Red Hot Chili Peppers: Stadium Arcadium

Elly Roberts reviews

Red Hot Chili Peppers: Stadium ArcadiumDistributed by
Warner Brothers

• Cat.no: 9362442222
• Released: May 2006
• Rating: 6/10
• Format: 2-disc CD

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Two names: Stadium Arcadium, two CDs: Jupiter / Mars, 28 tracks, over two hours long.

Week commencing May 29th and it’s already topped the UK charts for three weeksin a row.

As we all know a ‘double album’ can be tricky business: Led Zeppelin’s 1975Physical Graffiti was a massive commercial and critical success. Othershave proverbial filler tracks, such as Fleetwood Mac’s Tusk (1980).

So how have the Chili’s faired?Firstly, it’s not been rushed, with four years since the brilliant By The Way.Then there’s the supposed Midas touch of Rick Rubin who re-invented JohnnyCash and Neil Diamond’s sound. Commentators reckon guitarist John Frusciante’shijacked the album by venturing into pro-rock territory, much to Flea’sconsternation, even to the point of quitting the band. After all, it wasFrusciante’s reconnection with the band for 1999’s Californication thatrevived their flagging career.

Actually, Flea’s workouts do surface, in particular ultra-funky get down andboogie Hump de Bump, and steady rolling baselines of C’mon Girl.Certain elements work, allowing the band to be more expressive (and a bit moreexpansive), especially Frusciante’s continuing development.Overall, they sound more assured than ever, though that might be down tomiddle-age.

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Predictably, ‘fillers’ do pop up, such as She’s Only 18, Warlocks andHey. The acoustic-led Slow Cheetah shows a less edgy side,plodding carefully with pristine lead vocals and chorus: it’s a classybreak amongst the power-decibels.

Disc 1 highlight deviates from the Chili’s template: Wet Sand possessesall the elements of a great rock track, gradual crescendo, superb guitar solo,and not a funky baseline in sight, making it the best constructed song on the album.

Following disc 1’s mellow end, Desecration Smile rolls along completewith a funky riff, sing-along chorus, and wailing guitar, but its back to asafe and familiar template, as is the later Storm In A Teacup. The nextfive are nothing more than average, broken by a bluesy-Americana gem,If. Make You Feel Better is a very strong follow-up, guaranteed tobecome a concert favourite. Sadly, mediocrity ensues on Animal Bar, So MuchI, We Believe, Turn It Again, finishing on the eventually cacophonousDeath Of A Martian.

Apart from the occasional strong song, and Frusciante’s more subtle guitarworkouts, it lacks By The Way’s magic.

Would it have made a better single album? Most definitely.

Weblink:eRed Hot Chili Peppers.com /Warner Bros Records.com

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The full list of tracks included are :

Disc 1: Jupiter

1. Dani California
2. Snow (Hey Oh)
3. Charlie
4. Stadium Arcadium
5. Hump de Bump
6. She’s Only 18
7. Slow Cheetah
8. Torture Me
9. Strip My Mind
10. Especially In Michigan
11. Warlocks
12. C’mon Girl
13. Wet Sand
14. Hey

Disc 2: Mars

1. Desecration Smile
2. Tell Me Baby
3. Hard To Concentrate
4. 21st Century
5. She Looks To Me
6. Readymade
7. If
8. Make You Feel Better
9. Animal Bar
10. So Much I
11. Storm In Teacup
12. We Believe
13. Turn It Again
14. Death Of A Martian

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