The Uplift Mofo Party Plan – Christopher Thelen

The atmosphere surrounding
The Uplift Mofo Party Plan, the third album from funk
rockers Red Hot Chili Peppers, could easily be summed up with a
quote from Charles Dickens: “It was the best of times, it was the
worst of times.”

In terms of the best, Anthony Kiedis and crew — the only time
the “classic” line-up actually appeared on record together —
finally sounded like they were getting an idea of where they wanted
to go musically. Many of the resulting tracks were the most
approachable the group had done to that stage in their career.

But the band was being ripped apart by drugs. Guitarist Hillel
Slovak would die of an overdose after the release of this album,
and drummer Jack Irons would flee the band as a result. Kiedis and
bassist Flea were in the throes of their own habits, and it would
take Slovak’s death before they each finally became clean.

While
The Uplift Mofo Party Plan has some of the group’s best
music to this point, there is still an air of adjustment to the
disc – not surprising, since the group kept changing around band
members, and regrettably would have to do the same on their next
disc
Mother’s Milk. Still, this is a surprisingly good disc.

There is something to be said for the lead weight-like slam of
the chorus on “Me And My Friends,” the song that really shows me
that the Chili Peppers had grown as a group. (It’s been years since
I listened to
Freaky Styley, and I didn’t have the energy to dig it out of
the Pierce Memorial Archives.) Here, now, was a band who were not
only musically in tune with each other, but sounded like they were
having some fun. Tracks like “Skinny Sweaty Man” and “No Chump Love
Sucker” back up this belief.

The album is also notable for what could easily be considered
their first “hit,” per se: “Behind The Sun,” a song I remember
getting a decent amount of airplay when I first started in college
radio. It’s rare that a song can be both solid musically and be
loose conceptually – okay, that sounds confusing when you read it
in print, but just put the song on, and discover what I mean.

Yet there are times the group seems to backslide a bit. The
album opens up slowly with “Fight Like A Brave” and “Funky Crime”.
The problem with “Fight Like A Brave” isn’t in the song itself, but
the lack of development it has. Maybe if a little more rhythm had
been thrown into it, or the group had even attacked this one at
break-neck speed, it could have been a more powerful track. On the
other hand, “Funky Crime” just never seems to get off the ground.
And the less said about their take on Dylan’s “Subterranean
Homesick Blues,” the better.

Also worth noting on this disc is “Special Secret Song Inside”
— now re-labeled on the re-issues under its better-known title
“Party On Your Pussy.” Three words: waste of time. This is one to
keep away from the kiddies.

For all of the weaknesses, though, the Chili Peppers came
through
The Uplift Mofo Party Plan seeming like they knew where they
wanted to take their music, and there was more than ample proof of
that on this disc. The band, indeed, would hit that goal on
Mother’s Milk — but not without more than a dose of
tragedy.