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L.A. funk-rock band the Red Hot Chili Peppers struggled for years to find
commercial success, finally attaining it in the 1990s, despite frequent lineup changes and
struggles with heroin addiction and indecency charges.
The nucleus of the band has always been vocalist Anthony Kiedis and bassist Michael
"Flea" Balzary (born in Australia), who met at Fairfax High School in the late
'70s. Flea performed with several L.A. bands, including the vulgar punk outfit Fear,
before forming the Chili Peppers with Kiedis in 1983. Along with guitarist Hillel Slovak
(born in Israel) and drummer Jack Irons, originally of the band What Is This, the Chili
Peppers gigged around the Los Angeles area looking to make it big. Kiedis and Slovak
became addicted to heroin, and Slovak quit the band in 1984, replaced by local guitarist
Jack Sherman. The Peppers landed a record contract with EMI and released their self-titled
debut album late that year to little public attention. Slovak returned to the band in 1985
for their follow-up effort, the more funk-oriented Freaky Styley, produced by George
Clinton. This album did not sell well, though the group began to get an underground
reputation for their wild stage antics, often performing naked or nearly so. Several times
the band was arrested after exposing themselves off-stage and otherwise sexually harassing
female fans.
The more aggressive 1987 album The Uplift Mofo Party and the 1988 EP Abbey Road did not
expand their following significantly, and Slovak left the band in early 1988 due to his
ongoing drug problems; he died of a heroin overdose in June of that year. After Slovak's
death, the band tried to regroup. A long-time friend of Slovak, Irons quit the band to
grieve (later returning to music as the drummer for Pearl Jam). After a long search for a
new drummer, Irons was replaced with Chad Smith, while Slovak was replaced with guitarist
John Frusciante.
With the lineup temporarily stable, the band recorded their 1989 breakthrough Mother's
Milk, which went gold and signaled the band's emergence into the mainstream. After leaving
EMI for Warner Bros., the band recorded their 1991 follow-up, Blood Sugar Sex Magik, with
famed producer Rick Rubin. The record went on to sell over two million copies, riding on
the success of the radio and MTV hits "Breaking the Girl," "Under the
Bridge," and "Give It Away." The Chili Peppers became a household name, and
appeared on the 1992 Lollapalooza tour, cementing their status as one of the most popular
bands of the early '90s.
During their 1993 tour, guitarist John Fusciante quit the band, citing the pressures of
constant touring, though it was rumored that he, too, had problems with heroin. Several
years later he began a solo career. After chewing through two guitarists over the next few
months, the band settled on ex-Jane's Addiction/Porno For Pyros guitarist Dave Navarro.
The Peppers showcased their new lineup at the Woodstock '94 festival, where they appeared
with light bulbs on their heads.
After a long hiatus, the Chili Peppers returned in later 1995 with One Hot Minute, which
failed to duplicate the success of Blood Sugar Sex Magic. In 1996 the band scored a No. 1
hit with a cover of the disco single "Love Rollercoaster," taken from the Beavis
and Butthead soundtrack. Flea and Navarro worked on solo material and joined the re-formed
Jane's Addiction, but despite rumors of a breakup, the Red Hot Chili Peppers spent most of
1997 preparing material for a new album.
In the spring of 1998, five years after leaving the band, Frusciante was brought back on
board, replacing guitarist Navarro.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers are gearing up for their performance at this weekend's festivals
Reading (Reading, Sunday Aug 29) and Leeds (Temple Newsam, Monday Aug 30). For more
information, check out Reading & Leeds Festivals website. Meanwhile the second single
—another Chili Pepper track to hit the airwaves— is "Around The World"
(to be released outside the the U.S. on Monday) and here is the track listing:
"Around The World" (album version), "Parallel Universe" (demo) and the
new song "Teatro Jam" (unreleased). Also the track listing for "Around The
World" the single-limited edition format features extra tracks: "Me and My
Friends" and "Yertle Trilogy", songs culled from recent live performances.
"Scar Tissue", the first single taken from "Californication" is
currently at Nș 1 on 'Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks' in its fourteenth week on the
charts (Issue Date: September 4, 1999). The album has topped charts all over the world and
also has been certified gold and platinum —recent certifications: gold in Sweden,
Indonesia and Spain.
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RED HOT PHOTOS |
