Mother's Milk
The first album with Frusciante and Smith, and the one that carried the Stevie Wonder cover Higher Ground.
Red Hot Chili Peppers, 1989
- Released
- 16 August 1989
- Recorded
- November 1988 to March 1989
- Studio
- Ocean Way and Image, Hollywood
- Label
- EMI
- Producer
- Michael Beinhorn
- Length
- 44:52
Basic tracks were recorded at Hully Gully studios in Silver Lake, and the band moved to Ocean Way Recording in Hollywood in February 1989. Beinhorn pushed for a hit, and Frusciante clashed with him over guitar effects. Kiedis recalled that Beinhorn wanted a big, crunching, almost metal-sounding guitar tone. The album peaked at number 52 on the Billboard 200 and became the band's first gold record in early 1990. Its singles were Higher Ground, Knock Me Down and Taste the Pain. AllMusic's Amy Hanson wrote that it turned the band from underground funk-rocking rappers into mainstream bad boys.
Track listing
- Good Time Boys5:01
- Higher Ground3:22
- Subway to Venus4:25
- Magic Johnson2:57
- Nobody Weird Like Me3:48
- Knock Me Down3:43
- Taste the Pain4:33
- Stone Cold Bush3:05
- Fire2:03
- Pretty Little Ditty1:36
- Punk Rock Classic1:46
- Sexy Mexican Maid3:21
- Johnny, Kick a Hole in the Sky5:10
Personnel
- Anthony Kiedis lead vocals
- Flea bass, backing vocals
- John Frusciante guitars, backing vocals
- Chad Smith drums, percussion
- Michael Beinhorn producer
More from Red Hot Chili Peppers
Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991), One Hot Minute (1995), Californication (1999), By the Way (2002)
Sources
- Mother's Milk (album), Wikipedia
- The 20 greatest Red Hot Chili Peppers songs, ranked, Kerrang! (2021-03-17)