RED HOT CHILLI PEPPERS: Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991)

It was watching MuchMusic back in late ’91 when they showed the video for “Give It Away” that I had to jump onboard  as what a groove the RHCP laid down on this track.

I went out the next day and I bought it on CD.

Fast Forward to October 2020…

My daughter Kylee gave me a gift card to Sunrise Records and when I saw Blood Sex Sugar Magik sitting in the bins I figured it was time to pull the trigger on grabbing it on vinyl.

Spread out over two records this album is wham bam slap you in the head man kind of spin.

17 songs over 73 minutes it’s one massive listen and if anything you get your moneys worth listening to this one.

Rick Rubin twisted the dials so you know the drum sound is going to be mega like the job Rubin did on The Cult’s “Electric” record back in ’87.

You can have the best sonics in the world but you the need the band to show up to lay it down and the Chilli Peppers did just that.

Drummer Chad Smith packs a wallop on the drums and is lock n loaded with Flea on Bass. At times they throw it down like no one’s business on the heavier funked out tracks like the already mentioned “Give It Away”  and the fist to the forehead jam of “Suck My Kiss”.

Singer Anthony Kiedis is a pretty crafty lyricist as this album has a ton of sexual innuendos on it. Combine that with the power of the band and holy smokes no wonder it went to Number 1 in Canada and currently  sits at 4 Times Platinum here.

Guitarist John Frusciante is one fantastic 6 stringer and that he should  be commended for being  a big factor in this band yet people tend to his focus on his personal issues when he bolted from the band on this tour.

The reason I bring this up is the next album that followed with Dave Navarro (“One Red Hot Minute”) missed the mark so that right there tells me that when you take one quarter of talent out of the band and replace them it doesn’t necessarily means it will work.

“Blood Sex Sugar Magik” though kicks out the jams on tunes like “The Greeting Song” and of course “Suck My Kiss” whereas you have the classic tale of drug use in “Under The Bridge” which was a mega hit.

Yet the Peppers could take the gas off the funky jams on tunes like “Breaking The Girl”  and one track that I really like is “Funky Monks” with Flea popping that Bass.

For a reissue there are no credits, band member names or songwriting credits listed but in the end the RHCP’s let the music do the talking!