"Stadium Arcadium" [Double-Disc Album]

If You Have To Ask

Released in 2006, “Stadium Arcadium” stands as the most recent work by megastar pop band, Red Hot Chili Peppers. (Exempting the 2009 “Greatest Hits) It is also the final album to feature John Frusciante, the multi-instrumentalist renowned not only as one of the most influential guitarists of the past 30 years, but as a longhaired Christ and paragon for all that is awesome. Make no mistake; this double-disc masterpiece showcases the talents of Anthony Kieldis, who is well-known for his beat-poetry vocal style and his inability to keep his manhood in his own hands; Chad Smith, the reserved rhythmic backbone to the band’s psychedelic melodies; and Michael Balzary, A.K.A, “Flea,” bass virtuoso and the definitive representative of four-stringers everywhere; but it is very much apparent that this is John’s album. His presence was the driving force in the studio, and it is his production style that is most evident throughout, as opposed to that of the “experimental” (read – inconsistent drek-monger) Rick Rubin, a man who dresses in the garb of a sex-crazed Gandalf and was responsible for the downright atrocious mixing on the last album by a little-known group called “Metallica.”

Readymade

The first disc, entitled “Jupiter,” starts with the single “Dani California,” and a funky minor-chord progression reminiscent of what The Stooges were capable of, in between savaging groupies and snorting heroic lines of cocaine. It would be unusual for anything less to take precedent; after all, “S.A” is a Warner Brothers record, and major labels play it safe. Had this been a concept album, this may have been an issue, but thankfully RHCP have managed to limit their ambitions to a mere twenty-eight songs, rather than embracing some form of unifying subject matter. As the first disc progresses a real sense of momentum accumulates; happily, even when the obvious “hits” are out of the way – including a loaded hook in the form of “Snow ((Hey Oh))” – the band refuses to let up; they have a coherent idea of what they wish to accomplish, with an underlying tonal theme flavoured by lashing of clean chords and overdriven pitch-bends. Aided by each members mammoth professional experience (RHCP was founded in 1981) and the holy light shining from John Frusciante’s backside the record segues from ambient synth guitars, propulsive bass lines and heartfelt lyrics to restrained acoustic moments like the lilting “Slow Cheetah.” Let me make it clear that despite being a worldwide release, the band show no elements of pretention; they refuse to repeat themselves, as proven by the inclusion of trumpets, reverse delay and even the odd scream that would sound in place on an old Emperor EP. If it’s good enough to play to both my Nan and to High Lord Satan, it’s good enough for you.

Tell Me Baby

The task of reviewing such a Herculean-scale CD has its issues; I can’t go into depth on individual tracks, and assessing a personal highlight will result in comparative neglect of the other twenty-seven songs. Nor can I say the album is a flawless diamond constructed from the tears of puppies on Christmas and the hopes of a new-born child, because as we all know, only my own work is that good. Round two (Mars) comes with the odd nick and scar, being largely a throwback to the crack-fuelled funk days of the eighties, when the boys were just that, sporting lurid fur trousers and getting octopi inked onto their arms. It can feel a bit unusual to hear a man old enough to comfortably be your father narrate double-entendres with the subtlety of a fifty-pound Boxer dog breaking through the garden gate, no symbolism intended. But even during the rare lull in quality the overwhelming sense of fun makes a passable substitute for cathartic awesomeness, and in terms of stand-out songs the Mars disc is almost as viable as Jupiter. The bouncing slap-bass lines of “21^st century” are enough to make even the nerdiest kid at the prom get up and boogie, and the jungle-style guitar squeals at the end of “If” (courtesy of Josh Klinghoffer, the present-day guitarist, in a somewhat-prophetic appearance) evoke a love for music in general.

Turn It Again

To conclude, “Stadium Arcadium” will always have a special place for me. It’s got density, depth, heart-felt emotion oozes from every solo and every dual-vocal harmony. DID I MENTION IT’S GOT TWENTY-EIGHT SONGS? Terrible reason to buy an album, but if you’re so tightly-pressed and belt-cut by the recession this one album will last you MONTHS! It’s John’s RHCP swansong, and his masterpiece, for never before did he exercise such a degree of creative control with his friends, and never will he again. It’s tight, slick, radio-friendly and everything you could ever want from a pop record. To use a hideous cliché, RHCP prove on their latest album that they should be bigger than Jesus; and certainly a rival to a certain group from Liverpool who hit their prime forty years previous.