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The Red Hot Chili Peppers are a California -based Rock band formed by vocalist Anthony Kiedis , bassist Michael "Flea" Balzary , late guitarist Hillel Slovak , and drummer Jack Irons in 1983. The Chili Peppers were birthed from the Los Angeles Alternative Rock scene of the 1980s and early-1990s that also included bands like of Jane's Addiction , Fishbone and Thelonious Monster . Throughout their twenty-three year career, the band have crafted a sound that added elements of Funk , Punk , Psychedelia and Pop to their songwriting. Known for their previous drug use and numerous line up changes, the current line up (which has been in place for almost 9 years now) features Kiedis, Flea, guitarist John Frusciante , and drummer Chad Smith . Past members in addition to Slovak and Irons include Dix Denney, Jack Sherman , Cliff Martinez , Dwayne "Blackbird" McKnight, D.H. Peligro , Arik Marshall , Jesse Tobias , and Dave Navarro . The Red Hot Chili Peppers have eight studio albums (the ninth, the long awaited double-album '' Stadium Arcadium '', is to be released in May 2006), nine #1 Modern Rock hits, and have sold nearly 50 million copies of their albums worldwide (37 million of them by '' Blood Sugar Sex Magik ,'' '' Californication '' and '' By The Way ''). Originally signed to a record deal by EMI in 1983, they switched to Warner Bros. Records in 1991, and they have been with them since. Past producers include Andy Gill who produced their self-titled debut album, George Clinton who produced '' Freaky Styley '', and Michael Beinhorn who produced '' The Uplift Mofo Party Plan '' and '' Mother's Milk ''. Their current producer is Rick Rubin , who produced '' Blood Sugar Sex Magik '' and every studio album thereafter. SOUND PHILOSOPHY The roots of Flea's bass style lie in Punk Rock traditions and in Funk and Blues , borrowing mainly from the likes of Bootsy Collins of Parliament-Funkadelic and John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin . His bass is typically the lead instrument and sets the rhythm of the Peppers songs. The groove heavy, low tuned melodies, composed through either normal fingerstyle or slapping has made for memorable bass riffs throughout the Peppers musical catalogue. Flea's unique slap bass style was the driving force of earlier albums; however, the amount of slap bass on later albums (post Mother's Milk) is significantly reduced from early albums. The guitar styles, differing amongst the four guitarists that have recorded albums with the Peppers -- Frusciante, Slovak, Navarro, and Sherman -- all share traits of Jimi Hendrix , a distorted, yet sharp sound with strong range. However, the similarities end there. Sherman's guitar was the driest and the most distorted of the four, but he was mainly trying to stay as close as possible to Hillel Slovak's original style - most of the songs he recorded with the band had been composed with Slovak; Slovak based his guitar solely in heavier aspects blues and funk; Frusciante brought along more melodies, texture, and depth; and Navarro arguably brought along a style based in heavy metal, progressive rock and psychedelia. Sherman also added guitar solos to much of the earlier work of the Chili Peppers. Flea was taught bass by Joss Farrington and Hillel Slovak back in 1978 who introduced Flea to his signiture bass the "Music Man Stingray" which he used until the album "Californication". During the early years, original member Jack Irons and replacement Cliff Martinez played drums, although Chad Smith has been with the band continuously since the late 80s. In his audition he played an energetic, chaotic jam, which is said to have taken Flea by surprise and had Chad yelling at him to keep up. Smith was later accredited as one of the premier rock drummers in the world after the release of ''Blood Sugar Sex Magik''. The band doubted Chad's dedication to funk music, and Anthony Kiedis told him he had to shave his head before he could join the band. Smith then turned up to rehearsals the next day with his hair still in a bandana, but was allowed to stay because Anthony thought his obstinacy was impressive. Kiedis is a diverse vocalist in rock with a wide range of vocal styles which give the band an identity and sense of familiarity. His untraditional rapping (with the melody rather than the beat), spoken verse (characteristic of his vocals up to '' Blood Sugar Sex Magik ''), and singing (which has improved drastically since '' Freaky Styley '') add another dimension to a Peppers song. The band are claimed to be the first in the world to fuse punk and funk, or "White sound" with "Black sound", way before Aerosmith and Run DMC featured "Walk This Way", although there were already white hip-hop bands in the early 1980s, such as the Beastie Boys . Back in 1987 their sound was considered "unusual", hence the marketing problems regarding '' Freaky Styley ''. Moreover, alongside with other bands of similar styles ( Faith No More , Rage Against The Machine , Fishbone , Primus ) they are also sometimes credited with influencing the Nu Metal genre that emerged in the late 1990s. Even though most fans don't know much about the formative years of the RHCPs in the '80s, it was the backbone of their more renowned work from the '90s and 2000s. Political views in the music The Red Hot Chili Peppers are concerned about social justice and environmental issues as reflected in many of their songs. The song "Johnny Kick a Hole in the Sky" from '' Mother's Milk '' is about the plight and affliction of the Native Americans and this particular song made the public see Kiedis as part-Native. The song "Green Heaven" from '' Red Hot Chili Peppers '' highlights police brutality and racism in America. Californication also speaks in opposition of Globalization . HISTORY The 1980s ''Red Hot Chili Peppers'' (1983-1984) Fairfax High School alumni Anthony Kiedis , Michael Balzary (Flea), Hillel Slovak and Jack Irons , founded the Red Hot Chili Peppers (originally ''"Tony Flow and the Miraculously Majestic Masters of Mayhem"''), after what was supposed to be a one-time performance in 1983. The four gathered a sizable following for a band that had yet to release an album, mainly through their connections to the Los Angeles music community and their manic live performances, which occasionally included them playing with only Socks covering their Hairy Slongs . Later in that same year, they secured a record deal with EMI. However, Irons and Slovak were already committed to their original band, What Is This? , so for the recording sessions of the debut album, Jack Sherman was brought in on guitar with Cliff Martinez on drums. The result was the self-titled '' Red Hot Chili Peppers ''. Arguably poor production by Andy Gill (with whom they often argued), a failure to catch the aura of their live performances, and lack of band chemistry doomed it to commercial failure. The tour did not fare much better, as problems between Sherman and the other band members arose, resulting in his removal from the band. Slovak would then leave What Is This? and come back on board full time in the beginning of 1985. ''Freaky Styley'' (1985-1986) Parliament-Funkadelic maestro George Clinton took over production duties for their second album and with the line up of Kiedis, Flea, Slovak, and Martinez, they recorded and released '' Freaky Styley ''. Described as straightout funk played at a punked out speed, it featured a rendition of Sly & The Family Stone 's ''"If You Want Me To Stay"'', and cult classics such as ''"Jungle Man"'' and ''"Catholic School Girls Rule"'', which would appear on college radio stations. The album did not attract the eye of the mainstream. Martinez would leave the band soon after the release of the album, leaving room for the return of original drummer Jack Irons in early 1986. The only recognizable hit off this album would be ''"Hollywood (Africa)"'' which received reasonable airplay in Europe, but didn't make the same impact back in the US. ''The Uplift Mofo Party Plan'' and Slovak's death (1987-1988) The Chili Peppers' next album, '' The Uplift Mofo Party Plan '', was produced by Michael Beinhorn and released in September 1987. This would be the only album with the four original Fairfax High School friends performing. The album was fuelled by the most recognizable of their early anthems, ''"Fight Like A Brave"'', the first and what would be the only single until the release of ''Behind The Sun'' in 1992. The album was their first to dent the Billboard Top 200; however, their success was partially stunted by the fact EMI did very little to market the album, due to the confusion of musical styles. Still, the album's mixture of thrashed funk, psychedelica, and punk sent them to Europe for the very first time. Drug problems, which were prominent in the band throughout the decade, came to light when Slovak failed to stay clean during the Uplift Mofo tour, especially in 1987, which resulted in erratic behavior and botched performances. The band, at the advice of Fishbone 's front man Angelo Moore, allegedly backed off on firing Slovak. When the band toured Europe in May 1988, Slovak was clean again and all the problems seemed far away, but shortly after the band returned to the United States, on June 27 , 1988, Slovak was found dead in his apartment after a heroin overdose. Irons quit soon after, not wanting to continue with the band after his friend's death. ''Mother's Milk'' (1989) Kiedis (who had just spent a stint in rehab) and Flea decided to continue the band, and after temporarily employing drummer D.H. Peligro and guitarist Dwayne "Blackbird" McKnight, settled on today's line-up of Chad Smith on drums and John Frusciante on guitar. The following effort, '' Mother's Milk '', was recorded and produced with an energetic mixture of funk, rap, metal and jazz, and was released in August 1989. It included a cover of Jimi Hendrix 's ''Fire'', which was the last studio track recorded with Slovak. On the strength of the touchstone ''Knock Me Down'' (their first top 10 hit), the cover of Stevie Wonder's '' Higher Ground '', and other numbers including ''Magic Johnson'' (a tribute to their favorite basketball team - the Los Angeles Lakers ) ''Stone Cold Bush'' and ''Pretty Little Ditty'' (which would be later sampled as ''Butterfly'' by Crazy Town ), the Red Hot Chili Peppers finally entered the mainstream. They progressed to start a successful nine month world tour, which was just as eventful as their last and featured a comprehensive tour of Europe and the US. Although '' Mother's Milk '' is considered to be a milestone in their career, the Red Hot Chili Peppers usually refrain from performing songs from this album anymore, due to John's dislike of the way he performed back then. Many avid fans would regret it, though, as '' Mother's Milk '' is perceived by many longtime RHCP fans to be one of their strongest albums. The 1990s ''Blood Sugar Sex Magik'' (1990-1992) The winning streak continued into 1990 with "Show Me Your Soul" from the Pretty Woman soundtrack. The following year the Peppers jumped to Warner Brothers Records and hired Rick Rubin to produce their fifth album. That album, '' Blood Sugar Sex Magik '', which was recorded in the summer of 1991 (at an empty mansion in the Hollywood hills once owned by magician Harry Houdini ), and released in September of that year, would launch the band into megastardom. Spurred by hits '' Give It Away '' (their first ever #1 hit), '' Under The Bridge ,'' '' Breaking The Girl '' and '' Suck My Kiss ,'' the album sold a staggering 7 million copies in the United States alone. '' Blood Sugar Sex Magik '' is often regarded as the finest album in the entire Peppers catalogue, as the mix of funk, punk, metal, hip-hop, and blues flowed together impressively under the masterful production of Rubin, even at a running time of 74 minutes. Unfortunately, this success was taking its toll on Frusciante, who was finding the band's superstar status hard to deal with and was experiencing severe existential problems. This lead to the degradation of his relationship with other band members until he finally decided to quit the band during the BSSM tour in May of 1992, sinking soon after into a drug addiction. After headlining Lollapalooza with replacement guitarist Arik Marshall and briefly working with Jesse Tobias , the Peppers found a more permanent replacement in former Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro . ''One Hot Minute'' and Navarro (1993-1998) In 1994, '' Live Rare Remix Box '' was released under the Warner Bros. label. The name explains the concept. After, former record company, EMI , released '' Out In L.A. '' (a compilation of rare tracks from their albums before stardom). Their only album with Navarro, '' One Hot Minute '', was released in the fall of 1995 to mixed reviews, usually critically acclaimed by the press, being received with usually good reviews worldwide and nationwide. Many music journalists criticized the lack of chemistry between Navarro and the rest of the line-up, the main reason being the missing John Frusciante and his prodigious and diversified sound on '' Mother's Milk '' and '' Blood Sugar Sex Magik ''. The album featured the familiar styles of funk, metal, and jazz, but this time included increased psychedelia and heavy metal instruments along with some of the longest songs ever produced by the Peppers. Despite the criticism the album still was a success and spurred another #1 hit, '' My Friends '', and charted well with songs such as '' Warped ,'' '' Aeroplane ,'' '' Coffee Shop ,'' and internationally with '' Shallow Be Thy Game ''. However, the line-up wasn't to last as the band's chemistry progressively deteriorated. In the end of 1997, Navarro and Flea played on the Jane's Addiction reunion tour, but at the time the Peppers were in a state of creative stand-by, and Navarro, who after four years of working with the Peppers wished to focus on his own musical projects, left the band in early 1998. ''One Hot Minute'' did fare well, selling four million copies, 2 million of them in the United States alone, and was crowned as a double platinum, but is now considered by the band members as an exception in their career. However, the band did not renounce the album, as is often erroneously stated, but was labeled an "exception" because it was not inspired from jam sessions like other Peppers albums, being mostly composed and fine-tuned in recording studios, which was a very long, complex and sometimes frustrating process, far from the band's usual way of working. After Navarro's departure the band ceased playing songs from ''OHM'' during their shows (except for "Pea" that Flea occasionally performs), mainly because the songs didn't match John Frusciante's style and would not fit in their sets. Frusciante claims never to have heard the album. Frusciante's return and ''Californication'' (1998-1999) Frusciante rejoined the band in 1998 after spending time in rehab and releasing two solo albums. The refreshed, refocused, and re-energized guitarist was on board for the Peppers 1999 release, '' Californication ''. The funk, punk, and psychedelic album produced three more number one hits - '' Scar Tissue '' (which won a Grammy), '' Otherside '' and '' Californication '', in addition to well charted songs '' Around The World '', '' Road Trippin' '' (UK single), and '' Parallel Universe '' (which was not even released as a single, but still managed to break the top 40 in modern rock). Contrarily to the previous Peppers' albums, '' Californication '' contains few rap-driven songs. The band went on a tour which lasted nearly two years, which saw some of their largest shows, including performing in front of 200,000 people in Moscow. In 2001, they released their first concert DVD, "Off The Map". Some would suggest that it was Frusciante's return which made '' Californication '' successful, as all the sold-out albums of the Red Hot Chili Peppers were produced after his joining/rejoining the band - '' Mother's Milk '', '' Blood Sugar Sex Magik '', '' Californication '' and '' By The Way ''. The 2000s ''By the Way'' and ''Live in Hyde Park'' (2001-2004) After returning to the studio in November 2001, the Red Hot Chili Peppers released '''' and '' Can't Stop ''. The Peppers then went on another two year tour, in the meantime releasing their second concert DVD, '' Live At Slane Castle '' in 2003 and recording new songs for their '' Greatest Hits '' album later that year. In 2004, the Peppers released their first ever live album, '' Live In Hyde Park ''. Recorded during their 2004 performances at Hyde Park , London, England , the shows went on to be the highest grossing concert events put on by a single band in history. The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ recent shows at Hyde Park in London set a new world record as the highest grossing concert event at a single venue in music history, bringing in an astonishing $17 million. The three shows (June 19, 20 and 25) sold out within hours of going on sale, had a paying audience of 258,000 punters, bringing in $17,187,234 (approximately £9,115,282) setting a new world record. The Bonnaroo Music Festival in Nashville had previously held the record, with a gross of approximately $14.5 million, but the Clear Channel Entertainment UK promoted and produced RHCP shows, blew the competition out of the water. ''Scar Tissue'' (2004) On October 6 , 2004 , lead singer Anthony Kiedis released his autobiography entitled ''Scar Tissue'' (Hyperion Publishing). The book includes details of his friends, loves, struggles with drug addiction, and music. It also contains lyrics from certain songs, along with the story behind each. ''Stadium Arcadium'' (2005-2006) Again working with producer Rick Rubin, they completed their ninth studio album, '' Stadium Arcadium '', in 2005. Although 38 songs were created, it will be a 28-track double album, originally intended to be released as 3 mini-albums spaced six months apart. The record contains some of the heaviest material the band has ever made as well as having the harmonious and textured sounds similar to the ones featured on their previous two albums. As for the rest of 10 songs not featured on the double album, the band is thinking of releasing several different versions of '' Stadium Arcadium ''; each album version would contain one or more tracks that did not make the 28. However, there has been no evidence since of such plans, and multiple retailers have been found offering the album with a uniform tracklisting. The band performed some of their new material live in concerts in Atlantic City, Las Vegas, New York, and in Los Angeles. The album will be released on May 9 , 2006 in North America ( May 8 in Europe) with a world tour being launched to support it. The first single is called "Dani California", according to Kiedis the same girl from songs By The Way ("Dani the girl") and Californication ("Teenage bride with a baby inside") are representative of every girl he has ever known. In February 2006, the band announced the first dates of the '' Stadium Arcadium '' world tour, with the first dates being announced in Europe. The band announced dates in Spain, Germany, France, the Czech Republic and most notably 13 dates altogether in the UK (Four nights in London). The band also scheduled to play festivals such as T In The Park in Scotland, Rock In Rio in Portugal and Oxegen in Ireland, as well as Lollapalooza in Chicago , IL, USA. The band has announced that they are beginning a US tour in August 2006. On April 4 , 2006, the band's first single '' Dani California '' from Stadium Arcadium was released as a download, the single released followed 4 weeks later on May 1 , 2006, and a week later the 7" Picture disc was released, on the day of Stadium Arcadium's official release. On April 29 , the full album was leaked onto the internet. On April 15 , the band performed a free open air gig at BBC Television Centre in White City, London. The gig was free to people who entered a competition by the rock magazine Kerrang! and the Red Hot Chili Peppers' website. They performed Dani California and a host of new tracks off their new album and a couple of old songs for a special recording of popular chart show Top Of The Pops shown on Sunday, April 16 at 1900 on BBC2 , this caused problems because the BBC didn't have a license for the concert. On May 6, 2006, the band will be performing on Saturday Night Live to help promote the new CD. Additionally, on May 13, 2006 the band will also be performing at the fourteenth annual KROQ Weenie Roast . OTHER INFORMATION The group has been featured on many movies soundtracks, most notably ''"Show Me Your Soul"'' from the Pretty Woman soundtrack; ''"Soul to Squeeze"'' from the Coneheads , ''"Love Rollercoaster"'', a cover of The Ohio Players hit song from Beavis And Butthead Do America , and ''"Sikamikanico"'' from Wayne's World It has been revealed that ''Dani California'', from the album ''Stadium Arcadium'', will be on the soundtrack for the Live Action Japanese film version of the manga '' Death Note ''. The band appeared in a 80's movie, "''THRASHIN'''" about a skateboarder, and they also appeared playing a song called "Set It Straight" in the movie "Tough Guys", Featuring Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas. Anthony Keidis and Flea have both had several big screen appearances. Kiedis was featured as gangmember Tone in the 1991 film "Point Break" with Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves. Flea has appeared in several films, including a memorable turn as a nihilist in the 1997 film "The Big Lebowski". DISCOGRAPHY See Also: Red Hot Chili Peppers discography Studio Albums |
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| "http://wwwseattleluxurycom/encyclopedia/entry/Freaky_Styley" class="copylinks">Freaky Styley '''''<br><center> ( August 16 , 1985 )<br><center> EMI<center> 500 000 units worldwide |
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| "http://wwwseattleluxurycom/encyclopedia/entry/The_Uplift_Mofo_Party_Plan" class="copylinks">The Uplift Mofo Party Plan '''''<br><center> ( September 23 , 1987 )<br><center> EMI<br><center> '''#148''' US <center> 750 000 units worldwide |
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| "http://wwwseattleluxurycom/encyclopedia/entry/Mother's_Milk" class="copylinks">Mother's Milk '''''<br><center> ( August 16 , 1989 )<br><center> EMI<br><center> '''#52''' US<center> 2 million units worldwide |
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| "http://wwwseattleluxurycom/encyclopedia/entry/Blood_Sugar_Sex_Magik" class="copylinks">Blood Sugar Sex Magik '''''<br><center> ( September 24 , 1991 )<br><center> Warner Bros<br><center> '''#3''' US<center> 12 million units worldwide |
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| "http://wwwseattleluxurycom/encyclopedia/entry/One_Hot_Minute" class="copylinks">One Hot Minute '''''<br><center> ( September 12 , 1995 )<br><center> Warner Bros<br><center> '''#4''' US<center> 5 million units worldwide |
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| "http://wwwseattleluxurycom/encyclopedia/entry/Californication_(album)" class="copylinks">Californication '''''<br><center> ( June 8 , 1999 )<br><center> Warner Bros<br><center> '''#3''' US<center> 15 million units worldwide |
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| "http://wwwseattleluxurycom/encyclopedia/entry/By_the_Way" class="copylinks">By The Way '''''<br><center> ( July 9 , 2002 )<br><center> Warner Bros<br><center> '''#2''' US<center> 10 million units worldwide |
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| "http://wwwseattleluxurycom/encyclopedia/entry/Stadium_Arcadium" class="copylinks">Stadium Arcadium '''''<br><center> ( May 9 , 2006 )<br><center> Warner Bros |
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| "http://wwwseattleluxurycom/encyclopedia/entry/Stadium_Arcadium" class="copylinks">Stadium Arcadium '''''<br><center> ( May 9 , 2006 )<br><center> Warner Bros |
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