Californication

Broadly I think this is a really good album. There's a number of fair-to-middling tracks, but there's also plenty of really big songs on here that really hit. A lot of those ARE the singles, but still. I think the instrumentation is really good. I'm not sure I'd ever credited these guys with that before, but there's some great grooves in here, and other songs are really quite melodic.

3.5 rounded up.

Listened for the first time since high school and the highs are high (Scar Tissue still holds up, fight me) but outside of the 3 or 4 bangers everything else was a chore to listen to.

I remember this being a more full sounding album. The mix is terrible. That being said the band is so in sync it's a great album. I also think the singing is kinda terrible, but I don't think it really needs to be good. It just sets a general tone. First side would be a 4 but they get a bit lost in the weeds on the second side.

I’ve always been lukewarm on RHCP’s singles, and the album tracks all sounded like worse versions of those singles, so this was never going to be a winner for me. The last third was a real slog.

Surprisingly tonefull, this album still hits hard.

Pretty cool but can sound a bit samey at times.

I think it's inferior to BSSM in pretty much every way. I prefer the energy, the riffs, the bass, the guitar tone, etc. on their other album on here. The only thing the same is Anthony's voice, which has definitely grown on me more and more I listen to these guys

That's not to say that Californication is bad by any means. It's still a great album. It has its songs, like This Velvet Globe and Emit Remmus, but the highs aren't as high and the lows are lower.

Let's be honest there are a lot of absolute duds on here.

I think if they dropped the 5 tracks from the back half of this album and shaved 20 mins of the runtime it would have been much better. 4 stars seems a bit high and 3 stars seems a bit low.

Wow... This stinks. It's almost completely lacking the ONLY thing these guys ever (even remotely) did well, sophomoric punk influenced funk. The few times it shows up, it's a neutered version of its former self. This is a record FULL of the pretentious songs I hated most on their previous albums. Musically this is a guy in clown make-up screaming to be taken seriously. Fuck this trash.

A good rhythm section does not automatically translate to a good album. The vocals are nasal, the melodies are pure whine, and the lyrics are a melodramatic mess. 2 stars for Flea.

this album was rough. there are some funky grooves on here but they are drowned out by vocals produced by a high school kid working at a mcdonalds drive through who is frustrated that you had the audacity to order a burger. with a different vocalist and better mixing this couldve been a great album.

Embarrassing if you're over 16 and like this

I actually liked this record when it first came out but grew to loathe the hits over time. On this listen I didn’t hate it quite as much as expected and got a twinge or two of nostalgia for sophomore year of high school. Flea’s bass playing is always fun too. Nonetheless I’m good with never hearing it again.

I haven't listened to this album in probably 20 years, which is weird to say and makes me feel old.

I'm only part way through Around the World, and what a shit track this is. I liked it much better when it came out.

Parallel Universe is off to a much better start. Flea's bass break/the instrumental section was a treat, for sure.

This is maybe the worst mixed/produced album I have encountered on this list. I'm not even listening on great gear, and I'm having a hard time listening because of all the artifacts and compression. It's a shame even the remaster is bad because there is music on this album I really like. I tested both versions on tidal.

I still love Scar Tissue

Otherside has always been one of my favorite RHCP songs. Still true today

This album is SO FUCKING LOUD. Get On Top and Around the World, especially so

Californication is always a treat

Emmit Remus wasn't super enjoyable

This Velvet Glove: if someone had never heard of RHCP and asked what kind of music they played, this would be the song I'd play for them. Not in any sort of negative way, though. I quite liked this song

Road Trippin': I have always liked this easygoing guitar and soft vocal track.

I can't give this album 4 stars, but it's just the slightest bit south of 4.

3.99

Ok so my thoughts on the Red Hot Chili Peppers have always been 1.) Flea is an absolute monster of a bass player. Like one of the best ever. 2.) Individually, Flea, Chad Smith, and whatever guitar player they have at the time are amazing players but for some reason when you put them together it's always a little lackluster. and 3.) While I respect the uniqueness of the vocals, Anthony Kiedis just isn't for me. Instrumentally, all of their albums are fairly decent and have some good grooves on them. Throw in the vocals and usually banal lyrics and you've lost me.
This album pretty much ticks all of those boxes. And good god the sound on this album is terrible. Especially on the vocals, there's a weird quality about the vocals that just doesn't fit at all with the rest of the music. Like the highs on the vocals are turned all the way up and the bass on the instruments was boosted and it’s all just out of balance. The vocals and instruments are fighting each other the whole record.
I can see the commercial appeal of this album though - it's pretty safe for most listeners. Like you aren't going to get a ton of people who just absolutely hate it. There are a couple of songs that are decent but it really does seem like an album they made by reworking discarded songs to sound more coherent when stuck together as an album. A little too safe and uninteresting for me. 2/5

So many classic singles but the album tracks don’t hit the mark

A well put together ensemble of rockin' tunes. Slow, introspective songs are paced well between high tempo headbangers. The basslines of Flea are immaculate. There's no tracks whatsoever that were bad in my opinion.

Starts off with some amazing songs (otherside in particular) but the second half is a bit hit and miss. Overall though, I think they have quite a recognisable and addictive sound on this album. And of course, top notch bass playing by flea.

after blood sugar sex magick, i thought i wasn’t a fan of RHCP. turns out i just didn’t gel with that album, really loved this

Dancin' around in their underwear. That is so degrading.