Album Review: By the Way, by The Red Hot Chili Peppers. Part 1.

Well, let me start off by saying Merry Christmas to you all, and that the RHCP are my favorite band.

As of late, the switch to Josh was a traumatic one.  I don't believe they have the same...artistry that they once had.  I feel the new music lacks a dimension and that it's mostly a few good riffs thrown together.  There's no essence like there once was when John was in the group.  A friend of mine asked me what I thought of BTW, and I decided it would be a good idea to review it and write my thoughts on the album.  There's so much I can say, but I'll try to keep it short.

Where should I begin?  Perhaps by saying that when I first listened to this album when I originally explored the RHCP years ago I didn't like it as much as Blood Sugar, Stadium Arcadium, Californication, and the older ones.  I thought it was a bit bland, too poppy, too sappy, etc.  I liked the singles, but the album as a whole was bleh.

But upon listening to it more closely and developing my own music tastes (and ears) better, I realized that this album was a beautiful work, filled with complex harmony and true musicianship.  I have to attribute that to John Frusciante, too.  Not that the other guys aren't great musicians, but the control that John exhibited really lifts the album up into another plane.  By The Way actually turned out to be the more boring song.  Great bass riff and great pounding rhythm, but it just isn't as complex as the rest.  Still, it's an excellent song, but one of the weaker ones of the album.

Can't Stop, another single, I have to say I really like.  The mixing is a bit shoddy with the bass being so low and lacking any snap, but aside from that it's an excellent song.  The guitar solo is simple but big.  The subsequent backing vocals that mimic the solo tie the two parts together.  It's melodic and harmonic things like these that make me look a John as a great composer as well as musician.  The thematic unity of the songs makes them so great.  What I also love about Can't Stop is that it's not about the lyrics, as quirky as they may be.  The lyrics just keep the rhythm.  I love that because Anthony really uses the voice as an instrument--a rythmic once over a melodic one in this instance.  But in other songs like Dosed, the melodic (and harmonic) parts take over.  The same is true for the bass.  It's so rhythmic in Can't stop and BTW, but on other songs like Dosed, it's quite melodic.  On Don't Forget Me it's harmonic.  The instruments are used to their full extents on this album, and it's wonderful.

Cabron is a very fun song.  Let me just say that.  The bouncy double bass is fun, the lyrics are fun, and the feel is fun.  Backing vocals are great.  Throw Away Your Television is also a fun song.  But do not count these out.  These songs are "fun" but contain really good riffs and use of instruments.

The thematic unity of This is the Place is also worth mentioning.  The bass just drives that rhythm the whole time until the break.  It's such a great break because of the rhythm not being there anymore.  The acoustic really shines through.  All the layers of John's voices come through too.  I feel that they're so under-appreciated.  Layering vocals is not easy, and it's done so masterfully.  They replace a keyboard. The guitar effects also deserve a mention.  They cut through so well but don't step all over the other instruments.  Great mixing, but also great choice of effects.

I'll cut this review off here and continue later in a different post.  This covers the first..third of the album mostly, with some jumping around, but there's just to much to be said that a single post would get too wordy.

Pick this album up and listen!

Here's the full album...fairly short, but so so deep.


More to come!