The Red Hot Chili Peppers (album)
The Red Hot Chili Peppers is the debut studio album by American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, released Aug. 10, 1984 on EMI America and Enigma Records. The album was produced by Gang of Four guitarist Andy Gill, and is the only Peppers album to feature Jack Sherman on guitar. Sherman was in the band as a replacement for founding member Hillel Slovak, who'd left the band along with founding drummer Jack Irons before the album was recorded. Shortly after the album was released, Sherman was fired and Slovak rejoined the band. The album also features founding members Anthony Kiedis on vocals and Flea on bass, as well as Cliff Martinez on drums.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Studio album by | ||||
Released | August 10, 1984 | |||
Recorded | April 1984 | |||
Studio | Eldorado Studios, Hollywood, California | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 32:32 | |||
Language | English | |||
Label |
| |||
Producer | Andy Gill | |||
Red Hot Chili Peppers chronology | ||||
| ||||
Red Hot Chili Peppers studio album chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from The Red Hot Chili Peppers | ||||
|
"Get Up and Jump" was the only single released from the album, but a music video was made for the song "True Men Don't Kill Coyotes." The album has been credited as the first release from the funk metal genre[4] and has also been labeled as "the little spark that ignited the rap rock revolution."[3]
Writing and recording
The band was often at odds with producer Andy Gill over the musical direction of the album. Anthony Kiedis was disappointed with the overall sound, thinking that it lacked the raw energy of the band's original 1983 demo tape.[6][7] In his 2004 autobiography Scar Tissue, Kiedis recalled, "One day, I got a glimpse of Gill’s notebook, and next to the song 'Police Helicopter', he’d written 'Shit.' I was demolished that he had dismissed that as shit. Police Helicopter was a jewel in our crown. It embodied the spirit of who we were, which was this kinetic, stabbing, angular, shocking assault force of sound and energy. Reading his notes probably sealed the deal in our minds that 'Okay, now we’re working with the enemy', It became very much him against us, especially Flea and me. It became a real battle to make the record."[7]
Reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Sputnikmusic | 2/5[9] |
The Village Voice | B–[10] |
The album failed to chart on the Billboard 200, reaching No. 201 (meaning it "bubbled under" the main album chart for eight weeks in the autumn of 1984). The album received college airplay and MTV rotation, and built the band's fan base. The reviews that were published of the album were mixed, with the first issue of Spin magazine giving, according to Anthony Kiedis in his autobiography Scar Tissue, a positive review.[7] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic later wrote that "their first effort didn't quite gel into a cohesive album".[5] As of 2007, it had sold about 300,000 copies worldwide.[11] Kiedis and Flea have said over the years that they prefer the demo versions of most of the songs, which were recorded with the original lineup featuring Hillel Slovak and Jack Irons; however, the band acknowledged in various books that Jack Sherman's contributions to the band, particularly his knowledge of funk music and music theory, were instrumental in the band's development that were not present with Slovak.
Gwen Dickey, better known by her stage name, Rose Norwalt, provides backing vocals on "Mommy, Where's Daddy?" Dickey was the singer for the 1970s group Rose Royce. On live performances of the song, her lines are performed by Flea.
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "True Men Don't Kill Coyotes" | Anthony Kiedis, Flea, Cliff Martinez, Jack Sherman | 3:40 |
2. | "Baby Appeal" | Kiedis, Flea, Hillel Slovak, Martinez, Sherman | 3:41 |
3. | "Buckle Down" | Kiedis, Flea, Martinez, Sherman | 3:24 |
4. | "Get Up and Jump" | Kiedis, Flea, Slovak, Jack Irons | 2:53 |
5. | "Why Don't You Love Me" | Hank Williams | 3:27 |
6. | "Green Heaven" | Kiedis, Flea, Slovak, Irons | 3:59 |
7. | "Mommy, Where's Daddy?" | Kiedis, Flea, Martinez, Sherman | 3:31 |
8. | "Out in L.A." | Kiedis, Flea, Slovak, Irons | 2:01 |
9. | "Police Helicopter" | Kiedis, Flea, Slovak, Irons | 1:16 |
10. | "You Always Sing the Same" (listed as "You Always Sing" on some releases) | Kiedis, Flea | 0:19 |
11. | "Grand Pappy Du Plenty" (instrumental) | Kiedis, Flea, Martinez, Sherman, Andy Gill | 4:15 |
Total length: | 32:32 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
12. | "Get Up and Jump" (Demo) | Kiedis, Flea, Slovak, Irons | 2:37 |
13. | "Police Helicopter" (Demo) | Kiedis, Flea, Slovak, Irons | 1:12 |
14. | "Out in L.A." (Demo) | Kiedis, Flea, Slovak, Irons | 1:56 |
15. | "Green Heaven" (Demo) | Kiedis, Flea, Slovak, Irons | 3:50 |
16. | "What It Is" (Demo, also known as "Nina's Song") | Kiedis, Flea | 3:58 |
Total length: | 46:01 |
Personnel
Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Anthony Kiedis – lead vocals
- Jack Sherman – guitar
- Flea – bass, backing vocals
- Cliff Martinez – drums
2003 edition bonus tracks (tracks 12–16)
- Anthony Kiedis – vocals
- Hillel Slovak – guitar, talk box
- Flea – bass
- Jack Irons – drums
- Additional musicians
- Keith Barry – horn arrangements and viola
- Cliff Brooks – timbales and congas
- Gwen Dickey – backing vocals (track 7)
- Patrick English – trumpet
- Kenny Flood – tenor saxophone
- Phil Ranelin – trombone
- Recording personnel
- Andy Gill – producer
- Spit Stix – producer (demos)
- Dave Jerden – engineer
- Carolyn Collins – assistant engineer
- Rob Stevens – mixing
- Barry Conley – mixing assistant
- Greg Fulginiti – mastering
- Artwork
- Gary Panter – cover art
- Edward Colver – photography
- Howard Rosenberg – photography
- Henry Marquez – art direction
2003 remastered version personnel
- Kevin Flaherty – producer for reissue
- Ron McMaster – remastering
- Kenny Nemes – project manager
- Michelle Azzopardi – art direction
- Kristine L. Barnard – design
- John Dinser – photo imaging and additional design
- Edward Colver – photography
- Howard Rosenberg – photography
- EMI Archives – photography
References
- "CMJ New Music Report". 5 Jan 2004: 14. Cite journal requires
|journal=
(help) - McMahon, Kevin (June 20, 2016). "Ranking: Every Red Hot Chili Peppers Album From Worst to Best: The Red Hot Chili Peppers (1984)". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
- Stafford, James (August 10, 2015). "The Story of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Self-Titled Debut". Diffuser.fm. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
- Haire, Chris (August 12, 2009). "Psychostick returns funk metal to its silly roots". Charleston City Paper. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
- Allmusic Review
- Reiff, Corbin (August 10, 2015). "How the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Debut Pointed to Big Things". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
- Kiedis, Anthony; Sloman, Larry (October 6, 2004). Scar Tissue. Hyperion. ISBN 1-4013-0101-0.
- Kot, Greg (2004). "Red Hot Chili Peppers". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon and Schuster. p. 681. ISBN 0743201698.
- Royal, Jade (June 23, 2012). "Red Hot Chili Peppers". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
- Christgau, Robert (December 25, 1984). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
- Faris, Lynn (January 2007). "Not your Mother's Milk". Creative Loafing. Archived from the original on 2007-10-11. Retrieved 2007-10-09.