I have always been a big Chili Peppers fan, and there is not one album of there's that I dislike. But there is something about this one that is a leg up above all the rest. Blood Sugar Sex Magik was the album that made the foursome one of the most respected groups of the this era; while still making music that was funky and original.</p>
Before this, RHCP had released 4 albums; all of them getting credit, but not making too much of an impact. After changing members plenty of times throughout the 80's, and guitarist Hillel Slovak was killed from a heroin overdose, their signature lineup was formed for their 1989 album Mother's Milk. This lineup consisted of the originating members Kiedis and Flea, and new members Chad Smith and John Frusciante.</p>
Track Listing:
1.The Power Of Equality
2.If You Have To Ask
3.Breaking The Girl
4.Funky Monks
5.Suck My Kiss
6.I Could Have Lied
7.Mellowship Slinky In B Major
8.The Righteous And The Wicked
9.Give It Away
10.Blood Sugar Sex Magik
11.Under The Bridge
12.Naked In The Rain
13.Apache Rose Peacock
14.The Greeting Song
15.My Lovely Man
16.Sir Psycho Sexy
17.They're Red Hot
We'll start off with the "hits". Under The Bridge is definitely their most recognizable and biggest hit to date. This is all for a reason. The lyrics are amazing here. Every musician on this song performs about as well as they could have. Anthony's voice is perfect for this song. From the soft melodic beginning, to the extremely soulful end. This is one of Frusciante's best performances. The beginning riff is definitely one of the best I've heard. Flea's smooth, rolling bass welds it all together. Sometimes, Flea's bass is the part that I end up humming after the song is over. Chad Smith's drumming is also worth mentioning. His soft beats keep a great rhythm throughout the song.</p>
Give It Away was also a huge hit. The best part of this is definitely Flea's bassline. Frusciante's guitar is unique here, there's a great riff at the end. Anthony has his hard-to-understand rapping throughout, and Smith's drums are simple and powerful. Suck My Kiss is definitely a highlight. Again there is great bass from Flea, and Frusciante's guitar fits right in with it. Then there is the melodic Breaking The Girl, with its great acoustic work and great drumming.</p>
Personally, I think that the lesser known tracks are what make this album. I Could Have Lied is a beautiful Frusciante driven song with some not-so-happy but very good lyrics. The guitar is once again amazing here. The Righteous And The Wicked is one of my personal favorites. It begins with some great bass from Flea. I love how Anthony sings the chorus here with Frusciante backing him up on the vocals. Funky Monks is another standout. It once again features great guitar work from Frusciante. This one is pure funk. Flea's bass is great here also (but when is it not). The Greeting Song is another good one. More great guitar and bass here. They go hard and fast together along with Chad's pounding drums and Anthony's vocals.</p>
There is not one song on this album that is skippable, and that is quite a task. The Chili Peppers made something funky and raw and succeeded with flying colors. This is definitely one of the best of the decade and I strongly recommend you checking it out.