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Rating:
The Red Hot Chili Peppers are no longer an alternative rock band at least since Californication. This needs to be said because reviewing an album by repeatedly asking, "Where are the old RHCP?" makes no sense.
The Chilis have changed style, or rather, they have changed the purpose for which they make music.
If in the past music was a way to free them from their problems and nightmares (Hillel Slovak died in '88), now it is nothing more than a job. But this isn't news. Since '91, the RHCP haven't made proper funk and have had a strong commercial attitude. Anyone who talks about "By the Way" as their commercial turning point shows incompetence and misinformation. Now, arriving at "Stadium Arcadium," one cannot deny that the Peppers have put a lot on their plate. If "Californication" was a swing between pleasant tracks and others that were a bit artificial and forced, "Stadium Arcadium" ("By the Way" I don't even consider because it's musically irrelevant) presents itself as a great carousel where you never descend too low, but you don't touch the sky either.
It is a sort of breviary of the Red Hot. Surely there are the pop ballads like "Strip My Mind", "Hey", "Desecration Smile" and "She Looks To Me". Nonetheless, it is noted that in this album even the most trivial songs are lifted, at least in part, by the splendid guitar of John Frusciante. In fact, in the previous record many tracks, besides being boring, were musically monotonous. In this work, instead, the guitar always or almost always manages to enliven everything, and in any case, there are no completely useless songs. Other less successful examples are "If", "We Believe" and "Animal Bar" which are really too sugary and redundant. Alongside these typical songs of the group's latest course are other funk-style pieces, absolutely cleaned up and not very sincere, but still funk with irresistible rhythms.
"Hump De Bump" is one of the best funk songs of their last decade, with its cheerful and decisive rhythm and the really strong percussive interlude; "She’s Only 18" boasts John's superb wah-ha guitar; "Warlocks" is simply a good piece, not bad but not too original either; "So Much I" is perhaps a bit forced, but also catchy and quite adrenaline-pumping, "21st Century" is a convincing, beautiful piece, yet another meeting point between the driving rhythms of the past and the sweetness of the present; "Turn It Again" is yet another piece enhanced by the guitar, here soft and fast, until it becomes sharp and very dynamic. Here you notice a greater commitment to repropose (especially for long-time fans) their typical style. Certainly, they are not as sincere songs as those from the first five CDs, but still truly commendable and also catchy.
But it's not over; the Peppers don't miss anything, whether it's a sign of self-indulgence or creativity, and they fill the double with rock-pop pieces, fairly simple and not at all excellent; the first single "Dani California" only hints at their style, "Tell Me Baby" is practically the update of "Can’t Stop", "Make You Feel Better" is really too naive. I think this is their worst side, a fairly insignificant pop-rock. Incredibly, there are also songs inspired by hard rock; "Torture Me" is a nice song, quite fast, excellent bass riff and pressing drums, with the brass giving a touch of originality and irony; "Readymade" has a powerful bass riff and a solo on the verge of metal, explosive, but relaxed in the refrain; "Storm in a Teacup", one of the most successful tracks, resembles a lot of hard rock from "One Hot Minute", fun and self-ironic, with the guitar as irresistible as ever.
There are also some experiments, the carefree ballads like "Slow Cheetah" and "Hard To Concentrate" are new, or almost. Delicate, but decisive, with a strong bitter aftertaste, they differ from the others for their intimacy and bring with them personal emotions. There is a strong influence of Frusciante, with his vaguely psychic rock (not psychedelic); "Stadium Arcadium" and "Especially In Michigan" are examples; the former very airy and evocative with delicate sounds and soft echoes, without losing rhythm, is a very good result, the latter dense and rich in electric guitar inlays (with the help of Omar Rodriguez).
But the most beautiful songs are found when RHCP don't think about what they are doing and play as they are inspired. "Snow" is a pop ditty, with a fast guitar arpeggio that wins you over within a few listens. Perfect in the crescendo and in changing tone subtly. "Charlie" is a piece that travels parallel to any musical genre. Indescribable and beautiful. It is a piece of absolute excellence. Well-paced, fun but also languid. "Wet Sand" is perhaps the best piece of the double album. A ballad, sweet like the breeze, but also scorching like the summer sun. It is a manifesto for the group; the culmination of a search that started in '99. The perfect synthesis of the new Frusciantesque course; his guitar in the final solo, it seems to scream, desperate and happy, under a summer rain. "Death Of a Martian" is a small requiem; it has a painful and angry sound, in its sweetness. With its time changes and the final speech, it is the perfect conclusion for the CD.
In conclusion, a decent work. The group decided to embark on a new path in '99, and this album is simply a consequence of that. There are no horrendous tracks, but there are also few truly stunning pieces. Rather, they opt for a medium standard, where the guitar reigns supreme, the refrains are always catchy (too much sometimes) and they never risk disturbing or breaking the balance, something that the group often did in the past. But an album should be evaluated in its context. I evaluate it as a more than sufficient, indeed decent album. Of course, if you want to hear one of their masterpieces, look elsewhere, but the fact remains that "Stadium Arcadium" is a well-sounding album that demonstrates the group's commitment and for a band of forty-somethings, it is not a bad result at all. Rating: 6.5/10
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
01 Dani California (04:42)
Getting born in the state of Mississippi
Papa was a copper
And Mama was a hippie
In Alabama she would swing a hammer
Price you gotta pay when you break the panorama
She never knew that there was
Anything more than poor
What in the world does your
Company take me for
Black bandanna, sweet Louisiana
Robbin' on a bank in the state of Indiana
She's a runner, rebel and a stunner
On her merry way sayin', "Baby watcha gonna"
Looking down the barrel of a hot metal .45
Just another way to survive
California rest in peace
Simultaneous release
California show your teeth
She's my priestess; I'm your priest
She's a lover, baby and a fighter
Shoulda seen it comin' when it got a little brighter
With a name like Dani California
The day was gonna come when I was gonna mourn ya
A little loaded she was stealin' another breath
I love my baby to death
California rest in peace
Simultaneous release
California show your teeth
She's my priestess; I'm your priest
Who knew the other side of you?
Who knew what others died to prove?
Too true to say goodbye to you
Too true to say say say
Push the fader, gifted animator
One for the now and eleven for the later
Never made it up to Minnesota
North Dakota man was a gunnin' for the quota
Down in the Badlands, she was savin' the best for last
It only hurts when I laugh
Gone too fast
California rest in peace
Simultaneous release
California show your teeth
She's my priestess; I'm your priest
California rest in peace
Simultaneous release
California show your teeth
She's my priestess; I'm your priest
02 Snow ((Hey Oh)) (05:34)
Come to decide that
The things that I tried
Were in my life
Just to get high on
When I sit alone
Come get a little known
But I need more
Than myself this time
Step from the road
To the sea to the sky
And I do believe
That we rely on
When I lay it on
Come get to play it on
All my life to sacrifice
Hey oh
Listen what I say oh
I got your hey oh
Now listen what I say oh
When will I know
That I really can't go
To the well once more
Time to decide on
When it's killing me
When will I really see
All that I need to look inside
Come to believe
That I better not leave
Before I get my chance to ride
When it's killing me
What do I really need
All that I need to look inside
Hey oh
Listen what I say oh
Come back and hey oh
Look at what I say oh
The more I see, the less I know
The more I like to let it go
Hey oh, woah
Deep beneath the cover
Of another perfect wonder
Where it's so white as snow
Privately divided
By a world so undecided
And there's nowhere to go
In between the cover
Of another perfect wonder
Where it's so white as snow
Running through the field
Where all my tracks
Will be concealed
And there's nowhere to go
When to descend
To amend for a friend
All the channels
That have broken down
Now you bring it up
I'm gonna ring it up
Just to hear you sing it out
Step from the road
To the sea to the sky
And I do believe
What we rely on
When I lay it on
Come get to play it on
All my life to sacrifice
Hey oh
Listen what I say oh
I got your hey oh
Listen what I say oh
The more I see the less I know
The more I like to let it go
Hey oh
Deep beneath the cover
Of another perfect wonder
Where it's so white as snow
Privately divided
By a world so undecided
And there's nowhere to go
In between the cover
Of another perfect wonder
Where it's so white as snow
Running through the field
Where all my tracks
Will be concealed
And there's nowhere to go
I said hey, hey, yeah
Oh yeah, tell my love now
Hey, hey, yeah
Oh yeah, tell my love now
Deep beneath the cover
Of another perfect wonder
Where it's so white as snow
Privately divided
By a world so undecided
And there's nowhere to go
Deep beneath the cover
Of another perfect wonder
Where it's so white as snow
Running through the field
Where all my tracks
Will be concealed
And there's nowhere to go
I said hey, oh yeah
Oh yeah, tell my love now
Hey, yeah, yeah, oh yeah
03 Charlie (04:37)
All aboard... stitch in time
Get yours... got mine
In a minute... I'll be there
Sit tight... get square
You can do it at the hippodrome
Slide back, trombone
Anybody got a TV tome?
That's right, unknown
When I pick up on that smell
Pick it up and run like hell
Little woman save me some
Better get up on your run
So much more than Charlie's wakin' me
To my core and Charlie's shakin' me
Tell my story and Charlie's making me
And Charlie's making me smile
Everybody... do the twist
Get the the message... on Flea's fist
Move around like a scientist
Lay down... get kissed
Big picture and it never lies
Big daddy will advise
Eveready in disguise
Sunset... sunrise
When I pick up on that smell
Pick it up and run like hell
Little woman save me some
Better get up on your run
So much more than Charlie's wakin' me
To my core and Charlie's shakin' me
Tell my story and Charlie's making me
And Charlie's making me smile
My heart, your skin, this love I'm in
We don't arrive without a suprise
You're right, I'm wrong, be free, belong
Intimate sight has come in to light
When I pick up on that smell
Pick it up and run like hell
Little woman save me some
Better get up on your run
All I ever wanted to
Was pick it up and run with you
Slip it into a summer spell
Double up and run like hell, ooh
So much more than Charlie's wakin' me
To my core and Charlie's shakin' me
Tell my story and Charlie's making me
And Charlie's making me smile, woah now
My heart, your skin, this love I'm in
We don't arrive without a suprise
You're right, I'm wrong, be free, belong
Intimate sight has come in to light
My heart, your skin, this love I'm in
We don't arrive without a suprise
You're right, I'm wrong, be free, belong
Intimate sight has come in to light
04 Stadium Arcadium (05:15)
Bells around St. Petersburg
When I saw you
I hope I get what you deserve
And this is where I find
Smoke surrounds your perfect face
And I'm falling
Pushing a broom out into space
And this is where I found a way
The stadium arcadium
A mirror to the moon (mirror to the moon)
Well I'm forming and I'm warming (to you)
State of the art until the clouds come crashing
Stranger things have happened both
Before and after noon (before and after noon)
Well I'm forming and I'm warming (to you)
Pushing myself, and no, I don't mind asking now
Alone inside in my forest room
And it's storming
I never thought I'd be in bloom
But this is where I start
(Derelict days and the stereo plays
For the all night crowd that it cannot phase)
And I'm calling
(Tedious weeds that the media breeds
But the animal gets what the animal needs)
And I'm sorry
The stadium arcadium
A mirror to the moon (mirror to the moon)
And I'm forming and I'm warming (to you)
State of the art until the clouds come crashing
Stranger things have happened both
Before and after noon (before and after noon)
Well I'm forming and I'm warming (to you)
Pushing myself, and no, I don't mind asking now
And this is where I find
Rays of dust that wrap around
Your Citizen
Kind enough to disavow
This is where I stand
The stadium arcadium
A mirror to the moon (mirror to the moon)
Well I'm forming and I'm warming (to you)
A state of the art until the clouds come crashing
Stranger things have happened both
Before and after noon (before and after noon)
And I'm forming and I'm warming (to you)
I'm pushing myself, and no, I don't mind asking
The stadium arcadium
A mirror to the moon (mirror to the moon)
Well I'm forming and I'm warming (to you)
State of the art until the clouds come crashing
Stranger things have happened both
Before and after noon (before and after noon)
And I'm forming and I'm warming to you
05 Hump de Bump (03:33)
40 detectives this week
40 detectives strong
Takin' a stroll down Love Street
Strollin' is that so wrong
Can I get my co-dependent
Hump de bump doop bodu
Bump de hump doop bap
Hump de bump doop bodu
Oh no!
Bump de hump doop bodu
Hump de bump doop bap
Bump de hump doop bodu
Bump bump
Must have been a hundred miles
Any of a hundred styles
It's not about the smile you wear but
the way we make out
When I was another loner
Nothin' but a two beach comber
Anybody seen the sky? I'm
I'm wide awake now
Workin' the beat as we speak
Working the "belle du monde"*
Believe in the havoc we wreak
Believin', is that so wrong
Can I get my co-dependant
Hump de bump doop bodu
Bump de hump doop bap
Hump de bump doop bodu
Bump de hump doop bodu
Hump de bump doop bap
Bump de hump doop bodu
Bump bump
C'mon!
Must have been a hundred miles
Any of a hundred styles
It's not about the smile you wear but
the way we make out
When I was another loner
Nothin' but a two beach comber
Anybody seen the sky? I'm,
I'm wide awake now
Hump de bump doop bodu
Bump de hump doop bap
Hump de bump doop bodu
Oh no!
Bump de hump doop bodu
Hump de bump doop bap
Bump de hump doop bodu
Bump bump
Listen to me what I said
Try to get it through your head
A little bit of circumstance and
A chance to make out
Livin' in a citadel
It's hard enough to be yourself
Waiting for the bell to toll and
I am wide awake now
Must have been a hundred miles
Any of a hundred styles
It's not about the smile you wear but
the way we make out
When I was another loner
Nothin' but a two beach comber
Anybody seen the sky? I'm
I'm wide awake now
06 She's Only 18 (03:25)
She's only 18
Don't like the Rolling Stones
She took a short cut
To being fully grown
She's got that mood ring
A little sister rose
The smell of Springsteen
A pair of pantyhose
This talking picture show
Is leaking from a silhouette
She said my man you know
It's time to get your fingers wet
Your hustle's busted when
You can't afford a cigarette
The last I heard from you
You were screaming "handle it"
Knock the world right off its feet
And straight onto its head
The book of love will
Long be laughing after you are dead
Fascinated by the look of you
And what was said
Make a play for all the
Brightest minds and light will shed
I heard some P-Funk
Out on the road again
To get your head shrunk
Is what I recommend
It's in your bloodline
A perfect Frankenstein
Out on that lone pine
I'm gonna make you mine
It's understood you wrap
Your voodoo right around my neck
You've got some glitter on your
Kitty at the discotheque
I put my lovin' in your oven
Not a head to check
The last I heard from you
You were screaming "resurrect"
Knock the world right off its feet
And straight onto its head
The book of love will
Long be laughing after you are dead
Fascinated by the look of you
And what was said
Make a play for all the
Brightest minds and light will shed
Knock the world right off its feet
And straight onto its head
The book of love will
Long be laughing after you are dead
Fascinated by the look of you
And what was said
Make a play for all the
Brightest minds and light will shed
07 Slow Cheetah (05:19)
1-2-3-4
Waking up dead inside of my head
Will never never do, there is no med
No medicine to take
I've had a chance to be insane
Asylum from the falling rain
I've had a chance to break
It's so bad, it's got to be good
Mysterious girl, misunderstood
Dressed like a wedding cake
Any other day and I might play
A funeral march for Bonnie Brae
Why try and run away
Slow cheetah come before for my forest
Looks like it's on today
Slow cheetah come it's so euphoric
No matter what they say
I know a girl she worked in a store
She knew not what her life was for
She barely knew her name
They tried to tell her she would never be
As happy as a girl in a magazine
She bought it with her pay
Slow cheetah come before for my forest
Looks like it's on today
Slow cheetah come it's so euphoric
No matter what they say
Everyone has so much to say
They talk, talk, talk, their lives away
Don't even hesitate
Walking on down to the burial ground
It's a very old dance with a merry old sound
Looks like it's on today
Slow cheetah come before for my forest
Looks like it's on today
Slow cheetah come it's so euphoric
No matter what they say
Slow cheetah come before for my forest
Looks like it's on today
Slow cheetah come it's so euphoric
No matter what they say
10 Especially in Michigan (04:00)
Life is my friend
Rake it up to take it in
Wrap me in your cinnamon
Especially in Michigan
...Well I could be your friend
White clouds I'm in
A mitten full of fisherman
C'mon huckleberry finn
Show me how to make her grin
...Well I'm in Michigan
Cry me a future
Where the revelations run amok
Ladies and gentlemen
Lions and tigers come running
Just to steal your luck
A rainy Lithuanian
Who's dancing as an Indian
Painted in my tiger skin
(Especially in Michigan)
Double chins and bowling pins
Unholy presbyterians
Land is full of medicine
I find it when I'm slipping in
...Into Michigan
The tainted new librarian
Who fainted when she tucked you in
Let's float away like zeppelins
(On stoic gusts of northern wind)
Out on the farm we'll be
Swimming with the mother duck
Deep in the mitten where
Lions and tigers come running
Just to steal your luck
Life is my friend
Underwater violins
Order now from ho chi min
A porcelain that comes in twins
...When I'm in Michigan
Throw me in the looney bin
Cause I can take it on the chin
The cleavage of your pillow skin
(Is moving like a violin)
11 Warlocks (03:25)
Warlocks in wonderland
I've got a megatropolis in my hand
And a subterranean marching band
Making noise for the boys in the Vatican
A little package and off we go
Oh, ticky ticky tackety tic tac toe
I know everybody's Eskimo
We've got another thing coming and that's our show
Every night I go looking for you
Everyone in the world adores you
A little packet of something kind
To find your reason
Coming up on it everyday for
Look at me and it's what I stay for
A little locket of fantasy
That we believe in
Lilacs and contraband
I've got Santa Monica in my hand
A little Beatlemania when I can
I've got two big bags of old Japan
Ring side and blow-by-blow
Another main event at the old rainbow
We're comin' right on top of the tupelo
When she looks just like Bridgette Bardot
Every night I go looking for you
Everyone in the world adores you
A little packet of something kind
To find your reason
Coming up on it everyday for
Look at me and it's what I stay for
A little locket of fantasy
That we believe in
Make a deal with Uncle Weezer
Sign your name to claim
China Chow will try to please her
Sweetness come from Jane
Warlocks in wonderland
I've got a rockapotamus in my hand
With a happy ending that's made of sand
With a little bit of loving is all I plan
Every night I go looking for you
Everyone in the world adores you
A little packet of something kind
To find your reason
Coming up on it everyday for
Look at me and it's what I stay for
A little locket of fantasy
That we believe in
Every night I go looking for you
Everyone in the world adores you
A little packet of something kind
To find your reason
Coming up on it everyday for
Look at me and it's what I stay for
A little locket of fantasy
That we believe in now
13 Wet Sand (05:09)
My shadow side, so amplified
Keeps coming back dissatisfied
Elementary, son, but it's so...
My love affair with everywhere was innocent
Why do you care?
Someone start the car, time to go...
You're the best I know
My sunny side has up and died
I'm betting that when we collide
The universe will shift into a low
The travesties that we have seen
Are treating me like Benzedrine
Automatic laughter from a pro
My, what a good day for a, walk outside
I'd like to get to know you a little better, baby
God knows that I really tried
My, what a good day for a, take out bride
I'd like to say we did it for the better of...
I saw you there so unaware
Those hummingbirds all in your hair
Elementary, son, but it's so...
The disrepair of Norma Jean
Could not compare to your routine
Balarama beauty goin' toe to toe
My, what a good day for a, let it slide
I'd like to say we did it for the better of...
I thought about it and I brought it out
I'm motivated by the lack of doubt
I'm consecrated but I'm not devout
The mother, the father, the daughter, yeah
Right on the verge, just one more dose
I'm traveling from coast to coast
My theory isn't perfect, but it's close
I'm almost there, why should I care?
My heart is hurting when I share
Someone open up, let it show
My, what a good day for a walk outside
I'd like to think we did it for the better of...
I thought about it and I brought it out
I'm motivated by the lack of doubt
I'm consecrated, but I'm not devout
The mother, the father, the daughter
Oh, you don't form in the wet sand
You don't form at all
Woah, you don't form in the wet sand
I do, yeah
You don't form in the wet sand
You don't form at all
Woah, you don't form in the wet sand
I do, yeah
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Other reviews
By Vito Alberto
They release their "Masterpiece".
Their drug now is just music.
By Jack_85
The album is called 'Stadium Arcadium.' I would expect songs that blow your eardrums, funk like in the old days, or at least a sound that makes me dance and move even up the walls. Instead, sadly, it’s not like that.
An album to avoid, to discourage... But I love the Red Hot. I saw them at San Siro and fell in love.
By JohnFrusciante
Finally the Peppers have awakened!!!
The Red Hots have awakened, with some distant vibrations of By The Way, but they have come back strongly.
By zago
An album that attempts to combine sounds from the last CD with more Californication-like vibes and some vain funk attempts.
It's not an immediate album because there are 28 songs to absorb and let grow slowly, yet it rarely surpasses a medium-good level.
By GrantNicholas
Frusciante (notoriously not a technically brilliant guitarist) truly in shape, even stunning when he has the chance to 'make himself heard' more.
Despite the recycling into a purely 'mainstream' genre, the quality of writing is still at an incredibly high level.
