90s Album Thread: Red Hot Chili Peppers “Blood, Sugar Sex Magik” (1991)

Original Album Cover Artwork. (Source: discogs.com)

I was a fan of “Mother’s Milk” (1989), and assumed in the aftermath of that album that these guys would hover in the background of my musical life and be fun to enjoy every now and then.

But when The Red Hot Chili Peppers released “Blood, Sugar, Sex Magik” (1991), the door to this band was kicked wide open not only for me, but the rest of the world as well.

I remember one day I dragged my Stratocaster and Pignose amp up to the outdoor patio of my house and plugged in.

The starter amp of so many. Cheap, kind of crappy and awesome all at the same time. (Source: Guitarcenter.com)

I had recently taught myself “Under the Bridge”. I was so proud of that accomplishment that I wanted to share it with whoever would listen. So I sat there on the patio and played the song about four times in a row and let the tune reverberate into my neighborhood. And I guess I did a pretty good job of it cause no one yelled at me to shut up.

While I was playing that song and listening to the others on the album, I was continually blown away by the guitar playing. The chords voicings, the strumming, the approach and the solos, they were otherworldly. I don’t mean to diminish the contributions of the other band…