Red Hot Chili Peppers - By The Way (2002)
The eighth album from the legendary rock band, marking a stylistic change in their sound. It has since sold over 8 million copies worldwide.
Californication had brought the band back from a mid-90s lull in fortunes, establishing them as one of the biggest acts in the world. A significant factor was the return of guitarist John Frusciante, a key creative force in the band. Whilst they worked very closely as a group in creating this record, the development of By The Way took a different approach, shifting their sound away from their funk-infused rock style, embracing a much more melodic, gentle sound.
It is an album that is perhaps a little divisive amongst the fan base. Old-school fans may have been turned off by the lack of aggressive attitude, absent on the vast majority of the songs. Aside from the pacy introductory title track, the urgent funk bass of Can't Stop or the ska-tinged On Mercury, it is a much more sedate affair.
This did cause friction between Frusciante and Flea, who had previously worked very closely to develop the majority of the music. The more subdued basslines, with additional guitar sounds giving depth and texture to the songs, maybe reflect the more prominent solo role that Frusciante had on the record. For me, it has a quite bright, summery feel to the album; clean guitar sounds and layered effects help to build a more subtle emotive palette, contrasting with the intensity of previous albums.
The lyrics are also less oblique and far more personal from Anthony Kiedis, reflecting on sobriety and the multi-faceted relationship with drugs. This Is The Place and Venice Queen, the excellent closer, are particularly poignant.
The poppy singles Universally Speaking and The Zephyr Song were radio and video channel staples in the early 00s, the band cementing their cross-over to commercial acceptance. Overall it is perhaps their most diverse album to this point, a really quite brilliant effort, even if it doesn't satisfy everyone.
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