Untitled Document

Red Hot Chili Pepper : Californication

Californication *
(Warner Bros. Records)
released 06/08/1999

> Track Listing

Red Hot Chili Peppers:

Anthony Kiedis (vocals)

John Frusciante (guitar)

Flea (bass)

Chad Smith (drums)

Additional personnel:

Patrick Warren (Chamberlin organ)

Greg Kurstin (keyboards)

Engineers include: Jim Scott

John Sorenson

Greg Fidelman

. "Scar Tissue" won the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Rock Song. CALIFORNICATION was nominated for the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Rock Album. "Scar Tissue" was nominated for the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal. "Californication" was nominated for the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and for Best Rock Song. CALIFORNICATION finds The Red Hot Chili Peppers once again in the more straightforward punk-funk mode of BLOOD SUGAR SEX MAGIK. This return to their original sound also marks the return of prodigal son John Frusciante, who takes over for his replacement, Dave Navarro. The Chili Peppers fill CALIFORNICATION with material shaped by personal and professional turmoil, resulting in a somewhat more sensitive approach than one might expected from a band whose hard-core following are skate-punks and drunken frat-boys. Songs such as "Otherside," "Scar Tissue" and "This Velvet Glove" overflow with background harmonies, while Frusciante's unadorned guitar provides support for Anthony Kiedis' emotive singing and broken-hearted lyrics. The title track is one of the most impressive songs this quartet has written--It tells a tale of wandering souls who've lost their way searching for the American Dream in California. This sensitive showing does nothing to undermine the Chili Pepper's trademark aggressive musical style. If anything, their playing has gotten tighter--as evidenced by the chicken-scratch funk of "Get On Top" and the scat-sung approach of "I Like Dirt." The most impressive anomaly on CALIFORNICATION is "Savior," an ethereal track that finds Frusciante playing with a tone reminiscent of early Peter Green.

Album Review

The last two Chili Peppers albums have had their longtime fans simply begging for them to stop making records. Although Mother's Milk was really bad, Blood Sugar Sex Magik and One Hot Minute were positively horrible, the former due to the fact that the band was on autopilot, the latter due to the fact that they were ""exploring new territory."" For fans of the hyperfunky juggernaut, the magic was gone and with every new album, their early genius was further tarnished.

Californication will probably have those same fans again begging for the Chili Peppers to hang it up. However, this time it will be because they could actually bow out on a high note. Although Californication is far from the solid moronic genius of Uplift Mofo, it does find the group back where they're comfortable (rockin' and rappin') and actually making New Red Hot Chili Peppers Music. Proving that they're capable of making funky music that doesn't require Flea's thumb, Californication easily evokes the lazy groove that its title implies. Even on the more by-the-numbers songs (the ballad-y ""Scar Tissue"" or the Cream-esque bombast of ""Savior""), there's a distinctive flavor that, while it may not reflect personal peace on behalf of the group members, certainly indicates a creative comfort.

However, when things really get interesting, they really get interesting. Although Kiedis still feels compelled to sing about screwing 16-year-old groupies (""Around the World"") or having anal sex (""I Like Dirt""), or digitally exploring menstruation (""Purple Stain""), the way he sings about these things has changed from puerile to perverse. [Note to Anthony Kiedis: although we're all adults here, we like hearing about your penis about as much as we like hearing about how you're clean and sober now.] Maybe it's the fact that he's more than twice the age of most of his current fans. Maybe it's the fact that he realizes a lyric like ""Go-rilla cunt-illa, Sammy D and salmonella"" can't sound anything but stupid. Whatever it is, there's a wry, artistic growl to his voice that actually suggests a sort of third person awareness. But Kiedis' stupid lyrics aren't why anybody listens to the Chili Peppers. People listen to the Chili Peppers 'cause they rock. And, thank the heavens above, the Chili Peppers are rocking again.

""Right On Time"" and ""Get On Top"" pummel like prime Peppers, while ""Parallel Universe"" comes and goes with a Nirvana-esque thunder. However, on cuts like ""Emit Remmus"" or ""Otherside,"" they're rocking with the sort of groove that could only come from four freaks from L.A. They never bash you over the head, and they never will get any mosh pits started, but they're definitely solid rock.

It all goes to show that although the Peppers will never release a record as wonderful as Freaky Styley or Uplift Mofo again, at least they had it in 'em to make one more thoroughly enjoyable and vigorously sound album. Now, if only they'll stop before they screw up again.