Customer Reviews

Californication (Vinyl)

5 star:		(532)
4 star:		(160)
3 star:		(45)
2 star:		(31)
1 star:		(27)

 

 

For those of you who think the CD sounds fine, you have questionable hearing! The CD version is possibly the worst atrocity of the digital age. This new vinyl illustrates that it didn't have to be that way. I can actually turn up the volume on the vinyl! It's still not great like the 4 LP version of Stadium Arcadium, but it's highly listenable compared to the crap on digital. Make certain to get the version with the blue sticker on the front proclaiming limited edition 180 gram vinyl 2 disc set. It is available via amazon.ca, but I don't know which copy Amazon.com ships

Great album by a great band. Some of the highlight songs in my opinion would be Scar Tissue and Around the World

The Red Hot Chilli Peppers haven't released that many albums considering how long they have been together, but you know when they do release an album, it's going to be something special.

Californication is the result of a good few year's work, writing, recording and producing. The Chilli Pepper's production mastermind, Rick Rubin, produced this little gem.

Actually it's not a little gem, its a big gleaming thing, crying out the words "Im a big gleaming thing!" The Chilli Peppers knew very well what type of album they were making here. It's grand, it can be complex and intricate, and it can be all out funk rock.

I'd say the guitar sequences and riffs are one of the most major assets of this album, doing a lot of holding together. The guitar glue can be heard clearly on tracks like 'Scar Tissue', 'Californication' and 'Road Trippin'. In the old days, The Chilli Peppers were influenced heavily by disco, funk and soul acts like George Clinton and the Parliament. Nowadays in their music you can still hear Flea's funked-up bassline and the out of the ordinary rhythms, but its dressed with newer influences, i would say indirectly the Smashing Pumpkins or Nirvana being examples. The Peppers have certainly moved with the times, but remained with their very unique sound.

Anthony Keidis' voice has definetley improved over the years. The songs on Californication allow him to do things that he has previously not done very much (ie Actually sing instead of just rapping). There are a lot of very mellow songs onthis album, like 'Porcelain' and 'Road Trippin'. I like the Chilli Peppers when they are mellow. It gives a good break from the hard stuff, and also Keidis' voice suits them very well.

The hard stuff is also very good. The melodies on some of the chouruses are brilliant, for instance one of my favorites is 'Get on Top'. The tunes are just great and theres plent of them. You forget how many of these tracks they have actually released- 'Scar Tissue', 'Otherside', Around The World' and 'Californication'- all brilliant songs.

One worry is that they might get too commercial. This album's more commercially sounding than all of the others, despite it's great music. I think the Chilli Peppers are sensible though, and they won't sell out. This has been there most successful album to date, and i hope they can keep on doing it.

I went and bought this CD this morning and skipped school to go listen to it. It's great! You've probably already heard "Scar Tissue". It's a great song. Other good songs include "Otherworld", "Around The World", and "Easily". Speaking of which, this is easily their best album. Go buy it now!

In today's music, to fuse rap, rock and funk has become a norm, so it has become rather tiresome (can you say Kid Rock), but these guys are the real thing! Bought the album this morning. From the opening funk of Around the world to the laid back melody of Scar Tissue, it feels like 1992 all over again. Other standouts; Parallel Universe with Fleas' coolest bassline and their nod to the Mamas and the Pappas' California Dreaming; and Otherside, maybe the Peppers most atypical song on the album.

This album is the most beautiful, creamy, funkmebacktonineteennintytwo experience, I've had in along looong time . My first real enlightenment through funk music was in the Blood Sugar era, and ever since Ive been searching for an adequete comparison. One hot minute was a good 'Chad' album and Flea had some nice (non-slap) basslines, but Anthony singing sounds a bit commercial without the 'real' funky four lineup. Jimmy Hendrix died and was reincarnated as a catapillar, which metamorphisised into an amazing funky butterfly called John Frusciante. Now that John has been reunited, the seeds of funk planted in 1992 will grow again.

Although I haven't been a rhcp fan for long but this album has one of the greatest songs i've ever heard and I have over 100 cds plus cds on my computer. If I were i'd buy it for Californiacation, get on top, otherside, and around the world.

"Californication" is top notch Chili Peppers, but the best tracks on the album are definitely in the beginning. 'Around the World' is one of the best openers ever, and it rocks hard. 'Scartissue' is a radio hit and so is 'Otherside', and 'Easily' is easily (sorry) one of the best tracks on the album. The title track is the best track and speaks of West Coast superficiality. The rest of the album is scattered and not very cohesive, but it includes a variety of different songs and some sound a little experimental. "Californication" was one of the most successful rock albums of the 90's and rightfully so. Highly recommended.

I am not a Chili Peppers fan but this is one great album! I love the simple melodies and the powerful bass. My favorite song would have to be around the world but all are high quality. RHCP combine funk with rock and some aspects of rap, a very interesting blend. This album's only weakness is that the first six or seven songs are the best and the rest of the album does not support the firsat few songs. I find myself skipping some of the later tracks. This album is fun and interesting and I think it is a great introduction to RHCP's more recent sound.

No matter what anyone does or says about this album, you can't change the fact that it was significant. After the prolific Blood Sugar Sex Magik record, John Frusciante left the band and became lost in the hard drug scene. When the Chilis recruited Dave Navarro for One Hot Minute, it just wasn't the same, and it didn't do as well as Blood Sugar Sex Magik commercially or critically. When John Frusciante rejoined the band for the recording of Californication, alternative rock fans knew they were in for another chart topper. And that's exactly what it was. With three #1 modern rock hits, ("Scar Tissue," "Californication," and "Otherside") this record was surely the first to do so. The only other album I can remember with three or more #1 modern rock hits was Linkin Park's Meteora, but then again, that's probably based on popularity.

But as successful as this album was, some might think all it has are the singles to achieve commercial success - but that's not the case at all. Take one listen to this album, and you'll see that Frusciante had the Chilis back in full swing in no time.

The album opens with Around The World, one of the four singles released from the album. It sounds very frenetic in the beginning, with a fuzzy bass intro, and a wild scream from Anthony Kiedis, but when it settles into the verse, and Kiedis begins to rap, you're reassured. After he namedrops a few states and countries, you're introduced to the song's soaring chorus. That's when you decide what place it should have in the band's top ten songs ever. It's that good! After it's over and done with, the song leads into my personal favorite on the album, Parallel Universe. A bit different from what the Chilis have done in the past, this one is rhythmically outstanding. Flea, the bassist (I hope you knew that), maintains a steady beat throughout the song that ensures the fact that he is indeed one of the greatest bassists of all time. The chorus is definitely a highlight of the song. From there, it flows right into Frusciante's magnificent comeback, Scar Tissue. Although this is a ballad, there are no elements within the song that will bore you. There are several small guitar solos in the song that showcase Frusciante's talent that we knew he had all along. This was the first single, and rightfully so. Next comes one of my favorite songs on the disc, called Otherside. It begins with a catchy riff that leads into a quiet version of the chorus. By the end, it's just so epic you'll want to listen to it on repeat. Another one of the Chilis' masterpieces.

I'm not going to describe every one of the songs on the disc in depth, but I'll have you know that other great tracks include Get On Top, Californication, Easily, Emit Remmus, I Like Dirt, and This Velvet Glove. The other five songs, which are entirely the last four songs on the album I haven't totally gotten into yet, but what I can tell you that the slow and short ballad Porcelain does not fit well into Chili Peppers repertoire. It just doesn't seem to sit right with the band. Aside from that one song, this album is packed to the top with musical gems.

I would without a doubt recommend it to any rock fan. One of my favorite bands is 311, so if you're a 311 fan, I can guarantee that you'll like this release from the Chilis. In my honest opinion, this is a record one could use to portray the meaning of alternative rock.

Keep it up, Red Hot Chili Peppers.