Music Debate Number Two

It's time for the second installment of the music debates! If you don't know how it works, check the blog from February 1st. (But, all in all, it's self-explainatory.)


Debate topic: Top 5 favorite Red Hot Chili Peppers songs
guest blogger: Ben Muehleisen, aka manfriend.
(On a sidenote, you can check out Ben's blog @ http://todaysawesomeness.blogspot.com/.)


So, here's my (Janelle's) opinion:


There are only two basic compontents that absolutely MAKE a Chili Peppers song: really weird lyrics, and a kickin' bass line. (And I believe that bass line to be the most important part.) I have to note a few things before I begin my top 5.


The first RHCP song I ever heard was "Knock Me Down" (from Mother's Milk maybe?). I forgot exactly how the sampler CD was obtained by myself, but I know I got it for free. It would be a few years until I heard more CP and knew there had to be a connection. From there, the love is endless. Also, "Under the Bridge" is NOT on my list. I know a lot of people enjoy that tune, but for me it's a tad bit overplayed. One more thought: This list was much harder to compile than the first music debate... With that said, on to my list.

5. "Hump de Bump"

from Stadium Arcadium

Listen to Hump de Bump [Album Version] by Red Hot Chili Peppers : http://free.napster.com/player/tracks/16698169

I had to include one of my favorites from Stadium Arcadium. That album is just supurb. I do think that there are better songs on that album overall (can you say "Hard to Concentrate", "Snow", "Readymade", "Dani California", "So Much I", and "Tell Me Baby"?), but "Hump de Bump" is by far most danceworthy, and I like to dance. It's fun to sing as well. The lyrics do not necessarily make a lot of sense, but they're fun. Some days, that's about all you can ask for in a song. Hence, it is kicking off this awesome list.

4. "Soul to Squeeze"

from Blood Sugar Sex Magik

Listen to Soul To Squeeze [Album Version] by Red Hot Chili Peppers : http://free.napster.com/player/tracks/12872251

Sometimes I have no idea why I really like this song. It starts off pretty slow, and stays slower most of the way throught the tune, but I still like it. That's strange for me sometimes, because I prefer the harder RHCP songs. That is why it had to be on my list. While it's slow, I can still dance to it. And when I don't feel like dancing, I can chill out to it as well. It has duel usage, and that's really great in any song. I have yet to see the band in concert, but I would so whip out my lighter during this song and do the "white sway". (Off topic, I learned about how white people dance at concerts by reading Stuff White People Like. I'd offer to lend it to anyone, but my dad has it. He will probably never read it, but also tell me I can't have it back because he's "still reading it".)

3. "Higher Ground"
from Mother's Milk

Listen to Higher Ground (2003 Digital Remaster) by Red Hot Chili Peppers : http://free.napster.com/player/tracks/16102066

Yes, I know this is a cover. Which is why it's on my list. I love Stevie Wonder. And I love cover songs. In my opinion, there are times when you just don't mess with classics. This is one time I'll make an acception. This song is a great cover. Plus, let's think about the impact on music in the 90s as far as this song is concerned. Wonder's version was released in the early/mid 70s (correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe it was '72 or '73), and when the Peppers covered it, most of us youngins had not heard the original anyway. Way to bring back the classics, boys.

"Higher Ground" is also on Guitar Hero, and the credit is given to the Chili Peppers, which I find a little strange. But I didn't make that error, so whatever.

2. "Suck My Kiss"
from Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Listen to Suck My Kiss [Album Version] by Red Hot Chili Peppers : http://free.napster.com/player/tracks/12872255

This song probably gets off to the second best start (see number 1). Again, you have to have that smooth bass line to have a great CP song, and this song has it. Everytime after they finish a chorus, and rip back into the song, that second-long pause just gets you all excited for what's to come, and that's pretty cool as well. This song also makes me want to start a mosh pit, and that's saying a lot for a girl who has gotten semi-crushed in a few pits along the way. (Thank you extra huge guy at a Goldfinger show, crazy people at an Urge show, and hoodlums at Pointfest during Avenged Sevenfold, to name a few.)

1: "Aeroplane"
from: One Hot Minute
Listen to Aeroplane [Album Version] by Red Hot Chili Peppers : http://free.napster.com/player/tracks/16497838 (Not the entire track... darn it!)
This is hard-core, my favorite RHCP song. Really- that opening line? "I like pleasure spiked with pain"? Yes. Just yes. (In my opinion, one of the best lines in any song, really.) Also, this song is way dance worthy. Flea and that bass line are just awesome. The bridge just pushes the song along into that sweeeeet bass solo, and it ends with some children singing. The world is happy. I am as well, every single time I hear this song. No questions asked.

As I said before, this list was way harder than the epic list. I feel the need to list the "honorable mentions", because I know Ben will as well.

Other songs in consideration were:
"Blood Sugar Sex Magik", "Cabron" (dance away, people!), "My Friends", "Walkabout", and the song that would have come in at number six, "Fortune Faded".

Thanks to Ben for the idea of debating the Peppers, being an undeniably awesome other half, and hopefully getting me back on track as far as posting something daily goes. The end.

Ben's Top 5 All-Time Red Hot Chili Peppers Songs

What a task this is. First, RHCP is one of my top 5 all-time bands. The others include (in no particular order): Led Zeppelin, Pearl Jam, and a few others, but that is not what this post is about. This post is about a debate with Janelle of the best Chili songs. I suppose I'll start with #5. I'll also put in some honorable mentions, and I'll touch on their best albums briefly. So, without further ado....

5th best RHCP song of all-time is: Me and My Friends - The Uplift Mofo Party Plan (1987) (By the way, all the links are clickable to listen to the song on Grooveshark)

So, this choice was directly influenced by Janelle, who recently helped get me closer to finishing my Peppers collection (I'm still missing their first, self-titled album and all the greatest hits). TUMPP was the Chili's 3rd effort, and is a great album. It really started to establish them as a major player on the Rock scene, and definitely helped create the rap/rock sub-genre. I highly recommend this album and specifically this song to anyone.

4th best RHCP song of all-time is: Fortunt Faded - Greatest Hits (2003)

This song choice is simpy based on a groove factor. It's got the classic, heavy, awesome bass line, along with a great mix of guitar that personifies the Peppers. Also, one of the most important factors I base my opinions on is of course, singability (I really want to make some kind of graphic like those new Bud Light ads have right here about what "singability" means, but alas, I don't have enough time). Singability is simply how easy is it to sing along with the song.

3rd best RHCP song of all-time is: Hard to Concentrate - Stadium Arcadium (2007)

Now, this is a song that has obviously not stood the test of time, yet. This song is on the list for many of the same reasons as the last song. A great bass line, awesome guitars, and very singable. I really think I love the rhyme scheme of this one, as well as it seems there is a lot of meaning behind the song, which always makes a song better. The interlude about halfway through the song is, in my opinion (like anything in this post isn't my opinion) the classic RHCP guitar sound that made them famous. Enjoy this song and this album.

2nd best RHCP song of all-time is: Universally Speaking - By The Way (2002)

I think that the thing I love so much about this song is the cadence he uses, especially in the chorus. The other thing that is so attractive about this song, and most of the songs on this list, is that they weren't radio hits. That always makes me like a song a lot more, when I "discover" it (more about that in the "honorable mention" category later). Another awesome thing about this song is that it is an atypical Chili song, meaning that all the reasons the other songs are listed aren't necessarily true about this song.

Now, before I get to the epitome of the Peppers, I will talk briefly about some honorable mentions and my favorite albums.

Honorable Mentions (in no particular order):

The Zephyr Song - Just an awesome rhythm, beat and ryhme.
Minor Thing - Also has great cadence and gets back into more of the rap/rock thing.
One Big Mob - One for the fans. Literally, they wrote it for their fans. Also, it features Dave Navarro's kid crying in the middle of it. Definite party song.
Snow (Hey Oh) - I heard, listened repeatedly and knew this song before it was ever played ont he radio. I just love the guitar riff. Fantastic song (great video too).
Knock Me Down - This is a fantastic song on it's own, but the fact that it is written about and dedicated to the memory of their original guitarist, Hillel Slovak, makes it that much better. Apparently, him and Keidis were way too into heroin, and it killed him. Bummer.

Best Albums:

3 - The Uplift Mofo Party Plan

This is simply because the whole album is just rockin. It established them as a major player, and is well worth your time and money.

2 - Blood Sugar Sex Magik

This is one big song broken into 17 tracks. There is no better album to listen to on a great summer day with the windows down and the stereo cranked. None of the individual tracks have been mentioned, some because they are overplayed, and some because its hard to pick just one. You have to own this album, no collection is complete without it.

1 - By The Way

This choice may surprise some people, but if you have noticed, almost half the songs have made the blog. This is just all-around a great album. It was quite a commercial success, but that doesn't take away from its greatness. In an odd side note, I'm pretty sure the band wasn't terribly impressed or happy with the album. The sound does definitely go a different way than you have come to expect from the Chilis, but again, its a great album.

Without any further ado ....

The best Red Hot Chili Peppers song of All-Time is:


Walkabout - One Hot Minute (1995)

This song has it all. Groovin' bass line. Classic guitar. Great vocals, lyrics and rythm. This is simply the most chillin song I have ever heard by anyone. The other thing that Janelle will get upset because I haven't mentioned it until now, is the album placement. Where is comes on the album. It transitions the album from the uber-rockin One Big Mob to the ballad Tearjerker. Song 8, where a lot of bands try to hide the albums best song. Just a great all-around song.

I hope you have enjoyed my opinions, and thank you for reading. Have a uberiffic week!!

mixed cds

i just recently bought a sweet 2001 mustang gt. this car has (almost) everything i've ever wanted in a car. and it came with a bonus: cds!

the first day i had possession of the vehicle, my parents and i drove it around quite a bit. at one point in time, my mom reached into a pocket behind the driver's seat and asked me "hey, did you put some cds in this pocket?". of course, i hadn't even had a chance to do so yet. whomever had owned the car before me put about 30 mixed cds into the pocket.

for the most part, these cds suck. horribly. (although, there was the highlight of "sexy back".)

you see, i believe these cds were produced by younger people. i'm talking probably kids in their teens. i suspect this for a few reasons: one- the songs are all pop and hip-hop/rap, and two- they aren't really mixed cds.

here's a lesson kids:
-when you create a mixed cd, and you have more than one song by the same artist, you have to break said songs up. dont' put a group of five songs mid-mixed cd. it's mixed for a reason.
- mixed cds should have some sort of theme or reason for making the cd. themes include: "hey, i really like you, so here's some lovely songs that remind me of you" or "summer jams!" or "driving", and can span across a wide variety of music.

that's just the tip of the iceburg, but you get the picture. making a great mixed cd requires more precise bullet points, but i won't go into those. because these silly cds don't even fit basic criteria.

don't forget kids: the making of summer jams! 2009 is happening too soon. opinions or requests? hit me up.

sweet little link

it's been a fabulous day for me musically.

today i picked up a few cds at circuit city. in case you live under a rock, they're going out of business and are clearing out stores pretty quickly. (hint: if you need an electronic anything, at least check out the stores...) c-lynch and i dropped on it (we were really there to find a digital camera) and looked at what was left of the music collection. they actually had a decent selection.

i picked up a cd i've been wanting for some time: stevie wonder's #1s. i love stevie, but i have never had any of his music in my itunes... until today. i also picked up an EP by the fray (it's the reason ep). i always wondered what the hype was about, so i took a chance on it because it was pretty cheap. and i freaking love it. i've been in a new music slump for a while, and this definitely picked me back up.

anyway, while trying to catch up on my myspace profile (it doesn't get checked much these days) i ran across a cool remix of a cool song. clown from slipknot remixed co&ca's "welcome home" (aka- the original EPIC and officially an epic on both chris' list, as well as mine). it's not the greatest thing i've ever heard, but it highlights the vocals instead of much else. warning: the awesomeness of the guitar solo is cut short. don't get too mad.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=2744574

let me know what you all think. until later!

zombie music

leave it up to me to post a super romantic music video on valentine's day...

it's been a few days since i've posted, and that makes me pretty sad. been a crazy week with my car. things are now straightened up. because of the craziness i've been getting very little sleep daily. which plays in part with today's post.

on normal days, my television is mostly tuned to sportscenter. last night, however, when i went to bed, my tv was tuned to vh1 classic. and it was 2:30am, which meant that metal mania was playing. for those unfamiliar with metal mania, it's a block of heavier music videos both old and new stuff. i just flipped it on and climbed into bed. and then i got hooked.

the video was grainy and old-ish looking and had ZOMBIES. i LOVE zombies. plus the song was pretty cool. it was certainly pretty hard metal, but i was grooving to it. (sidenote: try to find something i won't dance to.)

please keep in mind that, when first viewing this video, i was hoping the artist wasn't who i thought it was. in the end, it was metallica, which is exactly what i had presumed. darn it.

i don't normally care for metallica. i mean, old metallica is great. then we got to Load and Reload and those things were terrible. then they did St. Anger and said it was an AIC tribute, which pushed me over the edge. but Death Magnetic seems.... not as bad as the other crap they've recently released. that's a good sign i suppose.

the metallica video i got to see last night was entitled "all nightmare long". i do have to admit that the video rocks, and the song didn't make me change the channel. you may think the video starts out slow (or maybe get to be that way somewhere within the first five minutes), but i tag that 4:30-5 minute mark to be where i had initially caught it from, and it starts getting pretty cool. around the six minute mark, the song itself really starts to rock. but seven in, the song gets even better, and there is a headless zombie. by the next minute, you've got a pile of dead bodies. this thing is just over nine minutes long, and it's pretty much a mini-horror movie.

you can take a look at this video here:
http://www.metallica.com/index.asp?item=601688

as a closing thought, though, i just want to clarify that no matter how much metallica doesn't completely suck anymore, i still hate lars ulrich.

stuff that rocks that you probably forgot rocks

i should start a series of these sorts of things, since i have an obscure music collection anyway.


todays stuff that rocks that you probably forgot rocks is silverchair's frogstomp. basically the only track that got radio play from this album was "tomorrow". this thing rocks waaaay harder than the goodness that track brings. "israel's son" is probably the best track on the album, then you've got "your massacre". and that's only four tracks in. (note: this album does not include "freak" which is also a good silverchair song.)

other notable hidden gems of the day:
the love hogs "color me red" (hey, gotta love those local bands)
the verve pipe's "never let you down" (not as rockin', but a good song)

i leave you with some silverchair
Listen to Israel's Son by Silverchair : http://free.napster.com/player/tracks/10012857

also, if anyone else needs to fill me in on stuff i may have forgotten, please send them my way!

great music day

i'm unsure of the last time i had a bad day musically, but today was the exact opposite of a bad music day.

the worship music today at church and at youth group was unbelievable. while the worship music during church always is nice to hear, i will say that i was more impressed by the youth group music. a few past members came today and each played guitar and sang. i'm continuously impressed by anyone who can play a guitar. furthermore, i'm impressed if you can sing and play a guitar simultaneously. these two college boys did just that. it was a great time.

also, today i cannot stop listening to the ben fold's live cd i got yesterday. i'd heard many songs off this disk, but now it's mine and soooo cool. plus, i have always known that the song "the luckiest" was my favorite ben fold's song, but that live version is just.... wow. it makes dashboard's "hand down" sound like a death metal song.

i also picked up additional social d to add to my collection yesterday. i challenge you to find someone who says social d sucks. and if you do, just prove to them they are wrong.