Aahhh, the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Like most other people my age, I was introduced to them via their 1998 album,
Californication. I liked what I heard from that album, and when in a local record store, I saw
What Hits!? for only eight dollars. Thinking it would be more of the mainstream rock I liked at the time, I bought it. At first, I was disappointed. It had some songs I had heard (
Behind the Sun and
Under the Bridge), but the rest quite shocked me. It was, well, perhaps the funkiest stuff I had heard in a long time. Slap bass and funk guitar riffs permeated an album I expected to be full of the relatively bland, conventional stuff I was used to. Disgusted, I put it in the bottom of my pile of CD's.
A couple months later, I had started playing guitar, and was going through some CD's I never listened to very often. Having put in
What Hits!?, I was amazed at the musical abilities of Flea and the numerous guitarists on the album. Though I wasn't (and still am not) really a fan of funk, I still find this to be a great album to listen to. It covers the early Chili Pepper period until right after
Blood Sugar Sex Magic was released. There are numerous covers, as well as quintessential early Chili Peppers tracks such as
Fight Like a Brave,
Me & My Friends,
True Men don't Kill Coyotes, and others.
One thing that amazes me is the raw energy behind almost all of the songs. There's a blend of funk and hard rock all over the album. For example,
Backwoods starts with a heavy, distorted, almost punk-like riff. Then, Flea enters with his signature slap/pop bass style.
Me & My Friends blends funk, rock, and even rap. Then, there is the ubiquitous
Under the Bridge, a song about drugs and the problem the band has had with them through the years. The rest of the tracks are solid, as well. It is a great sampling for someone looking to hear the most important songs of the band's early period.
In addition to the original songs, there are three covers on the album. The album opener is a cover of Steevie Wonder's
Higher Ground. Starting off with a classic bass line, the song quickly drops into the Peppers' usual formula of nice, chunky guitar riffs and funk backing instruments.
Fire is a cover of the Jimi Hendrix song. It seems like it's done at double speed, but it somehow works out in the end. I actually like it better than the original. The last cover is of The Meters'
Hollywood. One of the closest to true funk songs on the album, it features almost a gospel-sounding chior and a horn section.
As I said before, this album is a great sampling of the early Chili Peppers' career. All in all, the general sound could be described as funk that has essentially been injected with steroids and then lit on fire for good measure. And I mean that in a good way. However, this isn't necessarily for people who were turned on to the Chili Peppers by albums like
One Hot Minute or
Californication. Though an excellent album, it is quite different from the type of music they have recently released. Still, the musicianship, overall sound, and lack of any truly weak tracks leads me to give this album a 4/5.
Pros:
Different sound from today's Chili Peppers
Great musicianship
Usually a good buy
Great way to be introduced to the early Peppers' material
Long Track List
Cons:
Different sound from today's Chili Peppers
May seem a bit disjointed at times
Sound isn't for everyone
Recommended Tracks:
Fight Like a Brave
Behimd The Sun
True Men Don't Kill Coyotes
Under the Bridge
Taste the Pain
My Personal Favorites:
Higher Ground
Backwoods
Fire
Knock Me Down
The Brothers Cup
Johnny, Kick a Hole in the Sky
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