Cons: Too Many Ballads & The Album is Too Long at 69 Minutes.
The Bottom Line: The Red Hot Chili Peppers grow up and take new musical approaches for "By The Way" which is enjoyable in its diverse musical settings.
thevoid99's Full Review: By the Way by Red Hot Chili Peppers
The success of 1999’s “Californication” album put the Red Hot Chili Peppers back on top after years of declining sales and drug abuse that nearly took the life of singer Anthony Keidis and guitarist John Frusciante who came back to the band after secluding himself through years of drug abuse. Rejuvenated by the success of “Californication”, the Los Angeles-based funk-rock icons sold millions of albums as the band found them filled with more hope and a bright future after years of darkness have almost clouded the band. After a successful tour, the band took a break where John Frusciante released a modestly successful solo album that drew critical acclaim. In 2002, the Chili Peppers returned to the music scene for their follow-up to “Californication” to a more mature and soothing approach they called “By The Way”.
“By The Way” in comparison to “Californication” is a much more subdued affair along with experimental approaches towards colorful synthesizer textures and psychedelic, melodic guitar textures. Gone from the band’s sound, that will upset some longtime hardcore fans, is the band’s fiery funk-rock sound that made the band icons and their album “Bloodsugarsexmagik” a masterpiece. The funk of the Peppers only appears at a minimum as the band are now at a different world that is miles away from the old-school funk-rock sound. New musical styles ranging from Latin rhythms to more atmospheric pop is the band’s new sound that matches the group’s introspective lyrics of love and happiness that is likely to put the band in the same level of another famed California band, the Beach Boys. The album in the length of sixty-nine minutes and with an overflow of psychedelic ballads and less up tempo songs might be upsetting for long time hardcore who enjoyed the band’s up tempo funk rock, but the album still contains standouts and diverse songs that makes “By The Way” another hit from the Peppers.
The album’s opener and first single is the funk-driven title track that starts out as a soft track as John Frusciante’s guitar as Anthony Keidis sings the chorus, “Standing in line to see the show tonight/And there’s a light on, heavy glow/By the way, I tried to say/I’d be there… waiting for/Dani the girl, is singing songs to me/Beneath the marquee…overload” as the song goes full-tilt into a heavy, funk-driven track led by the pounding rhythm of Chad Smith’s drums and Flea’s funky bass track as the song goes into a faster tempo as Anthony sings, “Steak knife, card shark, con job, boot cut” and then raps, “Skin that flick/She’s such a DJ/Get there quick/By street but the freeway/Turn that trick/To make a little leeway/Beat that nic/But not the way that we play/Dog town, blood bath, rib cage, soft tail” as it leads to its flourishing chorus that is followed by Flea’s bass-heavy bounce.
“Universally Speaking” is a crashing mid-tempo track with pounding rhythms and crashing, melodic guitar chords in a lush, psychedelic setting as Keidis sings, “I saw your face/Elegant and tired/Cut up from the chase/Still I so admired/Bloodshot your smile/Delicate and wild/Give me she-wolf style/Rip right thru me” that is followed by its powerful chorus of “Silveretta the jets of a lifetime/Go and get her, me got her on my mind/Nothing better the feeling is so pure/Simply put I saw your love stream flow/Come on baby, ‘cause there’s no name for/Give it up and I got what I came for/Universally speaking/Take it back and you make me nervous nothing better than love and service/Universally speaking/Win in the long row” as it is accompanied by a flourishing synthesizer track and when it’s sung the second time, a soothing string orchestra and Frusciante’s melodic guitar solo. “This Is The Place” is another mid-tempo track that features a thumping rhythm from the powerhouse team of Smith and Flea as Keidis returns to his junkie pass as he looks at the old junkie world he went to but with a much more wiser perspective of a person in sobriety as Frusciante brings in a psychedelic guitar track with melodic textures and an accompanying string orchestra.
“Dosed” is a smooth, psychedelic-flavored ballad with lush guitar tracks and Flea’s melodic bass hooks as Keidis sings, “I got dosed by you/Closer than most to you/What am I supposed to do/Take it away, I never had it anyway/Take it away and everything will be okay/In you, a star is born/You cut a perfect form/Someone forever warm/Lay on” as it is followed by a lovely chorus as the band sings, “Way upon the mountain, where she died/All I ever wanted was your life/Deep inside the cannon I can’t hide/All I ever wanted was your life” that is filled with ethereal melodies and smooth harmonies. “Don’t Forget Me” is a slow but powerful track led by Smith’s powerhouse drumming and Keidis’ airy vocals as he sings about being the subject of love as he is followed by Frusciante’s complex guitar textures that are mixed with melodic hooks and psychedelic riffs that shows his genius as Flea follows Frusicante with his melodic bass hooks. “The Zephyr Song” is a mid-tempo ballad that features a bouncing rhythm from Smith’s drums and Flea’s bass as Keidis sings his lyrics of love and happiness that is expressed in the chorus of “Fly away on the zephyr/I feel it more than ever/And in this perfect weather/We’ll find a place together/Fly on… my mind” that is followed by Frusciante’s melodic-filled guitar solo.
“Can’t Stop” is an up tempo track that opens up with a strong drum intro from Chad Smith as it is followed by Frusciante’s funk-driven guitar track as Keidis raps, “Can’t stop, addicted to this shindig/Cop top he said, I’m gonna win big/Choose not a life of mutation/Distant cousin of the reservation” as it is followed by the masterful slap-bass funk of Flea as the track then flourishes into a dream-pop filled chorus of “The world I love/The tears I drop/To be part of/The wave can’t stop/Ever wonder if it’s all for you/The world I love/The trains I hop/To be part of/The wave can’t stop/Come and tell me when it’s time to”. “I Could Die For You” is another love ballad that is led by Frusciante’s dream-filled guitar tracks as Keidis sings this soothing love ballad as it is followed by the atmospheric production of Rick Rubin and the bouncing rhythm of Smith and Flea. “Midnight” starts off with a strong string orchestra introduction as it is followed by ethereal productions from Rick Rubin as it is followed by Flea’s melodic bass hooks and Smith’s mid-tempo drumming as Keidis sings lyrics of nightlife and Mythological signs that is a sweet ballad proving the maturity of the Chili Peppers.
“Throw Away Your Television” opens up with Flea’s incessant, funk-driven bass slap and Smith’s pounding drumbeats as Keidis sings, “Throw away your television/Time to make this clean decision/Master waits for it’s collision now/It’s a repeat of a story told/It’s a repeat and it’s getting old” as it is followed by another verse and then a psychedelic-driven chorus of “Renegades with each gauges/Slay the plague for it’s contagious/Pull the plug and take the stages/Throw away your television now” that is followed by Frusciante’s psychedelic guitar tracks. “Cabron” is a Latin-filled track that features Spanish-driven guitar tracks from John Frusciante and thumping Latin rhythms from Smith and Flea as Keidis sings this ode to the Latin community based of East Los Angeles and its people in this fitting tribute that shows the diversity of the Peppers who are definitely a true California band. “Tear” is a blues-driven ballad led by blues-based organs and smooth rhythms that features soothing vocals from the Peppers in its smooth psychedelic setting and lyrics of heartbreak as it features a soothing melodic guitar solo from Frusciante and a horn solo from Flea.
“On Mercury” is a ska-based song with reggae guitar hooks and bouncing drumbeats from Chad Smith as Keidis sings this California-inspired song that features luscious harmonies that harkens the vocals of another famed California band, the Beach Boys that also features ska-based horns that features a smooth chorus of “Memories of everything/Of lemon trees on Mercury/Come to me with remedies/From five or six of seven seas/You always took me with a smile/When I was down”. “Minor Thing” is a mid-tempo track with flourishing guitar tracks and rhythms as Keidis sings with the band following him vocally as he raps, “You’ve got your bit part, Mozart/Hot dart acceleration/Pop art, pistol chasin’/Cat fight, intimidation” as he is followed by Flea’s powerful bass hooks and Frusciante’s psychedelic guitar tracks along with a closing and spacey synthesizer track.
“Warm Tape” is another synthesizer-filled track that opens up with eerie synthesizers and Flea’s smooth bass tracks as Keidis sings psychedelic lyrics of the California lifestyle that then turns into a more guitar-based track in its chorus and returns to its synthesizer-based track that shows the Chili Peppers emphasizing on new techniques rather than the old-school funk that gave them their drive. “Venice Queen” starts out as a slow-based, psychedelic ballad that features atmospheric guitar tracks and soft rhythms as Keidis sings, “Does it go from east to west/Body free and a body less/Come again jut to start afresh/Once again to find a home/In the moment of the meantime”. After a more verses the described a woman from Venice that features a flourishing guitar track from Frusciante as well as Flea’s thumping bass track, the track then turns into a raging acoustic-based track as Smith’s drums pick up the tempo as Keidis sings, “We all want to tell her/Tell her that we love her/Venice gets a queen/Best I ever seen/We all want to kiss her/Tell her that wee miss her/Venice gets a queen/Best I ever seen” that is followed by an ode to the Them classic “Gloria” that spells out the name where it goes “G-L-O-R-I-A/Is love my friend”.
Though some might feel the Chili Peppers lost their edge through their number of ballads and its lack of up-tempo funk, “By The Way” is an excellent and mature effort from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The Funky Monks of the past have now grown to men that are exploring different emotions and optimism that is years away from their days of decadence and rage. Though some will feel that the number of ballads and the album’s length at sixty-nine minutes maybe too much for some, it’s still an enjoyable album from the Chili Peppers but if they’re going to make another one, they better put less ballads and more up-tempo tunes at a rate of fifty minutes.
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