Hey! Let’s tackle Sir Psycho Sexy And His Ragtag Bunch with their 1995 effort, One Hot Minute.

Released September 12, 1995 on Warner Bros Records, this is the band’s sixth studio album and their only one with Dave Navarro of Jane’s Addiction fame on guitar. The album’s production was marked by tensions within the band, most notably Anthony Kiedis’ relapse into drug use as well as the lineup instability. Upon release, the album received mixed reviews critically and sold 2 million, less than half of what Blood Sugar Sex Magik sold. However, the album has gradually risen over the years with more people coming to the album’s defense. But am I one of those people? Well…….

1. “Warped” (Anthony Kiedis/Dave Navarro/Michael “Flea” Balazary/Chad Smith):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xmyuJZH3RAc

Kicking off the album is “Warped”, also the first single off the album. The track, originally entitled “Swirly”, was written about Kiedis’ relapse back into heroin and cocaine use.

Going into this album, I really only knew “My Friends”, maybe “Aeroplane”, and knew of this album’s bum rap. I already knew a couple of the hits and had just gotten into the Hillel years, loved that, had the first albums with John, but didn’t know what to expect besides “My Friends”. Oh, and in case anybody is wondering, no, I didn’t really care that John Frusciante wasn’t on the album, and I still don’t. But I’ll hold off on that shit for now, this album was one I was mildly curious about, and I got home from McKay’s, popped it in the CD player, and…. wow.

Kicking things off, we get this very trippy, stoned intro. It’s very psychedelic, yet it has this dark undertone to it, a sense of dope sickness as Kiedis looks at how his life’s gone to hell. While it sucks to be addicted to drugs, damn do bands on drugs rule. Except Mötley Crüe. Actually, I take that back, I like their first two albums. But then again, they did get really shitty after that. Well, there’s an exception to every rule.As the intro fades out, BAM! We get a slamming track. Thanks in part to the great Chad Smith, we get a rhythmically aggressive drive to this track while Kiedis’ voice goes out throughout the song in an almost siren-esque fashion. At 2:34, we get a solo from Navarro that similarly operates in an echoing fashion, very dark, tense, and almost paranoid in its delivery. The track is punishing in power and execution, effortlessly melding the Jane’s Addiction aesthetic with the Chili Peppers’ sound; very groove driven, yet very dense and suffocating before capping things on a mellow, melodic coda.

But of course, when people think of this song, the music video will often come up and the kiss between Kiedis and Navarro will inevitably be mentioned. Honestly, should anyone have really been that shocked? I mean, a band consisting of four close male companions (well, how close depends on the era and lineup, but I digress) spending a large percentage of their time together in little to no clothing is totally not gay. Seriously, they are the He Man of alternative rock.

Well, it’s a kickass song, kickass opener, but we must move along.

2. “Aeroplane” (Kiedis/Navarro/Balzary/Smith):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vV8IAOojoAA

We arrive at “Aeroplane”, the third single off the album. The title is an allusion to the old Mother McCollum tune “Jesus Is My Airplane”, referencing the high that Anthony gets from music, not unlike that of drugs.

The track starts very mellow, with Dave’s guitar and Flea’s bass runs building up the melody before the song begins proper. The track shows a very strong funk character that you’d expect from the band, yet having still retaining the dark, aggressive feel of “Warped”. I know it’s been said that Navarro was not really a funk player, not used to playing funk, but he shows himself very adept at funk throughout the album. Hell, even Jane’s Addiction would make the odd stab at funk, so that’s a bit of conventional wisdom that is pretty dubious. Then again, that might have been a politically correct way of acknowledging the road bumps in Dave gelling with the band (such as rarely if ever jamming or improvising, which was directly at odds with how the Chili Peppers operated). I could somewhat do without the kids on here, which were Flea’s daughter and her classmates, but I can still mostly hang with it.

Lyrically, the song shows Anthony in a very contemplative state, thrown right back near rock bottom. He may have more money and fame than in previous battles with addiction, but he’s even more alone than ever. The only solace he can find is in the music, as he always did. Music is the best, as a wise man once stated.

In hindsight, it’s really odd that they held off on this until they were already two singles in. This would be a very natural choice for a first single, showing the new sound while still sounding and feeling like the Chili Peppers. While “Warped” is an effective album opener, it was not a good pick for a single and probably helped kill this album’s momentum. This album was probably never going to match Blood Sugar‘s numbers if just for the darker direction, but it could definitely have as least hit the four million mark. Well no matter, it’s a classic track and a highlight off this album.

3. “Deep Kick” (Kiedis/Navarro/Balzary/Smith):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CKpwGEHYlr0

Here we are at “Deep Kick”, a telling of Anthony and Flea’s youth. Also of note is that an unreleased documentary from this period was also entitled Deep Kick.

The track begins in a smokey atmosphere, as though in a run down club late at night. Quiet and sparse, Anthony quietly reflects on his youth as Flea faintly harmonizes in the background. Dave and Chad lightly play, very minimal in this section to let the vocals come through more prominently. The intro soon fades out and….

BANG! The track really cranks up to 10. The track makes effective use of overdubs, having Navarro’s fiery electric play against the aggressively driving acoustic, which meshes perfectly with Flea and Chad’s bass and drums. Matching the frenetic music is Kiedis’ lyrics, which recounts the crazed and occasionally drug fueled activity in his and Flea’s youth as they jump off roofs into pools (not a great idea, just ask Anthony, who broke his back in one attempt).

Bane was the ground.

So there’s putting your life at risk, partying with transvestites, hopping a train, get arrested in San Francisco. A lot of crazy shit man, it was wild. It’s basically Stand By Me on cocaine. I know there was supposed to be a show based on Anthony’s book at one point but apparently it went into development hell. Shame, cause I would have been interested. I’ll certainly take that over new music from the band at this point. And interesting that I mention Stand By Me giving one of the tracks coming up.

We close the track on a verse with Flea himself taking the mic. His voice could be an acquired taste (but the same can be said of Anthony), but I love his spot here as he declares that even with all the mistakes made in yesteryear, as the Butthole Surfers once said, “it’s better to regret something you did than something you didn’t do.” While there are certainly exceptions to the rule, spending your whole life in fear is not living, it’s just existing. You’re going to fuck up at some point in your life, fix it if you can, and if you can’t, learn from the experience.

“Deep Kick” is a deep kick of a song, so we will move forward to the next track.

4. “My Friends” (Kiedis/Navarro/Balzary/Smith):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0kT5w27YxyI

Now, we arrive at “My Friends”, the second single off this album. This comes out of all the problems occurring within the band at the time and how we love each other and we’re all brothers, we are one, and we’ll have each other’s back no matter what, all that sappy brotherhood tripe that bands keep trying to push and I’m over it.

I will say some positive things: there is some nice guitar work by Navarro, the solo is pretty solid, and Anthony and Flea’s harmonies are good as well. That’s it for compliments, this is the most contrived, hackneyed attempt at recreating “Under The Bridge” (until the next few albums). This band is right there with Aerosmith as far as killing the ballad. You start of with “Dream On”, “Seasons Of Wither”, “Home Tonight”, incredible songs, and eventually it becomes “Amazing” or “Cryin”, just absolute dreck; likewise, you began with “Under The Bridge”, “Behind The Sun”, songs that were totally sincere, from the heart, they’re not there to try and force a hit out. This is the exact opposite of that, it is so forced, so forced, but hey, we gotta keep the jacuzzi hot, so let’s crap this song out.

And it would only get worse on subsequent albums with garbage like “Otherside” and “Slow Cheetah”. I remember really having hope for I’m With You, because I was figuring “John’s gone, we got this new guy, young guy, eager to show what he’s got, we can finally get out of “Under The Bridge” mode”, and we didn’t get that, it was the same bullshit they’ve been peddling since this album’s reception. I don’t even blame Josh, because all signs indicated that he was little more than a hired gun, it wasn’t like he was being allowed to leave his own mark on the band. Honestly, when I saw those interviews of him venting about the making of the last two albums, I definitely noticed something was up. Hell, when I read about John’s divorce settlement, I knew he’d be back in the next five years, maybe ten. And I was right. Let’s not forget, records don’t sell like they used to, streaming royalties are practically worthless, and he hasn’t toured in over a decade, so his funds were going to dry up sooner or later. Will I check out the theoretical album? Probably. Review it? Again, probably, as there will be enough interest. And if it’s good, and it’s not just a cynical cash grab, I’ll admit it, but I’m excepting very little if anything at all.

Well, damn. That was almost as mopey as the song. Let’s move into a good song, shall we?

5. “Coffee Shop” (Kiedis/Navarro/Balzary/Smith):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WkkKStRwokQ

“Coffee Shop”, the fifth and final single off the album.

We get some tangy wah infused guitar licks before we go into a crunchy funk metal tune. Funk metal can be a pretty dicey affair, but this song totally hits the mark. Chad’s drumming is tight and powerful, yet still breathing and flowing as a funk tune needs to. Navarro and Flea’s guitar and bass really come together to build a dense, rhythmic wall of sound, locked in nicely. The band is precise as a motherfucker on here. Honestly, this might be the best technical lineup the band ever had. I love Hillel, love Hillel, he had a great sound and a natural charisma, and I wish he were still alive. Irons and Martinez are killer drummers in their own right, and some of John’s early guitar work is still pretty darn swell. Hell, Sherman, he gets a bum rap, but if you go through some of the live recordings, he was actually a pretty smokin’ player. But if push comes to shove, this might have been the tightest the band has ever been.

Lyrically, the song is your usual Kiedis word salad filled with aggressive passion, dancing like Iggy Pop. As offbeat as his lyrics can be, they can definitely be very vivid and colorful, even, dare I say it, poignant. “Under the Bridge”, “American Ghost Dance”, “Taste The Pain” are certainly poignant tracks. Even this, while hardly Walt Whitman, is still rather quirky and captures the vibe of the music perfectly. Of course, he would eventually start turning into a caricature of himself, but this did not happen yet in 1995, and thank God.

The song has already been pretty great so far, but then at 1:35, we get this sweet, pure funk jam. Flea channels Mr Bootsy Collins himself, Lenny Castro unleashes some wicked conga work. This is some straight up Shaft shit right here, and man does it make an already strong song into a highlight, adding a great texture to the song and giving it a unique flavor within the album.

I absolutely love this song, it’s a favorite of mine off this album.

6. “Pea” (Kiedis/Navarro/Balzary/Smith):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_sgrJ5CeVVQ

And now Flea takes the mic on vocals and bass. This takes root in Flea’s childhood when he was bullied; in particular, one incident stemmed from a bunch of jocks harassing him about his pink hair. He eventually got home where Hillel was making soup and noticed how beat up Flea was. While Hillel offered to help him get those guys, Flea looked at Hillel and decided to just let it go. As much as I love Slim, he would have certainly gotten his ass kicked as badly if not more so. The only guitarist they’ve had I can see being any good in a fight is maybe Dave. Granted, he would lay some ground rules.

Then again, he could be like Mac from It’s Always Sunny where he’s totally ripped but can’t fight at all. In that case, go for Anthony, Chad, or hell, Cliff Martinez. He’s Bronx born, bitch. He knew how to fight before he knew how to count.

Also worth noting is that this was the only song the band played off this album after John came back. Apparently, John thought it was like seeing his ex girlfriend fucking a new guy, but dude, you left. And when Chad said in that Reddit AMA that “the band doesn’t feel connected to that material”, I will say it right now-only two people bitch about playing this song or that song, and it’s Anthony and John. Flea and Chad have no problem with playing any of the band’s material. But they don’t make the rules in the band, so we’re stuck with a stale Greatest Hits set.

Bringing it back to the song, it’s just Flea screwing around on the acoustic bass while singing about being the little ant in a big world. It has almost all the makings of a filler tune, and yet it has this quirky charm to it, helped by Flea’s natural charisma as a performer. It’s also rather sweet in a way, it’s defiant attitude combating the violence and cynicism around Flea. Despite being the most lighthearted song on this fairly dark album, it was actually pulled from copies at chains like Wal-Mart due to the line fuck you asshole, you Homophobic redneck dick! Big and tough and macho, you can kick my ass. So fucking what? It’s so lame when bands do that, bowing down to corporations, it’s such a bullshit copout. And fuck Walmart, who get so upset about record with the PARENTAL ADVISORY label yet have no problem selling R rated movies or M rated games. And that’s without going into the usual corporate corruption. Hypocrites.

If I had to give a verdict, it’s filler but fun filler, and the album would feel oddly incomplete without it.

7. “One Big Mob” (Kiedis/Navarro/Balzary/Smith):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=p5_fDqqRCfM

I AM YOU ARE ME! I AM YOU ARE ME! I AM YOU ARE ME! What that is supposed to mean, who really knows, but it opens up “One Big Mob”, which features Navarro’s Jane’s Addiction bandmate Stephen Perkins on percussion as well as Dave’s younger brother serving as the baby you hear during the psychedelic mid-section.

This song probably comes the closest to earlier Chili Peppers, Hillel era or Mother’s Milk era, with the big, bombastic tone and execution. Chad is a powerful war machine on this song, bulldozing everything in his path, and Dave’s acidic lead work torching everything that surrounds. Perkins’ percussion is the icing on the cake.

At 1:08, we go into this breakdown, mellower than what proceeds it, with Flea, Chad, and Perkins playing a mellow groove to underpin the crying and Kiedis’ vocal. In combination with Navarro’s guitar work, this gives the appropriate atmosphere, dark and murky, even bleak at times. This is something Jane’s Addiction was fantastic at back in their prime, and the Chili Peppers aptly adapt to this template while twisting and making it all their own.

Gradually, we go back into verse/chorus mode. The track is as explosive as ever, particularly as it morphs into this incredible burst of energy at 5:20, Flea’s bass drilling on as Navarro and Chad unleash all their righteous fury. The track concludes as they trail off into what would have been “Stretch You Out” before it got cut for time.

While keeping “Stretch” likely would have benefitted the track, this remains another fine track, yet not my favorite on here.

8. “Walkabout” (Kiedis/Navarro/Balzary/Smith):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SW4yvVhB1PE

“Walkabout”, pure funk goodness. What a beautiful groove, so sultry and organic, feels so good. This is a very laidback track, especially for this album. Once again, the notion that Dave Navarro couldn’t play funk holds no merit whatsoever when placed up to scrutiny. Frankly, this is far funkier than anything after John retuned. “Can’t Stop”? “Hump de Bump”? Get the fuck out of here with that pedestrian jock bullshit. Flea and Chad play such a smooth groove, Dave’s wah infused rhythm tying in while the raunchy talkbox shines over like the Sun in the deserts of the Outback. And that talkbox solo is super cool, very hazy and drawn out perfectly.

I should note that the term “walkabout” refers to a journey on foot undertaken by an Australian Aboriginal in order to live in the traditional manner, where the person coming of age is to gain a new perspective and understanding of life. This fits in nicely with the lyrical tone of this album, with Anthony at a crossroad in his life, no longer having any certainty in where to go next. Dare I say it, he’s probably never been this lost in so long, or at least not since losing his bandmate and one of his best friends to the same vicious cycle that’s now killing him. Even though he was now in his thirties, he’s still in desperate need of guidance in his life. As much of a colossal prick as Anthony can be and often is, a part of me does feel somewhat bad for him, because for all his fame, all his money, all the cred he has (or had), it really hasn’t given him much in life. While everyone around him has moved on, he still tries holding onto the good ol’ days, even if those days weren’t as golden as he recalls.

Easily among my favorite songs off the album. As far as my favorite? It’s behind one song coming up.

9. “Tearjerker” (Kiedis/Navarro/Balzary/Smith):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Am-a7I5FkJY

Now we arrive at “Tearjerker”, their tribute to then-recently deceased Kurt Cobain. The band had previously toured with Nirvana when the latter opened up the Blood Sugar Sex Magik Tour just before Nevermind blew up.

I’ll admit the whole “can you turn up the track” bit edges on pretentious, and the F bomb feels extremely jarring, but those are nitpicks. This is actually a very sweet, heartfelt tribute to Kurt, with Anthony’s lyrics showing a genuine love and respect for Kurt, with a melancholic regret over the loss of somebody who gave so much to the world and enriched so many lives, and yet for all the talent he had, all the success, in the end, he had nobody there for him. All the fame and all the money, and virtually all the good people in his life were gone, leaving parasites and hangers on. Sure, he remains a beloved icon and legend, but he will never see his little girl grow up, he will never get to enjoy his legacy, enjoy the status of an elder statesman like so many of his peers are now.

In a way, Kurt can be tied into both of this band’s best known guitarists. Hillel, giving his battle with Heroin and ultimately losing. Sure, he’s spared from hearing Limp Bizkit (or later Chili Peppers), but he never will get to enjoy his band’s success. A man and woman who already suffered through the worst humanity has to bury their child. He will never have that chance to settle down with the right girl or even have a child of his own. And then there’s all the other major events in his friends’ lives-Alain and Natasha’s wedding, Flea’s wedding(s), Irons’ wedding, or the birth of their kids or even Anthony’s. To those kids, Uncle Hillel will be a name or a ghost and little more. So many wonderful things and opportunities that he could have had, and now it will never be. Then there’s John, who came into this band when he was basically a kid and then got thrown into the camera eye within seconds, seemingly. Then throwing in Anthony’s hazing, the baggage of “you’re here to replace our dead friend”, and the usual drugs, women, parasites, it really fucks you up. Honestly, he’s lucky it didn’t claim him (physically at least).

So bringing it back to “Tearjerker”, it’s a very effective…tearjerker, and feels totally sincere and heartfelt when it could easily have become exploitative of a then-recent tragedy. And let’s also give it up for Navarro, who gives a very sweet, subdued solo to the song. It’s very plain, but that’s actually quite remarkable for somebody that is normally quite a bombastic presence musically, and yet he totally holds back in service to the song at hand. A very nice song, so let’s hit up the next track.

10. “One Hot Minute” (Kiedis/Navarro/Balzary/Smith):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=T6Ii7D4rYrg

Here we are at the title track, which is about the various relationships rockstars go through. A little tidbit is that this song has never been played live, not even when Dave was in the band, making it one of two songs off here that has never been live (technically three, since “Tearjerker” was only teased during shows).

It starts off all weird with the atonal bass and I think guitar before going into this crazy noisey rocker, probably one of the most overtly Jane’s Addiction esque tracks on here. It’s full of raunch and filth, matching Anthony’s lustful, hedonistic lyrics. Even though the lyrics are fairly typical Chili Peppers, it’s put through this harsh filter, made to feel gnawing in its desire for pleasure and meaning. All these different chicks come and go, and then you are always left feeling a hole in your life as you crash before waking up for the next gig.

At 3:47, we go into a more mellow section, with the atmosphere gradually building, Flea and Chad creating a soft back against Navarro’s more tense guitar work as it gradually builds right back up into the verse and chorus.

I can see why they didn’t play it live giving how it might now come across as well live, but it’s still a great album track that adds to the hedonistic decay of this album.

11. “Falling Into Grace” (Kiedis/Navarro/Balzary/Smith):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=y6BYQCJsP-E

Oh man, “Falling Into Grace”.

Straight up funk, smooth groove by Flea and Chad, Dave’s talkbox swirling in and around your speakers. This probably feels the most like the Hillel era, this has that chill stoned out vibe like something you’d hear on Freaky Styley, albeit updated for 1995. This feels very natural, off the cuff, not overthought, and now they overthink every goddamn thing. Seriously, just bang out something, feel it, fuck trying to get on the radio, that’s the ultimate thing that killed this band artistically. Especially that last album, God, that one was bad.

Then we get this very tribal chanting, giving this air of spirits to the music. And not fake spiritually, like The Emperyean, that solo album John made right before leaving the second time. It tried to be deep and profound, and it’s such a vapid record, it’s nothing but fluff. You’d better spiritual enlightenment from a fortune cookie. This song, however, is totally sincere and organic, it’s not trying to be some profound statement, it just is, and that’s when the Chili Peppers are at their best. Don’t try, just do.

One of my favorite songs on here, it is an awesome song that I’d love to hear live.

12. “Shallow Be Thy Game” (Kiedis/Navarro/Balzary/Smith):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FfbKrphheQk

Now we come to “Shallow Be Thy Game”, a song aimed at evangelicals and their use of fair to control followers.

The track begins with an elaborate, effects tinged bassline by Flea, demonstrating his legendary chops while building up the track, a perfect mix of Jane’s Addiction and Chili Peppers. The track has the aggressive drive of classic Jane’s Addiction, while still maintaining the funk grooves of Chili Peppers. Navarro’s rhythm guitar and Flea’s bass meld together into a dense wall of rock, with Chad driving the machine madly and yet so precisely. This dude is the unsung hero of the band. Not John, Chad. Granted, I’m more of an Irons/Martinez guy, but Chad is fantastic, his grooves impeccable, his timing rock solid, his punch hard and to the point. And he shows it here as well as most of this album. Just a shame he was so musically castrated on that last album, where he’s turned into a drum machine. Even the last Ozzy, that could have been any rock drummer. But here, he’s Chad fucking Smith, such a rock who often gets overlooked.

Lyrically, the song is quite pointed on Anthony’s part. People always focus on the sex part of his lyrics, but he could actually be fairly deep early on, such as “Green Heaven” and “American Ghost Dance”. Don’t know if I’ve in any shape or form talked religion, but here we go. I’m agnostic. Maybe there is a God, maybe there is. For now, I focus on what’s in my life, try to be the best man I can be and do right by everybody. I don’t think religion is necessarily bad in of itself, and I’ve known many God loving people throughout my life and the majority of them are very good, kind, compassionate human beings. There are, however, some selfish and self righteous people who hide behind religion and use that to hurt others or bully others. They love going on about the Bible and Jesus, but really, they’re (at best) like the student who understands and obsess over minute details but ultimately miss the bigger picture. They are so, so far removed from Jesus’ teachings, and if they saw Jesus himself-poor, brown man saying we should feed and cloth the poor and put the good of mankind ahead of personal interest, these people would curse him out and spit on him. And those people, I’m all for taking a dump on.

The lyrics are quite venomous and disgusted with these people. For how pretentious and up his own ass Anthony can be-or how he eventually became a caricature of himself-he’s actually not a stupid guy. I’ll put it this way: he’s smarter than people give him credit for, but not as smart as he gives himself credit for. Kind of like Gene Simmons.

I’ll admit this was a grower for me, it was a cool song and all, but now I absolutely love it, especially as it leads into…

13. “Transcending” (Kiedis/Navarro/Balzary/Smith):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oAzWyuSeTEA

…. “Transcending”, which was largely written by Flea as a tribute to actor River Phoenix, who had been close friends with the band and Flea and Frusciante in particular. As a matter of fact, Flea was in the ambulance with River the night River died, and he actually died a day before Anthony’s birthday. In addition, there are two solo tracks that John recorded with River that would later appear on his album Smile From The Streets You Hold.

Right out of “Shallow” we head straight into “Transcending”. Like “Shallow”, it’s Flea’s bass that introduces the track. Unlike “Shallow”, it’s rather mournful in tone, gentle in its delivery as Navarro releases some smooth and understated guitar lines, Chad providing a steady accompaniment. The lyrics have this mix of joy, fondness, anger, and grief. Musically, the track begins very sweet and sensitive, not unlike River himself, before it reaches a sudden, ugly end, much as River did. River was a young man with a great talent and potential, cared deeply about helping others, and had the world on his shoulder in addition to having to support his whole family through his acting career. And in the end, he drops down to the ground in front of a club, slowly dying of an overdose. I do like River, he was a good actor, awesome in stuff like Stand By Me and My Own Private Idaho, and I have little doubt that he would have gone on to do great things had he lived.

I know somebody will mention it sooner or later, so let’s address the elephant in the room, namely that it’s been rumored over the years that the drugs that killed River came from Frusciante. First off, we don’t actually know where River got the drugs from (and probably never will giving that the clubs would never be willing to cooperate with authorities). Second, even if it did come from John, do you seriously think….

A) John set out to give River a fatal dose?

B) Flea would push for John’s return, either in 1998 or now, if he “murdered River”? Again, he was close to River as well.

Not to mention that River was, by all accounts, constantly stopping and starting his drug use, so his tolerance was constantly in flux. Plus, like John, he was a young guy with money to spare who got too big too fast for his own good. And that’s without going into the Children Of God cult that the Phoenix family was apart of. Ultimately his death was a tragic accident. A family lost their son and brother, all his friends and loved ones will have the scars of not only his death but the whole media circus around it. Seriously, after having his grief exploited for a few views, I can’t blame Joaquin for walking away (albeit for a year, but still). I’m happy to see that Joaquin has done great, he deserves all the success that he’s had, and there’s no doubt in my mind that River would be proud of the actor and the man that Joaquin has become. Even with that, the Phoenix family had enough grief without douchey asshole journalists making a cheap mockery of their son’s death, and that anger is palpable in Anthony’s delivery near the end.

Anyway, this is my favorite song from their whole discography. Yep. A song without Hillel or John is my favorite. It’s a goddamn masterpiece. I said it.

So let’s cover the B-Sides and bonus tracks.

BONUS TRACKS

“Let’s Make Evil” (Kiedis/Navarro/Balzary/Smith):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Kvx1LuOEX0o

Here, we have “Let’s Make Evil”, which was one of the B-Side to “My Friends”.

I will say there’s some impressive musicianship here on everyone’s part, from Chad’s drum work to Flea and Navarro’s guitar and bass lines.

And that’s where my praise ends, this is a sloppy, incoherent mess of a song, like they took three or four songs and tried attaching them to each other, and it doesn’t work at all.

This song is pure filler, and bad filler at that, it totally sucks, and thank God it didn’t make the album.

“Stretch You Out” (Kiedis/Navarro/Balzary/Smith):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=l1m5lC3ViTI

“Stretch You Out”, or just “Stretch” depending on the source, this was the other B-Side for “My Friends”. Originally, it was going to follow “One Big Mob”, hence the way that song ends and this begins. For whatever reason, this track ended up being cut from the album.

The song begins with the hard rock outro of “One Big Mob” before transitioning into sultry Hendrix flavored funk, the lyrics very stream of conscious as you’d expect from Kiedis. The little bass run throughout the song really pops out while Navarro delivers some strong, sultry wah-infused guitar work. The track has such a light vibe to it that we’ve come to expect from the band.

I genuinely cannot understand why this didn’t make the album. It certainly would have helped alleviate the shock that many people had coming in expecting Blood Sugar Part II. I love “Pea”, but really? Was it really crucial to add “Pea” to the album, other than for comic relief? Who the hell knows, but hey, we got it now, and it’s an awesome song.

“Bob” (Kiedis/Navarro/Balzary/Smith):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=72T4Xce8-x0

This song was written about Bob Forrest, a musician and long time friend of the band, not to mention the one that hooked them up with John, who currently works as an addiction counselor. The song first surfaced as an iTunes B-Side in 2006.

The tuning up within the first twenty seconds is pointless and should have been cut. Other than that, this is a really cool song. Pretty, strong melody line, perfectly crafted single type song with some cool psychedelic textures as Anthony pays homage to a man that has helped him and his bandmates out so many times over the years. This track, right here, is “My Friends” done right, done much better and much smarter. If you need a ballad-y type song, this would have been a very good choice, and a much more worthy successor to “Under the Bridge” or “Breaking a The Girl”.

Instead of the sappy, moapy my friends are SOOOO depressed, this presents a warts and all description of a character that feels genuine and feels like you really know him just as well as Anthony does.

Shame this was cut. Maybe tweak it a bit and polish the structure, and you’d have a great song. Dare I say it, you might even have a good single here. Shame that kind of attention wasn’t given to this track, but even with what we do have, it’s a strong song and a pleasant surprise.

“Melancholy Mechanics” (Kiedis/Navarro/Balzary/Smith):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pZM21RyaKgM

We arrive at “Melancholy Mechanics”, which served as the B-Side to “Warped” before appearing on the Twister soundtrack.

I get a little bit of a Velvet Underground vibe from this track, which makes sense since I know Navarro is a big Velvet Underground fan (and that definitely shows in Jane’s Addiction). The track has a rather minimal structure in the verse, with only Navarro’s guitar backing Kiedis’ vocals which alternate between deadpan spoken word (in the vein of Lou Reed) and a nice melodic delivery. While Anthony isn’t necessarily the best singer ever, he actually can be pretty decent when the occasion calls for it.

At 3:23, we get this spoken monologue that reminds me a lot of George Clinton or Les Claypool, and I love this section, especially the kind of bluesy thing Dave does underneath.

This was a grower, but man, I really do dig this song, it’s a cool number. Rather or not it would have worked on the album, I don’t know, I’m not so sure, but it’s a cool B-Side.

“I Found Out” (John Lennon):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=E_XWqaBKXXs

Here’s the part of the review where the Steve Hoffman Music forums get a major hard on, this is a cover of a song off John Lennon’s Plastic Ono Band that the band recorded for the John Lennon tribute album Working Class Hero that the band’s manager Lindy Goetz produced in support of the Humane Society.

I actually became aware of this cover through TV Tropes as this was listed in the So Bad, It’s Horrible page on covers. Going into it, it’s certainly nowhere near Lennon’s version, but it’s not really that bad. It has a cool Hendrix-like feel to it, and Kiedis is in good voice. I don’t know, I don’t really mind it, it’s a decent cover. But it’s not as good as the next one.

“Love Rollercoaster” ( James Williams/Clarence Satchell/Leroy Bonner/ Marshall Jones/Ralph Middlebrooks/Marvin Pierce/William Beck):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4n6D8lB0A9w

“Love Rollercoaster”, the Ohio Players classic which the band covered for the soundtrack to Beavis And Butthead Do America.

Is this as good as the Ohio Players original? No. Does it kick a lot of ass? You bet your high horses it does! This is pure Chili Peppers right here, from the motormouth vocals and stream-of-conscious lyrics, the funky bass, the driving engine of Navarro and Chad, it’s a fantastic cover and single and possibly the last to have any real balls to it.

“Circle Of The Noose” (Kiedis/Navarro/Balzary/Smith):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tS9NTmjnpDo

While not technically the One Hot Minute era, this was the last complete song done with Navarro, having been written for the theoretical follow-up as a tribute to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, a Pakistani singer and bandleader who performed Qawwali, a form of Sufi Islamic devotional music. I have to be honest, I’m not super familiar with Khan and in fact I listened to him the first time in preparing for this review. I will say I really dig what I hear.

From what we have here, this is a really cool song, with some very inspired instrumental work on everybody’s part. It continues the psychedelic feel of One Hot Minute while bringing more folk and world music into the mix. It’s not only the Chili Peppers doing something different, it’s them doing something different and it actually being good. Seriously, on By The Wau, they tried being psychedelic and tried being poppy, tried being the Beatles or The Beach Boys, and they failed miserably at it. This, though, they totally pull off. Damn shame that Navarro relapsed, because this really could have been something, this theoretical second album seems quite promising.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

While the album didn’t live up to Blood Sugar selling who-gives-a-fuck-how-many records, it still proves a worthy follow up. If I stopped to think about it, Blood Sugar is the better record, but this is still an extremely strong album (minus “My Friends”) and about the last time this band didn’t play it safe, which they’ve largely been doing ever since. Navarro provides an excellent guitar presence on this record. Dude can ducking rip, who cares about that stupid Tattoo Ink show? I judge music for music, not stupid reality shows or oh, how eccentric and tortured they are.

Let’s also give it up to Chad Smith and Flea, who really shine throughout the record, flexing a muscular rhythm when given the chance while still offering a smoother feel when needed. Kiedis delivers some of his best work here both vocally and lyrically, this being the last album where he doesn’t nosedive into self parody.

I can highly recommend this to any fan of Jane’s Addiction, Chili Peppers, alternative, or just hard rock and heavy metal. Easily one of their finest hours as a band.

And that concludes our review of One Hot Minute. Be sure to comment, subscribe, and spread the good word to others. You can also leave comments suggesting future artists or albums to review.