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Red Hot Chili Peppers: What hits?
26/08/11 || InquisitorGeneralis
I don’t shy away from my strong feelings for 80’s funk/punk/rock/metal. I have covered Fishbone, Living Colour, and Faith No More during my long and typo-filled career here at Global Domination. Now, it is time for me to devote some time to the most popular band, without fucking question, to come from that scene; the Red Hot Chili Peppers. And no, I am not one of those drunken douchebags who rocks out to “Under the bridge” or “By the way” in a bar and acts like the Red Hots wrote that song just for me. In fact, I could not listen to a single fucking thing by them after “Mother’s Milk” except for a few prime cuts from “Blood Sugar Sex Magic” and “Warped” from the much shit-upon “One Hot Minute”. So, that makes “What Hits?” the perfect RHCP album for me! It takes the best of the band’s 1980’s heroin-fueled prime and puts it all in one place. Hooray for compilations! And cock socks! They might all be burned-out late 40-somethings who couldn’t write a decent sentence to save their lives these days, but twenty-five years ago they were one of the most exciting, original, and influential bands on the planet.
“Higher ground” is a tits cover of an already classic Stevie Wonder track and a great way to start things off. The Peps’ were decently heavy at one point, as shown by the other great songs from the “Mother’s Milk” album “Johnny, kick a whole in the sky”, the Hendrix cover “Fire”, and “Taste the pain”. My personal favorite song by the band is also from “Mother’s Milk” and featured here, “Knock me down”. Although not a super-heavy track, it is catchy and is the perfect blend of the band’s rock, funk, and even soul elements. I would love to have seen “Nobody wierd like me” on here because that song rules. Oh well, “Mother’s Milk” is only a few clicks down the iPod. Fuck, I should be reviewing that album, but “What Hits?” is the tits because it features some deeper cuts from the band’s earliest records “Freaky Styley” and “The Uplift Mofo Party Plan”. “Fight like a brave” and “Me and my friends” kick ass and showcase the talent of Flea, who is an obnoxious douchebag but also a top-notch bass player. “Behind the sun”, “Show me your soul”, and “The brother’s cup” showcase the band’s funkier side. A side they have almost completely lost these day. “What Hits?” also features two covers; Sly and the Family Stones’ slower, more R&B influenced “If you want me to stay” and The Meters off-tempo funker “Hollywood”. “True men don’t kill coyotes” is a weird, hard to label track but is still pretty fucken cool.
You have to enjoy the ironic title of the album, because only one song on here was a certified hit, the iconic “Under the bridge”. I do love that song, and it brings break great memories of 90’s fucking around (not with heroin though), but I usually skip it. It is the only track from “Blood Sugar Sex Magic” to appear on here. Overall, I dig this comp because it showcases an era of the band that is now almost completely overlooked. And, it’s not a true greatest hits collection based on popularity! Most of these songs haven’t been on a Red Hot Chili Peppers setlist since the first Bush was president. “Knock me down”, “Fight like a brave”, and “Johnny…” are all top-notch tracks that should be held in the same esteem as the band’s more popular songs like “Give it away”, “Californication”, and “Breaking the girl”. Also, it spotlights the members of the band who aren’t in the fold anymore (drummer Jack Irons) or aren’t in the realm of the living anymore (guitarist Hillel Slovak). Slovak helped shape the style and sound of the band and while the Peppers reached world superstardom after his death, his impact should not be ignored. Fuck you, heroin.
I know, here is another non cvlt trve metal record being reviewed. Boo-fucken-hoo, there are some great, interesting, and at a few moments heavy tunes on “What Hits?”; it is an album that showcases what I believe to be the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ finest hour. Sure, “Blood Sugar Sex Magic” and “Californication” are by far the band’s biggest successes, but before those monster hits the Red Hots were truly a marginal band who defied normal genre and musical boundaries. If you have never listened to anything before “Blood Sugar Sex Magic” but you like the band, you definitely need to check this compilation out.
- Information
- Released: 1992
- Label: EMI
- Website: www.redhotchilipeppers.com
- Band
- Anthony Kleidis: vocals
- Hillel Slovak (RIP): guitars
- John Frusciante: guitars
- Flea: Bass
- Jack Irons: drums
- Chad Smith: drums
- Tracklist
- 01. Higher Ground (Stevie Wonder cover)
- 02. Fight Like a Brave
- 03, Behind the Sun
- 04. Me and My Friends
- 05. Backwoods
- 06. True Men Don’t Kill Coyotes
- 07. Fire
- 08. Get Up and Jump
- 09. Knock Me Down
- 10. Under the Bridge
- 11. Show Me Your Soul
- 12. If You Want Me to Stay (Sly and the Family Stone cover)
- 13. “Hollywood” (Meters cover)
- 14. Jungle Man
- 15. The Brothers Cup
- 16. Taste the Pain
- 17. Catholic School Girls Rule
- 18. Johnny, Kick a Hole in the Sky
