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"Very different from its successor, "Mother's Milk" is more funky than rock, and is the gateway to the Red Hot Chilli Peppers' commercial and artistic success."
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4/5
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In early 1989, mourned by the death of guitarist Hillel Slovak (from a heroin overdose on June 25, 1988) and handicapped by the departure of drummer Jack Irons, the future of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers seemed in serious jeopardy. Yet the band went on to release one of their finest albums to date. Joined by Chad Smith on drumsticks and John Frusciante on guitars, the Red Hot Chilli Peppers set out to complete the album they had already started with the original line-up, whose working title was "The Rockin' Freakapotamus".
The orientation of this album is resolutely funky, which will come as a surprise to those who discovered the band with his lastest albums. In fact, we're not talking about Rock with a few Funk rhythms here, but a very muscular Funk to which the guitars give a Rock coloration. The bass is huge and omnipresent, slams aggressively and imposes itself as an essential instrument in the band's music.
The first track, 'Good Time Boys', one of the most rocking tracks on "Mother's Milk", sums up the music of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers at this time. The powerful, fast-paced track is abruptly interrupted in the middle by a set of sound effects and a huge bass line, before resuming its course. The name of the band's fan club comes from this track, and you only have to listen to the 'RockinFreakApotamus' chanted ad libitum at the end of the track to be convinced. The rest of the album follows suit, including a Steevie Wonder cover, 'Higher Ground', which is a big hit for the band, as is the mid-tempo 'Knock Me Down', 'Taste The Pain' with its vicious guitar riff and 'Stone Cold Bush', an excellent, fast, edgy rock track, ripped apart by a wah wah guitar passage. The energy and good humor that emanate from this "Mother's Milk" are all the more surprising given that the recording of this album was not without pain. John Frusciante, a newcomer to the band, regularly tried to limit the band's overly funk-oriented sound.
Most of the tracks are short and to the point, like the instrumental 'Pretty Little Ditty' (whose melody Crazy Town would later cover on their hit 'Butterfly'), the snarling, fast-paced 'Punk Rock Classic', or 'Magic Johnson', a funky anthem in tribute to the American basketball player. With the exception of 'Fire', a supercharged Hendrix cover that simply doesn't seem to belong on this record, and 'Nobody Weird Like Me', which isn't the most essential track, the album is always effective.
Aside from this minor drawback, the whole album is a complete success and a perfect example of the successful fusion between the power of Rock, the groove of Funk and the crazy, festive spirit of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. "Mother's Milk" is the album that marks the beginning of the band's golden period, and already heralds the steamroller releases of the Rick Rubin era, such as "Blood Sugar Sex Magic", "One Hot Minute" and "Californication". - Official website
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TRACK LISTING:
01. Good Time Boys - 05:02
02. Higher Ground - 03:23
03. Subway To Venus - 04:25
04. Magic Johnson - 02:57
05. Nobody Weird Like Me - 03:50
06. Knock Me Down - 03:45
07. Taste The Pain - 04:32
08. Stone Cold Bush - 03:06
09. Fire - 02:03
10. Pretty Little Ditty - 01:37
11. Punk Rock Classic - 01:47
12. Sexy Mexican Maid - 03:23
13. Johnny, Kick A Hole In The Sky - 05:12
LINEUP:
Anthony Kiedis: Chant
Chad Smith: Batterie
Flea: Basse
John Frusciante: Guitares
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(0) MIND(S) FROM OUR READERS
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Top of the page
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(0) COMMENT(S)
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READERS
4/5 (2 view(s))
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STAFF:
3.7/5 (3 view(s))
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IN RELATION WITH RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS
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OTHER REVIEWS
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OTHER(S) REVIEWS ABOUT RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS
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