Review Summary: It's status quo for RHCP.
Once upon a time in Los Angeles, there were the Red Hot Chili Peppers. They created a few decent albums, really got the vibe going with
The Uplift Mofo Party Plan, and then their beloved guitarist Hillel Slovak died. Drummer Jack Irons can’t take the loss and calls it quits. Luckily, bassist Flea and vocalist Anthony Kiedis push on, getting acquainted with a 19-year-old guitar prodigy John Frusciante and skilled drummer Chad Smith. Their formation is stronger than ever before, and soon, they go on to create their two finest crafts yet,
Mother's Milk and
Blood Sugar Sex Magik. Frusciante, however, is riddled by addiction and can’t take the toll of fame acquired with said albums. He departs, leaving Flea, Kiedis and Smith in search of a replacement, which they eventually find in Dave Navarro. The new group records a disappointing follow-up,
One Hot Minute, and it isn’t long before Navarro makes a getaway. 4 years later, Frusciante has faced his addiction and gained a new outlook on life, and the band reunites, recording one of their best albums,
Californication, with a more accessible sound. That was at the end of the 90’s. In the following decade, the band records an even more poppy album,
By The Way, nevertheless of great quality. But after that, would they continue living happily ever after?
The answer is both yes and no. Red Hot Chili Peppers embark on their most ambitious project yet: a double album. It is their ninth work, entitled
Stadium Arcadium, and contains an amount of 28 songs. It is widely praised, winning a Grammy, cited as mixing all the band’s styles to a good extent, and sells well to top all that. Despite success, the band members enter a hiatus after touring, tired from their non-stop work since the late 90’s. On the verge of starting up the engine yet again, however, something unexpected happens. For the second time, Frusciante quits, in order to focus more on his solo career. It leaves the Peppers in a difficult position regarding their tenth album, although the words of Smith have told us not to worry. A tenth album will come, but one without John.
For now, it is time to look back on the most recent
Stadium Arcadium. Is it a great record? Yes, in fact it is. Are all the positive claims made about it true? No, they aren’t. The ninth Peppers album finds the foursome moving into some sort of comfort zone. They have mastered their newer sound, and with it, they have created a great, although long listen of two hours.
Stadium Arcadium is however not barred by its length at all. Never does in venture into
real aggression, á la
Nobody Weird Like Me or
Parallel Universe. Popular single
Dani Californica (of which most have probably seen the fantastic music video), for example, carries one of the heaviest choruses on the album, and was an excellent choice for a lead single. Looking back, however, the track is actually quite mellow compared to the band’s older material.
Stadium Arcadium hasn’t necessarily got even poppier from
By The Way, but it is certainly equally mellow. Even obvious attempts to make energetic tracks, such as
Hump de Bump (nicely accentuated by Flea's trumpet playing), are less effective than the mellow material. For a great deal, this is due to the rather flat production, which actually does a very acceptable job for the majority of the album, but not for the tracks that try to put in some vigour. The only exception is perhaps
Storm in a Teacup, the only track that
really revisits the good old times, and is therefore powerful enough to punch through.
Apart from that, the only thing about this album that drags it down a bit a bit is that it doesn’t really carry any
real classics for the boys. Almost all previous records had at least one very outstanding noteworthy track. But perhaps, it suits
Stadium Arcadium. You put it on, sit back, and you’re in for a very relaxing, and certainly rewarding listen. There is enough material on here to be enjoyed, but don’t expect yourself thinking about all the awesome classics on this. They shan’t be found. Nevertheless, for all the criticism you might be able to give
Stadium Arcadium, it also makes itself another unique entry in this band’s rewarding discograpy, and possibly the last with Frusciante. Treasure it even if it is for that fact alone.
Stadium Arcadium’s Red Hot Chili Peppers were:
- Anthony Kiedis ~ Lead Vocals
- Michael Peter ‘Flea’ Balzary ~ Bass Guitar, Trumpet, Keyboards
- John Anthony Frusciante ~ Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals
- Chad Gaylord Smith ~ Drums, Percussion
THE END
