Me and My Friends #17 - What if By the Way were weirder?
When I think of an album by the Chili Peppers, I tend to think of the attributes given to it by things external to the music itself; the media that review it, the fans that listen to and critique it, and by the band themselves, who speak about it from a unique perspective – really close, but really distant, because they’re the ones that made it, and how do you speak about something you made with any real perspective?
It’s a snapshot kind of thing: whenever I’m thinking about By the Way, I get an image of the album cover in my head, that big blue (inverted-pink) swash, with the oil paint thick, (have you noticed the hidden title yet?) and a few key words: It’s the “poppy” album; the one with a lot of chords. The one that John took over. The one that The Beatles inspired. The “soft” one.
None of this is really true, of course. At least not fully. There are aspects of the album that are more melodic and chord-based than the rest of their output, but it’s not exactly the Soft One. I’ve spoken about this before, but in the lead-up to Stadium Arcadium, a key comment among fans online was the hope that there would be a return to more funk-based music, and I think songs like “Tell Me Baby” are a result of those wishes.
But is anything on By the Way softer than “If”, or “Porcelain”? Not really.
These feelings are probably a result of the need for us, as fans and as listeners, and as humans in general, to place everything into a box, to give it a digestible one line explainer.
Freaky Styley: horns, Clinton, funk
But that doesn’t really gel with “Catholic School Girls Rule”, “Sex Rap” and “Battleship”, does it? Half of that album is basically speed-metal, and Clinton’s influence doesn’t really shine through the way one might think.
Sometimes, when I think of the Uplift Mofo Party Plan, I get the feeling that this is the “metal” album, the one with the highest ratio of distorted guitars and high-tempo rock. But what about “Behind the Sun”, the bands first foray into more melodic territory? Apart from the ending, is “Subterranean Homesick Blues” metal? Is “Skinny Sweaty Man”? Not really. But certain aspects take over (and maybe this is different for everyone else!) and that’s what you carry with you when you think about it going forward.
My point is, sometimes we forget that By the Way is more than just the poppy, sunny, John’s harmony-centric album. It’s actually pretty unconventional in parts. Sparse. Moody. Take a look at that back cover. Do these guys looks like they’re about to play “Can’t Stop” or “On Mercury” for you? Not really.
But what if it were weirder?
This is my pitch for an alternate version of the album, one that sticks with the sad black and white, stormy-day, almost English looking band on the back. The one that seems suited for late nights. One that would probably sell about 8% of what the final album did, but one that would make the band a little more critically acclaimed with a certain swash of music publications.
Trisha Kraus for the New York Times
It’s a winter afternoon in 2002. Fat bullets of rain pelt the window, and outside is all grey and bare. But it’s okay, because you’ve got a fire going, and a thick rich glass of red wine, and the soggy postie just delivered the new Chili Peppers album. You loved Californication, but the murmurings in the press recently have suggested that this one’s a little different. But different is okay.
You unwrap the package, and the cover shocks you. What’s this? A goat? And that back cover - these guys look sad! What’s the deal with that? What happened to the Californiadingdong slap bass guys?
But Q, Rolling Stone and even the NME gave it 5 stars, so you’ve heard good things. You trust the boys.
As the needle drops onto side A, you settle in, and on comes…
Eskimo
Imagine that the first thing you heard when playing the new Red Hot Chili Peppers album was a harpsichord? This is a great, unique track, and it really sets the mood for the rest of the “album”. Heavy, sparse, with one of John’s most underrated solos, and the deneoument is superb; that trumpet solo just popping up out of nowhere? Perfect.
Fun fact: Josh Klinghoffer was originally supposed to play the harpsichord part. I don’t think it’s a pitched up guitar, the kind of technique that John used on several Stadium Arcadium songs, but I’m not sure who played on the final recording.
Rivers Of Avalon
A good second track that keeps things moving. In my version of the album, John’s verse guitar would be a little heavier, and the drums a little more present, but the original is still fantastic. A rocking, catchy track that wouldn’t be too out of place on an Echo & The Bunnymen album. This track really pops on speakers; the chorus explodes outwards delightfully.
Body of Water
In interviews from around the release of By the Way, John said that the band had originally intended to write a heavy, punk-inspired album at first, but that after Rick Rubin’s suggestion, they went for a different style. I would wager a guess that this song is sourced from that earlier period. It’s a wild, sludgy thing that could also be the first song on the album, what with that build up introduction. I wish they had played it live, at least once. Is that John rocking an SG?
Out of Range
In the course of putting together this list, I’ve realised that these my be my favourite set of lyrics that Anthony ever wrote:
I have your number and I dialed it up a hundred times
Barely there, your voice is crackin’ up across state lines
Loving you, you’re out of range
Wanted you, you’re out of range
Skies of ecstacy we’re breaking, well I do believe
The tears of God were falling down upon my swollen cheeks
The delivery, the heartbreak – everything. What a perfect song. I just wish Chad’s drums were a little beefier – but this is a complaint I have with By the Way as a whole.
Warm Tape
Hang on, you’re thinking. Isn’t it a little early for “Warm Tape”?
No! Just because it’s penultimate song on the album you know, doesn’t mean it needs to be there on this one. It’s the perfect song to end Side A: approaching something epic, but not quite final. And it’s a weird one. John’s synth – the settings of which provided the song’s name – Chad’s slow roll of a beat, Flea’s sliding, looping bassline that actually sounds a little like “Give it Away”… and then it all transitions into a triumphant piece of summery pop.
It’s strange to think that they actually managed to play this live a number of times. Of all the songs they haven’t managed, they figured this one out?
The end of Side A. Maybe the sun’s gone down. You go refill your glass, stoke the fire, get comfy, and sit back down for Side B.
As an aside, can I take a moment to say how much I love Julian Schnabel’s art for the interior of the album, and for several single releases?
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His artwork would, of course, adorn this version of the album too. It’s like he was hearing this version when he was painting them.
This is the Place
The first song of Side B. A bit of a cleanser after the dust from “Warm Tape” settles, but still driving and rocking and catchy. John’s chorus guitar is really interesting, but how did it take me 18 years to notice that the chorus bass line is the same as the verse?
Supposedly, this was the first song written for the album during the rehearsal sessions.
Midnight
People mostly think about the orchestra on this song, but at its core it’s a simple guitar-bass-drums set-up (listening to the early version really highlights this). The orchestral overdubs saved it from becoming another “Runaway”, and at that, saved the song, really.
Tear
Maybe the most McCartney-esque song the band ever did - especially the chorus. It’s amazing the intro hasn’t been used in some post-breakup montage in a movie yet.
(It’s up to you, but perhaps you could replace either this song or the previous with “I Could Die For You”.)
Don’t Forget Me
(You’ll note that the last chord in “Tear” is an A, and the first chord in this is an A too – did you notice? How’s that for a transition?)
This is one of the band’s best songs, and a surprisingly good fit for the penultimate track in this running order. It’s moody, it’s serious, it’s perfect, and – terrifyingly – it almost didn’t make the album, as they had to re-record the vocals in New York at the last minute.
You’ve already seen this, but it can’t hurt to watch again. (they should really change the title to everyone is incredible.)
Venice Queen
You knew this was coming, I suppose. It couldn’t fit anywhere else, could it? Part of me even considered dropping it entirely because it was too obvious, but John’s volume swells at the beginning, and that acoustic switch at the end really puts a perfect end to things.
And as “Venice Queen” fades out, the needle lifts, and emptiness fills the room again.
So there you have it. Just a little experiment. It’s endlessly fascinating that we’re able to restructure albums like this, isn’t it? Of course, Stadium Arcadium and I’m With You are the prime candidates, thanks to the enormous amount of songs from those sessions, and I’d be interested to hear what ideas readers might have for their own custom albums.
One Hot Minute is another possibility; you create a pretty interesting “metal” album or EP out of the heavier stuff from the sessions, which would alter the album pretty heavily.
At the same time, you couldn’t really do it to Blood Sugar Sex Magik, could you? You could change the order of the songs, but would you really alter the album in any sense? Is that a good thing, or is that a sign that the album tends to stick to one mood?
I’ve always been a fan of “custom” albums – this blog contains a number of them, some of them “lost” albums that have been reconstructed, and some “alternate history” albums. What if the Beatles didn’t break up, etc.
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