Scar tissue (Red Hot Chili Peppers) (LP 3615 - 3617)

Red Hot Chili Peppers   Californication (CD, Warner Bros. Records, 1999) ****  

Red Hot Chili Peppers   Greatest Hits (CD, Warner Bros. Records, 2003) *****  

Red Hot Chili Peppers   Stadium Arcadium (CD, Warner Bros. Records, 2006) ***  

Genre: Rock, Alt rock 

Places I remember: The Warehouse, Hope's Collection (Stadium Arcadium)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Californication

Gear costume: Otherside

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5

Active compensatory factors: I used to own a few other RHCP albums on cassette but got rid of them when CDs appeared and the Greatest Hits album covered all the important territory like Suck My Kiss, Under the Bridge, and their cover of Higher Ground.

Californication is their seventh studio album and their most successful one commercially. It's chock-a-block with now classic Red Hot Chili Peppers' songs: Around the World; Parallel Universe; Otherside; and the title track.

 

John Frusciante's reappearance is a crucial factor, along with a more melodic approach. His guitar skills and variety of approaches is one x-factor, along with Flea's funky bass, Chad Smith's fluid drums and of course Anthony Kiedis' distinctive vocal style. 

Stadium Arcadium was their ninth studio album - a double. The problem with double CD albums is they are like triples in old money - so huge and sprawling. In fact, this was supposed to be three different albums released one after the other, but they decided on a double CD package instead. 

I find it hard to listen to a triple CD album. There are 28 songs on Stadium Arcadium. As AllMusic pointed out - it's a long, winding path of alternately spacey and sunny pop, ballads, and the occasional funk workout that used to be the Chili Peppers' signature but now functions as a way to break up the monotony.

Where do they all belong? Good to have these, but that's enough already!