Red Hot Chili Peppers: Worst Band Of All Time or Merely Terrible?

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

A bunch of my Facebook friends seemed to be in agreement that RHCP are the worst band ever. Despite the thread title, I don't think they're that bad. I just think they're kind of an amalgamation of a lot of better bands that inspired a bunch of really terrible bands (including fellow TSM Music Folder thread topic, 311!)

Besides trolls like Fred Durst, Anthony Kiedis has got to be the most annoying frontmen of all time and I think 99% of the hatred towards the band is directed towards him or bros being freaked out by them playing mostly naked for a good portion of their career. Also everything they've done since the mid '90s has kind of sucked too. Anyway, I can't believe these guys got inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame on one of their first tries and KISS had to wait 15 years!

http://youtu.be/DH8PSEpB5po
As apathetic as I am towards RHCP, this performance from the 1993 Grammys with Parliament-Funkadelic is pretty awesome and I can't believe the Grammys would let something this wacky on. I also chuckled at Anthony Kiedis high fiving a weirded out Magic Johnson. Weirded Out Magic Johnson would also make for a decent name for a member of P. Funk IMHO.

 

[bps21]

They were the worst live show I've ever seen. They took the stage after Scott Weiland put on a phenomenal show and proceeded to just suck a giant dick.

 

[Mickey Massuco]

Bz says: Limp bizkit was better than rhcp

 

[Mickey Massuco]

Bz says: Limp bizkit was better than rhcp

ypov says: http://youtu.be/IJ9xhsVV42I

ypov says: better than anything rhcp did
Bz says: For real

 

[Gary]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTCliDUJQ90

 

[Smartly Pretty]

RHCP is really pretty terrible, but John Frusciante's solo stuff is kinda cool.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMGgi4VhfQo

 

[Baby Shoes]

Do I have to read this thread with a tube sock on my dick?

 

[BurningPirateShipSex]

RHCP is really pretty terrible, but John Frusciante's solo stuff is kinda cool.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMGgi4VhfQo

Flea was in Fear for a time, which is pretty rad.

 

[AA484]

Oh, come on, RHCP aren't that bad. Blood Sugar... is a good album and so is Californication. They have a few other decent albums and their first album is the only one that really kind of sucks.

"Under the Bridge," "My Friends", "Soul to Squeeze" - all great songs. What a bunch of haters!

 

[Dandy]

I like Under the Bridge, but the rest of their music makes me hope they have to live under the bridge.

 

[Fall of Epic]

What the hell am I reading? RHCP are awesome. Blood Sugar Sex Magik and Californication are both great albums. Their last release was meh, yeah but everything else I have no problem with.

John Frusciante is a great guitarist and a damn good vocalist too. Complimented Kiedis very well.

 

[Fall of Epic]

Scott Weiland put on a phenomenal show

Now that requires further explanation.

 

[Skywarp!]

I'll agree about their live show. I saw them with Foo Fighters opening, and Grohl melted everyone's face off. There was really nothing RHCP could do to top that, and they turned in an unmemorable performance. They couldn't follow that. To be fair, not many bands could.

That said, I kind of like RHCP. The lyrics can be awful, but I tend to be one of those music aficionados that mostly pays attention to the instrumental. And when they had John F., they could be on-fucking-point. It's actually amazing how this band is pretty damn good with John, but completely unlistenable without him.

 

[bps21]

Scott Weiland put on a phenomenal show

Now that requires further explanation.

Stp opened for them and blew them away. They had the place rocking and then the chili peppers came out, went through the motions and killed the crowd. They are the Randy Orton of bands. They always get on the top of the bill...so they must be good, right? All evidence to the contrary...they just must be...right?

Actually fishbone opened for both of them and they blew them away too. Then Stp played and weilend put on one hell of a performance.

 

[Byron The Bulb]

Pretty much a shittier Jane's Addiction, but there are worse things to be, I suppose.

 

[Dandy]

Jane Says and Been Caught Stealing is better than anything the Red Hot chili Peppers could ever hope for.

 

[Red Baron]

Over exposure killed this band after Californication came out. Outside of a couple of songs, they are pretty forgettable.

Also I hear them a lot at work too, which just annoys me. This band is over rated.

 

[BUTT]

Only time I kinda liked them was when Dave Navarro was the guitarist, and the band pretty much disavows that period, and even then they weren't that good. Maybe I just have nostalgic affection for everything that was on MTV in '96.

 

[HarleyQuinn]

They are overrated but Californication is a pretty good 1/2 of an album (the latter half of the album kind of drags after Track 10 though). You could get a killer EP out of that album. Otherwise the band is pretty forgettable except for BSSM and Flea's bass work.

01: Around the World
02: Parallel Universe
03: Scar Tissue
04: Other Side
05: Californication
06: Easily
07: Emit Remmus

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Red Hot Chili Peppers are probably the most hated, critically respected and commercially popular band of our times. They're this generation's Doors.

 

[Byron The Bulb]

They're critically respected?

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Rolling Stone/AllMusic critically respected not Pitchfork critically respected.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Actually, looking at the Rolling Stone Album Guide, it doesn't seem like they're even that well liked by them. Their debut got one star, Freaky Stylely and The Uplift Mofo Party Plan got two, Mother's Milk got three, Blood Sugar got three and a half, One Hot Minute got two and a half (Sorry, BUTT!), then Californiacation and By The Way got three, and Stadium Arcadium got three and a half. I'm With You wasn't in there but Google shows me they gave it three and a half too.

So yeah, they like them more than TSM, especially the later albums (Rolling Stone loves off prime albums by classic rock bands) but I'm surprised they never got any undeserved four star reviews.

 

[Baby Shoes]

Red Hot Chili Peppers are probably the most hated, critically respected and commercially popular band of our times. They're this generation's Doors.

Now I just picture a RHCP movie starring present day Val Kilmer.

 

[vivisectvi]

It's funny that this topic comes up now. About 2 days ago I was drinking and talking with some friends about how awful this band is. We decided to time it and got an average of about 7.5 seconds before any one of us felt the urge to turn off a given RHCP song.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Red Hot Chili Peppers are probably the most hated, critically respected and commercially popular band of our times. They're this generation's Doors.

Now I just picture a RHCP movie starring present day Val Kilmer.

I hope Ian Astbury fronts RHCP after Anthony Kiedis dies.

Ian Astbury is another one of my candidates for "Most Annoying Frontman" but at least, he's a good vocalist.

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

Over exposure killed this band after Californication came out. Outside of a couple of songs, they are pretty forgettable.

Also I hear them a lot at work too, which just annoys me. This band is over rated.

This. There are bands without a single decent song that have had mainstream success, whereas RHCP at least has pushed out a few solid ones. They can get annoying very, very quickly, and Anthony Kiedis is a fucking tool, but they're not abysmal or anything.

 

[Red Baron]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtBbinpK5XI

WTF even is this? Nickelback wrote better shit than this.

 

[Baby Shoes]

They came on the radio while I was driving home from my friend's house tonight. I thought about this thread while doing my best to not steer off the freeway to my death.

 

[Sesquipedaliantique]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZpeI036iH0

This is literally all the Red Hot Chilli Peppers you need.