Maps of Music

Mother's Milk (1989)

Where the lyrics of Mother's Milk take you, and where it was really made.

Its cover model said she was never told she had been chosen, and later sued the band over a promotional poster, winning a $50,000 settlement.

Key places

Recording at Ocean Way in Hollywood (1989)

Recording site Ocean Way Recording — The band entered the Ocean Way Recording studio in Hollywood in February 1989 to record the album. Frusciante had been in the band only a few months at that point. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Basic tracks at Hully Gully studios (1989)

Recording site Motown Recording Studios — The band recorded basic tracks at Hully Gully studios in Silver Lake, Los Angeles. The point is placed at city-centre level, so it does not mark the exact building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Mother's Milk: fourth studio album by American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers
• Released August 16, 1989 by EMI Records
• First album to feature drummer Chad Smith and guitarist John Frusciante
• Smith replaced drummer Jack Irons; Frusciante replaced founding guitarist Hillel Slovak
• Frusciante's influence put more emphasis on melody than on rhythm
• Returning producer Michael Beinhorn favored heavy metal guitar riffs and overdubbing

Background

• After Slovak's death and Irons' departure, Anthony Kiedis and Flea regrouped with Frusciante and Smith
• In March 1989 the band took a two-month tour to break in the new lineup
• Following a show at George Mason University, a student accused Kiedis of sexual misconduct; he was arrested and released on bail

Recording

• Pre-production began in January 1989, and many songs had already been written
• Basic tracks were recorded at Hully Gully studios in Silver Lake
• The band entered Ocean Way Recording in Hollywood in February 1989
• Beinhorn constantly clashed with Frusciante over guitar effects

Cover

• Black-and-white photograph of the band sprawled across the arms of a giant topless woman
• Model Dawn Alane said the band did not notify her that she had been chosen for the cover
• Several national chains refused to sell the record because of the nudity; a more censored version was made for some retailers

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Formed in Los Angeles in 1982 by Anthony Kiedis, Hillel Slovak, Flea, and Jack Irons, classmates at Fairfax High School.
• First performed on December 16, 1982 at the Grandia Room club on Hollywood Boulevard, in front of about 30 people.
• Changed the name to Red Hot Chili Peppers in March 1983.
• Released the self-titled debut album in August 1984, which sold 300,000 copies.

Members

• Current: Flea (bass, backing vocals, trumpet), Anthony Kiedis (lead vocals), Chad Smith (drums, percussion), John Frusciante (guitars, backing vocals, keyboards).
• Former members include Hillel Slovak (guitar, died of a heroin overdose in 1988), Jack Irons (drums), Dave Navarro (guitar, 1993–1998), and Josh Klinghoffer (guitar, 2009–2019).

Career

• Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991) was the first major commercial success; "Under the Bridge" reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100.
• Californication (1999) became the band's biggest commercial success, with over 16 million copies sold worldwide.
• Stadium Arcadium (2006) was the first album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 chart and won Grammy Awards.
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on March 31, 2022.
• Over 120 million records sold worldwide.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Mother's Milk received mixed reviews from critics who were unimpressed by the excessive distortion throughout the album
• AllMusic's Amy Hanson called it "a pivotal album for the Red Hot Chili Peppers"
• Steve Morse of The Boston Globe called it a high-octane fusion of metal, funk and rap, and praised the electrifying musicianship of Knock Me Down
• The Toronto Star called the band the Mothers of Invention for the 1990s
• Carly Darlin of the Orange County Register found it an energetic and fun restatement of the band's funk attitude, but said it broke no new ground apart from the instrumental Pretty Little Ditty
• Mark Jenkins of The Washington Post said the album seemed to be looking for someone to give it directions, though he credited Frusciante's solid metal chops
• Village Voice critic Robert Christgau mocked the band's sincerity and said the guitar layering was poorly executed

Reappraisal

• Ranked number 359 in Rock Hard magazine's 2005 book The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time
• Jeff Apter's account calls Knock Me Down the most important track the band had laid down up to that point

Records

• Peaked at number 52 on the US Billboard 200 and number 32 on the US Cash Box album chart
• Failed to chart in the United Kingdom and Europe; reached number 33 in Australia
• Knock Me Down reached number six on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart
• Higher Ground charted at number eleven on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart and at number 54 in the UK and 45 in Australia and France
• Taste the Pain reached number 26 in the UK, the band's first Top 40 single there
• Certified gold by the RIAA in late March 1990, now certified platinum
• The first Chili Peppers album to ship more than 500,000 units

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Kiedis gave director Drew Carolan full creative license for the Higher Ground video, on the condition that the band be made to look like the Gods of Funk.
• Beinhorn constantly clashed with Frusciante over guitar effects during the sessions.
• Flea said the band covered Higher Ground to pay homage to Stevie Wonder and his role in popular music.
• Model Dawn Alane sued the band over a promotional poster she had no knowledge of, winning a $50,000 settlement.
• Chad Smith announced on January 29, 2014 that EMI was planning a 25th anniversary version of the album.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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