Flea reveals his least favourite Red Hot Chili Peppers’ album – and his hopes to re-record it
Flea has revealed which is his least favourite album by Red Hot Chili Peppers, and admitted that he has hopes to re-record it.
The renowned bassist was speaking as part of a new interview with Los Angeles Times when he reflected on his extensive career, and opened up about which of his albums with the funk rock veterans he is least proud of.
Speaking with the outlet’s Mikael Wood, Flea — whose real name is Michael Peter Balzary — admitted that of the band’s 13 studio albums, it is their 1984 debut LP that he wishes he could revisit.
“I always regret the way we made the first one,” he admitted. “I think the songs are really good. Our band was smoking at the time. But [drummer] Jack [Irons] and [guitarist] Hillel [Slovak] quit, and we hired these two other guys: Jack Sherman and Cliff Martinez.”
He continued, explaining how the new dynamic affected the sound of the recording: “Both were great musicians, but the connection just wasn’t as profound as we had with the guys we started with. I’ve often wanted to go back and re-record that album, but I can never talk anyone into it.”
One of their least recognised albums, the self-titled LP arrived via EMI America and Enigma, and featured tracks ‘Out In L.A.’, ‘Get Up And Jump’ and ‘True Men Don’t Kill Coyotes’.
In the time since the album, both Martinez and Sherman have gone on to enjoy expansive music careers — with the former contributing scores to films such as Drive, Only God Forgives and The Lincoln Lawyer, and the latter working alongside Bob Dylan and George Clinton, before his death in 2020.
In other Red Hot Chili Peppers news, Flea recently recalled that frontman Anthony Kiedis doesn’t consider himself to be a musician, and would frequently put himself down in comparison to the other band members.
“Anthony doesn’t really consider himself a musician or that he’s had any music education whatsoever. He used to say we should change the band’s name to Idiot and the Three Geniuses,” Flea said, following the singer’s appearance on his podcast This Little Light.
“I think he’s a great singer. And he’s always learning and getting better. When we started the band, he couldn’t sing a note – he just yelled. Now he’s got melodies, and he doesn’t even stick to them. He flows around and improvises.”
Red Hot Chili Peppers are currently on tour, supporting their latest album ‘Return Of The Dream Canteen’. Upcoming dates include a headline slot at Madrid’s Mad Cool festival this weekend, as well as an upcoming show at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Find remaining tickets here.
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Liberty Dunworth
NME
