Lauryn Hill-The Miseduation Of....(1998)
Lady Gaga-The Fame (2011)
Boz Scaggs-Boz Scaggs (1969)
Neil Young & Crazy Horse-Greendale (2003)
The Carpenters-Close To You (1970)
Panic! AtThe Disco-Viva Las Vengeance (2002)
Blood Incantation-Starspawn (2016)
Goyte-Making MIrrors (2011)
Synopsis:
Somewhere in Time is the sixth album by Iron Maiden . It was released on 29 September 1986 It was the band's first album to feature Guitar Synthesizers. Somewhere in Time is the band's first studio effort following the extensive World Slavery Tour of 1984–85, which was physically draining for the group,lasting 331 days and comprising 187 concerts. The resulting exhaustion is credited as the main factor in the complete lack of songwriting contributions from lead vocalist Bruce Dickinson whose material was rejected by the rest of the band. Dickinson had written several "acoustic-based" songs, explaining that "I felt we had to come up with our Physical Graffiti or ... we had to get it onto another level or we'd stagnate and drift away", although bassist and primary writer Steve Harris "thought he'd lost the plot completely", surmising that "he was probably more burnt out than anyone at the end of that last tour". On the other hand, the record is also notable for the number of songs written by guitarist Adrian Smith who wrote both of the album's singles: "Wasted Years and "Stranger In A Strange Land "
The Review
The album opens with “Caught Somewhere In Time” which begins with futuristic synths before the band come crashing in with their prog metal grooves. Filled with thump bass rhythms and the dual guitar attack of Smith and Dave Murray. The song written by Harris is about the devil offering a man to travel back in time for his soul establishing the sci-fi themes of the album rather than the historical contexts the band have been exploring on earlier albums. “Wasted Years” was the first Maiden song I ever heard and it is one of my favorites. I just love how melodic it sounds. The twin guitars are working hard on this one. The introduction reminds me of classic Sabbath. Dickinson’s vocals really soar. The song, written by Smith, deals with homesickness which was inspired by the draining World Slavery Tour. “Sea Of Madness” loses the melodic energy and is just an up-tempo prog rock track. This is just classic Maiden with some added broody energy. The song is about our decaying society. “Heaven Can Wait” is about someone having an out of body experience and fighting to live. It's a concert highlight with its upbeat sing a long chorus and a crowd chant in the middle. . There’s a couple great guitar moments as well. The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner" was based on the 1962 short story by Alan Stillitoe and tells the story of a boy reflecting on long-distance running as a way to evade both physically and emotionally. Sonically it feels heavy and soaring as the band is playing at breakneck speed. “Stranger In A Stranger Land” begins with this thumping rhythms by Harris and Drummer Nicko McBrain. It has this mysterious atmospheric moodiness. The synthesizer experimentation is in full effect on the track but doesn’t distract from the heavy melodies. It was inspired by the true story of a sailor who disappeared during an expedition to the North Pole and found years later perfectly preserved in ice, and draws its title from a 1959 Robert Heinlein book. “Deju Vu” begins with moody guitar riffs before hitting hard with prog/metal melodies. The album closes with “Alexander The Great” is about the historical conquests of the ruthless ruler. The track matches the epic story with its many tempo and chord changes. It's a great closer and a reminder how technical and complex the band’s prog/metal grooves can be.
Final Thoughts:
This album was different in so many ways for the band. Both lyrically and sonically. The introduction of guitar synthesizers could have been a disaster but I think it gave the album a moodiness on some tracks. They were never overbearing but rather the band maintained their heaviness. Iron Maiden has one of the best discoveries in the metalsphere. This album would be a good starting point for any Maiden deep dive
ليش هذا الألبوم أسطوري؟
قبل هذا الألبوم، فرقة بون جوفي چانت معروفة بس مو واصلين لمرحلة النجومية الكبيرة. بس من نزل هذا الألبوم، الدنيا كلها انگلبت. الخلطة مالتهم چانت ذكية كلش: موسيقى روك قوية، سولو گيتار يخبل من ريتشي سامبورا، وبنفس الوقت ألحان تعلق بالراس وتخليك تغني وياها بدون ما تحس. الألبوم هذا خلى الروك يفوت لكل بيت مو بس للسميعة اللي يحبون الميتال الثقيل.
أهم الأغاني اللي كسرت الدنيا بهذا الألبوم:
• اغنية Livin on a Prayer:
هاي مو بس أغنية، هاي صارت نشيد رسمي للناس اللي دتكافح بحياتها. قصة تومي وجينا اللي ديحاولون يبنون حياتهم خلت الكل يتفاعل وياها. وطبعا صوت التوك بوكس اللي يعزف بي ريتشي بالبداية شي مستحيل ينسي.
• اغنية You Give Love a Bad Name:
أول أغنية ليهم توصل للمركز الأول. البداية مالتها قوية گبل تفوت بالأكشن والغناء بدون مقدمات موسيقية طويلة. ريف الگيتار بيها ينطيك طاقة خرافية ويخليك تريد تگمز من مكانك.
• اغنية Wanted Dead or Alive:
الأغنية اللي انطت طابع الكاوبوي للفرقة. تحچي عن تعب السفر والتورات اللي يسووها كأنهم رعاة بقر يفترون على حصان حديدي (اللي هو الباص مال التور). الأكوستيك گيتار بيها ينطي جو صحراوي رهيب ويختلف عن باقي الأغاني.
تأثير الألبوم:
الألبوم باع أكثر من 28 مليون نسخة بالعالم، وصار هو الواجهة الأساسية لمرحلة الجلام ميتال والارينا روك. بون جوفي قدروا بهذا الإصدار يجمعون بين قوة الروك وجاذبية موسيقى البوب التجارية، وهالشي خلاهم يسيطرون على قنوات التلفزيون مثل MTV.
الختام:
إذا تريد ألبوم ينطيك طاقة إيجابية وحماس ويخليك تعلي الصوت وتسوق سيارتك، أو حتى تتمرن بالجم، هذا هو الخيار الأول. ألبوم متكامل وما بي ولا أغنية تنمل.
سؤال للنقاش:
شنو أغنيتكم المفضلة من هذا الألبوم؟ وشنو رأيكم بستايل موسيقى الثمانينيات بشكل عام، تحسوه بعده عايش لو راح وقته؟
تحياتي للجميع وأنتظر تفاعلكم بالتعليقات.
Bjork-Vespertine (2001)
Burning Spear-Man On The Hill (1976)
Bon Jovi-Slippery When Wet (1986)
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds-KickingAgainst The Pricks (1986)
Korn-Follow The Leader (1998)
Aerosmith-Permanent Vacation (1987)
At The Drive-In-Acobatic Tenent (1996)
At The Drive-In-In/Casino/Out (1998)
The Weeknd-Thursday (2011)
It has been fun writing all of these and posting them here. This one was a bit controversial of a post in the Van Halen sub, mainly from the DLR purists, as I do think this album isn't up to par that much with the other ones. Anyways, here is the review.
Diver Down (1982) REVIEW
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Summer has always been my favorite season. I've always loved watching the sunsets and the way they paint the sky, or the feel of cold pool water on my skin as I take a swim. Hopping off the diving board, or eating ice cream always makes me feel joy, and is some of the most fun I've had. In many ways, from the album title to the overall vibes, Diver Down feels like a very summer-y album, with the very feeling of the California summer.
Around this time, Van Halen was a band that was constantly on tour, on a nearly-consistent basis. They needed a break, they deserved one. Everyone needs to take a break now and then, and so they recorded a cover of the classic, (Oh) Pretty Woman to satisfy their record label and show they were still there, but that wasn't good enough; no, instead they were pushed to make a full album by their label because the song ended up charted.
Thus, Diver Down was born. As much as I've talked about the vibe of it, I can't help but feeling this is the clear sound of an exhausted band grasping at straws in the small, ripped cup for ideas. There's more filler here than a landfill, and way too many covers. I don't think having some covers is bad, but Van Halen were known to balance it out, when there's a cover there's almost always a measure up to the original. The LP starts with a cover of the Kink's Where Have All the Good Times Gone! which is excellent and features some impressive guitar riffing, its a great time with David's fun interjections keeping it entertaining all the way through, and I feel Van Halen delivers a bite and heaviness that makes it even better than the original much akin to their cover on the debut.
Hang 'Em High is another fantastic song, with a catchy riff that flies by with a fury that rivals even thrash metal. In a way, this is the closest the band had got to that sound and feels almost like a blueprint for the future bands that ended up coming out. His tapping technique here also gives it such a unique flavor, and Dave's vocal performance is amazing and uses his lower register exclusively, its actually really western feeling with the lyrics as well, and Alex's drumming is impeccable. Though the ending feels a bit awkward with how sudden it feels and the transition in tempo isn't that smooth, which is my only complaint because the rest of the song is damn perfect.
Cathedral is beautiful, its almost dream-like and takes you on a trip through the faraway land of a soundscape painted with each note, among Eddie's greatest masterpieces. Sadly, that's where this album takes a nosedive and it seems the electro-shock that Warner Bros. had these guys on is wearing off because immediately after these tracks after you get the uninspired slop of Secrets, a teenage girl's boy-band pop drivel that goes on too long and goes nowhere. Sure, it was done on a doubleneck, cool, too bad it doesn't save it from being pastiche.
Intruder is another instrumental, but this one is clearly done to pad out runtime, its sort of shoved in there with it trying oh-so-hard to imitate sirens and feel like a break-in, only to segue into the cover of (Oh) Pretty Woman, which makes no sense thematically since that's a lighthearted song, it is very out of place. Anyways, the cover is one of Van Halen's very best, featuring a great crescendo with vocal harmony, and is an example of brilliance the band had when not force-fed studio time. I genuinely enjoyed this more than the original and this one feels perfect to play on a hot summer day.
Dancing in The Street is yet another cover...a criminally perfunctory offense with them not even trying to adapt it into their style, its probably their 2nd worst song in this era with how uninspired it sounds. Little Guitars, however, is among the very best songs ever made, and it seems, just for a moment, that the band is on life support again. THIS is what makes the Dave era great, a nifty, mind-blowing riff from Eddie and zen-like lyrics from the Diamond man himself. Then they fall on their faces again with the dispensable novelty number, Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now). While I like the idea of playing jazz music, it just does not work with the tracklist on this album, and it sounds a bit awkward with the performance. Other bands have pulled off this style merging like Queen or The Who, but Van Halen just couldn't. I do like the guitar work though, so I wouldn't say its horrific.
The Full Bug is as molten-hot rock you can get with this band and Dave and Michael play a big part in this, with Dave giving us an amazing acoustic guitar intro and harmonica on the solo, and Michael reminding listeners what makes the band special with his sparkling backing vocals. It's got that fury of early Van Halen and a hint of the more dark nature of previous masterpiece Fair Warning. Then we end with the one-minute goof-of of Happy Trails which is ruined by David's vocal performance and lack of any instruments whatsoever. Acapella can work, and the rest of the band seem to have the hang of it, but it feels spacious and empty and its Dave's fault. The backing vocals make it bearable.
I see why some critics ripped into this with claws, and I'm guilty of doing the same somewhat; but this really isn't a terrible album. It's got a decent amount of crap and it feels very filler-y, but it's still a __GOOD__ record. If this is the weakest album of the David Lee Roth era that speaks for the sheer quality of it as this still has a few of the band's best songs. This album is also the most telling example of the divide between Eddie and Dave's approach to music styles which had been growing since this album was put out and was a major spike in their relationship. For everything I found myself critiquing, I found myself finding something to love as well.
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Tracklist Ratings:
THE JOURNEY SO FAR (Other reviews):
Van Halen review (5/5 stars)
Van Halen II review (5/5 stars)
Women And Children First review (4/5 stars)
Fair Warning review (5/5 stars)
Miles Davis-Kind Of Blue (1959)
Tom Waits-Frank's Wild Years (1987)
The Band-Stage Fright (1970)
New Order-Substance 1987 (1987)
Mitski-Be The Cowboy (2018)
XTC-Drum & Wipes (1979)
Ariana Grande-Sweetner (2018)
Type O Negative-Bloody Kisses (1993)
W.A.S.P.-W.A.S.P. (1984)
Synopsis:
Released in April 1981, Prayers on Fire is the debut major-label studio album by The Birthday Party . Recorded in London and Melbourne, the record stands as a landmark release of gothic rock, post-punk, and noise rock. Unlike the two previous releases you get to hear shades of the gothic rock of what Nick Cave would create in decades to come.
The Review:
The album opens with “Zoo Music Girl” . It feels very chaotic and frantic like the band is all wired up in a demonic ska ritual. “Cry” maintains that chaotic energy but there is some melodic structure to the song. “Capers” just feels creepy as hell. It is a bone chilling experience. Cave’s vocals just sound evil. “Nick The Stripper” keeps up the menacing tone but this track has a nice melodic rhythm to it. “Ho Ho” slows down the rhythms into this sludgy goth rock groove. It feels very menacing and deliberate. “Figures Of Fun” explodes in with a violent heavy groove. Yet there's a bluesy vibe underneath the chaos. “King Inc” has this heavy dense bassline that feels so menacing. The guitar riffs have a distorted tone. The chaos digs deeper as the song moves forward like someone is stalking you through the darkness. “Dead Song” has this rhythmic post-punk groove. Yet it still feels very frantic. Cave's vocal delivery is all over the place to keep pace with this music. “Yard” feels like you're wading through the night in this nightmarish slowmotion claustrophobic groove. It has this gothic sludge vibe that keeps building frantic energy as it moves along. “Dull Day” has a peak of brightness in its new-wave punky groove. Cave’s baritone vocal delivery adds a menacing tone to the track. The album closes with “Just You And Me” has a menacing dark jazz vibe. Once again Cave is using his vocals as a weapon of haunted wickedness.
Final Thoughts:
This album is a post-punk/goth rock masterpiece. It is also the first time we hear Nick Cave find his voice. The gothic themes would be something he will explore throughout his career. The album does stand as an achievement of the post/punk explosion of the late 70’s. A band that is finally finding its voice. It is definitely worth a listen and a place on the Nick Cave rabbit hole.
A-Angelic 2 The Core-Cory Feldman
B-Bolton Swings Sinatra-Micheal Bolton
C-Cut The Crap-The Clash
D-Danzig Sings Elvis-Glen Danzig
E-Evolve-Imagine Dragons
F-Father Of all Motherfuckers-Green Day
G-Generation Swine-Motley Crue
H-Hot Space Queen
I-Iceman-Drake
K-Kilroy Was Here-Styx
L-Lulu-Metallica/Lou Reed
M-Metal Machine Music-Lou Reed
N-No Fixed Address -Nickleback
O-Open Up & Say Ahh!!! -Poison
P-Philosphy Of The World-The Shaggs
Q-Queen Of Me-Shania Twain
R-Rebirth-Lil Wayne
S-Summer In Paradise-The Beach Boys
T-Greg Allman & Cher-Two The Hard Way
U-Ummagumma (Studio)-Pink Floyd
V-Vultures-Kanye West
W-Who's A Funkadelic-Funkadelic (1992 reissue of Connections & Disconnections)
X-X-Chris Brown
Thank you guys for your support on the rest of the reviews so far!! So far Van Halen II is the crowning jewel with the debut as second place for me and they have had two of the best albums of all time. But that did change sort of for me with this one. I think you'll see what I mean in this review :). This one was a lot of fun and I hope you enjoy the read!
Fair Warning (1980 REVIEW)
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Dark, gritty, menacing, and threatening. These are all words you could use to sum up Fair Warning. This was Van Halen with Eddie in control at the helm of it all, and boy does it work. This is the perhaps the most "serious" the band had gotten, and gone are the more light-hearted fun tunes that made their first three albums, rather we get a view into a darker side of the band's sound in the best way possible. Fitting for an album who's cover is cropped from a drawing by mental patient William Kurelek who was raised on a prairie farm and experienced such a brutal childhood in which he had schizophrenia. "The Maze" is the name, and it gives you a feel for what your deal will be.
Perhaps the most important musical development however is the use of synthesizer on this album, something that was a double-edged sword for the band that both elevated their sound when it worked, and tore it to shreds when it didn't, its one of the key dividers for people between the Sammy era and the earlier era.
Starting things out is the ferocious "Mean Street", a song that starts with one of the most unique sounds that Eddie's done through tapping which perfectly sets up this strange album with a mystique of an eerie sound before David Lee Roth comes through with a more aggressive performance than anyone's used to. This song is an excellent example of pristine guitar playing and one of their greatest songs, it gets a perfect vibe of grit and searing metal.
"Dirty Movies" is a murky twisted story of a girl who goes from the star of a prom to a star of her own dirty movies; its your basic hard rock tune, nothing noteworthy, while "Sinner's Swing" is easily the greatest song on the record featuring a swing-influenced drumbeat from Alex who absolutely kills with some of his best fills while Eddie whoops you in the face with a riff that strikes like thunder in a bottle. It's such a chaotic song but in the best way possible, everything works so well, and the solo melts your mind.
"Hear About it Later" has an insanely melodic intro and an earhook of a chorus; its lyrics are fantastic and tell the tale of aggravation over life's shenanigans, its got some phenomenal wordplay as well, and the harmonies just elevate this one beyond the stars. This is a pristine display of hard rock guitar, and Alex's drums also sound a bit different here in parts, I really like the production so far! "Unchained" follows as the one of two big songs off the album and it rightfully deserves it. It sums up the darkness and anger of this album quite well with its fierce riff with a perfect contrast of playful cheeky lyrics. The best part of the song? Probably when the bridge happens with some light teasing towards Ted Templeman, longtime producer of the band's music, who gets his one and only line.
"Push Comes To Shove" was clearly an idea to try and ride the coattails of the reggae-rock love going on at the time thanks to bands like The Clash and The Police, and for the most part does it quite well; I'd like to focus on Michael Anthony's playing here because his bass playing is the superstar of this showcase, and for one of the very rare times in their catalogue he's allowed to sparkle as his own stand-out star with a bassline that actually sticks out and does some interesting things that creates its own melody rather than stay in the background. This is also home to an argument between Ted and Eddie over his solo which he played 20 times only to be told it wasn't good enough before coming in the next day and playing the same one, then being told its great. Talk about torture.
"So This Is Love?" is the only song released as a single and it did decently enough, but didn't make the top 10. Shame as this features some of the greatest playing by the band. To me, it really struck me with its intense groove that chugs along with some ferocious licks that dip its hands in blues. One of the bluesiest songs they've done, the use of call-and-response in the chorus makes it one of the most charming and memorable. Eddie has not one, but TWO solos here and they both scream with burning hot magma.
Unfortunately, I can't call this album perfect because following the absolute home run that everything has been so far is the always-included instrumental track but this time it's different. Normally I find myself excited for these, but my ears were hexed with sonic torture as shittily-"orchestrated" synthesizers try, and fail, to sound menacing, instead being headache inducing. Thanks "Sunday Afternoon in the Park" I'd rather not spend a day there.
"One Foot Out The Door" follows afterwards with trying to be...what sounds like a rockabilly song thats heavier but sounds like teenage edginess with Roth's vocals being utterly terrible and sounding weird with the music. Terrible, really the only saving grace is Eddie's absolute ripper of a solo that got wasted on a song like this, it definitely needed more time to cook in the oven.
Finishing things off however, this is one of the band's greatest works, and easily one of the best albums of all time. I find it appalling that originally critics didn't take kindly to this one, and I only assume its because this may not be as light or fun-laced as the albums before it, but its one of Van Halen's most consistently phenomenal works and showcases the bands ability to change styles and feel while retaining their masterful skill. This is a step up from the previous album which was still great and I'd dare say this is one of the best guitar albums ever released, that's for sure. Though I wouldn't call it better than Van Halen II or Van Halen which were perfect all the way through. Definitely up there with them as one of the best albums in music though!
Rating: ★★★★★
Tracklist Ratings:
THE JOURNEY SO FAR (Other reviews):
Van Halen review
Van Halen II review
Women And Children First review
Neil Young & Crazy Horse-Sleeps With Angels (1994)
Red Hot Chili Peppers-Mothers Milk (1989)
Miles Davis-E.S.P. (1965)
King Gizard & The Lizard Wizard-Infest The Rats' Nest (2019)
Synopsis:
Following the critical and commercial disaster of their 1983 synthesizer-rock misstep Into the Unknown, Bad Religion Broke up. When the core lineup reunited in the late 1980s, they abandoned experimentation to reclaim their raw, high-speed hardcore roots. Suffer merged the breakneck speed and aggression of traditional 1980s hardcore punk with razor-sharp pop structures, soaring three-part vocal harmonies, and politically charged lyrics. Driven by singer Greg Graffin’s academic wordplay and guitarist Brett Gurewitz’s knack hooks, the album rescued the band from obscurity and laid the exact blueprint for the 1990s California skate-punk explosion (influencing bands like NOFX, The Offspring, and Pennywise).
The Review:
The album opens with “You Are (The Government)” a 80 sec flash of aggressive hard-core punk energy with some soaring backing vocals mixed in that would be the template of the album. “1000 More Fools continues” that backbreaking energy that never is relentless and never lets up. “How Much Is Enough” attacks consumerism and the destruction of the environment for profit. Once again a short simple hard-core track track. “When?” pumps the breaks slightly but still feels heavy as hell but there is a melodic denseness to it as well. “Gives You Nothing” is just chaotic and has this rhythmic texture to it. Forgive me for saying this but it feels very close to thrash metal. “Land Of Competition" is driven by these tight rhythmic melodies. The song is about capitalistic competition mentalities. “Forbidden Beat” veers closer to traditional punk rock grooves. The song is about censorship and creative censorship. “Best For You” Featuring guest backing guitars from L7 members Donita Sparks and Suzi Gardne this track is filled with such high energy velocity. The guitars just are cranking throughout the song and do not stop. “Suffer” is highlighted by the thumping bassline that is the foundation of the track and gives the track a pulsating rhythm. “Delium Of Disorder” is a punk rock warning of an atomic apocalypse. Done over this heavy hitting punk rock melody. The backing vocals add some punch to the grooves. “Part II” (The Numbers Game) is really a sequel to a song but rather a continuation of the themes found on earlier albums. Following Part III that was on the debut album “How Can Hell be Even Worse”. “What Can I Do” is the longest song on the album clocking in at 2:42. Built on a driving drum beat it just lays out this heavy flow of hardcore energy. It even features a nice guitar solo from Brett Gurewitz. “Do What You Want?” is just this blistering punk rock track that barely lasts a minute but packs one hell of a punch. “Part IV: The Index Fossil” mocks human main character syndrome. As we are just a blip on this planet. Graafian uses his background in zoology in the lyrics. The album closes with "Pestimatic Lies” it is one last blast of hardcore punk energy with some cool harmonies and a breakdown towards its climax that just ends and we are left to pick up the pieces of what we just heard.
Why Is It Considered A Comeback?
After the bizarre left turn of their second album Into The Unknown that was so despised by its fanbase that the band broke up. The band returned with its original line-up and created one of the most influential albums of the hard-core punk scene of the late 80’s and mid 90’s. It is a blistering 30 minute blast of punk rock. A must listen on any bucket list.
Jeff Buckley-Grace (1994)
Garbage-Garbage (1995)
Led Zeppelin-In Through The Out Door (1979)
Dio-Sacred Heart (1985)
Blind Melon-Soup (1995)
Danny Brown-XXX (2011)
The Band-Rock Of Ages (Live) (1972)
I’ll go first Kalmah-Swamplord-Evil in You. This track kills as a first song on their first album. Anyone have anything better?
RS Synosis:
After nearly two decades of death, addiction, and tumult, the Red Hot Chili Peppers had hit their smoothest period yet by the early 2000s, but this double album was still a bold move for an alt-rock group that was finding its footing in the pop world. The risk was worth the reward. RHCP returned to their funk-rock roots throughout much of the project but also showed off some of their deepest, most mature songwriting yet. Ultimately, Stadium Arcadium worked because it was catchy as hell: Singles like “Dani California,” “Snow (Hey Oh),” and “Tell Me Baby” are pristinely produced stadium-rock classics and were mega-hits upon release, helping give the band its first Number One album.
Review:
The album opens with “Dani California” I guess you can call this your typical RHCP opener with funk rock melodies, John Frusciante blaring guitar riffs, and Anthony Kedis just scatting along vocally. It all works extremely well and is infectious as hell. “Snow (Oh Hey) feels so melodic and chill it does build up momentum as it moves along. Frusciante lighting fast guitar picking style gives the track some uniqueness. “Charlie” begins with a heavy bassline intro from Flea. It is a dense hard funk/rock track with some nice harmonies on the hook. Frusciante once again has a blazing guitar solo. “Stadium Arcadium” ventures into chilled out psychedelic rock. A nice change of pace for the album and for the band. “Hump De Bump” is a callback to their funk rock beginnings. Just a fun fast paced tune. Kedis has never been known as a master lyricist but his silliness amped up on this track. “She’s Only 18” has this raw, dense vibe. Chad Smith and Fea are just an incredible rhythm section. Frusciante guitar work has this layered distorted tone. “Slow Cheetah" is an emotional mid-tempo ballad. A type of song that the band has done so well on past records and this track is no exception. “Torture Me” is a fast and loud funk rock blast of energy. “Strip My Mind” is a soulful psychedelic rock track. It is another song on the album that stretches what a chili peppers song could be as they experiment with other genres. “Especially In Michigan” features Omar Rodríguez-López of the Mars Volta on the guitar solo. The song feels heavier yet maintains the band's funk/rock roots. “Warlocks” featuring legendary keyboardist Billy Preston on the clavinet. It has this tight funky sound. “C’mon Girl” features this mid-tempop funk groove that just grows bigger as the track moves along. “Wet Sand” starts out as a mild alt rock track but builds into this heavy denseness which climaxes with one of Fruciante’s most blistering yet passionate guitar solos. The first disc closes with “Hey” is an atmospheric blues laced track. It is anchored by Flea’s hypnotic bassline that acts as the foundation of the track. The track closes with Fruciante wailing a blues-infected guitar hook. The second disc opens with "Desecration Smile” has this mild mid-tempo vibe featuring a swirling 3-part harmony. It gives the track a dreamy cool sound. “Tell Me Baby” begins with a lush introduction before you are hit with that classic RHCP funk-rock grooves. It doesn’t break any new ground, it just hits you hard with what the band does best. “Hard To Concentrate" has a very minimalist sound with its thumping bassline, tender guitar notes, and Kedis’ low-key vocal delivery. “21st Century” has Flea digging deep with his heavy thumping slap bass playing giving the track this heavy funk rock design. It is one of the heaviest tracks on the record. “She Looks At Me” adds some string arrangements giving the track some lushness that works well with the band’s hypnotic mid-tempo funk melodies. “Readymade” is a simple heavy funk rock track that borders on heavy metal at times. “If” is this tender acoustic ballad akin to previous RHCP ballads “Under The Bridge” and “My Friends”. “Make You Feel Better” is designed to put a smile on your face with its upbeat melodies and uplifting vocal harmonies. “Animal Bar” has this atmospheric psychedelic vibe. It feels so laid back and chilled out. “So Much I” is just a simple aggressive funk rock track that just rocks the fuck out. “Storm In A Teacup” feels like the band are channeling their 80’s heavy funk-rock sound. “We Believe” has some afrobeat influences that gives it a dreamy landscape. A children’s choir is featured on the chorus to give the track some added lushness. Frusciante’s guitar tone sounds so aquatic which also adds to the song’s aura. “Turn It On Again” is your average melodic funky RHCP’s track until the finale that features dozens of interlocking guitar solos weaving together into a chaotic wall of sound. The album closes with “Death Of A Martian” is an elegy for Kedis’ dog which gives the track an emotional tenderness. Which is a nice way to end this journey of an album.
Final Thoughts:
Listening to a 28 track RHCP wasn’t the way I intended to spend my day but here we are. You either love the Peppers or hate the Peppers there is no inbetween. I personally love them. I know they can get a little cringy but what band doesn’t. The blend of funk rock is always nice to jam out to. This is them at their peak. The band will never sound as tight as this again in my opinion. I also respect that they were experimenting with other genres on this album. I was mildly surprised with its inclusion because you know its RS. Do I think a two hour RHCP is necessary? no but I never felt like it was a slog to get through. I wish they did their original idea to split this record in three separate albums released six months apart. If you are in the mood to jam to some cold funk rock melodies, put this one on your bucket list.
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