Mothers Milk

Red Hot Chili Peppers | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD
• ASIN: B000WLBKTC
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (79 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #775,835 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

13 Songs.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitive Chili Peppers, October 10, 2004

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N. Durham "Big Evil" (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mother's Milk (Audio CD)

Before "By the Way". Before "Californication". Even before "Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magik"; "Mother's Milk" was, and is, the definitive work of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Featuring the debut of guitarist John Frusciante, "Mother's Milk" finds the band at their funky best. Anthony Kiedis' vitrolic vocals are amazingly intense and in your face, while Flea's bass work must be heard to be believed. Opening track "Good Time Boys", the classic cover of Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground", "Magic Johnson", "Knock Me Down", the amazing cover of the Jimi Hendrix classic "Fire", and "Sexy Mexican Maid" are all time classics that longtime fans of the Peppers know and love. If you don't already own this album, now has never been a better time as it is now remastered (and sounding better than ever) and it includes a plethora of bonus live tracks.

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A new beginning., September 26, 2005

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Michael Stack (North Chelmsford, MA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mother's Milk (Audio CD)

The late 198os were a time of great difficulty for the Red Hot Chili Peppers-- guitarist Hillel Slovak died of a heroin overdose just as the band was on the cusp of a breakthrough and drummer Jack Irons decided this was no longer the path for him. But vocalist Anthony Kiedis and bassist Flea found a way to move forward as they did when Slovak and Irons quit the band years beforehand. At a jam session with Dead Kennedys drummer D.H. Peligro (then planned to be the drummer for the Peppers), Flea met guitarist John Frusciante-- a man who would step in admirably to the shoes of Hillel Slovak. After a long series of auditions, the band stumbled upon drummer Chad Smith to round out the quartet. The resulting album, "Mother's Milk", finds the band filled with a focus and a youthful energy that they had seemed to lack on previous releases, and while the album is far from perfect, it represents probably the pinnacle of the Chili Peppers' acheivement to this point.

The album really covers the breadth of experience of the Chili Peppers' previous work, running through the usual funk/punk stuff ("Good Time Boys") and the sounds they honed on "Uplift Mofo Party Plan" (the superb "Sexy Mexican Maid"). But the strength in the album lies in its diversity, whether successful or not-- instrumental "Pretty Little Ditty" (clean tone guitar, bass, drums, and Flea doubling on trumpet) shows off both the guitar work and (I suspect) the songwriting of John Frusciante, whose influence on the band would be clear, funk-drenched cover of Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground" features one of the most propulsive basslines in rock history (and thusly one of the most imitated in it's own way), and Slovak-tribute "Knock Me Down" finds the band experimenting with the directions they'd pursue on the next record. The sound's not there yet, but it's clear where this is going. And while much of hte record feels like the band is a bit unsure how to proceed ("Subway to Venus", the seemingly endles "Johnny, Kick a Hole in the Sky"), all in all, it's quite a brave effort given where the band's been.

The reissue includes several bonus tracks-- a couple demos, some unedited mixes, and a couple live tracks in addition to cleaning up the recording's sound. Flea contributed an essay to the liner notes.

The Chili Peppers would go on to bigger and better things, but by and large this was a new beginning for them. It's not as good as the records that followed, but it's definitely worth looking into.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Time Boys Singing Loud And Proud, June 10, 2005

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Busy Body (London, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mother's Milk (Audio CD)

The Red Hot Chili Peppers built up a gradual fanbase throughout the Eighties. It took three studio albums from them to develop a trademark style, which was improved on each album they released. In August 1989 they released "Mother's Milk," which was by far their greatest album up until this point. Two years later they went international with the massive, million-selling classic "Blood Sugar Sex Magik," which was a more funky rock orientated album, and a bit more polished. The difference between these two albums is incredible in terms of style. Hillel Slovak died in June 1988 of a heroin overdose, and left a gaping hole in the band. When Mother's Milk was released a year later, the line up consisted of Anthony Kiedis, John Frusciante, Flea and Chad Smith.

The album was a financial and commercial success, going Gold in the US and sending the band on a nine month world tour. It took me quite a while to get into this album, because I wasn't used to the harder element of their music when I bought it. I'll say one thing though: this album is amazing! It's also absolutely crazy! The speed of some songs, the pure energy, the unadulterated sexuality and the funk is just amazing. I don't think I've ever heard an album quite as loud and proud as this one! It's not my favourite Chili Peppers album, but it's still amazing.

It opens with the superb "Good Time Boys." This song has a funky bass intro that soon descends into an all-out rock anthem. The youthful exuberance is expressed in the lyrics, "Don't believe in age, travel 'round the world getting naked on the stage." The chorus is a pure chant that you just want to sing loud with your fist in the air. Very good opener. The Stevie Wonder cover "Higher Ground" is up next. This is widely considered as the best cover version of a Stevie song ever released. The blend of funk and rock here is amazing with a beat that seems to undulate and swirl around in your mind. Great to sing when drunk, I find! "Subway To Venus" has drums and a bass that will rip your head apart, and the trumpet cleverly seals it back together, just so you can survive the rest of the song. This song is absolutely insane and I bloody love it. This is a song to jump around your room like a nutter to! If you thought the album couldn't get any more energised, prepare yourself because "Magic Johnson" could well give you a heart attack! The speed at which the boys sing on this song is incredible and hardly fathomable. They sing about the LA Lakers with such excitement you'd think their heads were going to explode. Anthony is particularly brilliant here.

"Nobody Weird Like Me" has a crazy-ass bass that will have you dancing around like a loony. This song chugs along at supersonic speed like a train, occasionally slowing down for the magnificent chorus before speeding up for the rest of the song. "Knock Me Down" is a bit of a slower song, which adds variety to the album. This song was written about the death of Hillel. It carries a strong message about life, with great lyrics such as, "If you see me getting mighty, if you see me getting high, knock me down! I'm not bigger than life." The chorus is quite melodic too. This song was also a huge evolution for the band, because it brought a new melodic chord change that wasn't evident in any of the band's previous work. At the time, it was an immense new element to the sound of the band and a big opening for a new thing for them. The final minute also features some haunting female vocals that add texture to the song. "Taste The Pain" is one of my lesser favourite songs on the album, but it's still a fine cut with a melodic chorus. "Stone Cold Bush" is an absolute classic, with a crazy bass and a heavy drum section making this a strong cut. The chorus is very melodic, and the way the guitars stomp after the chorus is incredible. I also love Anthony's chanting of "Ay-ay-ay-ay-ay!" at the start of the song!

"Fire" is a short song at just over two minutes, and a cover of the Jimi Hendrix original. This song has an energy to it that just blows me away every time I hear it. It's loud and raw in just over two minutes. I didn't think it were possible to cram so much beautiful sound into just 123 seconds! "Pretty Little Ditty" is a simple instrumental, but boy, what an instrumental. This has to be one of the best songs the band have ever recorded. The melody is fresh, deep and natural. The guitars are just amazing, and this has been sampled by CrazyTown's "Butterfly." The song frequently changes speed and tempo, which makes for a great rock piece. "Punk Rock Classic" is not really one of my favourites because it's just a little too crazy for my liking! It's about the band not conforming to society's rules and expectations, and how they really don't need fame and fortune. How ironic that things would change so dramatically for them two years later. And do I also detect a hint of "Sweet Child O' Mine" at the end? "Sexy Mexican Maid" is another great track, and a bit slower than the other songs. There always seems to be a song that portrays the strong sexuality of a woman on the band's albums, and this is this album's. It's a great song with some funky chanting in the background after the chorus. The album closes with "Johnny, Kick A Hole In The Sky." This song has a funky bass and some heavy guitars. The verses are really cool, and the female-sung chorus is incredibly catchy.

OVERALL GRADE: 10/10

This CD is remastered with tons of extra tracks (okay, so there's six, but that's more than most remastered albums!) that really make this a worthwhile purchase for true Red Hot Chili Peppers fans. This album took me quite a while to get into, but now I'm in it, I never want to leave! One of my aspirations in life is to see the band live in concert, because it really would be one of the best days of my entire life! This band has kinda changed my life, and opened me up to more rock music. Mother's Milk is a crazy, insane, energetic, youthful album, yet also poignant, beautiful and powerful as it is dedicated entirely to the memory of Hillel Slovak. It's easy to see why many Chili Peppers fans consider this to be the true pinnacle of the band's brilliance. I would disagree, but this album is so amazing that in time I too could be hailing it as their best work.