Okay, so I’ve decided to re-write my Californication review. My first review of this album was only my fourth after joining the site, and it was pretty weak, only getting nine rates deservedly. Well, not like I’m much better equipped to tackle reviewing such a classic right now, but I’ll give it a shot, at least it’ll be better than the sputum I spewed out about seven months ago. I just wanted a reason to delete that garbage.

Oh man. Considering these guys are now among my favourite bands in the world, I was a pretty late starter to the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It was only about two years ago that I bought this album, and I liked it so much that I frantically began searching for their entire back catalogue, purchasing three or four of their other albums. I thought it relevant that I should write this review now, since I have recently been to see them live, and they rocked. Like a megab*tch. (I love that word.)

Californication was something of a rebirth for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and with it they started to move in a somewhat different musical direction from their previous funk work. (We now know they have continued in that more mellow, mature direction with 2002’s By The Way.) Of course, they attempted a more hard rock album with a hint of psychedelia in the form of 1994’s One Hot Minute, for which they recruited Jane’s Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro as replacement for the ailing John Frusciante.

This album was not received as well as the Chilis would have hoped, and so for 1999’s Californication they struggled and brought back Frusciante (who had been having problems with heroin addiction), the guitarist who had helped make 1991’s funk classic Blood Sugar Sex Magik such a success. Of course, Hillel Slovak was the guitarist for much of the Chilis earlier work, and unfortunately died as a result of heroin. But Frusciante is more essential to the band nowadays, and shows it here, helping to bring the band closer together and allowing them to record possibly the album of their career. A more traditional rock style is prevalent throughout Californication, and with hints of funk, and the usual ballads, spattered here and there it makes the perfect combination for an entertaining listen, and one of the essential albums of the 1990s.

Red Hot Chili Peppers are Anthony Kiedis (vocals), John Frusciante (guitar), Flea (bass) and Chad Smith (drums).

Track Listing

1. Around The World
2. Parallel Universe
3. Scar Tissue
4. Otherside
5. Get On Top
6. Californication
7. Easily
8. Porcelain
9. Emit Remmus
10.I Like Dirt
11.This Velvet Glove
12.Savior
13.Purple Stain
14.Right On Time
15.Road Trippin’

Damn, this album kicks off with a bang! A short fuzzy bass intro leads into some masterfully speedy playing by Flea, before Frusciante’s driving guitar twiddling comes in over the top, and Kiedis screams out a ”Heeeeeeey!” just to up the adrenaline levels, as if they weren’t high enough already! Around The World soon breaks into a funky riff in the verse, with bass popping and rolling in the background. Really one of Flea’s most inspired performances. The choruses are a different kettle of fish altogether, with beautiful melody and vocal harmonies in the background, a lovely break form the furious rapping. Of course after a while the song breaks back down into the furious fashion in which it started, and eventually the guitar comes more into prominence, playing a cool chord progression over the top to close the song out.

Fox hole love pie in your face
Living in and out of a big fat suitcase

Parallel Universe is a simpler, more steady rocker. A good way to keep the album flowing along, with bass and guitar both playing at a similar pace, complimenting each other perfectly as the drums pound away steadily in the background. The guitar turns altogether meaner in the chorus, bursting out with ferocious power chords. In the other parts of this song, it barely sounds like the instruments are making an effort, but I mean that in a good way. This one has another very nice chord progression, ascending and descending constantly. A nice, hard but easy song, if you get my meaning (but you probably don’t).

Staring straight up into the sky
Oh my my a solar system that fits
In your eye, microcosm

Scar Tissue is the first example of the more traditional direction of the Chilis. It is an extremely soothing song throughout, with a lovely melodic guitar riff and an excellent relaxing couple of solos. The bass booms out on this one, adding atmosphere to the song, and the backing vocals do that too. The video for this one accentuated the feel of the song perfectly, a kind of barren desert landscape. It is a very isolated, lonely song, but it makes me feel good inside, because it has a friendly feel to it also.

With the birds I’ll share this lonely view

Otherside is another straight rocker, starting off with an ominous bass line and guitar riff. The drums kick in nicely after the chorus has been sung at the start. Flea starts to churn out his legendary hooks from here on in. It took me a few listens of this one to figure out the structure, it can be quite confusing when they start the song with a chorus that doesn’t seem like a chorus at the time. Anyway, the vocals are the highlight and driving force of this one along with the booming bass. Especially in the chorus, where the backing vocals make it sound even more beautiful and just urge you to sing along with it. The guitar could easily go unnoticed here if it wasn’t for the inspired solo towards the end, after the song turns into a more stomping tune for about thirty seconds. Great song, one of the highlights for sure.

Pour my life into a paper cup
The ashtray’s full and I’m spilling my guts
She wants to know am I still a slut

Get On Top is another hark back to the bad boy days, a straight out funk number but again with a more standard chorus thrown into the mix. It starts off with some wheezing guitar before the bass comes bouncing in, playing some speedier, catchy hooks in the background. Kiedis raps furiously in the bass driven verses, and the guitars come more into prominence in the chorus, where he sings. The title of the song is repeated throughout the song. There is a wonderful little break from all the funkiness, where the guitar screeches out a good solo, but the song returns to the rapping style before it ends on the wheezing guitar again.

Hit me, come get me
I bite but, she bit me

The title track is probably the Chilis most popular and well-known song. It’s easy to see why, this is one of their most mature efforts to date. The verses contain some stalling, held back drums, with a beautiful guitar riff and soothing but brilliant bass. It goes a bit meaner just before the chorus, with the guitars turning the gentle riff into a meaner one, and the drums stepping up a gear. Then they burst into action for a powerful chorus, with pounding drums and powerful bas and guitar. The solo is one of those eminently hummable ones that you feel like you’ve heard a thousand times, but it is still so relaxing and beautiful, and leads into the closing verse perfectly. I may have heard this song one too many times, but I still recognize its greatness.

Space may be the final frontier
But it’s made in a Hollywood basement
Cobain can you hear the spheres
Singing songs off station to station

Easily is another straight rocker, a more upbeat and catchier number, probably the most singable song on the album so far. It’s one of those tunes that you feel like you’ve heard somewhere before. The drums drive this one along nicely, and of course there are some inspired bass hooks thrown in for good measure. There always will be as long as Flea is playing for this band. In fact there are just hooks all over the place in this song in general, its almost a pop song. Another good, steady track with a great solo near the end.

The story of a woman on the morning of a war
Remind me if you will exactly what we’re fighting for

Some would say this is where the album starts to slip away, and I would agree to an extent. Porcelain is somewhat of a dirge, even compared to some of the Chilis slower efforts. I still enjoy it, it is a sweet little ballad and doesn’t hang around for too long. The drums are barely even there, and the song is generally dark and therefore bass dominated, although the guitar does pop in occasionally.

Are you wasting away in your skin
Are you missing the love of your kin
Drifting and floating and fading away

Emit Remmus is Flea’s song for sure. The guitar just screeches into some feedback sounds in the background while the bass dances in the foreground during the verses, twiddling away. The choruses are just plain mean, the bass stops being bouncy and instead goes for a nasty, forceful sound. The guitar continues to squeal away throughout the song, and can get annoying, although without it involved much, there is really not that much of a tune present. Still a decent song though.

What could be wetter than
An English girl American man

I Like Dirt is similar to Get On Top in many ways. More catchy bass hooks as Flea proves once more that he is the greatest. The guitar is not really amazingly noticeable until the screeching solo which is pretty damn good. There is no singing in this one, it is the first real straight out funk song, and works pretty well. The lyrics are fun if nothing else, and the tune is pretty catchy. The song is quite weird at the start, coming in little bursts until the riff builds up. It ends on a clean guitar riff playing as Kiedis raps.

Some come up and some come young
Live to love and give good tongue

This Velvet Glove is a fairly straight forward rock song, aided by Frusciante’s harmonies at points as well. The song has a very good riff, and decent steady drums. The choruses are superb, and there is a sad, melancholy sound to this one throughout. The highlight has to be the pounding intro to the final chorus, the rest of the song is pretty downbeat. Not much else I can say about this one, it holds the album together, that’s about it.

Your solar eyes are like nothing I have ever seen

Savior fails to hold the album together, unfortunately it is a weak track here. It features echoing, spooky guitar sounds, a droning bass line and slow drumming in the chorus, and even when it picks up a bit, it is still a dirge and depressing. Then they start to mix up the pace, which does nothing but disorient me, and not in a good way. The song will all of a sudden seem to stop, and a sweet little chirpy part will enter, with high backing vocals and gentle bass. This will transition uncomfortably back to the dirge part, and the song continues like this, never settling into a decent groove. I’m not a fan of this one.

We are the red hots and
We’re loving up the love me nots

Another more funky effort picks the album back up from the ashes. Purple Stain is probably about as crude as the Chilis get on this album, just listen to the first verse. It has a really stop-start bass part interrupted by twiddling guitar, and the bass drives along the tune in the chorus, with the guitar entering intermittently. Kiedis raps for the full thing really, except for some more atmospheric parts to the song where he kind of rap-sings. Overall a really funky, groovy tune, that is fun to listen to. It takes a while to end though, as Frusciante fiddles (alliteration anyone?) and the drums build up to a crescendo that doesn’t happen.

Knock on wood we all stay good
‘Cause we all live in Hollywood

Right On Time is a two minute burst of punk funk energy. The verses are furious rapping with a thumping bass line and some rapid guitar. The choruses are awash with vocal harmonies, such a sing along part. A very enjoyable romp, and I enjoyed this one when they played it live. They started playing London Calling then transitioned straight into this one. Excellent.

One shot all I need
I’ve got rhythm when I bleed

Road Trippin’ is another ballad like Porcelain, but it works better. More guitar led, as Frusciante plays a wonderfully relaxing acoustic riff, and the strings just about swell up in the background. The song never really seems to get going, it’s one of those ones where you keep waiting for something to happen. But you realise by the end that it is just fine the way it is, a beautifully relaxing acoustic ballad with more nice harmonies, and a perfect album closer.

Blue you sit so pretty
West of the one
Sparkles light with yellow icing
Just a mirror for the sun

As I said, this album was a rebirth for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, blending some of their old school bad boy funk side, with a newer, more mature side that would rear its head further in the future. I enjoy every song to this album to some extent (even Savior), there seriously is something to like about every single track on here.

The album might take a slight dip in the second half, but all the way through, as I think I may have emphasised, it is filled with wonderfully imaginative bass playing, great melodic and funky guitar and powerful, steady drums. Not to mention a fabulous mix of rapping and singing by Kiedis. This album is one of the essential 1990s albums, and should be part of everyone’s collection. ‘Nuff said.

Excellent: Around The World, Otherside, Californication
Good: Parallel Universe, Scar Tissue, Get On Top, Easily, Emit Remmus, I Like Dirt, This Velvet Glove, Purple Stain, Right On Time, Road Trippin’
Average: Porcelain, Savior
Weak: NONE

Final Rating: 18/20



Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Hanging With Friends