By The Way - Red Hot Chili Peppers

...(RHCP) sound has been characterised by its brash, uncompromising nature - a mixture of rap and traditional rock, with emphasis on the performance - 'By The Way' is altogether different. RHCP have had a tendency to produce albums by the mantra 'live fast die young', and while this wasn't necessarily a bad idea ('Blood Sugar Sex Magik' was a particular success in this area), 'One Hot Minute' had lead the band to question just how much longer this formula ...
...and 'Throw Away Your Television' by juxtaposing them. Yet each song seems to compliment the last and add something new - all 16 tracks sound different but the album itself feels like a group effort.

The Chilis aren't short of lyrical hooks either - unsurprising when it is considered that the album spawned 5 singles, including number-1 single 'By the Way', the album's title track and, perhaps, coup de grace. Serving as the opening track ... more

In a career spanning over two decades, it is inevitable that a band will change their style in some form over the time, due to maturity, external changes to music, changes in band personnel, and so on. Perhaps the Red Hot Chili Peppers are the best example of this metamorphosis in the modern era of music. Formed in Los Angeles in 1983 as part of the post-punk wave in America in the early 1980s (though not exactly akin with the flourishing NYC scene of the time, which included bands such as Talking Heads), the Chilis have been through it all, from changes in band members (guitarist Hillel Slovak died of a Heroin overdose in 1988, leading to a turbulent period lasting well into the mid-90's and resulting in replacement guitarist David Navarro being sacked) to failing to live up to their hype (1995's 'One Hot Minute' was a disaster, especially when compared to their previous, breakthrough album, 1992's 'Blood Sugar Sex Magik') to winning 6 Grammy awards. The Chili Peppers have survived, remarkably, unto this day, releasing the 28-track double album 'Stadium Arcadium' in 2006, giving them the unlikely tag of elder statesmen of the alternative rock scene. For many, it was 2002's 'By The Way' which proved their cementing as one of the greatest rock outfits of the era, if not all time. With 'Californication', their 1999 album, becoming their 'second breakthrough' - selling 15 million copies - after the failure (both commercially and musically) of 'One Hot Minute' four years earlier, 'By The Way' was the band's chance to seal the deal, and prove their burning potential. Triumphantly, the album was an unheralded success, signalling a new direction for the Chilis without discrediting their old sound, combining their brash hip-hop tone with the new subtle flavour first adopted on 'Californication' three years earlier.

No one could have envisaged, as they witnessed the Chili Peppers perform naked (bar for socks around their genitals) in Los Angeles in 1984, that the band would survive and grow for so long, especially after the mad, bad period of the late 1980s and early 1990s, in which 3 key band members - Hillal Slovak, John Frusciante and Jack Irons - were no longer in the band. The fact that the Chilis spawned one of their best albums - 1992's 'Blood Sugar Sex Magik' - from this mess is testament to the remaining member's ability. Fast forward a decade to 2002 and one can see a much calmer group. Frusciante's return in 1998 is often credited for improving 'Californication', but it is on 'By The Way' that his smooth influence is best felt. Effectively, the band were a foursome when coming together to write their 8th studio album, 'By The Way' - vocalist and lyricist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea, drummer Chad Smith and the aforementioned guitarist John Frusciante. Despite the explosive nature of the band's personalities, the relatively quiet recording period of 'By The Way' reflected the album's style and the newfound maturity within the band. More importantly, the Chilis have never sounded so good. Whereas the Red Hot Chili Pepper's (RHCP) sound has been characterised by its brash, uncompromising nature - a mixture of rap and traditional rock, with emphasis on the performance - 'By The Way' is altogether different. RHCP have had a tendency to produce albums by the mantra 'live fast die young', and while this wasn't necessarily a bad idea ('Blood Sugar Sex Magik' was a particular success in this area), 'One Hot Minute' had lead the band to question just how much longer this formula could work or, indeed, for how much longer they could afford to live fast. Perhaps it was this gradual maturity that lead lyricist Kiedis to open his most contemplative side on 'By The Way', as he takes a more measured and reflective tone than ever before. The result is nothing short of superb - the most difficult aspect of this change is not to discard the old sound; thankfully, however, Kiedis and the band marry the two elements of their 'old' and 'new' sound perfectly. 'By The Way' is proof that it can be done. The album finds the Chilis at their most mellow, and yet manages to harbour a menacing undertone that is never really shaken off, keeping the listener alert. So whilst songs such as 'The Zephyr Song' seem to ooze calm and satisfaction, they only serve to highlight the sadness and fear of fellow tracks such as 'Dosed' and 'Throw Away Your Television' by juxtaposing them. Yet each song seems to compliment the last and add something new - all 16 tracks sound different but the album itself feels like a group effort.

The Chilis aren't short of lyrical hooks either - unsurprising when it is considered that the album spawned 5 singles, including number-1 single 'By the Way', the album's title track and, perhaps, coup de grace. Serving as the opening track of the album of the same name, 'By the Way' is a superb example of Kiedis' lyrical acumen - that is to say, his ability to spin out nonsensical lyrics that mean nothing on the surface but manage to catch you out and make you think time and time again. "Skin that flick/She's such a little DJ/Get there quick/By streets but not the freeway" raps Kiedis, as the band begin the album by turning up their amplifiers. Not just a good instance of Kiedis' ability to create a hook, 'By the Way' also highlights the quiet/loud dynamic that pervades the album. The song meanders and shimmers, starting off quietly before hitting off with the chorus, which the verses are more volatile than. The song reaches its climax after a short period of chanting from the lead singe, and after a triumphant thumping of the chorus, RHCP go for one last rendition in a fittingly quieter, acoustic tone, as the track fizzles out. Further display of Kiedis's nonsensical yet thoughtful lyrics are plentiful - from the broodiness of 'This Is The Place' ("Can I isolate your gene?/Can I kiss your dopamine?/In a way, I wonder if she's living in a magazine") to the soaring elegance of 'Tear' ("I can see clearly now that this is not the place/For playing Solitaire"). The apotheosis of this comes in at track 7 with the infamous, stream-of-consciousness single 'Can't Stop', which references everything from London's West End to outer space to belly dancing in a 4 minute kaleidoscope of the band's adventurous, fun loving lyrical style. And yet it's not as though Kiedis has nothing to say; rather, the opposite is the case. Various tracks on the album point towards a message of some sort - a reflective undertone that displays that the band want you to think about their music. However fun tracks like 'Can't Stop' are (and they are fun - "All on a spaceship, preserving/Use my hands for everything but steering"), there is always a 'Dosed' ("Way upon the mountain where she died/All I ever wanted was your life/Deep inside the canyon I can't hide/All I ever wanted was your life") to make you stop and think. Clearly, the band's drug-filled past has created a lot of demons in need of exorcising, and Kiedis, as chief lyricist, doesn't hold any punches on this front. Tracks such as 'This Is The Place' discuss - subtly - his drug addiction (Kiedis had been clean since 2000) and hatred of narcotics. The album notes and inlay (depicting the band members standing mournfully, in sepia-tint, at a funeral, amongst other things) do hint at a sinister undertone. Nevertheless, even in these more morose tunes, the lyrics are nothing short of infinitely catchy and memorable. Despite the prevailing sadness, the band are never clumsy with their discussion of the more difficult subject matters - a casual listener might not even catch the references at all, so breezy they can seem. Rather, love is a much stronger topic of exploration for Kiedis than drugs ('Warm Tape', 'The Zephyr Song', 'I Could Die For You') and this comes out stronger than any other element in the album as a whole. Even in the band's most ambitious moments ('Tear' and 'Venice Queen') there's a level of tongue-in-cheek light-heartedness to the style of the tracks which stop the band from becoming preachers, which would definitely not suit them at all - and with lines such as "In the end/All will be forgiven/When surrender rises high and I/Gave what I came to give", their is a real danger of this. On this occasion, the childish howling of Frusciante as backing vocals serve to remind the listener that this is the Chilis, not Enya, despite how strange the lyrics might get. Even outside of the bands singles, their are lyrical hooks galore spread throughout the album. The fast paced "Sit up straight/I'm on a double date, I've got to/Find my way into the/Light, heavy, middle weight", delivered in 'On Mercury', shows that Kiedis rarely runs out of steam, and in the closing track, 'Venice Queen', he still finds a handful of hooks to pepper the 6-minute closer with ("Droppin' in, coming through the mesh, yo/Check it in, just to get it blessed, yo"). 'By The Way', more than any other album, not only rubber-stamps the ability of the Chili Peppers as a collective as being up there with the greats, it also marks out Kiedis as an individual for having that elusive knack for unbearably catchy lyrics. Quite simply, 'By The Way' has so many key lines, so many grinningly stupid hooks, so many tongue-twisting rap punches, that it's hard to imagine getting bored of its 16 tracks, despite them clocking in at over an hour.

There is a danger of over-crediting lyricist Anthony Kiedis here, and although his influence is the strongest, John Frusicante's impact must not be ignored - many of the songs bear his inspiration. Musically, the arrangement has clearly had a heavy lick of Frusciante-paint, and anyone with a knowledge of his solo music will know what this means. His style is one of quiet contemplation, leaning towards giving his music a shimmering quality with smooth production. Indeed, the album's guitar and bass arrangement was determined by Frusciante, who created a much more emotional landscape than his band mates Flea or Kiedis would have done in his position. The Chilis, therefore, sound much more multi-layered and textured throughout 'By The Way', more so than on any other of their albums. But whilst this sounds like a wrong turn for a band who have prided themselves on the rawness of their musical style, the layering effects detract nothing from the Chili's sound on most tracks. 'Universally Speaking', the album's second track, is packed with lush pedals but still manages to sound authentic (especially Kiedis' yelps of "Go and get her, I've got her on my mind/Nothing better this feeling is so fine/Simply put, I saw your love stream flow") and true to the band's original sound. Other tracks, such as 'Midnight', don't achieve the balance quite as well - the song begins with instrumentals that immediately distance it from the band's back catalogue - but Kiedis' rapped, indecipherable vocals still make it feel at home within the album itself. Meanwhile, other songs such as 'Don't Forget Me' and 'Minor Thing' feel fairly stripped down and sound almost live as a consequence. . Moreover, the quieter sound is signalled by the only entirely acoustic track on 'By The Way', 'Cabron', which is also one of the only acoustic tracks in Chili Pepper history. It betokens the more mature, reflective style of Kiedis and co. circa 2001, as well as his love of a girl "Always wearing dodgy blue" But once again, Kiedis' vocal style and lyrics help piece these disparate tracks together cohesively. Even in the band's most musically ambitious moments - the piano and orchestra of 'Tear' and the crescendo of 'Venice Queen' - there are bounds of Chilis' trademarks to be found. Another contributor to the album's more layered feel are the backing vocals provided by Frusciante, which are ubiquitous on the album, making it unique in the Chili Pepper's discography. That's not to say these forays into backing vocals are not welcome - Frusciante, who has a successful career as a solo artist besides working with the Chilis, can carry a tune and then some, and his harmonising (best witnessed on the choruses of 'Can't Stop') are melodic and seem to sum up the overall mood of the album very well. Despite this, the Chilis sound best when they're at their most simple and direct, namely on 'Can't Stop', 'By the Way', 'This Is The Place' and 'Universally Speaking'; the guitars on each track are exemplary and masterfully weaved within the tracks, reminding you that RHCP are, deep down, a rock band.

As with every album ever created, there are faults. Firstly, the band's hits as such seem to be crammed in to the first half of the album, meaning that tracks 1-8 feel much more mainstream and focused than tracks 9-16, which have a much more experimental feel. Given the wonderful integration of styles and music that occurs throughout the album, similar fusion of the tracks (putting some of the more unconventional tracks near the singles, for instance) would have been welcome. More thought on behalf of producer Rick Rubin (named by MTV as "the most important producer of the last 20 years") and the band could well have made the album much more balanced. As it is, the album does seem to get more and more experimental as it goes on. Secondly, whilst the band have been bold in their experimentation on 'By The Way', perhaps (musically) more so than ever before, they don't always manage to pull it off. The political funk of 'Throw Away Your Television' springs to mind, which just sounds too self-confident to work out, but more so are later tracks 'Tear', 'Warm Tape' and 'Venice Queen'. The clear experimentation with both music and lyrics on all three tracks (the bizarre chorus of 'Tear', the surreal, otherworldly moan of 'Warm Tape' and the wacky construction and hippie-ness of 'Venice Queen') feel a little foolish at times, and it's a good job the band don't take themselves too seriously, or the second half of the album would fall flat on its face. As it is, however, it will simply take a little longer for the last 6 tracks or so to grow on the listener, although as said, Kiedis has enough hooks to draw you into even the most bizarre sounding track.

Overall, there can be no doubting of the fact that the Red Hot Chili Peppers plateau'd with 'By The Way', their 8th album, reaching a new, more mature sound that is both instantly accessible whilst evoking their earlier sound. As a lyricist, Kiedis certainly hit top gear on this album, a feat that he could not replicate on 2006's double album 'Stadium Arcadium'. The hooks are nothing short of sublime, as Kiedis merges his personal, rough-edged style (the drug references, whilst toned down, still exist) with a more mainstream ability to draw in listeners of all kinds with his pop-drenched vocals. Impressively, this new 'poppier' style (perhaps that's a little unfair - the Chilis have not compromised their style) has not lead to a weaker or more accessible subject matter; much of 'By The Way' is addled with sadness, death and drugs. So well encased are these issues with the skilful lyrics, however, that they end up rewarding multiple listens, giving the album excellent lifespan. Few will be able to decipher 'This Is The Place' on first listen of the album, and fewer still will be able to make head or tail of 'Venice Queen', the album's closing track. The best thing to this reviewer are the lyrics, which are superb, but the edginess of the album is also to be admired. 'By The Way' truly reflects what the band were going through at the time of its creation - a period of reflection on two decades of relative mayhem, and the beginning of a detoxing period which would signal the end of the Chilis as a drug-fuelled motley crew. 'By The Way' is the acknowledgement of a new way for the Chili Peppers that evokes the old whilst embracing a smoother, more relaxed style, best embodied by 'The Zephyr Song' and 'I Could Die For You'. Personally, I've listened to this album so many times it transcends numerals; and yet I still keep coming back for more. I don't tire of this album because, put simply, it does such an amazing job of encapsulating so many meditative moments with its pensive mood, not only through the lyrics but also with the masterful vocals. I still find joy to be had in some of the album's best lines ("Simply put, I saw you're love stream flow" from 'Universally Speaking, "Something inside the cards I know is right/Don't wanna live somebody else's life" from I Could Die For You, "Two of us were made of angel's dust" from 'Warm Tape', and many, many more) which owe tribute from almost every great band, from The Beatles to R.E.M. and more besides. In the end, 'By The Way' finds the Red Hot Chili Peppers at their most reflective and observant, and Kiedis proves to be a master at converting both into lyrical tales of woe and joy. Whilst he rarely weaves a story, Kiedis often induces a stream of mental images for the listener that can leave you punch-drunk ('Can't Stop') or lost for words ('By The Way'), something that Kiedis himself thankfully never is.

Red Hot Chili Peppers - By The Way (2002)
9.1/10

Although it seems trivial, I have awarded each track a rating out of 5 in terms of my personal liking of them. Despite the ratings rarely matching the 5-star award given to the album, it is important to remember that 'By The Way' is better than the sum of its parts, and this is only a personal rating. The album can be found brand new for around £5 and above, depending on where you look, though as usual, it is cheaper online.

1. By the Way 4/5
2. Universally Speaking 4.5/5
3. This Is The Place 4/5
4. Dosed 4/5
5. Don't Forget Me 4/5
6. The Zephyr Song 3.5/5
7. Can't Stop 5/5
8. I Could Die For You 3.5/5
9. Midnight 3.5/5
10. Throw Away Your Television 3/5
11. Cabron 3/5
12. Tear 3.5/5
13. On Mercury 3.5/5
14. Minor Thing 3.5/5
15. Warm Tape 3.5/5
16. Venice Queen 3.5/5

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