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Red Hot Chili Peppers
- By The Way
[1] By The
Way
[2] Universally
Speaking
[3] This
Is The Place
[4] Dosed
[5] Don't
Forget Me
[6] Zephyr
Song, The
[7] Can't
Stop
[8] I Could
Die For You
[9] Midnight
[10] Throw
Away Your Television
[11] Cabron
[12] Tear
[13] On Mercury
[14] Minor
Thing
[15] Warm
Tape
[16] Venice
Queen
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| It’s
only been half a decade since they were on the verge of destruction
- another one of rock and roll’s victims. Cleaning up their
act after the release of the critically mauled 'One Hot Minute',
the Chili Peppers transformed to megastar status with the brilliant
'Californication'. In some ways, the Chili Peppers' cult-like devoted
fans of old felt “let down” by the apparent acceptance
of the mainstream. The words "sold" and "out"
were often used in the same sentence. But let’s get one thing
straight - have the Chilis mellowed with age? Yes. Have they lost
it? You have to be joking. |
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The
band seems to have reached a compromise in this album - both with their
fans and with the commercial key to mega stardom - "pop" .
Their fans of old will feel right at home as soon as the album starts
with its title track, a funk/rap metal song filled with the usual Chili
Pepper passion, yet maintaining a melodic and rhythmical verse structure,
combined with a bass heavy rap-fuelled "best way to start a gig"
chorus. Track 7 is another that hardcore fans will find familiar. 'Can't
Stop' is a brilliant rap metal, melodic chorus song, with a guitar riff
that will make any red blooded male want to learn to play one. If emotion
was bottled and injected into a song, it would sound like this. It's
a sublime sing-along song, really.
'By The
Way' also has the Chili Pepper staple "mega ballad"
in evidence and quantity (think 'Under The Bridge', 'Californication',
'Scar Tissue'), not to mention quality - 'This Is The Place',
'Don't Forget Me' and 'Midnight' all give evidence of the progression
of the Chili Peppers' ability as excellent song smiths, rather
than the blokes that wore socks on their willies, as they were
previously known. They also seem to have developed a separate
breed of their trademark ballads - ones with added sweetness.
The tracks 'Dosed', 'Universally Speaking', 'I Could Die For You'
and 'Tear' all provide a welcome contrast to the aforementioned
few, that rather than clash, compliment. They all show an astounding
songwriting ability within the band that would have been unthinkable
several years ago.
There are
of course as one would expect, and what their fans are dreading,
examples of a new pop style developing with the band shown on
the album- 'Minor Thing', 'On Mercury' and 'Zephyr Song' certainly
show a more commercially acceptable and popular style, but to
their credit, they have no less of the Chili Pepper spirit and
passion that any other classic song by the band has. They are
all songs that the band will not and certainly should not be ashamed
of. |
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'Throw
Away Your Television' provides the compulsory Chili Pepper "joke"
song, yet it’s actually rather good. 'Cabron' is a dip into the
world of a Spanish salsa style of song that takes to the Chili Peppers'
addition of funk very well. 'By The Way' finishes with an ambient wind
down, in the form of 'Venice Queen' that has an ambient harmony quality
to it, and is a great end to a great album.
While 'By The Way' may feature a maturity of a twenty year old former
cult band, it's a maturity previously only shown by fine wine and Kylie
Minogue. Every element of the band balances perfectly - Flea's bass
compliments Frusciante's sharp and biting yet smooth when necessary
guitar ring - blending into the background when required and taking
the edge when called upon, it is a battle between the two of them constantly,
but it's perfectly choreographed - it's West Side Story without the
camp. Somewhat unusual for the style of band that they are, drummer
Chad Smith never takes his playing to what some would call "overboard"
and instead shows great awareness of the music going on around him,
rather than blindly making holes in his instrument. Singer Anthony Kiedis
shows an astonishingly wide vocal range and ability, again unthinkable
several years ago on albums like, brilliant though they were, 'Blood
Sugar Sex Magik' and 'Mother's Milk'. 'By The Way' shows a great balance
in their music, perhaps only achievable now they have reached a balance
in their lives. While they may be entering many different new, some
would say commercially acceptable, styles; they approach everything
with their desire to innovate and with the classic Chili Pepper funk.
And that funk has never sounded better.
Alex
Tamosius
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