7 - Red Hot Chili Peppers

Music, the Great Communicator

At number 7 is the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I made this list and saw that both them, and the next band, were not in my top 5 and I was confused. Because they are awesome.

Wiki - Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The band's current line-up is Anthony Kiedis (vocals), Michael "Flea" Balzary (bass), Chad Smith (drums) and Josh Klinghoffer (guitar). Their musical style has fused traditional funk with elements of other genres including hip hop, punk rock and psychedelic rock.

The group originally featured guitarist Hillel Slovak and drummer Jack Irons. Slovak, however, died of a heroin overdose in 1988, resulting in Irons' departure. Irons was replaced briefly by former Dead Kennedys drummer D.H. Peligro before the band found a permanent replacement in Smith, while Slovak was replaced by up-and-coming guitarist John Frusciante. This lineup recorded the band's fourth and fifth albums, Mother's Milk (1989) and Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991).

Blood Sugar Sex Magik was a significant record for the band; having sold over fifteen million copies, it provided the group's initial mainstream commercial success. Frusciante grew uncomfortable with this new found success and left abruptly in the middle of the tour for the album in 1992, descending into heroin addiction. After recruiting guitarist Arik Marshall to finish the tour, Kiedis, Flea, and Smith employed Dave Navarro of Jane's Addiction for their subsequent album, One Hot Minute (1995). Although successful, it did not match the critical acclaim of Blood Sugar Sex Magik and sold less than half the copies of its predecessor. Shortly afterwards, Navarro departed the band due to creative differences. Frusciante, fresh out of drug rehabilitation, rejoined the band in 1998, at Flea's request. The reunited quartet returned to the studio to record Californication (1999), which went on to sell fifteen million units worldwide, becoming their most commercially successful album to date. It was followed three years later with By the Way (2002), which continued their success. In 2006, the group released the double album Stadium Arcadium, giving them their first American number one album.

Red Hot Chili Peppers have won seven Grammy Awards. The band has sold over 55 million albums worldwide, has had eight singles in the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 (including three singles in the Top 10), five number one singles on the Mainstream Rock charts, and holds a record of eleven number one singles on the Modern Rock charts.

Band Members

Members:
Anthony Kiedis (1983–1986; 1986 onward)
Josh Klinghoffer (2010 onward)
Michael "Flea" Balzary (1983 onward)
Chad Smith (1988 onward)

Former members:
John Frusciante (1988–1992, 1998–2008)
Dave Navarro
Jesse Tobias
Arik Marshall
Zander Schloss
D.H. Peligro
DeWayne McKnight
Hillel Slovak
Jack Irons
Cliff Martinez
Jack Sherman

Discography

The Red Hot Chili Peppers (1984)
Freaky Styley (1985)
The Uplift Mofo Party Plan (1987)
Mother's Milk (1989)
Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991)*
One Hot Minute (1995)
Californication (1999)*
By the Way (2002)
Stadium Arcadium (2006)
*-best albums

Top 20 RHCP songs

20 Scar Tissue
19 The Zephyr Song
18 Wet Sand
17 Around the World
16 Fortune Faded
15 Give It Away
14 Get On Top
13 Parallel Universe
12 Aeroplane
11 Dani California
10 Johnny, Kick a Hole In The Sky
9 By The Way
8 The Power of Equality
7 Especially in Michigan
6 Californication
5 Higher Ground
4 Otherside
3 Fight Like a Brave
2 Can't Stop
1 Soul To Squeeze

It's easy to see how RHCP have matured and progressed throughout their 25+ year existence. As with a couple other bands (#3 and #5 specifically) in this top ten when this is the case, I appreciate all of their work. It's tough to pick if I like their older or newer stuff better, but I feel like BSSM and Californication are easily their best 2 albums, and they pretty much bookmark their two different styles of work (older and newer). Pick them up ASAP.

My favorite chili pepper has always been John Frusciante. There is no one who does backing vocals better than that man, and is also one of the most underrated guitarists in rock. He recently left the band to pursue more of his solo work (which, I ironically don't really like).



Hey, since I actually did this blog post after Klein did his on them, I'll return the favor of shoutout by letting you in on what he said about RHCP.

KLEIN: RHCP is yet again, a better band than how they rank on here. I only have their greatest hits CD and a couple other tracks as well. When Romo posts his on them, read his. It'll be much better than this.

It was only slightly better.





next up: a band that 3 out of 4 members of have already been on the countdown