hired to produce their then-untitled fifth album. Rubin has produced all of the band's subsequent studio albums. The writing process for this album was far more productive than it had been during the creation of Mother's Milk, with Kiedis saying that "[everyday] now, there was new music for me to lyricize".
   The band embarked on the grueling six-month process of recording a new album – the long periods of rehearsal, songwriting, and the incubating of ideas – but Rubin wasn't satisfied with a regular recording studio, thinking the band would work better in a less orthodox setting. He came across an "amazing, huge, empty historically landmarked Mediterranean haunted mansion a stone's throw from where we all lived." For the next month or so, Frusciante, Kiedis and Flea remained in seclusion, never once leaving the house during the entire recording process. Smith, however, decided not to live in the house, believing it to be haunted.
   The band was unable to decide on the title of the album, but to Rubin, one particular song title stuck out: "Blood Sugar Sex Magik". Although it wasn't a featured song, Rick believed it to be "clearly the best title" they'd at the time.
   On September 24, 1991, Blood Sugar Sex Magik was released. "Give It Away" was released as the first single; it won a Grammy award in 1992 for "Best Hard Rock Performance With Vocal"and became the band's first number one single on the Modern Rock chart. the highest the band has reached on that chart, Blood Sugar Sex Magik was listed at number 310 on the Rolling Stone magazine list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, and in 1992 it rose to #3 on the U.S. album charts, almost a year after its release.
   The band's success and drug addiction were taking their toll on Frusciante, who abruptly quit the band during the Blood Sugar Japanese tour in May 1992. They eventually settled on former Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro.

One Hot Minute (1993–1998)

Dave Navarro first appeared with the band at Woodstock '94, where they wore enormous light bulb costumes attached precariously to chrome metallic suits, making it near-impossible for them to play their instruments. While externally, the band appeared to be settled, the relationship between the three established members and Navarro had begun to deteriorate. His differing musical background made performing difficult as they began playing together, and continued to be an issue over the next year as his first and only album with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, One Hot Minute, was recorded and released on September 12, 1995. The band described the album as a darker, sadder record compared to their previous material. it spawned the band's third #1 single, the ballad "My Friends", and enjoyed chart success with the songs "Warped" and "Aeroplane".
This iteration of the band was also featured on several soundtracks. "I Found Out", a John Lennon cover, was featured on . The Ohio Players cover, "Love Rollercoaster", was featured on the Beavis and Butthead Do America soundtrack, and was released as a single.
By this point Kiedis had resumed his heroin dependence. In April 1998 it was announced that Navarro had left the band due to creative differences; Kiedis stated that the decision was "mutual." Reports at the time, however, indicated Navarro's firing came after he attended a band practice under the influence of drugs, which at one point involved him falling backwards over his own amp. Kiedis has since said that though the event should have been comical, it was instead pitiful and was the impetus for Navarro's departure.

Californication (1998–2001)

In the years following his departure from the band, it became public that John Frusciante had developed an addiction to heroin, which left him in poverty and near death. He was talked into admitting himself to Las Encinas Drug Rehabilitation Center in January of 1998. He concluded the process in February of that year and began renting a small apartment in Silver Lake. He acquired many injuries/problems in the years of his addiction, some requiring surgery, including permanent scarring on his arms, a restructured nose, and new teeth to prevent fatal infection. In April 1998, Flea visited his former band-mate and openly invited Frusciante to re-join the band, an invitation an emotional Frusciante readily accepted. Anthony Kiedis said of the situation:

Californication peaked at #3
In 2001, the Chili Peppers released their first concert DVD, Off the Map. The DVD was directed by longtime friend Dick Rude, who had also produced the music videos for "Catholic School Girls Rule" and "Universally Speaking". The footage was taken from numerous different concerts, but was amalgamated with transition and indistinguishable song conversions.

By the Way (2002–2005)

The band began writing their next album in early 2001, and released By the Way over a year later, on July 9, 2002. The album, at the time, was their most noteworthy chart debut, selling over 700,000 copies in first week and emerging at #2 on the Billboard 200. The album was followed by an eighteen month-long world tour.
The Chili Peppers recorded two new songs, "Fortune Faded" and "Save the Population" for their Greatest Hits album released in November 2003, peaking at #18 on the Billboard 200. the band instead chose to release a 28-track double album, with the remaining ten tracks released later as B-sides. It was their first album to debut at #1 on the US charts, where it stayed for two weeks, and debuted at number one in the UK and 25 other countries. In the album's first week, it sold 442,000 units in the United States alone, and over 1,100,000 worldwide, setting a personal record for one week sales.
The record's first single "Dani California", was the band's fastest-selling single, debuting on top of the Modern Rock chart in the US, peaking at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100, and reaching #2 in the UK. and Best Short Form Music Video ("Dani California"). The ceremony included a live performance of "Snow ((Hey Oh))", their single at the time, complete with confetti snow.

Present (2008-Present)

Anthony Kiedis told Rolling Stone Magazine in an interview published May 20, 2008 that the Red Hot Chili Peppers are "disbanded for the moment." Following the last leg of the tour promoting Stadium Arcadium, the band members have been on a break. Kiedis attributes this to the band being worn out from their years of nonstop work since Californication. Kiedis explained that he's currently worried with taking care of his new son, while Flea is experimenting with new musical ideas, Frusciante is continuing his solo career, and Chad Smith is in Japan working with a jazz band. The band plans to remain on hiatus for "a minimum of one year." However, Kiedis has stated that he's anxious to start thinking about new material.

Musical style

Techniques

Kiedis provides a range of vocal styles while singing. His approach of spoken verse and "rapping" (the primary characteristic of his vocals up to Blood Sugar Sex Magik) complemented with more traditional vocals have helped the band maintain a relatively consistent style. Nevertheless, as the group has matured, the vocal sequences present in albums starting from Californication have drastically reduced the number of rapidly sung verses. By the Way only contained two songs which remained true to the rap-driven-verses and subsequent melodic choruses. Kiedis' more recent style has been developed through coaching throughout all nine of Red Hot Chili Peppers' albums. Hillel Slovak's style was strongly based on blues and funk. Early replacements, including current guitarist John Frusciante, based their style significantly on Slovak's. However, Frusciante has brought a more melodic and textured sound to more recent albums such as By the Way, Californication and Stadium Arcadium. This contrasts with his previous abrasive approach in Mother's Milk, as well as his dry, funky and more docile arrangements on Blood Sugar Sex Magik. Dave Navarro brought an entirely different sound to the band during his tenure, with his style based on heavy metal, progressive rock and psychedelia.
Flea's bass style is an amalgamation of funk, psychedelic, punk, and hard rock. The groove-heavy, low-tuned melodies, played through either normal finger style or aggressive slapping (popping and slapping), have contributed to the Red Hot Chili Peppers' signature style. While Flea's slap bass style was prominent in earlier albums, later albums (post "Blood Sugar Sex Magik")
While Kiedis is the lead vocalist for the band, Frusciante often contributes backing vocals and two part harmonies to various songs. He sang lead on the chorus of such Blood Sugar Sex Magik songs as "The Power of Equality", "Funky Monks", "Breaking The Girl" and "The Righteous and the Wicked". His falsetto is used frequently, particularly on By the Way and Stadium Arcadium, though it was also used on Blood Sugar Sex Magik on the songs "If You Have to Ask" and "Under the Bridge". Frusciante shared lead vocal duties with Kiedis on "Knock Me Down" from Mother's Milk, and has solo spots on songs such as "Dosed" and "Desecration Smile". It has become a tradition that at some point during a Chili Peppers concert John performs an unaccompanied cover song, usually a hit from the 1960s or 1970s, or one of his own solo songs. Such songs include "Tiny Dancer" by Elton John, "How Deep Is Your Love" by The Bee Gees, "Maybe" by The Chantels,"I Feel Love" by Donna Summer, "For Emily, Wherever I May Find Her" by Simon and Garfunkel, "Runaway" by Del Shannon, "How Can I Tell You?" by Cat Stevens, "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?" by Carole King, "See Emily Play" by Pink Floyd, "SOS" by ABBA, "The Metro" by Berlin, "Inca Roads" by Frank Zappa, "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)" by Looking Glass.

Improvisation

Improvisation has always been a major part of the band's signature style, with early shows composed almost entirely of improvisations. In addition, many guitar solos recorded on the current albums and played live by Frusciante are improvised, as are several of Flea's bass solos. The band has, for most of the last decade, opened the show with a short improvisation, always in the same key as the initial song. Sometimes the beginnings, middle sections and/or endings of the songs are extended by long improvisations, such as "Give It Away", "My Lovely Man", "If You Have to Ask", "Californication", "Parallel Universe", "Can't Stop", "Throw Away Your Television", "By the Way" and "Dani California". The group has always ended the show with a longer improvisation, usually stemming from the improvisation to "Give It Away". The idea of the band improvising at their shows stems from a request that Frusciante asked of Kiedis upon returning to the band for "Californication".

Lyrics and songwriting

Through the years, Kiedis' lyrics have dealt with a variety of topics, which have shifted as time has progressed. Themes within his repertoire include love and friendship, teenage angst and good-time aggression, various sexual topics and the link between sex and music, political and social commentary (Native American issues in particular), romance, loneliness, globalization and the cons of fame and Hollywood, poverty, drugs, alcohol, and dealing with death.
The Chili Peppers also do many well known funk covers of songs.

Band members

Current Members

Anthony Kiedis - lead vocals (1983-present)
John Frusciante - guitars, vocals, keyboards (1988-1992, 1998-present)
Flea - bass, trumpet, vocals (1983-present)
Chad Smith - drums, percussion (1988-present)

Discography

Studio albums

1984 The Red Hot Chili Peppers

1985 Freaky Styley

1987 The Uplift Mofo Party Plan

1989 Mother's Milk

1991 Blood Sugar Sex Magik

1995 One Hot Minute

1999 Californication

2002 By the Way

2006 Stadium Arcadium
Awards and honors
The Red Hot Chili Peppers have won six Grammy Awards:

1993: Best Hard Rock Performance - "Give It Away"

2000: Best Rock Song - "Scar Tissue"

2007: Best Rock Album and Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package - Stadium Arcadium; Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and Best Rock Song: "Dani California" MTV Video Music Awards:

1992: Breakthrough Video - "Give It Away", Viewer's Choice - "Under the Bridge" American Music Awards:

2000: Favorite Alternative Artist

2006: Favorite Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group, Favorite Alternative Artist Billboard Music Awards:

2000: Best Alternative Group The band will also receive a star at the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2008.

Further Information
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