Published on Aug 10, 1998
Funk-rock’s own clown princes The Red Hot Chili Peppers have
always seemed like they had a revolving door on their practice
room; each album, it seemed like someone new was in the band, and
another person was having the tag “former member” put on their
resume.
After the Chili Peppers’s 1991 release
BloodSugarSexMagik, the band went through three guitarists
(John Frusciante – the guitarist of note on
BloodSugarSexMagik – , Arik Marshall and Jesse Tobias)
before settling on former Jane’s Addiction six-string madman Dave
Navarro. The result of his one album with the band, 1995’s
One Hot Minute, ranks right up there with
Mother’s Milk as the best work the Red Hot Chili Peppers
have ever done. Pity they didn’t try to capitalize on Navarro’s
skill and crank out many more studio releases.
Unlike
BloodSugarSexMagik, Rick Rubin’s production work on this
album seems much more natural, as does the playing of the band, who
settle in on an obscenity-laced groove that stretches into
territories previously unseen for the band. While Anthony Kiedis is
undoubtedly the best front man for the group,
One Hot Minute leaves no doubt that this band belongs to
bassist Flea – damned if that isn’t him taking over on off-key
vocals on “Deep Kick” and “Pea”, the latter being a sparse
arrangement of bass and vocals.
The first single from the album, “Warped,” seemed to shock the
fans of the band; this was a combination of funk/punk and
psychedelia, another new combination for the Chilis. Frankly, I
don’t think people were ready for this, but Navarro’s influence
turns this into a track you won’t soon forget. The stacatto rhythm
guitar line backed with a strong drum performance from Chad Smith,
turns this different track into a tour de force.
If “Warped” was a shock to the fans, the hit single “My Friends”
would be a kick to the groin. Granted, the Chilis had experimented
with ballads before (turning one such number, “Under The Bridge,”
into a big hit), but this one was a ballad the whole way. Kiedis
delivers one of the best vocal performances of his career, and the
band wisely leaves the instrumental hystrionics on the sidelines,
concentrating on creating an incredible musical journey. Again,
Navarro’s guitar skills help spell the success of this one,
especially his acoustic work.
Of the remaining tracks, the next single “Aeroplane” was a
return to the form long-time fans knew and loved (and is still a
very good track), while the title track, “One Big Mob” and “Falling
Into Grace” all shine incredibly bright on this album. For the
first time in a long time, everything seemed to be falling right
into place for the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Of course, there are one or two missteps along the way. “Coffee
Shop” is not well-thought out in the lyrical department (though
it’s nowhere as silly as “Magic Johnson” off
Mother’s Milk), while the final songs on the disc, “Shallow
Be Thy Name” and “Transcending,” both seem to just run out of gas
before they have a chance to develop into powerful songs. Still,
these few blanks out of 13 songs isn’t bad at all.
One Hot Minute not only is an incredibly strong Chili
Peppers album, but it also smacks of what could have been had
Navarro not decided to leave the group earlier this year. (A
motorcycle accident involving Kiedis and his admission of a slip in
his recovery from heroin abuse also helped keep the band on the
sidelines for a while.) Honestly, had Navarro been given a chance
to work more magic in the studio, I think the Red Hot Chili Peppers
would have been unstoppable; the influence he had on the band was
spontaneous genius.
The funny thing is, the first time I listened to
One Hot Minute when it came out, I didn’t like it. This is
an album that has to grow on you a bit, but it is one that should
not be passed up for very long.