Red Hot Chili Peppers: Give It Away: The Stories Behind Every Song (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Anthony Kiedis was born to be a rock star..." (more)
Key Phrases: freaky styley, instrumental demo, brothers cup, Chili Peppers, John Frusciante, One Hot Minute (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Red Hot Chili Peppers front man Anthony Kiedis grew up in Hollywood, hustling a living with his actor father. He eventually discovered music and fell in with Hillel Slovak, Jack Irons, and Michael "Flea" Balzary to form the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Fired up by 1970s funk, rock, ska, and soul, the band fought, split, kissed, made up, and then fought again. This collision of singular personalities and musical genius resulted in a run of albums and reputation as a formidable live act. By the end of the 1980s, though, the band was one man down, with lead guitarist Hillel Slovak dying from a drug overdose. The struggle gave rise to 1989's groundbreaking Mother's Milk album. Pre-dating Nirvana, the Red Hot Chili Peppers was the first underground band to take what critics dubbed "alternative rock" into the mainstream charts. In 1991, Blood Sugar Sex Magik compounded the Chili Peppers' success, turning its members into bona fide rock stars and plunging them headlong into a riot of drugs, sex, near-death experiences, and spiritual awakening. This book looks at the group through dozens of photographs, and examines the music and stories of one of the most original bands on the planet.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (June 6, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 156025579X
• ISBN-13: 978-1560255796
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #66,038 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not quite what I expected....., June 30, 2004

By A Customer

I realize that the RHCP didn't write this book, but I thought there might be a bit more personal insight regarding the who, what, when, where, and why the songs were written. The book's content consists primarily of magazine articles written about the RHCP over the years, followed by the author's own interpretations of the songs and HIS opinion of their quality.
It is well put together, and there are some great pictures, but I'm glad I didn't pay full price!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not really "giving it away"..., January 12, 2007

By	C. Frey "Disapointed RHCP Fan" (Oklahoma, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Well when I first bought the book, I expected to find out the reasons WHY the songs were written rather than the "intense bass lines".. The title is very misleading and was not was I was anticipating...

P.S.- I did enjoy the pictures even though some of the captions were wrong

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A poor shoddy excuse for a book., November 26, 2005

By	Adam R. Prato "sirsyko" (Bronx, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The book should be "commentary about every song" rather than "stories behind every song". The only thing worse than the "stories" behind the songs is the fact that most of the pictures have the wrong attribution (they keep referring to Cliff Martinez as Jack Irons, and one picture says "Founders - Kiedis, Flea, Slovak, Irons" yet clearly has Chad Smith and Frusciante). The only thing good about this book are the handful of great pictures.