This is a lengthy one because... as I say below, this is a favourite.
Red Hot Chili Peppers "Blood Sugar Sex Magik" (1991) - got it
I’m a big Chili Pepper’s fan, so here’s some band history. The Chili
Peppers formed, and recorded 3 albums of punky, speedy rap-funk
characterised by busy slap-pop bass, minimalist guitar and sex-inspired
rhymes, but also exploring elements such as RnB, psychedelic rock and metal.
Original guitarist Hillel Slovak died of a heroin overdose and drummer
Jack Irons decided to leave music (though he’d later join Pearl Jam for –
arguably – their best albums).
Mainstays Anthony Kiedis and Flea recruited drumming behemoth Chad Smith
and teen guitar prodigy John Frusciante and together they released the
much heavier “Mother’s Milk” album with wall-to-wall distorted guitar on
some tracks, and with each of the players showing off their musical chops. The band parted company with EMI, and signed to a new
label. They joined forces with young producer Rick Rubin, who had
co-founded Def Jam records and was making a name producing rap and metal
albums (LL Cool J, Run DMC, Slayer etc.). He suggested that they rent a
house to live and record in, and in that laid-back setting, this
collection of tracks was created.
For a time this was my favourite album (in general, not just for the
Chili Peppers), until I realised that ‘favourites’ with music are
somewhat transitory. There's over an hour of music across 17 tracks, yet to my
tastes, it does not sag at any point. One of those albums where every
other song has been my 'favourite' at some point.
The studio polish that defines the Chili Peppers now was barely starting
to show then, which is a good thing. Where their records now feature
tight, compressed polished production; the drums on "give it away" sound like they
were recorded in someone's bathroom, and it's fantastic.
Whereas they are now serial offenders for COS (Chorus Overuse Syndrome),
on BSSM they would play around a lot more with structures and parts,
with lengthy jam sections being injected into songs. There's something
like "Power of Equality" which just keeps going with multiple verses
before breaking into a slappy bass outro that eventually winds down to
scattered applause. Even a 'hit' song like
"Under the Bridge" has that
beautiful opening guitar part... that never pops up again in the rest of
the song!
Frusciante would later become somewhat overbearing creatively, but here
he is balanced by still finding his place, so provides brilliant playing
and ideas but more as a facilitator than as a leader.
The album is diverse, yet has a certain internal logic, helped by the
band's MO at that point of having the tracks segue into each other,
creating the feeling of an "album" as opposed to just a collection of
songs. The sound is mostly slow, minimalist funk with interplaying
parts that don't necessarily ape each other. There is rock in tracks
like
"Suck my kiss" and "My lovely man". There's melodic balladry with
songs like "Breaking the girl" and "I could have lied", there's the
leisurely psychedelic outro of "Sir Psycho Sexy" and the fun coda of
Robert Johnson cover "They're Red Hot", recorded outside at night (you
can hear cars driving past in places).
This was lightning in a bottle, and even the Peppers themselves while
promoting other albums have often acknowledged that it was special album
for them.
