Review Summary: RHCP's 4th studio album and their first featuring guitarist John Frusciante and drummer Chad Smith.
I always used to ignore this album, thinking it would just be mediocre. One day I decided to take a chance and put it on my Mp3 player and give it a listen and I'm glad I took that chance. This is an overlooked RHCP album, if you like them and don't have this album..go get it.
The first thing you will notice about this album is the bass. Many of the songs start out with a funky, slap/pop bass intro from Flea. Combine this with Anthony's hip-hop like vocals, the masterful guitar work of a very young John Frusciante, and drummer Chad Smith's rhythms that seem to always fit in perfectly..and you have one insane album.
Mother's Milk starts out with "Good Time Boys", which features a simple, but standout bass intro from Flea with some light guitar work in the back. You then hear the amazing sounds that Frusciante is able to produce. Although sometimes a little repetative you have to give him some credit for being on par with the rest of this band at the age of 19. "Good Time Boys" is a very catchy opener to his album and will leave you craving more. The next track I recognized instantly from the lyrics. "People keep on learnin" and "Preachers keep on preachin". I had heard this somewhere before, but not by this band. I then remembered my brother used to always play this song off of one of his Stevie Wonder records. While the Wonder version of this song, "Higher Ground", is by no means bad, I like the Red Hot Chili Peppers version much more. It starts off with a very catchy bass riff by Flea that is sure to remain stuck in your head for awhile, provoking you to hear it again. Every musical aspect of this song is amazing and I can't pick out a dull moment. I listened to this atleast five times before I could move on to the next track. Whatever you do, do not skip this!
"Subway to Venus" is completely different from the first two songs. It comes in with a funky, upbeat guitar riff followed by the bass and a brass section. This song reminds me a lot of the "Freaky Styley" album, which was straight-out funk like this track is. This is definitely another highlight of the album and I guarantee it will put you in a great mood. This next track definitely caught me off guard. "Magic Johnson" (a reference to the basketball player, and what the whole song is about). Listening to this, you will really get the feeling that this was made for fun with its lyrics being sung in a cheerleading-like, chanting fashion. This gets really repetative and boring about halfway through, and does not contribute a whole lot to the album. Finally, track number five, my favorite song on the album.."Nobody Weird Like Me". It kicks off with a very, very fast bass intro from Flea and kicks into the main riff at a fast-pace also. All of a sudden, it slows down completely for the chorus:
"Bust my britches
Bless my soul
I'm a freak of nature
Walking totem pole
Look and see I think you'll agree
Nobody weird like me.."
Catching you off guard, it speeds up into the main riff again. "Nobody Weird Like Me" is a very energetic song that you will find yourself listening to over and over again. "Knock Me Down" is the first song I heard off of this album. This song was written in reference to the tragic death of former guitarist, Hillel Slovak (whom Frusciante replaced). This features some of the best song writing on the album. The vocal work is also very good with female harmonics going on in the background at some points. One of the best songs on the album, and really sends out a message. "Taste the Pain" is the only song on the album that I have trouble listening to the whole way through. The vocals and instrumentals lack in my opinion, but it is still a respectable track, and I usually fight my urges to skip to the next song before this is over. The next song, "Stone Cold Bush" is probably my least favorite track on Mother's Milk. The vocals are the main thing that bothers me, but I try to look past that as the instrumentals are outstanding. Chad Smith's drumming is evident, as is Flea, and Frusciante has a very decent solo in the middle of it. "Fire" is the 2nd cover on the album, this time by Jimi Hendrix. This obviously lacks in comparison to Hendrix's version. It is sped up, and Frusciante is certainly no Jimi Hendrix, but still does an excellent job, busting out a few short gut-wrenching solos.
Before hearing "Pretty Little Ditty" I was not aware of any instrumental Red Hot Chili Peppers tracks. Although, this might be considered by some as more of a filler, I still enjoy this. It clocks in at just over a minute and a half and has some nice guitar work and the horns are ever-present. The next song "Punk Rock Classic" is an obvious ode to the basic punk rock song. A simple, fast guitar riff and matching indecipherable lyrics with a short guitar solo near the end before Frusciante randomly breaks into "Sweet Child O' Mine" by Guns N Roses and it ends. "Sexy Mexican Maid" is one of the songs on here that I didn't like at first. However, listening to this constantly eventually changed my mind and I now find it to be a very fun listen. This has a sort of jazz feel to it with saxophones coming in at times. Although I could understand why some people would disregard this song, I really enjoy it. The final song, "Johnny, Kick A Hole In the Sky" is the perfect closer to this album. This really shows the chemistry between all four members of the band and shows that they are capable of creating some kick ass songs.
I find it very hard to point out any major flaws in this album. Frusciante, Flea, and Smith are all amazing musicians and merge together to create perfection. Kiedis tops it all off with his unique vocal style. Therefore, I rate this album a 5/5.
To get started:
Higher Ground
Nobody Weird Like Me
Knock Me Down
Subway to Venus
Johnny, Kick A Hole In the Sky
