Released August 10, 1984 Length 32:32 | Recorded April 1984 Language English | |
Studio Eldorado Studios, Hollywood, California Genre Funk rock
rap rock
funk metal | ||
The Red Hot Chili Peppers is the debut studio album by American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, released on August 10, 1984 on EMI Records. The album was produced by Gang of Four guitarist Andy Gill, and is the only album to feature Jack Sherman on guitar. Sherman was fired by the band after the album release tour, replaced by founding member Hillel Slovak. "Get Up and Jump" was the only single released from the album, but a music video was made for the song "True Men Don't Kill Coyotes".
Contents
- Writing and recording
- Reception
- Personnel
- 2003 edition bonus tracks tracks 1216
- 2003 remastered version personnel
- References
It has been credited as the first release from the funk metal genre and has also been labelled as "the little spark that ignited the rap rock revolution."
Writing and recording
The band were often at odds with producer Andy Gill over the musical direction of the album. Anthony Kiedis has expressed disappointment at the overall sound, feeling that it lacked the raw energy of their original 1983 demo tape. In his 2004 autobiography Scar Tissue, Kiedis recalled "One day I got a glimpse of Gill’s notebook, and next to the song Police Helicopter, he’d written 'Shit.' I was demolished that he had dismissed that as shit. Police Helicopter was a jewel in our crown. It embodied the spirit of who we were, which was this kinetic, stabbing, angular, shocking assault force of sound and energy. Reading his notes probably sealed the deal in our minds that 'Okay, now we’re working with the enemy', It became very much him against us, especially Flea and me. It became a real battle to make the record."
Reception
It failed to chart on the Billboard 200, reaching No. 201 (meaning it "bubbled under" the main album chart for 8 weeks in the autumn of 1984). The album received college airplay and MTV rotation, and built the band's fan base. The reviews that were published of the album were mixed, with the first issue of Spin magazine giving, according to Anthony Kiedis in his autobiography Scar Tissue, a positive review. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic later wrote that "their first effort didn't quite gel into a cohesive album". As of 2007, it had sold about 300,000 copies worldwide. Kiedis and Flea have mentioned over the years that they prefer the demo versions of most of these songs which were recorded with the original lineup featuring Hillel Slovak and Jack Irons. However, the band acknowledged in various books that Jack Sherman's contributions to the band, particularly his knowledge of funk music and music theory, were things that helped the band's development, which they hadn't had with Hillel.
Gwen Dickey, better known by her stage name, Rose Norwalt, provides backing vocals on "Mommy, Where's Daddy?". Dickey was the singer for the 1970s hitmaking group, Rose Royce. On live performances of the song, her lines are performed by Flea.