Me and My Friends #57 - Deluxe Desires
Sometimes it's fun to imagine what-if.
The Chili Peppers, despite being an ongoing concern that continues to record new music, are also a legacy act. Nothing wrong with that. And the Chili Peppers are unlike their peers in a number of ways, good and bad, but there's one particular aspect in which they're unique that has always bothered me. Every other legacy act on the planet (and even newer acts) seems content to release and repackage their old music. This band, for some reason, seem wildly opposed to it. The closest they've come is the 2006 online store bonus tracks. Which were nice. But that was almost 20 years ago. Any other recent reissues have just been gimmicks that haven't required any real work, like coloured vinyl or - ugh - picture discs.
So I asked a few friends, Max Elfimov and Leandro Cabo, if they'd like to take matters into their own hands, and conjure up some possibilities. Here are a number of "deluxe" reissues that the band could put out. Could being the key word here.
There's nothing wrong with looking backwards occasionally, if only to celebrate your past achievements. If the band are content on playing "Give it Away" 350 times a year they should be okay with looking back in this way as well.
There's a practical, archival, historically-minded reason for doing so too. In simple terms: one of the band's best songs, "Bunker Hill," for example, is not available to purchase directly from the band anywhere. If you want to listen to it, you either have to buy a long-out of print single on eBay for a possibly exorbitant price, resort to a 128kbps Youtube stream, or download it "illegally."
On the other hand, if it were to end up on a deluxe reissue of Californication, it would be right there on streaming services, in millions of new sets of ears, and in tens of thousands of homes on a CD. What's the downside? It can't be a financial one; the Red Hot Chili Peppers are one of the biggest acts of all time. They'll sell plenty of box sets no matter what. It's not a litigation thing; the band are all alive and have an active deal with Warner Bros. It is, I think, a desire thing.
These are ideas and wishes filling a vacuum. They're tantalizing because, honestly, they aren't that farfetched (okay, Max's one is a little out there!). But we can dream of fanciful things, and we can dream of realistic things.
Another reason to put something like this out in the world: virtually every time I say something definitively won't happen I'm proven wrong almost immediately. Let's hope that streak continues here.
We start with the debut album. This section is written by Max Elfimov. He is this album's most passionate supporter and has probably thought more about it than anyone on the planet today. Visit Max's community RHRSANDRE for the world's premiere collection of images, video and audio relating to the band from their early years: 1982-1998.
My interest in the band began to grow in the Autumn of 2002 after watching the MTV show Biorhythm about Anthony Kiedis’s story & by February 2003 I was already buying their CDs, discovering the crazy world of their discography. I cannot say I was deep into Californication - most of the students at my high school were fans of this album but it was too soft and too radio friendly for me. But I was in love with Freaky Styley, Blood Sugar Sex Magik and One Hot Minute. On April 19, 2003 I bought a bootleg CD with band’s debut album and was shocked how good and unusual it was. A month later I obtained Out in LA and was surprised by how cool and different the original 1983 demos were. But I cannot say that listening to this demo tape made me feel sad about the final album; it’s different, but I loved both. To be a fan in 2003 was special, not just because of the release of new music videos like “Can’t Stop” or “Universally Speaking” but because in February 2003, EMI released re-issues of the first four albums to celebrate the band’s 20th anniversary.
I remember spending my gift money to buy this re-issue CD when I just began studying in a University in the Summer of 2003. I loved the booklet full of photos and Flea's liner notes. Back then I didn't know the complicated story of debut album re-issues...
The first Chili Peppers album ever released on a CD was The Uplift Mofo Party Plan. The debut and Freaky Styley were available only on lp and cassettes - the band was not big enough and before 1986-1987 CDs were not very popular in USA or Europe. After the death of Hillel Slovak, EMI decided to re-issue two first albums on CD for the very first time: in September 1988 the debut album and Freaky Styley were re-issued on compact discs. No liner notes or bonus tracks, just the front cover, the rear cover, track listing and white blank booklets without any additional info. Some elements from the vinyl sleeve were barely airbrushed - EMI didn't use the original artwork sheets, they just copied the LP sleeve. No effort at all. In 1990, when Mother's Milk gained enough popularity, EMI re-issued the debut album & Freaky Styley once again, and once again: no extra info or liner notes. If Freaky Styley had George Clinton's name on it, the debut didn't have Andy Gill's name (on the original 1984 pressing it was on the inner sleeve only though). For the next 13 years the 1988 & 1990 re-issues were the only possible way to buy the debut album in a digital form. The situation with vinyl was even worse - 1984 & 1990 editions were the only ones that were available for the masses. In 1999 the album was re-issued on vinyl for the very last time, it was a limited edition without any additional liner notes. Since then the vinyl version of the record became a rarity.
In 2003 EMI re-issued the first four album with the additional liner notes. For the first time Andy Gill's and Jack Sherman's names were written on a CD booklet, the album had some liner notes from Flea, some previously unseen photos from Ed Colver and Howard Rosenberg & song lyrics. 1983 demo tape was added as a bonus, no session tapes or the notorious "Human Satellite" (fun fact - the song was possibly prepared for 2003 re-issue but didn't see the light of the day). 1983 demo was not remastered or restored - it was the same old version from Out In LA CD - incomplete, poor quality, sounds like it was recorded using a boombox in a rehearsal space (while originally it was a full scale professional studio recording in a good quality). Since then - no re-issues anymore. In late 2000s when the early albums were re-issued on vinyl, the debut album was not. For 20 years the record is abandoned and forgotten.
As a huge fan of the debut album I always thought about the deluxe re-issue of it. The Beatles re-issues of Sgt. Pepper & the White Album are stellar and became a template for how to make a good re-issue. So I'd like to share a concept of a possible re-issue, to make this outcast album looking more desirable for fans that are far from the band's early years.
CD 1: the original album
Love it or hate it - the classic Andy Gill-produced record is a solid part of band’s legacy that should never be abandoned. The remastering work was done pretty good in 2003 so the sound is pretty powerful and clear, I don’t think any sonic additions should be done. In my opinion two bonus tracks should be added on this CD: the officially released club mixes of “Baby Appeal” and “Get Up & Jump”. Both tracks were released on a vinyl promo single but were never re-issued in a digital form, so adding it to CD 1 would be logical: a CD with all available official stuff from 1984. The remixes are literally lost in a rich Chili Peppers discography but deserve to be added to the collection - those were the very first official remixes in band’s story and they are pretty interesting.
CD 2: True Men Don't Kill Coyotes
Probably the main CD in the collection: the revisited version of the debut album, completely remixed. Back in 2003, The Beatles' Let It Be Naked was released - a real attempt to show how the album used to sound originally. A lot of fans didn't like it, but the idea itself was interesting.
First of all, the multitrack version of the album is available in EMI archives - and getting rid of echoes, multiple sound effects would have made the record better. Also there were earlier takes and working versions, pretty sure songs like "Out In LA" and "Get Up & Jump" were originally recorded in its live form. Andy Gill changed the structure of those songs but I bet the original versions survived.
Here is more detailed possible track list of CD 2:
1. "True Men Don't Kill Coyotes" - no reverb, clear sound without effects, acoustic guitar sounds much quieter & blended together with drums making a more rhythmical sound.
2. "Baby Appeal" - no reverb (probably some left in the middle section of the song), maximum pure sound as live recording.
3. "Buckle Down" - no sound effects, no "car crash" sound in the beginning (a countdown instead), clear guitars and all vocals. Three layers of Jack Sherman's solo are still here but without overload of reverb making his guitar sound much more powerful.
4. "Get Up & Jump" - probably a mix of the earlier take with the original song structure. No horns overdubs, no female backing vocals, no reverb.
5. "Why Don't You Love Me" - no reverb and sound effects, but all the instruments are here including horns and xylophone.
6. "Green Heaven" - no reverb, probably some speed correction (the song always sounded faster - on demos, live etc.).
7. "Police Helicopter" - the song was always played after "Green Heaven," so this place in the album track list is correct (in my opinion). All the same, but no reverb and some extra vocals removed - just one vocal track. Probably some speed correction (the song always sounded faster on demos and live).
8. "Mommy Where's Daddy" - no reverb, female vocals removed, the original Flea's vocals instead (it was on the earlier takes and mixes of the song). All the horns are used.
9. "Out In LA" - probably a mix of the earlier take with the original song structure. No reverb, probably one of the rehearsal versions used (the released album version suffers from the lack of energy).
10. "You Always Sing" - no reverb.
11. "Grand Pappy Du Plenty" - probably some reverb removed, clearer version with more musical details, probably a bit extended (if the track was originally longer, we don't know how long the track was after the fade out).
12. Bonus Track: "Human Satellite" - unreleased song from the debut album sessions, that was co-written with Andy Gill. There is no information if the song was ever finished, but seems the track included vocals, so even if it was a rough mix - the CD 2 includes the finished version remixed nowadays.
The title of CD 2 True Men Don't Kill Coyotes is the original title of the debut album that was rejected by EMI. The cover art is the earlier version of the well-known Gary Panther's picture. This CD 2 can be possibly released as a separate vinyl lp for those who are not interested in buying the entire box.
CD 3: Sessions.
The debut album & Mother's Milk are the only two albums unavailable in its instrumental version. Instrumental studio versions of the songs from Freaky Styley, Uplift Mofo etc. were available since late 2000s. So at least there are instrumental early versions of every song from the debut album in EMI vaults. But I'm sure that's not all. There is a very good chance there are earlier takes, even with vocals. There is also a chance that "Sex Rap" was recorded during the debut album sessions, so the minimal scenario - we have a CD 3 with instrumental unmixed backing tracks + studio sessions for "Human Satellite." The maximum scenario - early takes with vocals, different versions, unused songs.
As a bonus - 1983 studio version of Nina Hagen's "What It Is." It's still unknown if there is a studio version with Anthony's vocals, but having a version with Hagen on vocals & Chili Peppers playing the instrumental part (it exists for sure) is still very cool & historically important.
As a cover art for this CD - black & white early version of Gary Panther's drawing for the album.
CD 4: Demos.
In 1994, a part of the original first Chili Peppers' demo tape from May 1983 was released on the Out In LA CD. The quality was not good, the tape was not complete, and it missed some small but funny tracks. Flea and Anthony always praised that demo, so releasing it in its entirety and in the best possible quality would have been the best solution. Modern technologies can help in creating the clearest sounding version of the historical demo.
But 1983 demo is not the only one! Very few people know about the second demo tape which was recorded in early 1984 with Jack Sherman & Cliff Martinez. The tape never surfaced but most likely it's kept in EMI vaults. We don't even known the proper track listing, but pretty sure it includes "True Men Don't Kill Coyotes," "Baby Appeal," "Buckle Down," "Why Don't You Love Me." They also probably re-recorded versions of "Out In LA," "Sex Rap," "Get Up & Jump," etc.
All in all both demo tapes were recorded in the professional studios and include high quality good recordings showing the power of the young band, so including it on CD 4 would have been a great idea - one more way to show those songs in a more raw punk sound.
As a bonus - some home demos like "What It Is." There are rumors that songs like "Baby Appeal" and "Buckle Down" were also recorded in "rap'n'bass" format, so adding those numbers would have made the release even more interesting.
As a cover art for this CD I would have taken Anthony's design for Kit Kat 1983 flyer adding some more early photos including Sherman & Martinez (that would be fair due to using 1984 demo tape).
CD 5: Live
The debut tour was a hard one but the band was in the perfect shape. Anthony didn't care about his vocal chords (it was George Clinton who told him to sing in order not to damage his voice) and howled like a wild animal, Flea was slappin' hard, Cliff was drumming like a mad funky machine & Jack Sherman was shredding like a funky version of Eddie Van Halen. Thanks God one of band's best ever shows was recorded in the best possible way - Columbus 1984 can be the basis of the Live CD. Minus weird in-between the songs speeches and booing from the dumb audience, just a little remastering and those tracks will sound fantastic. I'd added just two tracks from Bowery show that was in December 1984 - "Mommy Where's Daddy" (a stellar performance by the line up that composed the song, they didn’t play it in Columbus) & "Fire" (Anthony messed up the lyrics in Columbus version & did everything good during Bowery show), but those two tracks should be restored to sound like the rest of the CD.
All in all I'm pretty sure there are much more live recordings from that era and probably more even better recordings, but we already have the stuff that deserves to be released officially and will be really good.
As a cover art - funny faces by Ed Colver & Bad Otis Link. This is an iconic "Three Stooges" style picture which completely deserved to be used as a cover art someday.
DVD/Bluray
The debut album era has very few videos. Here is a list of the videos that in my opinion should be included:
1. "True Men Don't Kill Coyotes." The original music video, restored, with the original sound (the howling in the beginning that was removed for "What Hits?" VHS/DVD) & ending (the cover art on the black background). If the working tapes from the filming survived in Orion (the video studio) or EMI Archives - it could have been used for DVD too. The director Graeme Whifler told me in February 2023 that he doesn't have any working stuff left.
2. Thicke of the Night. The remastered full version of band's very first TV appearance. Due to Jungle Man music video there is a chance the band appeared in some more moments of the show, we don't have it in the available version. The fullest & restored version of this historical video would have been the gem of the video collection.
3. Anthony Kiedis & Flea Interview for MTV, New Music Seminar. There are small parts of this interview here and there, but the full version is about 7-10 minutes and is a funny and important video that deserves to be released on this disc.
4. Cutting Edge Sessions: "Get Up & Jump." The original 5 minute report about the Red Hot Chili Peppers included snippets of Buckle Down & Get Up & Jump, but there is a very big chance both songs were filmed in its full form & MTV still own the working tapes. Re-editing both songs in full version would have been a very important historical document + it could have been used on an official Youtube channel to promote the box set.
5. Cutting Edge Sessions: "Buckle Down." Same as above.
6. Cutting Edge Sessions: the full interviews. Unedited version of all band's interviews, it is known the tape still exists.
7. Anthony Kiedis & Flea December 1984 MTV Interview. The unknown and uncirculated funny 10 minutes long video where Anthony has lost his voice, the band talking about the song writing process & the ongoing tour.
If there are more video stuff from that era in the vaults - it definitely should be included on the disc.
As a cover art – funny pic of Anthony staring straight in a video camera during one of the Spring shows from 1984.
Book
200+ page book with photos from Ed Colver, Howard Rosenberg, Fabrice Drouet, Ivy Ney, Gary Leonard & others.
The book chapters:
Intro: Words from all four band members (each member has his own part in format "memories/portrait/autograph facsimile”).
The story of the album: detailed information about band's life during 1983-1984 with photos and flyers from the era.
The story of each song: every song has a detailed story: how written, when recorded, who recorded it. Also each song has the original handwritten lyrics (I'm sure Anthony still has them) and photos from the recording process (Ed has those photos).
Tour: the story of band's debut tour with band's funny stories, concert photos and flyers.
The cover art: the story of lp's cover art with Gary Panther's sketches, references & the full cover art of the first pressing: vinyl labels, inner sleeve, the main sleeve.
As a bonus: a replica of EMI America promo postcards (there were at least 3 of them?)
And a big yellow promo poster that was made for record stores to promote the album.
Salivating yet?
We jump ahead five years to 1989. The rest of these entries are by Leandro Cabo, webmaster of the RHCP Live Archive. Leni made a deluxe Live at Slane Castle mock-up a few years ago which still makes my heart hurt every time I see it.
Did you know Mother’s Milk was the only one album that came very close to have a proper reissue in the last 20 years?
In a January 2014 interview with Billboard, Chad mentioned a 25th anniversary of the album would be releasing that year “with some extra stuff”. No other mention was made until another Chad interview, this time with Rolling Stone, where he confirms the reissue it’s still coming down the pipes with a remastered edition of the album plus “bonus goodies” and a live show from Cleveland.
From that moment on, we had zero news about the reissue despite seemingly being in late stages of preparation. I wonder why the label/band ultimately decided not to release it.
So here’s my best shot at how that 2014 reissue could have been:
“Mother’s Milk” - the 25th anniversary 4LP + 1BD super deluxe edition in a hand numbered box set featuring a comprehensive 30-page hand book showcasing never-before-seen photos, documents and various other artifacts of the era.
Mother’s Milk: original album remastered and remixed from the master tapes on 180-gram gatefold LP in translucent white and black splatter vinyl, featuring the original long versions of previously edited songs.
Rockinfreakapotamus: b-sides and outtakes from the sessions featuring the previously unreleased demos “The Dub Song” and the Jimmy Cliff cover “The Harder They Come” plus two unique takes of the Bachman Turner Overdrive cover “Takin' Care of Business” on 180-gram LP.
Live at the Phantasy Theatre: complete live performance from November 21, 1989 in Lakewood, OH on double 180-gram LP.
Psychedelic Sexfunk Live from Heaven: the first video release ever by the band, now available for the first time ever in Blu-ray disc, digitally rescanned and restored from master tapes in high-definition. Extras include backstage footage from the show and the album video clips.
There’s absolutely no doubt that the show Chad mentioned was November 21, 1989 at the Phantasy Theatre. This show has been tirelessly bootlegged during the 90’s as it’s one of the very few professionally recorded soundboards from the 80’s and was partly broadcasted on radio a few times. Unfortunately, neither of the many recordings available feature the full show so this would have been a great opportunity to get an official release of a great sounding soundboard from the Mother’s Milk tour.
My next mockup is a reimagined Record Store Day release for 2017. Although that year the record celebration didn’t go unnoticed by the band as they released a Go Robot vinyl single, I think this announcement would have been way, way better received:
The Red Hot Chili Peppers are releasing a new special deluxe edition of their latest album, The Getaway exclusively for Record Store Day 2017. This release is limited to 10,000 copies worldwide and includes a new mix by Andrew Scheps on 2 LPs pressed on lilac vinyl and an exclusive 7” single in neon pink vinyl with two previously unreleased songs from the sessions: “Kaly” and “Outer Space” plus four photo prints.
I’m puzzled at why they let this opportunity slip away. Releasing some sort of special edition of the album with both unreleased b-sides would have been the perfect opportunity to officially let them out. Thankfully they ended up leaking (albeit unmastered) in early 2022.
But of all the mockups I’ve ever made, I’d say the next one is probably my favorite of them all yet sadly the least likely to happen.
The year is 2020… shortly after the pandemic hits, we have an announcement from the RHCP:
One Hot Minute - the 25th anniversary 4LP + 2BD super deluxe edition in a hand numbered box set with magnetic flap featuring the album’s original artwork with a 3D lenticular cover plus a comprehensive 50-page bound book showcasing never-before-seen photos, documents and various other artefacts of the era.
One Hot Minute: original album remastered and remixed from the master tapes on 180-gram double gatefold LP in red and black splatter vinyl.
Black Fish Ferris Wheel: b-sides and outtakes from the sessions featuring the previously unreleased songs “Blender”, “The Junkie Song” and “The Intimidator” on 180-gram LP.
The Hawaii Tapes: previously unreleased demos from early 1994, available for the first time ever on 180-gram LP.
Deep Kick: the infamous previously unreleased documentary released from the first time ever in Blu-ray disc – follow the band through a diary of the album era, featuring footage of their Hawaii sessions, 1994 European festival tour, recording of One Hot Minute and more.
Live at the Cow Palace: live performance from April 6, 1996 in Daly City, CA completely remastered in high-definition, available from the first time ever in Blu-ray disc. Extras include the album video clips.
The second disc uses the almost-final alternative title and cover art for the album and would probably contain all the b-sides from the album, while the third disc contains all-new previously unheard demos from the writing/pre-production sessions during February-April 1994 while the band was living in a Hawaii mansion.
This reissue would also be a way to finally allow the long lost holy grail “Deep Kick” (the finished documentary that was planned for theatrical release in early 1997) to see the light, in a crisp high-definition release. The Cow Palace show was recorded on film, therefore a high definition transfer might exist somewhere or is possible to do – that is, if master tapes still exist somewhere. Footage from this show appears on the documentary and was also used for the official “Coffee Shop” music video.
Here’s the last one (for now) and I think many would share the excitement about this reissue. How incredibly awesome would be getting an actual announcement from the band next year?
“Live in Hyde Park” – In 2004, Red Hot Chili Peppers set world records for the highest-grossing concerts at a single venue in history with three sold-out shows at Hyde Park on June 19, 20 and 25. For the 20th anniversary, the band is announcing a vinyl reissue on 180-gram triple gatefold 3LP with 20-page booklet and setlist prints for each date plus an HD Blu-ray/4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of the June 20 show, available on video for the first time ever!
There’s no doubt the demand is there for vinyl reissue with used copies of the original pressing going for over $500, that is, if you can actually find one out there. But the video release would be the real surprise here. Why the second date on particular, you might ask? This TV ad for the double CD from 2004 uses footage from that show, meaning the full video exist somewhere in a vault.
Hope you had fun picturing these utopian reissues as much as I had while working on the mock-ups.
Who knows, maybe someday we’ll get some of them…
Thanks again to Max and Leni for their efforts. As tantalizing as these are, I feel a sense of depression creeping in just thinking about what might be.
I'd like to reiterate that virtually none of what you see above is an impossibility. These are all things that we know exist, or at least existed (who knows what has been lost over the years); the band and their labels just need to put them out. If anything, there's more in the vaults that we're not aware of.
Maybe one day. Maybe when they break up, but there's no reason that needs to happen.
For now, we can dream.