Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Recorded in a Los Angeles house with Rick Rubin, the album that carried Give It Away and Under the Bridge.
Red Hot Chili Peppers, 1991
- Released
- 24 September 1991
- Recorded
- 1991
- Studio
- The Mansion, Los Angeles
- Label
- Warner Bros.
- Producer
- Rick Rubin
- Length
- 73:56
Rubin produced and Brendan O'Brien engineered, in a house in Los Angeles that Rubin had suggested. The band worked there for more than 30 days. Kiedis recorded all his vocals in his own room, and Chad Smith did not stay at the house. Frusciante and Kiedis had worked out song structures at each other's homes before the move, then brought ideas to Flea and Smith. Around 25 songs were written during the sessions and 17 made the album. It is dedicated to Mike Watt of the Minutemen and fIREHOSE, and the art direction is credited to Gus Van Sant.
The album was released on the same day as Nirvana's Nevermind. It reached number three on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold on November 26, 1991 and platinum on April 1, 1992. Tom Moon of Rolling Stone said Give It Away and Suck My Kiss set a template for rock with the relentless beat of hip-hop. Jeremy Gordon of Pitchfork wrote that Under the Bridge became the band's defining moment. Rolling Stone placed the album at number 310 in 2003 and number 186 in 2020, and it appears in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
Track listing
- The Power of Equality4:03
- If You Have to Ask3:36
- Breaking the Girl4:55
- Funky Monks5:22
- Suck My Kiss3:36
- I Could Have Lied4:04
- Mellowship Slinky in B Major3:59
- The Righteous & the Wicked4:07
- Give It Away4:42
- Blood Sugar Sex Magik4:31
- Under the Bridge4:24
- Naked in the Rain4:25
- Apache Rose Peacock4:41
- The Greeting Song3:13
- My Lovely Man4:39
- Sir Psycho Sexy8:16
- They're Red Hot1:09
Personnel
- Anthony Kiedis lead vocals, percussion on Breaking the Girl
- John Frusciante guitars, backing vocals, percussion on Breaking the Girl
- Flea bass, backing vocals, piano on Mellowship Slinky in B Major, trumpet on Apache Rose Peacock, percussion on Breaking the Girl
- Chad Smith drums, tambourine, marimba on Sir Psycho Sexy, percussion on Breaking the Girl
- Brendan O'Brien Mellotron, Hammond B-3 organ, synthesizer, toy celeste; engineering, mixing
- Gail Frusciante and her friends choir vocals on Under the Bridge
- Pete Weiss Jew's harp on Give It Away
- Rick Rubin production, mixing
- Chris Holmes mixing
- Howie Weinberg mastering
- Gus Van Sant art direction
More from Red Hot Chili Peppers
Mother's Milk (1989), One Hot Minute (1995), Californication (1999), By the Way (2002)
Sources
- Blood Sugar Sex Magik, Wikipedia
- Red Hot Chili Peppers: Blood Sugar Sex Magik, Pitchfork (2016)
- Blood Sugar Sex Magik, Rolling Stone (2003-08-28)
- Blood Sugar Sex Magik, Red Hot Chili Peppers Recording Sessions Archive