Californication [EXPLICIT LYRICS]

Californication, in my opinion, is their best effort to date for a lot of reasons. The songwriting is solid and soulful. The musicianship is tight and spontaneous. Anthony Kiedis has never sounded better. John Frusciante is back in the fold and his playing is sublime perfection. Flea's bass playing is melodic, spastic and as driving as ever. Chad Smith keeps the beat and tempo running throughout. Californication is the result of a band communicating with each other on a higher musical plane.

The whole album is rock solid, but standout tracks worth mentioning include Scar Tissue, Californication, Savior, Easily, Road Trippin' and the beautiful Other Side. Parallel Universe arguably contains one of the top ten guitar solos of the year.

If you don't own this album you're missing something special. Buy it today.

Anthony Kiedis's unique vocals are even better than before and create the driving, flowing, upbeat frontal sound. John Frusciante's guitar sings in every essence of the word. Flea lends more valuble energy to the music, he handles the bass skillfully, and everytime I hear it's rhythms and melodies it makes me happy happy-- to the point where I want to play bass like Flea (even though I can't play the bass guitar... yet... but that isn't the point). The great thing about the Chili Peppers is their bass isn't hidden behind scores of other instruments-- it's right up front and it deserves it too. Chad Smith's percussion drives the songs. This may sound strange, but personally, I live to hear the duh-duh duh-duh duh rhythm at the beginning of "Savior." It just whips the llama() ... I'm telling you. Teehee.

My recommendation is: purchase this CD. Even if you have to jack it off your friends. (One of them HAS to have it, right?) There will most likely be at least ONE song you'll absolutely love if you aren't a RHCP fan. And if you are a fan, eat the album up. Eat it ALLL up.

This album was a huge success upon its initial release and went multi-platinum all over the world. The music from the Chili Peppers had evolved slightly. They were no longer young twenty-something guys, but in their thirties and a changed was inevitable. This is reflected in their music and the way it is performed more so than before. From the opening song on the album you're taken on a roller coaster ride of funk rock-pop. The guitars are as loud as before, but the melodies just carry on getting better forming some real classics along the way.

"All Around The World" is the perfect opening to an album. A loud shout and hectic guitars make way for the funky rapping before the harmonic chorus and backing vocals. Anthony Kiedis' vocals are on top form on this explosive album highlight. "Parallel Universe" continues the funky trend with a high-octane bass and a fuzzy distorted chorus. It's not only an album highlight, but a career highlight as it's different to anything they've ever done before. "Scar Tissue" changes the pace dramatically. This hit single is a beautiful, calming and wonderfully melodic rock ballad. The vocals are soft and understated, and the beat just sways. My only complaint is that it's a bit too short. "Otherside" is another album highlight. The chorus is instantly ear-catching and the beat is incredibly strong and driving. It's the kind of song you can listen to over and over.

"Get On Top" returns us out of that soft and atmospheric nature of the last two songs, with driving guitars and funky beats. The funk on this album being different to all their other albums is clearly evident here, as it has a superbly melancholy tone. "Californication," the album's title track, is nothing short of a masterpiece. The guitars and drums on this song give it such a visual and atmospheric feel to it. It's so ethereal and majestic, with soaring vocals and the computer-game video was so amazing. "Easily" picks up on the rock feel once more, and is a stand out because it's so simple and addictive at the same time. "Porcelain" is probably the most hated song on this album by a lot of fans, but I like it a lot. It's the most simple and subdued song on the album, and also one of the shortest. Shows a diverse side to the Chili Peppers.

"Emit Remmus" is another superb song on the album, with a superb and stand out chorus. All the choruses on this album just stand out, and the one on this song is no exception. "I Like Dirt" picks up the funk trend once more, but is different to most of the other songs on this album. It's not the best song on the album and somewhat of a disappointment being surrounded by all these amazing songs. "This Velvet Glove" has some amazing lyrics, that are so simple yet extremely thought-provoking. The Chili Peppers create a mid-tempo rock classic here. It's an album highlight and one of my favourites. "Savior" is a song written clearly about John Frusciante re-joining the band. The song has a different variation to the rest of the songs and ends wonderfully.

"Purple Stain" has a great bass and the melody is incredibly memorable. I don't like the lyrics much, but the guitars make up for it. "Right On Time" is a pretty light-hearted song with a fair bass and some very funky lyrics. You can't even understand what Kiedis is singing about unless you read the lyrics on the inlay, but the song is so short at under two minutes that it doesn't really matter. After the abrupt ending of the last track, "Road Trippin'" picks it up. This is a slow and soothing song which is very vivid and has some great melodies. It's a great song to end such a superb album.

OVERALL GRADE: 9/10

The release of By The Way in 2002 saw many new fans embrace the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I was one of them. I knew who they were before, but just didn't seem exposed to them enough. As you grow older your musical taste changes and for me, a following of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' music was to be expected. I bought Californication a few weeks back, and I adore it. I knew most of the songs before because I listened to my friend's copy for ages, so I knew I would love it. This album is always sitting rather high in people's all-time favourite lists, and I'm sure that it'll be in yours if you buy it today! An essential purchase.