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Rating: We are in 1984. The Red Hot Chili Peppers burst onto the music scene. They are raw, dirty, rude, and at their concerts, they show up wearing a sock to cover their genitals. They are the Red Hot Chili Peppers, offering a mix of funk and rock sounds.
This first album demonstrates the group's potential: it starts with "True Men Don't Kill Coyotes", which begins with the vibrant and slapping bass notes of Flea, joined by a good rhythmic section and the singer's voice, dark and not yet at its peak. Good track. "Baby Appeal" is a much funkier song with Anthony's singing fitting nicely into the intro created by a play between Jack Sherman's guitar and Flea's bass; we leave this funky piece and listen to "Buckle Down", which starts with a guitar riff backed by a massive drum, then Flea's bass enters, delighting us with one of his solos, followed by a little guitar solo, a track more metal than funk, with guitar solos that indeed lean more towards metal than funk. "Get Up and Jump" brings the situation back to standard levels, an authentic gem on this album, with a funky musical base and singing that touches on rap. . . "Why Don't You Love Me" is also a nice funk piece, less lively than the previous one, but very, very lovely and lighthearted; noteworthy here, as in other pieces, is the presence of trombones, trumpets, and saxophones, which add a touch of originality to the sound. "Green Heaven" is one of the very few political tracks by the Chili Peppers, where they lash out against pollution; we can consider this one of the most rock pieces on the album. "Mommy Where's Daddy" addresses the theme of divorce if I'm not mistaken; it starts with the drums keeping time, joined by Jack's funk guitar and Flea's bass, with Gwen Dickey on vocals for the chorus, notable is the strong performance by the horn section. Now it's a milestone of the early Red Hot period, namely "Out In L.A.", the first piece written by them: we can find all the characteristics of the early Peppers' sound: a bass that fires notes in rapid succession and slaps, a guitar that weaves excellent riffs, and a drum that controls this fabulous weave. "Police Helicopter" can easily be considered a punk track, another very interesting and all in all successful experiment. "You Always Sing" can be considered another punk piece, lasting 44 seconds, however, useless: the singer repeats the same phrase a couple of times. "Granf Pappy Du Plent" closes the album; it is a 4-minute instrumental piece; it is quite interesting but nothing remarkable.
After 33 minutes of listening (that's how long the album lasts), you realize that the potential is definitely there, although this album is not concrete proof of it. Better results will already be achieved with the subsequent Freaky Stealy, where the band turns to a certain George Clinton, who will bring better balance and greater freshness to the group's composition.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
04 Get Up and Jump (02:51)
Get up and jump, get up and jump, get up, get up, get up and jump
Jump on up
Jump on down
Just jump a jump a jump a jump a jump around
Jump the day away
Jump all over town
'Cause jumpin' is okay in a jumpin' kinda way, ghey ghey!
Jump a boy
Jump a girl
Jump a rope
Jump for joy
Just don't stop jumpin'
Keep your heart muscle pumpin'
Hillel be jumpin' on that little baby frumpkin
Say what, You got a pumpkin in your pants?
When you're just standing or sitting still
Think about the frogs gettin' a thrill
Take a little lesson from the kangaroos
Don't you know they're jumpin' foos, jump you!
Jump a nun
Jump a Jack
Jump for fun
Jump back
How's about us jumpin' in the sack?
And now, it's time for a jump attack
Get up and jump
Get up and jump
Get up and jump
Get up and jump
Get up and jump
Get up and jump
Get up and jump
Get up and jump
Jam Bob, Jim Bob, Slim Bob Boogie
To the tune of slima Billy
Lookin' like you're mighty silly
Say what, You got a pumpkin in your pants?
Say what, You got a pumpkin in your pants?
Mister Mexican jumpin' bean knows
His fun is skeaky clean
Christ, how'd ya think that he got so clean?
Not from sittin' on his goddamn spleen. Get up!
Oh, I be jumpin' I be jumpin' I be jumpin' alone
I be jumpin' for the phone
I be jumpin' Misses Jones
I really wanna jump on Kinski's bones
Get up and jump
Get up and jump
Get up and jump
Get up and jump
Get up and jump
Get up and jump
Get up and jump
Get up and jump
Get up and hump
Get up and hump
Get up and hump
Get up and bump
Get up and bump
Get up and bump
Get up and stump
Get up and plump
Jam Bob, Jim Bob, Slim Bob Boogiewoogie
To the tune of slam my Willy
Lookin' like you're mighty killy
Gay what, You got a pumpkin in your pants?
Gay what, You got a pumpkin in your pants?
08 Out in L.A. (02:00)
We're all a bunch of brothers livin' in a cool way
Along with six million others in this place called L.A.
L.A. is the place, sets my mind ablaze
For me, it's a race through a cotton pickin' maze
The town makes me jump, it's got a bunch of bad chicks
Well sure, it's got some chumps but I still get my kicks
My body loves to scrump when I lick the ripe pick
Like a come on a thumb
Poppin' hump, hump, hump, pop out
The action never stops, I'm as wild as can be
'Cos I'm shooting for the top and my best friend is Flea
Oom Chucka Willy knew the balls to pop
But he never met the Tree so he never be-bopped out hop!
Antwan the Swan, from the pretty fish pond
Was a bad mother jumper, you could tell he was strong
He war a cold paisley jacket and a hellified hat
And between his legs was a sweat young lass
He threw a hundred women up against the wall
And he swore to fear that he'd love 'em all
By the time he got to ninety nine, he had to stop
Because that's when he thought that he heard a phone
Last night and the night before, I heard a
Fop outside, then I came in doors
Freak out!
Now that I told you a little something about the Flea
A little something about the Tree, a little something about me
I can't leave you hangin' but my man Shermzy, he swings the yang, he bangs the
yang
And now, it's time to hear him do his playin', you better be burning Sherman!
We're all a bunch of brothers livin' in a cool way
Along with six million others in this place called L.A.
Step out!
09 Police Helicopter (01:16)
Aw!
Police helicopter shot the sky
Police helicopter landin' on my eye
Yeah!
Police helicopter takes a nose-dive
Police helicopter, he ain't shy
Yeah!
Aw!
Police helicopter shot the sky
Police helicopter landin' on my eye
Yeah!
Police helicopter takes a nose-dive
Police helicopter, he ain't shy
Yeah!
Aww!
10 You Always Sing the Same (00:15)
You always sing
You always sing the
You always sing the same
Repeat 6 Times
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Other reviews
By zago
The result is a compromise that satisfies neither the band nor Andy Gill, but it does hint at the band’s potential and originality.
A sound very innovative for its time that very few had played before then.
By egr
This record could be considered historic if it had pushed a bit further into hybridizing rock and roll, old school hip hop, pop, punk, and their proverbial porno-toxic-funky.
One has to wait for George Clinton for the chilies, over time, to turn from rotten green to blazing red.
