The Good: Some more instrumentally creative versions of songs
The Bad: Short, Some lame lyrics, Monotonous overall sound, Nothing especially intriguing with the vocals.
The Basics: Remixed early songs by Red Hot Chili Peppers are arguably not better than the original versions as Out In L.A. adequately proves.
Early Red Hot Chili Peppers, like the early works of many bands, is a take-it or leave-it thing. In the case of Red Hot Chili Peppers, the earliest works were done by a band that was half different from the band today. Originally, the quartet was Flea, Anthony Kiedis, Hillel Slovak and Jack Irons. Slovak overdosed and Irons left the band and the pair were replaced with John Frusciante and Chad Smith. The early incarnation of Red Hot Chili Peppers was more funk-rock and punk flavored than what the band became after it was recast. Still, many recordings from the early years still exist and are periodically released. Out In L.A. is one of them.
EMI, which owned the rights to the early works of Red Hot Chili Peppers released Out In L.A., an album of remixes and live tracks after Red Hot Chili Peppers were already signed and actively producing music over at Warner Bros. Records. Like the compilation The Best Of Red Hot Chili Peppers (reviewed here!), this is reasonably seen as something of an obvious cashgrab on the part of EMI by most listeners to Red Hot Chili Peppers. Outside the letters that are part of the liner notes, surviving members Flea and Kiedis had very limited involvement with the release of Out In L.A. The result is a mediocre album and a listening experience that has novelty for the first few spins, but fades quickly, especially for fans of the radio hits of Red Hot Chili Peppers.
With nineteen songs occupying a total of 53:59, Out In L.A. is a work that is only marginally the work of Red Hot Chili Peppers. First, the men of the Chili Peppers only wrote or co-wrote twelve of the songs. While the band plays the instruments and Kiedis sings on the album, the album is not credited as a production of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Oddly, though twelve of the songs grant the Chili Peppers status as the producers, but more recognizable producers like George Clinton are credited on the more familiar Red Hot Chili Pepper tracks that have been remixed up front. So there is some argument to be made as to whether or not this group of remixes, demo tracks and live versions is truly what the band would want.
Out In L.A. is deceptive in its arrangement. Opening with an entirely different remix of "Higher Ground," the listener is put at ease. The remix is fresh, different and truly funky. Despite the inclusion of a rather ridiculous rap in the middle of the song, it sounds distinctly different from the album versions of the song, especially in the instrumental accompaniment. The song sounds almost as if it is keyboard-driven like the Stevie Wonder original and the drums on the song are produced to appear up front and they pound away beautifully.
But the album quickly turns to the mediocre and then narcoleptic as versions of "If You Want Me To Stay" and "Behind The Sun" are presented as semi-melodic chants with Kiedis heavily backed on the songs. The result is the songs sound like they are being sleep-sung by a choir and they have the effect of putting the listener to sleep, as opposed to energizing or stimulating the listener. The first dozen songs are largely familiar to fans of or listeners to the early works of Red Hot Chili Peppers, even though several are cover songs the band was known to do. Only the last seven songs are truly original and things like Red Hot Chili Peppers mucking their way through "Deck The Halls" is initially funny, but wears thin quickly on multiple listens.
Moreover, some of the songs are poor choices to begin with and remixes of them are hardly necessary. "Special Secret Song Inside" hardly needs to be made live with its chanted, hypnotic refrain of "I want to party on your pussy baby" repeated over and over again. This was never one of the best Red Hot Chili Peppers songs and Out In L.A. does no great service to the band by having it rereleased. Similarly, the singles Out In L.A. and "Nevermind" are utterly unmemorable, so why EMI thought listeners would love Demo versions of them is a mystery to me. Having spent September immersed in the music of Red Hot Chili Peppers, this is definitely a band that got better with age in its second incarnation.
Part of what makes the album so bad is that most of it is instrumentally blase. Outside the remix of "Higher Ground" and the more or less a cappella "Deck The Halls," the songs are very much the work of a guitar, bass and drums group. On Out In L.A. Red Hot Chili Peppers sounds like a garage band and one that needs a lot more practice than they have been getting. The guitarwork is generally simple (though the funky fingerwork on "Get Up And Jump" is not bad) and the bass is presented as an equally uninspired instrument. In fact, the primary difference in the way the songs on Out In L.A. are mixed is that the bass does not have its presence that it usually has on Red Hot Chili Peppers albums. Instead, it is frequently sublimated to the guitars and drums.
Anthony Kiedis, who can sing wonderfully in the tenor range similarly illustrates no real talent on the songs on Out In L.A. Instead, he chants amelodically on songs like "Get Up And Jump" and his production elements or backup singers overwhelm any sense of his natural voice on songs like "Behind The Sun." He is noisy and vocally crass on the song Out In L.A. (he sounds like he is yelling the song out a cab) and the less said about "Sex Rap," the better. There is no evidence of the vocal talents Kiedis displayed to make "Under The Bridge" the hit that it became. Instead, Out In L.A. has him spitting out his lyrics like he is sick of them or they are leaving a bad taste in his mouth.
To be fair, the listener frequently feels the same way. Early songs by the Red Hot Chili Peppers were hardly groundbreaking rock and roll. There is little charm, for example, to "I like to make her come / To the rhythm of the drum" ("Sex Rap") when it is presented like a fraternity theme song. Similarly, the rhyme scheme on "Behind The Sun" is predictable and uses the most obvious rhymes. Moreover, the song does not have a bold, wonderful message that resonates. In fact, most of Out In L.A. is about hanging out, getting laid and living simply. While some Red Hot Chili Peppers music actually explores deeper emotions and issues, this album does not.
The result is a collection of familiar or disturbing and unmemorable new songs that only the most fanatical Red Hot Chili Peppers fans will want. For the rest of us, Out In L.A. is worth a single listen at most and then one may return to the steady diet of rock and roll Chili Peppers secure in the knowledge that the band has (fortunately) come quite a long way.
The best song is "Higher Ground," the low point might be "Nevermind," as it is entirely unmemorable.
For other works by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, please check out my reviews of:
Mother's Milk
"Taste The Pain" (single)
"Give It Away" (single)
Blood Sugar Sex Magik
What Hits!?
"Soul To Squeeze" (single)
One Hot Minute
Californication
"Otherside" (single)
By The Way
Greatest Hits And Videos
Stadium Arcadium
3.5/10
For other music reviews, be sure to check out my index page on the subject. There, you will find a comprehensive list of music-related reviews!
© 2011, 2009 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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