Yes, I do understand that it has been well over a decade since The Red Hot Chili Peppers released their eighth studio album! But I feel like when compared to its neighboring albums, By The Way sort of gets shoved under the rug, be it from their leviathan, twenty eight track double album Stadium Arcadium or their 1999 smash hit Californication. I'll provide some background information on the band during the time of By The Way's conception before breaking the album down for review.
Almost immediately after finishing a massive world tour following the international success of their previous album Californication, the band leaped back into the studio to begin brainstorming for their next release. John Frusciante, who played guitar for the band on their Mother's Milk and Blood Sugar Sex Magik albums, rejoined the band lineup for the recording of Californication immediately following his recovery from heroine addiction. During the years that John was not with the band he sold all of his guitars and hadn't played again until lead singer Anthony Kiedis and bassist Michael Balzary (Flea) reached out to him following the firing of Dave Navarro from the band. Similar to when the Chili Peppers asked him to join the band the first time, John was floored and overcome with emotion after being asked to rejoin them years later and gratefully accepted being welcomed back.
Though John was very rusty after the years he spent doing drugs, he was resolute in his decision to make the guitar his top priority again. Out of joy that John was rejoining the band, Kiedis went out and bought him a 1960s Fender Stratocaster electric guitar to supply him for the upcoming practices and recording sessions. Frusciante practiced almost nonstop during the recording of Californication and did not cease his long hours of practice even after the tour ended.
The reason I am focusing so much on John Frusciante before reviewing the album is because to me, John was the soul of By The Way. To avid listeners of the band, Californication was John's rebirth; he was growing and learning how to walk again. After Californication John had more time to practice and focus on the sounds he really wanted to make. He needed to play what was in his heart, and this desire to express himself after all of the years he could not was the most powerful force that drove The Red Hot Chili Peppers' eighth studio album (in my very humble opinion).
Beginning with the album's title track, By The Way packs a sweet yet funky punch. The main verses are filled with Anthony Kiedis' rap and Flea's intense bass riff while being pushed along with Chad Smith's fast and soulful rhythmic drum fills. The album's title track welcomes both old and new fans to the fold, incorporating both funky rhythms while still remaining incredibly catchy. But the seasoned fans who fell in love with the fast distorted funk rock sound that the band became famous for might lose their interest after this song. Chad Smith stated after the release of the record that it's "very honest, raw and emotional music. It's a very dynamic, rich and lush album." And he wasn't kidding, By The Way is the most emotional, and soulfully driven album I have ever heard the band release.
The next track, Universally Speaking, incorporates clean guitar rhythms equipped with chorus effects that made me feel like I was on a beach during a very sunny summer day. The closing guitar solo was the closest the group has ever been to sounding like a surf rock band, with its clean, repeated and optimistic sounding melody. Kiedis sings of wooing a beautiful woman, and I can almost see them both on that same sunny beach. This probably sounds really lame (come on Mike, a beach? A sunny day? How full of shit are you?) but hear me out! You'll understand what I mean when you give the song a listen! It's one of the band's most beautiful love songs, and it's sure to put a smile on your face and have you humming along to the backup vocals that John provides.
While on the topic of backup vocals, John didn't hold back in putting his voice on every song of the album. It's obvious that he's very confident not only on the guitar but behind the microphone as well. There are many songs on the album that are strengthened by John's vocal harmonies, such as Dosed and The Zephyr Song. Two of the sweeter songs on the album, the choruses on Dosed are almost completely driven by John's voice taking the spotlight. I originally thought that the backup vocals on The Zephyr Song were sung by a woman, but as seen during the band's live concert at Slane Castle (My favorite concert DVD) John is great at hitting those really high vocal melodies.
Before you know it, Dosed, in its five minute length, is over leaving you wanting more just as the guitar solo brings the song to a close. John's solo on this track was a game changer for me when I first listened to By The Way in my sophomore year of high school. I used to believe before hearing it that all solos had something to prove to the audience. A musician needed to convey a message for everyone without a thought for his or herself. Frusciante threw these ideas out of my head on this track and during all of his live solos (most of which were never played the same way twice). The guitar solo on Dosed is so melodic, emotional, and playful. It's as emotional and loving as a hug from a loved one, or a kiss you sneak to your boy/girlfriend's cheek.
The guitar solos throughout By The Way are all beautiful, well written, and surprisingly simple. On many occasions I've attempted to figure out the guitar solos on a few of the other tracks including this one, and ended up figuring them out without much effort. This is not to say that the solos are all overly simplistic or lack creativity. What I mean to say is that I truly admire any musician who can incorporate a solo that is simple and yet evokes this level of excitement and happiness in me.
Dosed isn't the only song that provoked this reaction; the flange guitar effect on This Is The Place continues to amaze me years after first hearing it. Anthony Kiedis' lyrical writing on the track was another aspect of the listening experience that I truly enjoyed. If John Frusciante was the soul of By The Way then Anthony Kiedis was the heart. He reflects on missing the funeral of the band's first guitarist and close friend Hillel Slovak, who died of a heroine overdose, due to his own drug addiction with lines like "On the day my best friend died I could not get my copper clean." You can really feel Kiedis' sorrow and regret on this track, which made me love the album even more. At the time Kiedis was still having some drug issues of his own, and the emotions that he incorporates into his lyrics on the album seemed more sincere and human when compared to all of the band's previous albums.
Can't Stop, one of the bands' biggest hits to date, is the funkiest tune that we get on the album. Once again Frusciante's minimalist approach to his solos, along with his beautiful backing vocal harmonies, give the song an emotional drive that is strengthened ever further by the rhythm section. A great talent of Chad Smith's, both on this song and well throughout his entire drumming career, is how easy it is for him to make us feel the emotion he is putting into his playing. Many of the beats are simple, but on Can't Stop, as well as on Throw Away Your Television, where the main push comes from the rhythm section, Smith never fails at submerging us within the atmospheres of the songs.
The only songs that I felt didn't bring it home for me were Cabron and Minor Thing. Both are very catchy tunes but get fairly repetitive after a while. They aren't bad songs at all, they just don't come close to reaching the emotional summit upon which the rest of the album stands.
Tear and On Mercury go hand in hand with each other because of how different they are next to one another. Whereas Tear is long, dramatic, and slow, On Mercury is fast, playful and upbeat. The trumpet solo on Tear is as unexpected, soulful and satisfying as the harmonica accompaniment of On Mercury. Both of these tracks do well in preparing us for the final two tracks on the album, my two personal favorites
Warm Tape is without a doubt the weirdest song that I have ever heard the band release. The main melody, played on a synthesizer, is very clear and yet dissonant in its accompaniment with Flea's bass and Chad's drumming. It took a few listens for me to really enjoy the song. Before I started appreciating the track, I would immediately skip to the next song because the spaced out tone it gave off intimidated me. But the track is brilliant in its arrangement; the final twenty five seconds of the song include Flea plucking along to his mellow bass line while Anthony chants the last line "Settle for love" with the synthesizer pushing the finale to its peak intensity before the song dissolves into the air like a daydream.
Venice Queen is completely different from Warm Tape. Where Warm Tape was alluring in its straight tempo and spaced out atmosphere, Venice Queen is focused, poly-rhythmic and delivers a unique punch that I did not expect of the band. The first half of the track is slow and ominous, Flea and John play the same haunting melody over Kiedis' cryptic lyrics. Frusciante incorporates a fading in and out guitar echo with his volume knob while playing which really gives the song a ghostly feel before it eventually fades into its second half.
The second half hits you in the face with an unexpected acoustic guitar progression strummed very quickly. This sounds the charge for Chad and Flea to join in the much faster tempo set by John. Kiedis and John then begin to sing together, with Kiedis in the lead and John on backup. The songs' lyrics were written by Anthony to commemorate a California drug counselor, Gloria Scott, who helped him through many of his struggles with addiction. She was a great inspiration to him but unfortunately died of cancer soon after Kiedis left drugs behind. Venice Queen is not only a farewell to a dear friend of the band, but more broadly it is a goodbye that can be sung for anyone whom you have lost. But it isn't a sad song either, it's a respectful homage to anyone whom you have lost in your life. On no other Red Hot Chili Peppers album can I say that I have felt as awed and inspired as I did when first hearing Venice Queen.
Overall, By The Way is an excellent album that brought us to a place where the band had never previously ventured. Hearing John's growth as a guitarist following Californication was such a joy that inspired me greatly as a musician. By The Way showed me that the band was not always on the sex and drugs side of rock and roll, and that they could take a moment to reflect on their lives in a serious and beautiful way.
I give By The Way 4 and a half out of 5 stars
All songs and albums mentioned have been linked to YouTube (for songs) and Amazon (for albums) for either listening or purchasing.
