RHCP - 'Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magik' x 20 Years

Before the Red Hot Chili Peppers records fell into sprawling mediocrity, there was a beast of a band that made LP's that seriously kicked ass.

RHCP polarise people a lot.

There is certainly a love/hate thing going on, but I gotta say I always was and still am (in fits and starts) a fan of their early output; records that kicked and squirmed, had funk and spunk, were doirty, grimy and raw.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers - 1984

'Freaky Styley' - 1985

'The Uplift Mofo Party Plan' - 1987

'Mother's Milk' - 1989

However, their crowning glory HAS to be 1991's classic 'Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magik'.

Led by hit song 'Give It Away' and mega-smash 'Under the Bridge', and produced by the bearded one, Rick Rubin, 'BSSM' smashed a hole in 1991.

I remember watching this air on TV in NZ...

Check out some of the famous faces joining them on-stage as RHCP perform 'Give It Away' at the 1992 MTV Awards.

It was while digging out my DVD copy of the killer "making-of" doco 'Funky Monks' last night that triggered my thoughts for this post today. 

In the title credits it states, "In May-June of 1991, the Red Hot Chili Peppers recorded 'Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magik'."

"20 years ago!!!" was my first thought, followed by "How old am I? How old was I when this record came out?!"

I was actually pretty young, and me and my mates used to jam this record back to front ALL THE TIME.

So, a good time to post a few of my favourite jams of this all-time top 20 record of mine then. 

That is a hard thing to do with such a strong track-list.

Here we go...

The closest this album gets to a hip-hop track. Dope funk guitar intro and Anthony Keidis' raps.

Track 2, 'If You Have To Ask'...

Acoustic guitar fire! The bridge with the band banging heaps of shit is epic.

Plus, pan-pipes never sounded so good; except on the Karl Katte TV ad.

Track 3, 'Breaking the Girl'...

John Frusciante ripping it again on an acoustic guitar for the intro with rhythm section Flea and Chad Smith holding it down tight as fuck.

Track 4, 'Funky Monks'...

Flea doing his thing on my old bass the Musicman Stingray.

Interviewed by the late River Phoenix...

Title track with a rock-solid drum break and JF's guitar on some serious wah.

Mono-tone chant-raps and a super-heavy chorus.

Track 10, 'Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magik'...

Track 13, 'Apache Rose Peacock'.
As DeathLeftHid says on YouTube comments: "This song makes me want to fuck shit."...

Not long after releasing their LP 'Uplift Mofo Party Plan' original guitarist Hilel Slovak died of a heroin overdose.

Track 15, 'My Lovely Man'...

Possibly my favourite track off the album and with the greatest ever lyrics about female officers-of-the-law, a bass line that squelches into your fonky conciousness, and the most beautiful floating guitar outro...

Track 16, 'Sir Pshyco Sexy'...

For a little bit of extra back-up cred, check out Rob Swift formerly of The X-ecutioners giving props to BSSM.

I really could go on and on, as if I haven't already, but if you want to read more about the life and times of RHCP, check out lead-singer Anthony Keidis' auto-biography 'Scar Tissue' for an insight.

Comes across as a bit of an asshole but hey, it's a great read.