Greatest Hits [Warner Bros.]

by Red Hot Chili Peppers

Overview

The Red Hot Chili Peppers' Greatest Hits is a compelling listen, culling tracks from the band's 1989 breakthrough, Mother's Milk, to its melodic 2002 release, By the Way. In some ways, one could view this as the best of the John Frusciante years, charting most of the band's work with the talented guitarist after the death of original member Hillel Slovak. The tracks here are all hits, including such stellar singles as "Give It Away," "Under the Bridge," and Frusciante's first single after his phoenix-like resurrection from heroin addiction, "Scar Tissue." It should be noted, though, that as a Warner-issued hits collection such fan favorites as "Taste the Pain" and the touchstone antidrug anthem "Knock Me Down" -- both from the 1989 EMI release Mother's Milk -- aren't included. (Similarly, nothing from the Chili Peppers' rambunctious early efforts -- including 1984's Red Hot Chili Peppers, 1985's Freaky Styley, and 1987's The Uplift Mofo Party Plan -- appears on this hits collection.) Nonetheless, Greatest Hits still portrays the band as one of the most consistently brilliant groups of its generation. Helping to paint this picture are such solid cuts as the group's searing, albeit overplayed, 1989 cover of Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground" as well as its rarely available addition to the Coneheads movie soundtrack, "Soul to Squeeze." Not surprisingly, "My Friends" is the sole cut to make it from the band's disappointing one-off effort with Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro, One Hot Minute. Throw in two new tracks ("Fortune Faded" and "Save the Population") that easily match the quality of the material collected here, and you've got one of the most consistently listenable Chili Pepper releases since Blood Sugar Sex Magik. For fans who gave up after Frusciante left the band, Greatest Hits is the perfect reintroduction. [Warner also released a clean version of Greatest Hits with all the profanity edited.] ~ Matt Collar

Product Details

Release Date:	11/18/2003
Label:	Warner Bros.
UPC:	0093624865421
Rank:	26022

Tracks

1. Under the Bridge
2. Give It Away
3. Californication
4. Scar Tissue
5. Soul to Squeeze
6. Otherside
7. Suck My Kiss
8. By the Way
9. Parallel Universe
10. Breaking the Girl
11. My Friends
12. Higher Ground
13. Universally Speaking
14. Road Trippin'
15. Fortune Faded
16. Save the Population

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Red Hot Chili Peppers   Primary Artist
Marc Mann   Conductor
Wag   Vocals (Background),Vocals (Background)
Sir Babe   Vocals (Background)
Spinosa   Vocals (Background)
Merrill Ward   Vocals (Background)
Vicki Calhoun   Vocals (Background)
Jack Sherman   Vocals (Background)
Gail Frusciante   Choir/Chorus
Joel Virgel Viergel   Vocals (Background)
Patrick Warren   Organ,Chamberlin
Chad Smith   Drums
Flea   Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Greg Kurstin   Keyboards
Julie Ritter   Vocals (Background)
Bruno Deron   Vocals (Background)
Aklia Chin   Vocals (Background)
Joel Virgel   Vocals (Background)
Randy Ruff   Vocals (Background)
Iris Parker   Vocals (Background)
Laura Spinosa   Vocals (Background)
Merill Ward   Vocals (Background)
Sir Babs   Vocals (Background)
Aklia Chinn   Vocals (Background)
Gretchen Seager   Vocals (Background)
John Frusciante   Guitar
Lenny Castro   Percussion
Peter Weiss   Jew's-Harp
Brendan O'Brien   Mellotron
Anthony Kiedis   Guitar,Vocals
Dave Navarro   Guitar
Kristen Vigard   Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Jason Wormer   Engineer
Jennifer Hilliard   Assistant Engineer
Melodie Lawrence   Photography
Laura Black   Photography
Stephen Marcussen   Mastering
Andrew Scheps   Engineer
Chad Smith   Composer,Lyricist,Group Member
Flea   Composer,Lyricist,Group Member
Greg Collins   Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Garth Richardson   Mixing,Engineer
Red Hot Chili Peppers   Art Direction
Lindsay Chase   Production Coordination
Chris Cuffaro   Photography
Tony Woolliscroft   Photography
Richard Scane Goodheart   Design
Okhee Kim   Assistant Engineer
Dick Rude   Video Director,Video Producer
Phillip Broussard Jr.   Assistant Engineer
Greg Fidelman   Engineer,Recording
John Sorenson   Engineer,Assistant Engineer
John Frusciante   Composer,Lyricist,Group Member
Ryan Hewitt   Engineer
Jim Scott   Mixing,Engineer,Recording
Richard Dodd   Mixing
Rick Rubin   Producer,Original Album Producer
Michael Beinhorn   Producer
Philip Brossard Jr.   Assistant Engineer
Brendan O'Brien   Engineer
George Marino   Mastering
Chris Holmes   Assistant Engineer
Ethan Mates   Engineer
Anthony Kiedis   Composer,Lyricist,Group Member
Stevie Wonder   Composer
Dave Jerden   Mixing,Engineer,Recording
Dave Navarro   Composer
David Schiffman   Engineer,Recording
Dave Sardy   Mixing,Engineer,Recording
Dan Leffler   Assistant Engineer
Vlado Meller   Mastering