Throughout the past 17 years, the Red Hot Chili Peppers have brought their brand of funk rock ‘n’ roll to the mainstream in the form of some of the most astonishing and musically innovative songs in music history.
Their breakout album BloodSugarSexMagik and its number one hit “Under the Bridge” are still landmarks in music history that set the pace for all other bands to follow in the ’90s and today.
The great thing about the Peppers is that they have remained on top of their game throughout their entire career.
Their singles have read like a solid greatest hits collection. With their new double-album Stadium Arcadium, they’ve just released a whole new type of greatest hits CD, one that’s never been heard until now.
If you’ve seen the Peppers’ video for their first single “Dani California,” which has RHCP impersonating all their musical influences throughout the past five decades, then you’ll understand why every song sounds like it’s heavily influenced by some past musical act.
The sounds and melodies range from Beatle-esque to swinging funk and heavy metal to grunge-rock ballads.
One other influence, which seems likely once you look at all the evidence, seems to be No Doubt’s underrated 2000 album Return of Saturn. More than a few songs on Stadium Arcadium start off with bass lines and guitars that have clearly been duplicated from Saturn.
The fact that the disc’s are labeled “Mars” and “Jupiter,” and other than those two planets, the only other planet on the cover is Saturn, leaves this reviewer to believe highly in this conspiracy theory.
But influences aside, what the Peppers do on Stadium Arcadium is bring more of what they’ve always brought: funk and outrageous melodies that you can’t help but sing aloud to.
The “Jupiter” disc is the stronger of the two, delivering more funk and energy than most recent rock bands’ albums. After listening to “Jupiter,” it’s clear that guitarist John Frusciante and bassist Flea get better with age.
The standout on the “Jupiter” disc is “Slow Cheetah,” a slow jam about facing tragedy.
The reminiscent melody is instantly catchy and contemplative.
On “Wet Sand,” the Peppers take a relaxed funk jam and turn it on its side to an ending that alludes to the women’s choir at the end of “Bridge.”
On the “Mars” disc, the songs get less energetic, but the Peppers get more classic with their sounds, letting vocal harmonies and catchy melodies infuse their toned-down rock: like a Doo-Wop group with plenty of ’70s-rock influence.
The ballad “Hard To Concentrate” lets Flea dominate the song with his brooding bass line, while drummer Chad Smith plays the tom-toms to Kedis’ mature thoughts on settling down. The best track on “Mars” comes in the second half with “Make You Feel Better,” a song with an incessantly catchy drum beat and sing-a-long melody that channels The Beatles.
The tracks at the end of “Mars” start to lag a bit in comparison to the rest of the songs, but are nevertheless good pop songs in their own right.
With this album, the Red Hot Chili Peppers again reinvent themselves, successfully bridging the gap between the funky punk rockers of the ’90s and the new mature but musically lethal rock band of today.
With Stadium Arcadium, they’ve already proved that, but let’s hope the end is no where in sight.
4 stars
stadium.tif caption: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Stadium Arcadium