The following is a Designated Cheerleader piece by @PerlzFromRobbie for the Best Album of 1991 tournament. I hope you enjoy it, and I hope you follow the link to vote in the tournament. Thanks!

We live in polarized times. I know when many of you vote, it is less about who you are voting for than who you are voting against. You are voting against someone who offends your sense of decency and good taste. Who has inspired fans that you find obnoxious at best and repulsive at worst. But I’m asking you to try to put aside all of your preexisting feelings and experiences and give them a fresh opportunity. Maybe they don’t deserve it – they’ve had plenty of success and don’t deserve your charity. But just maybe, you might change your mind and consider a vote for… the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

 

The strange thing about writing all of this is that I don’t even consider myself a RHCP fan. But my best friend from childhood absolutely loved them, and therefore I heard their music constantly. At one point I actually did have my own copy of Blood Sugar Sex Magik, but gave it to my friend so that he could have a copy in his bedroom and a separate copy in his basement, where we often hung out. Because of his love of RHCP, I’ve probably heard Blood Sugar Sex Magik hundreds of times. I impulsively said I would write this in response to the intense vitriol thrown out against the Chili Peppers, which I don’t really understand and often feels somewhat performative to me (cue everyone responding with, “it’s not performative, I really do hate RHCP this much!”). 

 

Before diving into the album, I do think it’s worth giving the band a little credit, whether they are your cup of tea or not. Nowadays it is not uncommon for bands to try to meld different genres and styles. But it was much rarer in the 80s when the Chili Peppers were getting started. This is a band that had Andy Gill produce their first record, and then George Clinton produce the follow up. Who covered Jimi, Iggy, and Stevie with equal enthusiasm. I’m not saying they were the only band doing this kind of thing, but just that it deserves some praise when it was very much the exception not the rule.

 

What RHCP lacked before BSSM, was consistent songwriting (although they also weren’t helped by the production on those early records). It certainly seems like a lot of the credit for the big step up on BSSM should go to Rick Rubin. It’s hard for me now to imagine Rubin as an actual creative force and inspiration for artists, instead of the cliché of a beardy, recording industry buddha/Svengali who established artists in a rut turn to for credibility. But it’s hard to argue with the results on this record. Many of albums in this tournament sound embalmed in the early 90s (and that’s if they are lucky – many sound even more like the late 80s). It’s a common experience to listen and think “great songs, too bad about the production [cough, Ten, cough].” But BSSM still sounds fantastic. I don’t think I’d change anything about how the album was recorded. I hadn’t listened to BSSM in years and had some trepidation that it would be difficult to write this piece. But I found myself enjoying the record far more than anticipated. 

 

John Frusciante, Flea, and Chad Smith are all incredibly talented musicians, displaying technical chops and creativity throughout the record. Flea showed here that he could slow down and play a more supportive and melodic role on many of these songs. But really this is Frusciante’s record. In listening to the album again I found I could just focus on his guitar parts and be constantly engaged. There are obviously other incredible guitarists in the tournament, but I’m not sure any of them have the range that he has on this album. I realize the elephant in the room is Anthony Keidis. I guess all I can say is that I found his lyrics painful at times but easy to tune out. And he displays more vocal and lyrical range than I remembered. I also appreciate that as goofy or idiotic as his lyrics and singing can be, he doesn’t take himself too seriously (also kind of a rare thing in 1991). For better or worse it’s hard to imagine the band without him. 

 

An album doesn’t go 7x platinum without a collection of hit singles. I’m sure that for many, the singles from BSSM (and from many alternative hit records of the time) have been played to death. But the 4 big singles from BSSM are a microcosm for why the album was such a big step forward for the band. And for a band (and certainly singer) who are often portrayed as one-dimensional, these singles are very diverse both musically and lyrically. Only “Suck My Kiss” sounds like a typical Chili Peppers song, a hybrid hard rock-funk song with Keidis singing about his sexual prowess. I still think it’s very well executed, but the least interesting of these singles. When EMF was up in the tournament, there was a discussion of songs that are instantly recognizable. “Give It Away” surely should be included in this discussion. Listening with fresh ears I am still blown away by the incredible musicianship of the band in the song. Keidis’ lyrics about altruism and charity are typically goofy, but still charming to me. Meanwhile “Breaking The Girl” rides on psychedelic acoustic guitars, creative percussion, and woozy mellotrons, with self-aware lyrics from Keidis about the cycle of womanizing in his family and questioning whether he can grow beyond that. And then of course there is “Under the Bridge.” I know many hate the song (is it the memory of Keidis running shirtless in slow-motion in the music video?), but I genuinely still love it despite having heard it a million times. Again, for someone who is supposed to be a one-trick pony, Keidis’ lyrics poignantly address his love of his hometown while trying to grapple with how to move beyond the tragedy that’s befallen him there. I love how the song builds to a climax that doesn’t suggest peace or resolution, but acceptance. 

 

Blood Sugar Sex Magik is more than just its singles though. The album tracks again highlight the different modes of songwriting the band had expanded into. It’s a perfectly sequenced album, with each song stopping and then the next track immediately picking up with a drum part, bassline, or guitar lick, creating an effortless flow. Again, for a band known for being over-the-top, I love that BSSM starts out relatively subtly, with the tight rock of “The Power of Equality” and then the mellow funk of “If You Have to Ask.” My other favorites are “Funky Monks” with it’s great Frusciante riffs, “I Could Have Lied”, another well-executed ballad with a great Frusciante solo at the end, and the title track with it’s almost-sinister guitar lines.

 

At 73 minutes, Blood Sugar Sex Magik is clearly too long. But I found an easy solution – just stop listening after “Apache Rose Peacock.” “The Greeting Song” and “My Lovely Man” don’t really cover any ground that isn’t present on the rest of the album. And certainly my case for BSSM (and Keidis in particular) would be stronger if we all pretended “Sir Psycho Sexy” didn’t exist. And now the album is a more manageable 13 songs and 56 minutes. 

 

I’ve written far more than I planned to in support of Blood Sugar Sex Magik. While I concede it’s not the best album of 1991, I still think it’s one of the more engaging, musically creative, and just plain fun records of the year. I doubt I can change the mind of anyone who hates the Chili Peppers with every fiber of their being. For everyone else though, I’d urge giving the album a listen with a fresh set of ears – you may be pleasantly surprised.

– @PerlzFromRobbie