Customer Reviews

Uplift Mofo Party Plan (Shm-CD)

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Alot of people who claim to be Red Hot Chili Pepper fans are always talking about how great of an album Californication and By The Way are. Now don't get me wrong they are amazing albums, but I think that alot of the Chili Peppers creativeness comes from their older albums, especially The Uplift Mofo Party Plan. My two favorite songs on this album are Walkin' On Down The Road and Organic Anti-Beat Box Band. These songs show that this band doesn't think inside the box. They always do something entirely different and this album shows that. Like on the song Behind The Sun, Hillel plays the sitar and the song sounds INCREDIBLY COOL with it. And Flea is amazing throughout the entire album, especially on Skinny Sweaty Man and Love Trilogy. Anthony Kiedis' vocals show that you dont have stay within the limits of being a singer, and you can be totaly crazy and it sounds amazingly good, and it just goes so well with the song and style of music. Jack Irons style of drumming goes insanely well with Flea's bass style and it makes the songs sound really good. Overall this album is definitely one of the Chili Peppers most creative and inspirational albums ever. And if you seriously want to become a true fan of them, you better pick this album up.

Although the Chili Peppers hit the bigtime with "BloodSugar Sex Magic," they actually peaked on this CD, the lastrecorded with the original, incredible lineup that included guitarist Hillel Slovak and drummer Jack Irons. Don't get me wrong--recent Chili Peppers albums are good, but it was this lineup, in this era, that established the band's reputation. Instrumentally, the sound achieved by Flea, Hillel and Jack Irons was tough, funky, tight and outrageous--superior, in my opinion, to the current lineup (which I also like). More importantly, "Uplift Mofo" was Anthony Keidis' masterpiece. Unlike his current vocal style (off-key crooning), back in the "Uplift Mofo" days he was one of the best RAPPERS on the planet. Simlarly, his lyrics on this CD are bizarre poetric, and hilarious--superior in my opinion to his current, introspective style. This CD is loaded with classics--"Fight Like A Brave" "Skinny Sweaty Man," "Me & My Friends"--it goes on and on. The jams are hard, innovative and short, unlike the endless (pointless?) jams that bog down down much of their later work. Tragically, Hillel overdosed during the Uplift Mofo tour, and Irons left the band. The Chili's have been trying to recover the magic ever since. They're still good, but they never quite got it back.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers' early material suffered from a lack of energy, focus and consistency. But by 1987, when the time came to enter the studio for their third album, "The Uplift Mofo Party Plan", things were poised to change. With the original band finally in place on a professional recording (vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea, guitarist Hillel Slovak and drummer Jack Irons) and a producer whose personality would neither constrict the Peppers (as Andy Gill did) nor dominate them (as George Clinton did) in Michael Beinhorn, the band finally hit their stride.

What Beinhorn did was stand out of the band's way, and their explosiveness could cut loose. Cuts like "Fight Like a Brave", the brief "Sweaty Skinny Man" and guitar feature "Walkin' On Down the Road" display a band in full flight-- their funk/punk/rap/metal blend fully realized. Perhaps more important was the band's ability to use what they learned from both Gill (the clinically-explosive "Me and My Friends") and Clinton (tight groove of "Funky Crime") and to develop new ideas an sounds (their first real ballad in "Behind the Sun"). The Peppers were finally poised to conquer the world.

This reissue is remastered with unnervingly superb sound-- the Chili Peppers remasters really put the records way in your face and augments the album with two instrumental demos (which are largely unessential). Included in the liner notes is an essay by Flea discussing the album, sessions, and this time in the band's career.

This would, unfortunately, be the last album this band would do-- guitarist Hillel Slovak died of a heroin overdose, and a distraught Jack Irons quick the band, leaving Kiedis and Flea, as they were in 1984, holding the bag by themselves. The Chili Peppers that would re-emerge would be a quite different band. This record is the only real example of what the Kiedis/Slovak/Flea/Irons lineup had to offer. Recommended.

This cd is possibly the best album ever put out by RHCP, which as i presume you know, is saying a hell of a lot. In this cd they keep their original funk, before they refined their music. Although californication is good, its too perfect, too acoustically sound, this album is just madness, they dont care if it isnt acoustically perfect, they had far too much fun playing all of hte songs on the cd to care about those things, so enjoy this cd as much as they did!

Of all the "Red Hot Chili Peppers" albums, if I had to choose my favorite, this would easily be it. To me, even though other albums are great, this is exactly what made the band who they are. It's so funky, so rockin', so full of energy, I just can't praise it enough. "Mothers Milk" is almost as perfect, and I love that one too. "Fight Like A Brave" and "Behind The Sun" were the only "hits" on here, but every other song is as good, and tons of fun. I feel sorry for those who only know them back to the "Blood Sugar Sex Magic" album, even though that's considered to be their masterpiece. This disc might not excite the "By The Way" crowd, but if you want to know why the "Chili Peppers" are red hot, this is why. Plus, where else are you gonna get "Party On Your P***y"?

This cd is truly one of the greats. Even with the classics (Fight Like a Brave, Behind the Sun, and Me and My Friends), this cd has killer songs. Subterranean Homesick Blues is really awesome and a great re-make of the original. Backwoods may just be the best on the cd with great bass, raunchy lyrics, incredible rapping skills, and to top it off an outstanding refrain. No Chump Love Sucker is another good solid fast song that kind of tells a story. Walkin' On Down The Road sounds nothing like anything they've done before but I think this song is suprisingly amazing. Love Trilogy is a very odd song with weirdo lyrics but the guitars and the beat make up for it. Organic Anti-Beat Box Band is another good song. The Special Secret Song is sweet with Slovak showin his skills on a solo. The downpoints of this cd are Funky Crime and Skinny Sweaty Man. Dont get me wrong these are good songs but in Funky Crime Anthony's singing can get very annoying as in some parts he is just yelling and trying a bit too hard. My only issue with Skinny Sweaty Man is that it doesn't have the sound that the others does.The only other problem is instead of the lead guitar making the melody flea does which is kind of odd. When this happens the lead guitar just plays one note over and over. This however is very minor.
If you like the Peppers then this is a must buy. I'd say this is their 3rd or 4th best LP. Top tracks are Fight Like A Brave, Me and My Friends, Backwoods, Behind the Sun, Subterranean Homesick Blues, and Walkin' On Down the Road. If I could it would get a 9/10.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers like any band have changed and evolved, this was the last album the Chili Peppers did with Hillel Slovak before he passed away. The sound then was raw and more funky and less produced, as well the songs were more creative. The latest RHCP albums are more heavily produced and commericalized. This album rocks and is a whole lot of fun. This album is vital for any fan of the Chili Peppers. Flea just goes nuts laying down the funky bass lines. Any fans of funk-rock and great bass lines should have this album.

i love every minute of it if music sets an attitude and a mood this truly is the uplift mofo party plan a sense of humor a sense of soul a sense to be freaky and love it sweet vibrations with a fluid wave of higher intelligence will beckon to those who choose to listen with thier funny ears

The Uplift Mofo Party Plan is an amazing album to say the least. The songs are classic, the band is great, and the production is really good too. This is the Red Hot Chili Peppers in their pre fame peak, this album is also sad in a sense because it is the last album to feature their amazing guitar player Hillel Slovak who died of a drug overdose. The tracks on Uplift are for the most part very funky but there is also some rock added in for good measure. The first song on the album is the classic RHCP fan favorite Fight Like A Brave, this song is fantastic. The next song is called Funky Crime, with a title like that it doesn't even need an explanation. Me & My Friends is another fan favorite and a live favorite as well but to be honest I'm really not into this song at all. Backwoods is another classic Chili Peppers song, some great slap bass courtesy of Flea. One of my favorite RHCP songs is next, Skinny Sweaty Man, even though it's barely over a minute long, it's just awesome. Behind the Sun is also a great classic song. Subterranean Homesick Blues and Special Secret Song Inside are very similar, they are both very funky and Anthony Kiedis' vocals are great. No Chump Love Sucker and Walkin On Down the Road are also similar, they are pretty much the same funk rock style as the others it's just these lean more towards the rock end of things. Love Trilogy is a decent slow song, nothing more to say. The album ends with Organic Anti Beat Box Band, this is an amazing song, probably one of their best ever. Any Red Hot Chili Peppers should definately pick this one up, but a word of warning to casual fans If you are expecting this album to sound like Californication don't because there's not one song that even remotely sounds like it could be on Californication

No question the Red Hot Chili Pepper's best work. It's a pity it had to be the last with original founding guitarist Hillel Slovak.

Party Plan's greatness hits you from the first glance at the cover right through to the last track. You know it's going to be great before you even peel off the shrinkwrap. It's one powerful, driving song after another. If this album doesn't get you pumped up, you're a lost cause. I'm not going to do a song-by-song breakdown because they are all killer. This was the band's creative peak IMO, and the music reflects that. The cover is a perfect depiction of the soundscape the tracks convey to your eardrums. My only beef with Party Plan is that it's too short.

I highly recommend Party Plan for any RHCP fans who like their later album BloodSugarSexMagik. Party Plan is like the older brother to that record, and BSSM recycled a few of the musical ideas that originated on Party Plan. If you like the atrocious trainwreck called By the Way, you will probably hate Party Plan. Either way, I still recommend it to you people so you can see what the Red Hot Chili Peppers are REALLY all about.

When you pick up Party Plan (notice I didn't say "if"), GO FOR THE REMASTERED VERSION. The production on the original album is downright AWFUL. The remastered re-release completely fixes the mix and the songs sound as they should. You also get a beautiful booklet with liner notes from Flea.

You are not a RHCP fan until you own this record.