Illegal Foreign Object

On the heels of Mother’s Milk, the Red Hot Chili Peppers were desperate to try something different. The album, then the band’s most successful commercially, was fraught with infighting between the band (some of whom felt stifled creatively) and producer Michael Beinhorn (who wanted a more “radio-friendly” sound for what would be the band’s last album with EMI). With singer Anthony Kiedis running point for the band, the band decided they wanted a change. Despite selling more than one million copies of Mother’s Milk in the U.S., the band’s international tour was less than stellar. In Anthony’s view, EMI’s reach wasn’t big enough to take the Peppers to the next level. “We’re huge in the States, and it’s frustrating and confusing that no one knows who we are here.”

The band’s frustration led to multiple dalliances with major record labels, including Epic Records (with whom the band decided to sign after it agreed to buy out their contract from EMI). Unfortunately (for Epic, anyway), a week dragged into months with no buyout. Concerned they would get stuck making another record for EMI, the band re-opened negotiations with other labels. Anthony, remembering how gracious record executive Mo Ostin had been when his label, Warner Bros., came up short against Epic, steered the band back in his direction. Calling Ostin “the coolest, most real person we had met during all these negotiations,” Anthony and the band dropped the Epic deal and signed with Warner Bros. Records. With the Peppers under contract, Ostin contacted an executive at EMI, who promptly approved the band’s label transfer.

Now under the Warner Bros. umbrella, the Peppers landed god-level producer Rick Rubin (who suggested the band record the album in Harry Houdini’s house in L.A.) and got to work on what would prove to be the pinnacle of the band’s creative output. The band had previously tried to get Rubin to produce The Uplift Mofo Party Plan album, but Rubin had bristled at the idea after hearing about how deep into the drug culture the band was in ’87. Now a cleaner and more sober bunch (for a while, at least), Rubin jumped on board and pushed the band into uncharted musical waters. The sessions, captured in the documentary Funky Monks (filmed by Flea’s then brother-in-law), were some of the most magical in the history of music.

We all know the smash hits “Give It Away”, “Breaking The Girl”, “Suck My Kiss”, and the inescapable “Under The Bridge” (a song that almost didn’t exist because Anthony Kiedis thought the lyrics were “too soft”), but the Blood Sugar Sex Magik sessions were far more than the singles born of it.

Flea (who, for this album, eschewed most of his “slappity slappity” bass playing in favor of a more groove-based style) and Chad Smith, presumably more comfortable with an album and world tour under their belts, tag-teamed the low end, laying down slabs of slick-but-filthy funk rock. The pair were in lockstep throughout.

Guitarist John Frusciante, ever the walking abstract painting, plugged in and wailed atop the perpetual groove monster, unleashing lick after interesting lick. He’s the quietest member, but good god, did he make a helluva beautiful Hendrix-meets-Marr-meets-Page-meets-Hazel noise on Blood Sugar Sex Magik.

Anthony, free from heading up the business side of things, put the cherry on top by churning out an endless stream of clever-but-silly, sexy-but-sinister lyrics that perfectly captured the band’s vibe during that time. He still catches flak because of his vocal (in)abilities, but his wordplay mixed with an undeniably odd animal magnetism, gave Blood Sugar Sex Magik the extra push it needed to the top of the rock world. Say what you will about his vocals — he’s one of the biggest, most successful frontmen in music history.

The Chili Peppers spent a month working and recording in the Houdini house. Anthony, Flea, John, and several members of the recording staff lived in the house. When they weren’t working on Blood Sugar Sex Magik, Frusciante spent much of his time painting and working on songs that would ultimately see the light of day as Niandra LaDes and Usually Just a T-Shirt, a solo album he released in 1994. These were happy, creative times for the band. “When we made Blood Sugar Sex Magik we spent a lot of time jamming—every day, for hours and hours,” said Flea. “I remember Anthony went off and made a movie, and for a long time it was just me, John, and Chad, and we’d just go in there and play. Me and John were hitting the bong and we just rocked and grooved forever. It was the first time we went in to make a record where there wasn’t this feeling of being intimidated by what was going to happen.”

It would all unravel during the subsequent tour. John couldn’t deal with superstardom, picked up heroin and cocaine habits, became sullen and argumentative, and left the band mid-tour. Anthony became an egomaniacal ass and fell back into heroin. Flea was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome and ordered to take a year off the road. The band never again recaptured the same magic of those Harry Houdini sessions, despite various reunions and several multi-platinum plaques. It happens, but for whatever negativity born out of the album exploding as it did, the impact it had on me and millions of others cannot be minimized by what followed. It is a perfect record — a shining example of a band at a creative apex and firing on all cylinders. For that moment — that space and time — they were the funkiest, greatest band on planet Earth.

Track List:

1. The Power Of Equality 10/10
2. If You Have To Ask 10/10
3. Breaking The Girl 10/10
4. Funky Monks 10/10
5. Suck My Kiss 10/10
6. I Could Have Lied 10/10
7. Mellowship Slinky In B Major 10/10
8. The Righteous & The Wicked 10/10
9. Give It Away 10/10
10. Blood Sugar Sex Magik 10/10
11. Under The Bridge 10/10
12. Naked In The Rain 10/10
13. Apache Rose Peacock 10/10
14. The Greeting Song 9/10
15. My Lovely Man 9/10
16. Sir Psycho Sexy 10/10
17. They’re Red Hot (Robert Johnson Cover) 8/10
18. Little Miss Lover (Jimi Hendrix Cover)* 8/10
19. Castles Made Of Sand (Jimi Hendrix Cover)* 9/10
20. Soul To Squeeze 10/10
21. Search And Destroy (The Stooges Cover)* 10/10
22. Sikamikanico* 9/10
23. Fela’s Cock* 8/10

Grade: 96

*Bonus tracks from the Blood Sugar Sex Magik sessions that were included on soundtracks, singles, and deluxe editions.