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75. 'By The Way' - Red Hot Chili Peppers (2002)
66 Plays5 months ago
Following the success of ‘Californication’ and its corresponding world tour, the Red Hot Chili Peppers were in a good space when they began writing ‘By The Way’. John Frusciante was said to be back to his normal self and brimming with confidence as he co-wrote and collaborated with Anthony Kiedis.
‘By The Way’ took a more accessible approach containing a lot more musical diversity than the Chili’s previous releases - departing from that heavy funk sound in favour of a more melodic and produced approach with lots of emphasis on guitar work and vocal harmonies. The versatility and willingness to try out new styles opened them up to a much wider audience and cemented their legacy as one of the world’s leading Rock bands at the start of the 2000s. Joining me to discuss…
Episode Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3MV7vUpCPgrBfKUAV9cez6?si=6100f225e7a648e4
LONG LIVE ROCK ‘N’ ROLL
#RHCP #ByTheWay #RedHotChiliPeppers #Flea #ChadSmith #JohnFrusciante #AnthonyKiedis #Funk #Rock #FunkRock #AltRock
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Transcript
Introduction and Podcast Overview
00:00:13
Speaker
Hello and welcome back to the Long Live Rock and Roll Podcast.
Chili Peppers' Post-Californication Era
00:00:17
Speaker
Following the success of Californication and its corresponding world tour, the Red Hot Chili Peppers were in a good space when they began writing By The Way. John Frisianti was said to be back to his normal self and brimming with confidence as he co-wrote and collaborated with Anthony Kiedis. By The Way took a more accessible approach, containing a lot more musical diversity than the Chili's previous releases. departing from that heavy funk sound in favour of a more melodic and produced approach with lots of emphasis on guitar work and vocal harmonies.
Felipe Amorim Joins Discussion
00:00:46
Speaker
The versatility and willingness to try out new styles opened them up to a much wider audience and cemented their legacy as one of the world's leading rock bands at the start of the 2000s. Joining me to discuss this monumental album is my co-host Mr Felipe Amorim. How you doing, bro? Doing great, man. Hope you're doing alright.
00:01:04
Speaker
Yeah all good here and just a reminder to viewers and listeners please if you haven't yet done so please like and subscribe if you're watching on YouTube and if you're listening go down and give us a review on the podcast we're doing at the start of the episode now because we're not really seeing many reviews maybe because some of you when you when you hear us say goodbye or right let's start wrapping up you you you turn off so we're trying to get you now so please do us a favor give us a review on the um on The apple or Spotify reviews for the podcast and if you're watching on YouTube give us a like and subscribe to stay up to date with our content um So yeah, where do we start?
Choosing By The Way: Album Significance
00:01:36
Speaker
I mean I chose this album I kind of felt like you know, the chilies are one of those bands that everyone knows um and they've got a definitive sound which is ironic because now what I know about this album which kind of veers away from their definitive sound and I thought it'd be interesting to at least do one album of theirs, but you know, 75 episodes in now. um I think the obvious one would have been like Blood Sugar Sex Magic, Californication, Stadium Arcadian, but we're not all about just grabbing the most obvious one. We're trying to look into like some of the gems as well by these artists. So what's your initial impression of the album? Well, my initial impression was years ago when the album was released. You were just a baby, weren't you? i was I was seven. Yeah.
00:02:20
Speaker
so So if you were seven, I was 17, so not quite the baby. um So um when the album came out...
Frusciante's Creative Influence
00:02:29
Speaker
I was really impressed because I wasn't into the Red Hot Chili Peppers at all, I must confess. no I think I didn't like the vocal style at the time, which I can appreciate now. Maybe when you get older you start liking more stuff, I don't know. But back in the day, um I thought the vocals were much more like leaning towards hip-hop and rap than than rock music or there was just like less melody to it.
00:02:54
Speaker
prior to this album.
Rick Rubin's Production Impact
00:02:57
Speaker
Yeah and I was really into it and the opening track and his album was already like really melodic and there's a bit of the the old old school Red Hotchfield Peppers as well but as soon as I've heard the first ah melody from the first track I was like oh this is actually good and was in a we went away for a weekend meet at and and a bunch of friends spending the weekend together. It was a really nice place with a swimming pool and everyone brought their CDs. CDs, right? There's no spot for that. And this this mate of mine brought, by the way, and he played it and I was like, my God, can I just listen to it again? And I think I was listening to the album for the fourth time. And I said, you know what, I'm going to go home, sell all my CDs and buy all of it. And by the way, I just want
00:03:43
Speaker
thought i own I want to yeah want to have 50 copies of this album. I really, really dig it at the time. So it's just, a I don't know. I didn't know you had that connection with it. It's nice. i Yeah, it does. So if I had to pick one of the albums, this would be the one. So I'm actually impressed that was your choice. Yeah. Brilliant. Brilliant. I mean, so as usual, just give you some quick five facts. um So the album was released in July 9th, 2002, recorded between November 2001 and May 2002. at the Cello and Chateau studio in l LA. ah The genres, and now we'll touch on this a bit later, it can be classed as alt rock, like alternative rock, funk rock or just rock. ah Some have also said pop rock. um It comes in at one hour and eight minutes long and was released by Warner Bros label and the producer was Rick Rubin and the singles released were, by the way, the Zephyr song, Can't Stop, Dost and University Speaking.
00:04:37
Speaker
um Where do you want to start? Do you want to go into any particular topic? level yeah yeah Well, there's one thing I want to say about it um in terms of the style, because I think what difference one band member makes, isn't it? So John Frasianti was back to the band. They did one album with him again. and And the other band members claimed that he was the biggest creative force in the band at the time. At the time they did his album and they credit him ah to most of the success of the album. So I think it's... yeah it's fair to say he he really changed the band and brought new life to them and it's fair to say his vocal harmonies and guitar playing is they are probably the key elements of the album and i would say this that's that's an out it's not a one-man album it's a band album is there's a lot of collaboration a lot of band spirit in it but for siante is the soul of this album in my opinion
00:05:39
Speaker
Yeah, that's a great by the producer. Here's another point. Rick Rubin is a phenomenal producer. He's a guy who captures that spirit of the band and makes them sound more like themselves. And if you read his book is totally into the spiritual side of music, and how you can find your creativity inside yourself, you don't need much you don't need um not even too much technique or whatever, you need to look into yourself and find your own reasons to create and I think he managed to get a lot of it out of out of the musicians in the band and he is also a big part of it because any album he is involved with is is great.
00:06:15
Speaker
Yeah, he's a bit of a master, isn't he? yeah I mean, so I actually, but both things you've touched on, Frushanti and production, I want to talk about in terms of like little sections. So let's start off with Frushanti, but you be touched on most of it. What he bought, I mean, this is the part I love, okay? Frushanti himself stated that, by the way, was one of the happiest periods of his life. so That that writing, that writing um yeah read time for him yeah um was just, and I think you can tell because the album, I don't wanna, like, I don't wanna go into too many different sections here, but lyrically, the album is quite deep. Anthony Key just wrote most of the lyrics, and it's a bit of an introspective look at life. There's themes of addiction, love, relationships, all this kind of stuff. But despite the heaviness of some of the lyrics, it's quite a happy album. Do you know what I mean? Like you said, you and your mates were listening to it, chilling by a pool. My point is, is it's not a, I was the guy,
00:07:14
Speaker
Leonard Cohen. It's like a Leonard Cohen album where it's all really dark and depressing. you know It's a happy album. You can put it on and you can enjoy yourself. and i think you know a large part of that yeah so so my point is is that it's reflected you know he was happy writing it and the album sounds happy i don't think that's a coincidence well i think i think his his stake on on the um on the dark subject like uh drug abuse and death and all the all the all the negative things he's talking about he's approaching under a um positive
00:07:48
Speaker
point of view which which basically I've been through all of that and I'm still here yeah I think his I think uh his point is more like listen I've done a lot of bad stuff but I'm still alive and being alive is great and I want to create I want to talk about those things yeah and I think yeah and I think and um and I think they were happy to be together again as a band and creating and and making and playing so well yeah all the stuff they were listening to like uh for shanty was listening to a lot of Beatles beach boys and doo-wop music Any reflects on the sound. Makes sense, yeah. And and this album has often been compared, not not in them in legacy terms,
Vocal Harmonies and Sound Evolution
00:08:24
Speaker
but in... in
00:08:26
Speaker
in harmonic and musical and textural approach to Pet Sounds by Beach Boys, which we did, didn't we? use Episode 60 in the 60s. And I think you can hear it. And that there's there's two albums that we've done previously that i'd I'd link this to Pet Sounds because of the layers and the intricacy and also U2 because of how intricate his guitar ring is. Yeah. You might hear the intro of a song and you just hear, you know, layers upon layers of guitars that um just sort of build and add another texture, another layer to itself. And I think it really works nicely and it does kind of give that big ambiance to the so to the to the album. It gives sort of like an electronic effects to it. It makes it feel 2000s, but it doesn't draw away from the chili pepper sound.
00:09:14
Speaker
No it doesn't and and again yeah because I think well they have their their sound. I think what keeps the band together in terms of um keeping the original sort of feel is ah is' probably bass and drums isn't it? Cause that day was still funky. They are like the, the funkiest rock rhythm section ever. So though Transmith and Flea, they were playing the same way they always played. That's, that's what I, maybe Flea doesn't overplay much in this album as he normally does. And I'll say, I mean, i'm um I'm not even saying it in a bad way, but there's a lot of, there's a lot going on in the bass. Well, the bass is, probably yeah, it's prominent. It's, it's, it's almost the lead instrument in some of their songs. And whereas here he does sort of take that bass player a role, doesn't he?
00:10:01
Speaker
Yeah, I don't know if you want. Yeah, exactly. He goes into the more like, I need to play whatever the guitar and the the drums need from it. But I think as well, the bass is still the the heaviest instrument on the band and and and in ah in a certain way. Because for Ashanta's guitar, his guitar tone and his effects and stuff, it's like it's not like a thick guitar sound, doesn't it? No, it's the opposite. Yeah, yeah exactly. It's so clean. It's almost like I don't know. well we've We talked about Mark Knopfler in the previous episode. It's more like that kind of tone for a musical genre that you would normally expect something heavier. But he's really good at ah building the layers and making it sound as as as deep as it has to sound. So the other thing he did, as I said in the intro, was that he worked really closely with Anthony Kiedis and they were kind of were really enjoying each other's company. And I think you hear that.
00:10:58
Speaker
most prominently in the vocal harmonies because I don't know if I've heard an album that is as reliant on vocal harmonies as this and when I say reliant I don't mean it's the best thing and if it didn't have the harmonies it would be rubbish but it really does make it and it feels like you know that the more I always looked at Chili Peppers as a full band which obviously they are but as you've said Flea and Chad Smith kind of took more of a backseat in terms of who's most important on this album. They still did their job brilliantly. Flea still has some incredible bass lines. Chad Smith grooves brilliantly on most songs. But the highlights of the album for me are the vocals, the vocal harmonies and the guitar work. And there are so many vocal harmonies, aren't there? You know, when you think of normal, and when you think of a normal pop rock band, they might just put harmonies in the chorus, but you get them all throughout. And the thing that I think is really important is how interesting and how
00:11:55
Speaker
musically <unk> say complicated or technical they are they're not normal put it that way it's not just sort of for for for listeners a bit of music theory normally i say normally you know generally if you're if you're doing writing a pop song and you want a harmony um you might just play a third up it's a musical term an interval of a third up and sing that line the same here it's very unusual it's very different texturally And sometimes the melodies don't even follow the same way. I've heard one where Frushanti swells into a note. he I can't remember the song, so I won't try and emulate it, but... He is a phenomenal singer. Kedis is on a note, and Frushanti goes... And you guys like ah he like... joins the harmony halfway through the beat. It's really unusual, but it all works.
00:12:46
Speaker
Exactly. And I think if you're a lead singer in the band and you have a guitarist who can sing that well, that really pushes you, doesn't it? yeah It makes you more creative. If you're yeah you're not the only singer in the band and you have someone who can can help you with the harmonies, also make make you think um think about different melodies and different different paths that you can take with your voice. And I think that's another important role ah that that firstta plays in the album yeah I think there's there's one thing he said about his guitar playing before californication. He was also coming back from you know ah drug addiction and all this stuff and he said that his guitar playing was an all-time low. His guitar technique during californication.
00:13:32
Speaker
So as musicians we know what do you do when you when your technique's not there? You try to find the most creative solutions for the songs you have to play. So in Carl Fornication he was all about creating with, ah let's put it, less tools about fewer tools available because he he wasn't he wasn't um you know capable of playing what he normally plays he said he was into Jimi Hendrix but he couldn't play Jimi Hendrix at that time specifically so his technique was like literally going down you could he achieve the same sound and the same um ah phrasing on guitar that he could use before that so he started taking influences from more like simple kind of music but and then he started thinking creatively and I think probably what happened that's what one thing he doesn't
00:14:19
Speaker
say because ah there was ah something he said before. yeah By the way, when they when they got to the point they started doing, by the way, he already toured with the band for a certain period of time. yeah His technique was probably back in in in good shape. And I think now he has that creative
Experimentation with Keyboards and Effects
00:14:37
Speaker
mind working in his favor and he's got um his technique, yeah you know, probably at his best. And I think, like you said, when, when Frushanti got back to his normal self and he's got, you know, I think the quote was brimming with confidence. um Having someone like Rick Rubin there, allowing the band the creative freedom to just do as they see fit and just to give them the space. You know, I heard him talk about his interviews. He was on a Joe Rogan show, wasn't he? when he um he was talking about System of a Down when they wrote Chop Suey. And just in general, his general production his general attitude to production. And it's always just, as you said at the start, allowing the band to express their own ideas the way they feel and not trying to limit them. So with that in mind, I mean, let's give Rick Rubin some credit because he has produced quite a few Chili Peppers albums. But for this one, Rick Rubin in general, he's known as a producer, apart from what we've both just said, the clarity and the balance
00:15:35
Speaker
in his mixes are always incredible. um He knows where to highlight certain things. Song to song, he might, yeah yeah on a certain song, let's just look, maybe like, um which one was it? ah Throw away your television. The bass is much more powerful and aggressive than in, I don't know, let's pick it any, said the Zephyr song. One of those more poppy songs, he's he'ss He's mixed the bass differently, and this is i mean that that's standard for a producer to do, but my point is is that Rick Rubin it has just has this magical touch of being able to know what to highlight on what song, and he's done it fantastically. Perfruciante was actually also involved in the production with Rick Rubin, because obviously when you're giving that many layers of guitars and layering multiple guitar tracks, it's easy.
00:16:26
Speaker
I'm sorry, it's easier if you have the guy playing the guitar to get there and sort of get involved in it as well. And sometimes you might be the only person who can tell which guitar should be louder in the middle, which guitar is doing the main voice, sort you know, because it's here, it does get quite interesting. It's it's amazing that they they can actually play that stuff live without adding any musicians, you know, it's it's an interesting ah thing obviously it doesn't sound like the record but they've managed to sound really really good live one way when they are in their best shape you know and it's and it's but it's amazing I think with those songs I don't know if you have this feeling if you know the studio track really well and you go to see a band live and they have like just one guitar and you can kind of hear the rest of the arrangement in your head anyway anyway yeah yeah it's almost like it doesn't matter if they're playing in it or not
00:17:16
Speaker
I think i think ah with this album, it feels like there's a lot of... um Right, just for for some clarity as well. I'm not like an um not a huge Chili Peppers fan. Let me say that again. I like the Chili Peppers a lot, but I haven't listened to their back catalogue. I know the hits, as everyone does, but I'm not well versed in what in all of the songs in their previous album. But from what I've heard and from what I've read, their previous albums, um they're almost a bit less reliant Excuse me. They're almost a bit less reliant on the production and more about the idea of sounding like a band and having a jam and sounding like the the the band or a tight-knit unit. And whilst this is the case for By The Way, I feel this album, and also have read that this album has expanded more on production, bringing in loads more keyboards. Again, that's another Friscianti thing. Loads more keyboards, loads more synthesizing, loads more effects, loads more ambience. Again, it's all Friscianti again.
00:18:14
Speaker
There's loads of moments where his guitar has like an odd, unusual effect on it yeah that just adds a bit of ambience and a bit of atmosphere. Yeah, but that's, you know, a new dimension to their sound, isn't it really? Just and it's opening up. It's always risky um when you when they have a loyal fan base, as they have, and you we talk this we talk about this when we're talking about Iron Maiden, that the fans expect a certain thing, isn't it? from the band and and you can only be ah so you can only be creative to a certain point if you need to stick to your previous rules and i think in this album they didn't they really didn't care about oh let's let's do exactly what the fans expect or
00:18:53
Speaker
or let's do whatever ah anyone expects. i mean i don't I don't think they really cared about reactions of but you know from from people. I don't think, first of all, they didn't need to please anyone. And second, I think, You have the perfect environment for being creative. So why would you try to go back to your old ways and do the same thing over and over again?
Transitional Singles and Styles
00:19:17
Speaker
So I've always got to try and evolve as well. Yeah. Yeah. And I think um one interesting point is the the first single, I think, was by the way, so the title track. And that song is really intense in a certain way. And i I love the fact that that song seems to to be a conversation between the previous era of Red Hot
00:19:39
Speaker
Chili Peppers and the the phase they were going through. It starts really melodically. And then out of the blue, you have this strong kind of, a well, I would say start with why what I perceive as the chorus, which is really melodic. And then it goes into a heavy, funky beat with nonsense lyrics on top of it, which is what they did best. you know yes ah And it goes back and forth between those two parts. And it's it's kind of ah not so unpredictable, but very, very creative and two different styles in one song. And they thought that that song wouldn't be commercial enough. And their management made the decision to release that one as a single. They said like, this is not a single. This can't be a hit song. wow It's just too weird for a hit song.
00:20:29
Speaker
the rest is history. yeah um But you know what, the other the other song that that works with is probably the other one of their most famous songs. So I don't think it's a coincidence at all. Can't stop. Oh yeah. I think that's the same thing because you've kind of got that jammy funkiness to it that you said the previous era mixed with that gorgeously melodic chorus. That bass on that, it's like the world. The Flea is just marvellous, picking out, ah, beautiful, isn't it? An incredible song. um so Just one thing, about coming up there's ah there's a really nice bridge that feels like a reggae. Yes. And that comes in the perfect time. It's when you kind of like, ah when you go into the song and you can predict what part comes next, they throw that bridge and it's like, whoa.
00:21:17
Speaker
yeah the there's something here that I haven't heard before and it's reggae you know it's I feel it like a reggae although the drums are not playing like reggae yeah ah the guitar definitely is and Fleas Groove as well um on that song um what I thought was really interesting that's it's one of those songs that I mean you and me have played it because we how many functions have we done where you play that song but listening to it and analyzing it i thought What really interested me is how intense the song is. Because you get lovely you get that lovely little break with the chorus, as I said, but the rest of it, it's so intense. And I don't think I've ever heard a song that stays as intense until the very end. Even when you're 10 seconds from the end, the song's not starting to fade out. It's not like you it's like the song's winding down. He's still shouting, you're imaging the dictionary. this And it's right until the very last second.
00:22:10
Speaker
um I might have just so unusual. He can't stop. well but that's a hope I think the whole point of the lyrics is, if it feels to me like I've read the few articles about it as well. i as like it's It's about that that energy that every person has inside them. And you just got to put it out some somehow, you know, for some people is through art. Yeah. And so it's a it's a again, it's very spiritual in
Lyrical Themes and Personal Growth
00:22:35
Speaker
a certain way. It's about like, you know, you can't stop the gods from engineering. It means like all the forces that guide in the universe, they don't stop, they will never stop. So you have those things inside you and you can't control them.
00:22:46
Speaker
Well, you can, but do you really want to do it? You know, I think that's I think they letting those forces um but that energy speak louder than than than anything else. So that's right. And if what you've said is true, then that song perfectly captures that, doesn't it? Yeah, it's really intense, as I said, apart from from the from the bridge, the bridge like, OK, let's calm down for a bit. Yeah. And then go back to the intensity of the lyrics and melody. Do you want to stay on the lyrics? Because I know you're always the lyric man. Well, you talk about the lyrics. Yeah. Yeah. good it segue into lyrics Any lyrics you want to talk about? No, and just in general. I mean, I read i mentioned yeah um near the start that, you know, they're way more personal. um As you said, they're a bit mumbo jumbo in the previous albums where they just sort of sing any old crap just to have a, um you know, go with the attitude of being this crazy band. But. I wonder if Frushanti coming into the lyrics kind of helped settle it a bit more, because as you said, there was, you know, Frushanti bought his own problems, you know, and lyrically speaking to the lyrics.
00:23:44
Speaker
um but they just feel, you know, you've got themes of love, relationships, addiction, self-reflection. It just feels a bit more mature than previous works as you're talking about. And what I like is that you've got a variety of moods and tones going through the album because you, like you said, you've got the upbeat, can't stop the world, you know, can't stop with, you know, the world sometimes has this energy. And then you've got songs that are much more melancholic and reflective, kind of like, I don't know, Venice Queen, um just one of them. And it's just nice because the album doesn't it doesn't go back and forth. like That's obviously a happy song, that's obviously a sad song. The lyrics still feel like a consistent constant. Yeah, I think there's is there's there's some there's a certain depth to the lyrics that is say yeah as i said it's it from it stays the same in a good way throughout the whole album.
00:24:36
Speaker
Yeah. they It's like they never go too deep, but it's never superficial. So it's like, yeah, we're going to talk about love and life and death and things that can get quite deep and dark, but they don't don't let it go. um you know, to to the point you you you start to be concerned about like, ah whatever problems you have, actually it actually makes you think about, you know what, you you you you can do well in life regardless of what problems are facing you at the moment. So it's, it's I think it's a very positive take on on life in general. I really believe that's what they do. And again, yeah, there's this quite a lot of songs that that clearly mention
00:25:18
Speaker
ah drug abuse and I think that's one message they're kind of trying to to deliver. like this you know Those experiences were not good for us and we've we've managed you to to you know stay alive and and get out of it and and do something good out of it. So I think it's it's a really positive message. Anthony Kedis was actually on a Joe Rogan episode a few months ago. um Oh really? It was fantastic. It was brilliant. Like a really good episode that one. He's a really interesting character. He he very much is. Yeah, exactly. Excellent. Cool. um All right. Well, do you know what? Let's talk about the music then because there is, you know, as we said, as as we said near the start, this isn't one of the groundbreaking rock albums of the 21st century. It's not like it pioneered this and it innovated that.
00:26:02
Speaker
But it is an important one for the Chili Peppers because it's it's a pro it's a progress in their musical evolution. Because as we said, they were very funk heavy before and they kind of departed that into a much more accessible, melodic approach. You know, you wonder, are they trying to appeal to a wider audience? Maybe, maybe not. and I think it's great seeing how many styles they've explored in this album because they never go full way they never go all the way and do all right we're going to write a metal song now okay we're going to do a jazz song it's always a chili pepper song you always know it's them but they just sort of embellish things like you've got um i don't know i thought um
00:26:38
Speaker
Throw Away Your Television was quite punky, a bit new wavy. Cabron. That one surprised me a lot. It feels out of place, but it's not bad. It's great. It's one song I didn't remember. When I listened to it, I was like, oh, that's really cool. Really good song. um Cabron and on Mercury, I found them a bit flamenco-y with that flamenco guitar. Cabron is interesting because that's a song about ah two Latino gangs in l LA, so it's kind of a, well this is a kind of, they are true gangs, they exist and they
00:27:11
Speaker
sometimes have their own conflicts and stuff. so So the song is about that, but it's about one guy trying to connect to it. There's a line, I don't want to fight, I want to get along with you. So I think they you know they're talking about the the ah the human conflict and sometimes someone just wants to connect and not and they don't want to start a fight, but they can't avoid anything happening. but But in order to counter that feel, they went for a proper Latin kind of instrumentation. There's no drums or percussion and acoustic guitars and there's a slide guitar as well. It's super, super cool. Yeah. um And other styles. Yeah, I know it is very
Global Appeal and Diverse Influences
00:27:50
Speaker
much. and other Other styles they tapped into as well. I i felt ah quite a psychedelic influence on this album, especially a couple of the early songs like um
00:27:58
Speaker
What have I got here? ah Yeah, This Is The Place and Dost. I thought they were both, and even the one after, Don't Forget Me. Actually, those three songs in a row, that yeah that's yeah quite psychedelic, very ambient, had an atmosphere to it, really sort of engages you, doesn't it? It does, it does. this this The place has ah an acoustic bridge, which is, again, really unpredictable. yeah And I think it feels kind of dark as a theme. and then And then you get into... um Well, actually, it's coming from Universal Speaking, which is a super cool kind of Beatles and Motown vibe. And I think that that's probably my favorite in the album. Which one? Universal Speaking. Really?
00:28:41
Speaker
yeah well i'm very surprised and i'll tell you why because those songs there there's a bunch of songs that there okay i've got universally speaking um i could die for you minor thing those three songs as well as little bits in others that i felt honestly had this really pop rock sound of British bands in the early 2000s like Keen, the Zutons, Stereophonics, Razorlight and I'm sat there you know I haven't obviously I'm as as you guys all know that I'm um i'm an avid heavy heavy metal listener i've I've really studied the genealogy and the evolution of heavy metal and I haven't done it to the same extent with pop with pop or rock but I've always wondered
00:29:28
Speaker
Where did those British bands, Keene, Stereophonics, Razorlight, where did they get their sound from? And I think this episode has answered that question for me, because there are a bunch of songs on here that I've got. You know what? If if it Anthony Keelis' vocals had a different tone, that could be Razorlight. If if if Anthony Keelis' tone was different, that could be Keene. And I was just very shocked, especially with universally speaking, and I could die for you. I thought it just sounded so British, 2000s rock. And you know what what happens in, universally speaking, and there's a Motown drum beat. We've talked about this before, so we normally have this neotram on two and four in pop music yeah and rock music. so um But in moar ah Motown,
00:30:14
Speaker
songs it's it's normally there's now every beat one two three four so like you can clap along on every beat and it would match what the snare drum is doing and he does that for for the whole track which is not really the usual thing people go for that sort of groove for the chorus yeah it's a kind of even like a ah double tempo kind of vibe and then he'd go back to the normal groove. He never gets away from that groove. There's always that groove for the whole song yeah and I think the vocals have a lot of Beatles in it. That's my that's my view on it and it sounds really 60s to me. It's a great song and I love it and and it's about you know and it's about connection. that's what
00:30:55
Speaker
yeah you know it just that Yeah, that didn't cross my mind for the Motown beat or even the Beatles thing. Because when I heard it, I just so heard. Do you hear what I'm saying? Yeah. About those British rock bands, are the early ones. But then again, then you can tell, ah you you you can find those elements in in and in the guitar sound and and the melody, the structure of the song, even even the pace and and and and and and the BPM of the song, of the beats per minute. you know like But when you actually listen to
00:31:26
Speaker
ah to the drum beat, that's Motown.
Chart Success and Reception
00:31:29
Speaker
pure a symptomton even it sets yeah That's a Motown beat. yeah Brilliant. Excellent. um Right. So I think that's all the topics I want to talk about, apart from critical and commercial success. So it's probably worth talking about them a bit. um When I was looking at the chart placement of this album, excuse me, I've got something in my throat today. Now it's obvious because Chili Peppers were already an established band by this point so it's no surprise that they charted in so many countries but what is a surprise or was for me is they were number one too in nearly every European country. Honestly bro if you look down the list it's Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Greece, Canada, Japan I know some of these aren't European, but so one and two. it No, Japan was the only one where they were number four. The rest was number one and two. So no so in Europe, they've made it one and two, and then the rest of the world is still like top five. Everywhere, yeah. yeah um But maybe this so i called yeah maybe they found a more universal sound with this album. As you said, maybe. yeah
00:32:29
Speaker
If they were trying to appeal to new audiences or not, I don't, have a yeah probably we will never know, but the thing is they've managed to to reach um a wider audience without, yeah I think without alienating the true fans. Absolutely. we we Yeah, you're absolutely right. they've They've got enough of what they did before in it to sort of keep the old fans happy. But there's such a big diversity and in the new stuff. You know, and you've got to think the radio play that the likes of By The Way, the Zephyr song, Can't Stop, but the radio play they got put them into such a wider audience, a wider market that so many people heard it, you know, just and instantly loved it. um
00:33:08
Speaker
The album actually is ranked number 304 in the Rolling Stones 500 greatest albums of all time. Now it is the only one of those lists it made onto because most I don't think most outmost lists go in ah go above like 250, do they? So I don't think it's normally in, but it's significant, isn't it? And it is a big step, it not stepping stones, it's a big step in Chili's, in the Chili's career. Yeah. Yeah. It's, it's, um it is. Yeah. I think they, can I put it? They've managed to add to that sound. They didn't change. They haven't lost anything. They haven't lost anything. They're just like bringing back some elements and and adding a lot of the the new influences, which are nothing new actually. They were listening to really old stuff.
00:33:54
Speaker
you know but ah but kind of finding maybe finding more information inside the same stuff they used to listen to and as as I said when people are having a good time their lives which means in that case you're hanging out with your mates again and touring together and going through all the all the fun of being in a band, probably all the conflicts that come with being in a band as well. ah But they seem to be really happy. If you see any footage of that too, they're having a time of their lives, I guess, and it's amazing.
00:34:25
Speaker
I think it's so nice. we We often talk so much about all this band. you know The one that always gets me is Fleetwood Mac, how they hated during the writing process the recording process of the album. And it's one of the greatest supposed albums of all time. And you think, oh, it's such a shame that they hated the process. But to see that, you know, Fruciante was the happiest period of his life. Anthony Keat is some Fruciani getting on so well. I'm not up to date with the Chili's history, so I don't know what's happened since then. He left again, didn't he? But he's back now, I think. He's like Rick Wakeman with Yes. Yeah, exactly. It works. It works. It works. And Flea, talking about how happy they are, Flea and Chance and me, they seem to be happy all the time. Yeah, you can't stop.
Song Analysis: 'Tear' and Concluding Thoughts
00:35:10
Speaker
Literally, it's use the pun. All right bro, nice. All good. Anything else you want to talk about? Any particular songs? I have a question. yeah ah Did any song really surprise you? Like in any way? Yeah it did. which was I was hoping you could ask me that. Track 12, Tear. all right And it surprised me because it was so simple.
00:35:35
Speaker
it's one of the songs even the keyboards um i don't want to get it wrong so i'm just gonna uh play it quickly just remind myself yeah it's so Yeah, it's just so it's just like that. That left hat is boom, bam, boom, bam. Yeah, as far as I remember, it's just the piano is the bass. It's what I used to do when I was 12, sitting in music lesson, and you know, the root note in the left hand and the cool sounds like a guitarist playing the key. Yeah, Mr. Frusciante would mean that with all the respect in the world. well It is great. But it's just so simple in the beat, in the rhythm, in the keyboard pattern.
00:36:19
Speaker
Yet the song has had such a profound effect on me. It was the song I felt closest to Kiedis with, the way he was delivering the vocal line. You you have the songs that you can listen to them. well like yeah Yeah, yeah. You know, that's the 15th track, warm tape. Yeah. um And apparently the song, the words are ah literally about the recording on tape and warm tape was and was an effect that they had on the synth, I guess. It's called warm tape. Here's the thing about the song. right The drum beat is clearly, for me, clearly borrowed, ah for the lack of a better words, from Tomorrow Never Knows by the Beatles. Check it out. Okay.
00:37:03
Speaker
I want the toms. Yeah, I've got it going now. is The groove, the whole drum groove is just a different tempo. Obviously, it's a different sound because of the studio, the technology and everything, but it's it's exactly the same. Yeah. It's not a groove that has been used in many different songs. That's a proper Ringo style um ah style really. And I think that has to be um there has to be done intentionally. And that's not there's not something new. Oh, I've played something that sounds like Tomorrow Never Knows. I think they really wanted to. to Because you can't, you know, it' so it's not plagiarism if you if you if you take someone else's seat and do something. It's like it's like old school um sampling, isn't it? Yeah. You just slay someone else's idea. But it's a very psychedelic song anyway. So I think it's probably a homage to like. Yeah, it is. But well done for picking it out because I would have got why I didn't get that.
00:37:58
Speaker
um Are you listening to notes and stuff? I i can't hear notes. Excellent. Cool. All right, bro. it all All good? Yeah, all good, man. I think we can wrap it up. We've done all the advertising in the beginning, right? Yeah, so yes so we we'll leave out for this one. We can do it again. Why don't we just do another one now where we say to you, if you're on YouTube and watching us, give us a like and subscribe so you stay up to date with all the content and all the episodes. And if you're listening on Spotify, Amazon, Apple, please go down and give us a review. It takes 20 seconds of your time, but does us the world of good and shows us, boosts us up the algorithm charts and all that stuff and shows us to so many people. So please do that. It'd be a massive help to us. um And yeah, we'd really appreciate it. So we will finish off with my monologue, unless you have anything else to say. Yes. Now I want to hear the monologue. Right. The simplicity of some of the music on this album works so wonderfully.
00:38:51
Speaker
allowing for such a relaxed and engaging experience. But within that same overall simplisticness is deeply intricate layers of guitar and vocals, providing an unusual oxymoronic result of a simple song with lots of intricate parts, which I think is quite a remarkable and unusual achievement in rock music. The variety and experimentation of styles within is commendable and admirable. It gives the album a greater accessibility and a wild unpredictability. Yet each song undoubtedly sounds like a Chili Peppers song, whether that's because of a funky bass line or an intricate guitar intro or a characteristic vocal melody. Despite the labels given to it, I want to call this album Soul Rock.
00:39:34
Speaker
Because you've got two primary features, you've got the aggressive driving rock rhythms and execution joined perfectly with the emotive vocals, introspective lyrics, funky bass and guitar and deep vocal harmonies that makes you want to sway, sing and dance along with the music, not to mention connecting you emotionally to the lyrics. The departure from their funk-heavy sound obviously sacrifices a bit of personality in place of memorable choruses and accessible songs, and this fresh sound of theirs ended up lumping them in with a much wider group of rock bands and musicians. But I think it says something emotionally when a band can talk to you through vocal tone, melody and harmonies, as opposed to pure aggression and volume, and Red Hot Chili Peppers certainly say a lot with this album.
00:40:22
Speaker
Well done. Well said. Yeah. I love the idea of Soul Rock. Yeah. I googled it. I was like, is it a thing? And apparently it is a thing. It's it's the same as... um they call it white soul where white people try to do soul in the in the 60s or something i like to try to do yeah shot so people do so yeah yeah i'm quoting wikipedia maybe but yeah no i just i just it just had a soulful feel throughout but again as you said it didn't lose any but Of course, it wasn't as aggressive as Blood Sugar Sex Magic, but it still had that Chili Peppers punch to it. Yeah, exactly. But I think, again, as you grow up, or you change, isn't it? You're not the same, personally. When you started playing your instrumental, when you joined your first band. So I think they let they decided to let those um changes in their lives ah reflect on their music instead of just, oh, let's let's stick to the formula that we know is going to work.
00:41:23
Speaker
So yeah, they took a risk and Ali was worth it. Yeah. Excellent. Cool. All right then. So we don't need to do any outro today. We'll just say thank you guys very much for joining us and we'll see you next time. Yeah. Thanks for being with us one more time. Keep on rocking everyone. As you guys take care and long live. Rock and roll.