Mother's Milk

Red Hot Chili Peppers

EMI Records, 1989

http://redhotchilipeppers.com

REVIEW BY: Sean McCarthy

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 01/21/2005

For the ultimate '80s college party band, 1988 and 1989 proved to be sobering years. Co-founder Hillel Slovak died from a drug overdose. Drummer Jack Irons had left the band, leaving Flea and Anthony Kiedis with some mounting decisions: do you continue on with your band? How do you address the hells you have endured on your next album when you're best known for singing "Party on Your Pussy" and penning "Catholic School Girls Rule"?

Facing challenges that would have done in most bands, the Red Hot Chili Peppers were able to work through the grieving process, honor Slovak's memory and created arguably their finest record with my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250 Mother's Milk. The band automatically got onto the right path with the hiring of guitarist John Frusciante and drummer Chad Smith, both have remained with the band since (excluding Frusciante's much-publicized break from the band in the early and mid '90s).

Conflict has a way of bringing out the best in bands, and Mother's Milk was the fruits of the Peppers' labor, even though you can hear nothing but unity throughout the album. Indeed, Smith and Frusciante's chemistry was so good that it seemed that they were longtime members. Their first major breakthrough single, a scorching cover of Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground" had a fuller sound than anything they had recorded before. And "Knock Me Down," their lesser-known breakout hit from this album, was a poignant response to drug addiction, enabling Anthony Kiedis to grow as a songwriter (this maturation would later yield them their most famous hits, namely "Under the Bridge" and "Scar Tissue").

Despite the heavy subject matters of some of the songs, Mother's Milk is still the Red Hot Chili Peppers at their most freaky, crazy and party-obsessed best. "Magic Johnson" is a frenzied homage to the Laker great and their second cover, "Fire," actually does justice to the Jimi Hendrix great.

The second half of the album peters out. "Sexy Mexican Maid" is meant to be sexy, but elicits more of a snicker than titillation and "Johnny, Kick A Hole In The Sky" is a sorry way to end an album this solid. Still, "Pretty Little Ditty" is another winner of a track and a testament that the Red Hot Chili Peppers were a band to be reckoned with, not a novelty.

Even with the scattered flaws, Mother's Milk is a must-buy for any self-respecting Red Hot Chili Peppers fan. Many hail BloodSugarSexMagic as the crowning achievement of the band, but I always thought that album was bloated. Everything that made the Peppers great: their soul-searching ballads, the amazing bass work of Flea and the overall chemistry of the band mates was in Mother's Milk. And if I had to recommend one must-own Peppers album, it would be this one, without a doubt.

Rating: A-

User Rating: B


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© 2005 Sean McCarthy and The Daily Vault. All rights reserved. Review or any portion may not be reproduced without written permission. Cover art is the intellectual property of EMI Records, and is used for informational purposes only.