#401 - Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication (1999)

MUSIC HISTORY WRITTEN BY HEAD WRITER DJ MORTY COYLE:

Released on June 8th of 1999 on Warner Brothers Records and produced by Rick Rubin this is the seventh studio album by the American Punk, Funk, Alternative, Rock group.

The band has a very deep history with many past members so we’re going to abridge it so we can catch you up with and get to the record.

Formed in Hollywood, California in 1983 by classmates at Fairfax High School, they were originally a four piece improvised, Punk-tinged, Funk, band with a poetry-rapping, lead singer called Tony Flow and the Miraculously Majestic Masters of Mayhem before quickly changing their name to the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Although guitarist Hillel Slovak and drummer Jack Irons were also in another, more successful, Fairfax band called What Is This? they agreed to keep playing with singer Anthony Keidis and bassist Michael “Flea” Blazary and even joined them to make the demo that got them signed to their first record deal.

However What Is This? got signed first and Hillel and Jack were out.

They recorded their first two albums with Andy Gill from Gang of Four and then George Clinton from P-Funk producing.

Both records were modestly successful due to grueling touring, college radio airplay, and some MTV rotation.

By their third album with producer Michael Beinhorn their original line-up was back and the record did much better but both Anthony and Hillel were raging junkies.

While Anthony went in and out of rehabs and was even fired from the band for a while guitarist Hillel tragically died of an overdose after that album’s tour prompting drummer Jack Irons to quit.

Anthony and Flea decided to keep the band going and added fervent Chili Peppers fan John Frusciante on guitar and Chad Smith became their drummer.

This new line-up with producer Beinhorn made their most successful album that far and stayed alive and together to follow it up with their blockbuster album, 1991’s Rick Rubin-produced “Blood Sugar Sex Magic.”

But during that tour John Frusciante quit due to issues with their fame and was replaced for one album by ex-Jane’s Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro and during that album Anthony started using drugs again after five years sober.

While that record did well it was a disappointment compared to the previous album.

Which brings us up to today’s album.

During the six-year break from the band Frusciante had also become a near-death drug addict but after completing three months in rehab Flea visited him and asked him to rejoin the band.

A few weeks later they all began jamming ideas together in Flea’s garage.

In preparation for this album a sober Anthony wrote about the experiences and turmoil they had all been going through and Frusciante really wanted to push their music from their Funk-Punk jamming comfort zone into a more melodic, mellow, Progressive Rock direction.

Plus as John was rusty from lack of practice his technical guitar pyrotechnics took a backseat to a minimalist, every-note-matters style.

After four months of writing and jamming they were ready to record what Anthony explained was, “…tales of wandering souls who've lost their way searching for the American dream in California.”

The familiar subject matter or sex, drugs, and California were joined by songs about travel, spirituality, death, suicide, and recovery.

With a new vocal coach Anthony was singing better, stronger, fuller, and more nuanced than ever before and John’s backing vocals filled out their sound.

With the band’s strength renewed and everyone on the same page, about three weeks later they completed “Californication” which went to #3 on the charts, provided six singles, became their most commercial album selling over fifteen million copies worldwide, and won a Grammy for Rock Song of the Year.

The band had John for another couple popular albums before losing him again for two albums and ten years during which they were inducted into the Rock and Rock Hall of Fame in 2012.

However John is back and they’ve been working on their new album during these strange times and we can’t wait to hear it.