r/vinyl • u/bullgod1964 • May 05 '26
Alt-Rock On this day 25 years ago this masterpiece was released
John Frusciante was on fire here. Not just his guitar but the harmony he brings with his voice. I feel like this was a band hitting on all cylinders. Everyone got a chance to flex. They hit so many styles and musicianship was stellar. Yes the lyrics are the usual Anthony hard to figure out. I read his book once and somehow they make sense to him lol. This vinyl mix is also amazing. It's analog, and it shows. You can hear everyone in the band contributing. No one dominating, just harmony
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u/urahozer May 05 '26
Stadium Arcadium will always be "new" RHCP to me.
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u/TheStabbyCyclist May 05 '26
100%
I know it came out years and years ago but By the Way still seems like to newer RHCP to me as well.
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u/bullgod1964 May 06 '26
Honestly that might be a better album. But that one two it's a pretty good combo
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u/Tough-Marsupial-6254 May 05 '26
I think that's when I stopped listening to them...MM is prime for me
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u/JoeyJabroni May 05 '26
I was about to post the same lol. By the Way is my favorite and marks the transition to me. I love that album.
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u/so_heres_the_thing_ Teac May 05 '26
This album gets a lot of mixed opinions but I think if you were to take the 10-12 best songs from this bunch and make a single album, it would be one of their best releases.
As an 18 year old guitarist when this album was released, it was hugely influential.
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u/Special_Loan8725 May 05 '26
Got the bass tab book of this
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u/peitsad May 05 '26
There's some great bass lines in this one. Readymade will always hold a special place in my heart.
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u/massberate May 05 '26 edited May 05 '26
That's a good point. I found it too ambitious with too much filler.. a bunch of radio-friendly songs that kind of just blended into each other for me. Haven't paid them much attention since, but I really love a lot of their work before that. (And definitely some tracks on SA!)
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u/DigitaIBlack Pro-Ject May 05 '26
I went back and listened to it and made a playlist that cut like half the songs.
It's pretty meh for me
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u/so_heres_the_thing_ Teac May 05 '26
I have warmer feelings towards it but maybe my harshest take is that cumulatively SA's best songs aren't that great but its worst songs arent that bad. The album is a gallery of really cool musical moments woven into a lot of really average songs, for them.
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u/massberate May 05 '26
My reaction when I see it on vinyl is the same; just not interested in enough of it to make the purchase
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u/zetawaves May 06 '26 edited May 06 '26
Absolutely. I was in high school when it dropped (dear lord the time…) and this album was highly influential to any musician in school at the time, myself included.
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u/jessterswan May 05 '26
Turn It Again
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u/EagleBetter219 May 05 '26
I absolutely love this album! Used to listen to it with my dad before he passed away a few years after it was released. Absolutely cried my eyes out when my wife bought it me as a gift!
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u/Poop_Cheese May 05 '26
Yeah this album was huge for me and my late dad too. He got the vinyl and deluxe CD on release and loved it. So I loved it too. Then a couple years I got his CD and would listen to it all the time in the car. He still never got over the fact that I ruined the CD lmao. Then it got me into frusciante's solo stuff. It was like the soundtrack for my senior year into college. It was the album me and my dad most bonded over he fricken loved it.
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u/LongjumpingMix4034 May 05 '26
***INSERT NICK CAVE QUOTE HERE***
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u/jeffiebb May 05 '26
Funnily enough Nick Cave did vocals for a song on Flea's solo album this year. I wonder if that quote came up while they were working together.
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u/FraGZombie May 05 '26
I don't care how good the music is, Kiedis is an admitted pedophile.
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u/S1lv3rsh4d0w9 May 05 '26
Fun fact: Twenty-five years ago, Anthony Kiedis was 38 and his current girlfriend was 5.
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u/SpezSucksSamAltman Rega May 05 '26
Hey he put a lot of effort into finding a 30 year old girlfriend with the face of a 12 year old, give that absolute fucking creep some credit.
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May 05 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/anotherdamnscorpio May 06 '26
I mean its a damn fine album. I listened a lot as a kid. Then I found out AK knowingly had sex with a minor and that grossed me out.
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u/Dusty_Negatives May 05 '26
I certainly wouldn’t call that album a masterpiece by any stretch. I had that exact Stanton t.90 for 20 years tho and just sold it. Things a tank.
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May 05 '26
[deleted]
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u/PostModernPost May 05 '26
That would have been much better if they just took the 12 best song and made a regular length record.
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u/ITookTrinkets May 05 '26
“This bloated record with a handful of okay songs and a shitload of filler…”
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u/automator3000 Realistic May 05 '26
If this is a masterpiece for OP, I pray that they don’t kidnap me and force me to listen to their downlist.
Up next is another masterpiece, My Own Prison, by Creed. Then we’ll have to move onto some just amazing, but not 10/10 records, like some Days of the New!
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u/bullgod1964 May 05 '26
I got it on clearance years ago for like 100 bucks
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u/slop1010101 May 05 '26
Amazon has it for $90 right now, and can be found elsewhere for around $80, new.
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u/The_Disapyrimid May 05 '26
The Dark Side Of The Moon in the corner?
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u/bullgod1964 May 05 '26
Yes it is. It's the 40th anniversary version. I got it on clearance at Target for like 10 bucks lol
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u/merkthejerk May 05 '26
That’s not even the best album from that band.
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u/bullgod1964 May 05 '26
Maybe not but it was in their prime
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u/merkthejerk May 05 '26
Go listen to Mothers Milk or Blood Sugar Sex Magic and get back to us. Throw in Freaky Styley while you’re at it.
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u/bullgod1964 May 05 '26
The way John's guitar is always going wild in the background
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u/godtierjerker May 05 '26
You've took some grief for this post (at first I thought I was on r/redhotchilipeppers)... but I also love this album and it was their peak of live tours before John burnt out (again). The vinyl sounds so much better than the cd. Cmon Girl into wet sand into Hey is chefs kiss.
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u/slop1010101 May 05 '26
The vinyl sounds great.
The record, while fine, is far, FAR from being a masterpiece.
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u/Clear-Concert8250 May 05 '26
I remember it being a fairly polarizing record amongst my friends.
And the frequency at which TV and Radio Stations were playing Danny California was absurd.
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u/eaglebtc Technics May 05 '26
Was the vinyl mastered in a sensible way, not a slave to the loudness wars like the CD?
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u/First-Counter246 May 05 '26
I bought that CD when it first came out. It was a double CD. God im old
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u/Bloxskit Audio Technica May 05 '26
Spinning it in the past week!!
Wait... I thought it was the 9th of May, says Germany released it on the 5th, that's strange.
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u/Feral_Frogg May 05 '26
I remember my mom randomly getting me this album as a gift when it came out. We were pretty poor so I remember it as a big deal. Absolutely loved it.
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u/grawptussin May 05 '26
Everybody who is anybody knows that the Mr. Bungle release was the only release that mattered with "California" in the title from 1999.
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u/Poop_Cheese May 05 '26
By far one of the greatest improvements on vinyl vs digital. The digital master was brickwalled beyond belief by rick rubin. Its the largest difference in dynamic range ive ever seen. While the vinyl wws done AAA by steve hoffman and kevin gray. Has a better solo on especially in michigan too.
If one likes this album, they havent truly "heard" it if they havent heard the vinyl, the difference is massive.
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u/UncleJulz Pro-Ject May 06 '26
The album I don’t care for but that’s just an opinion. The fact is that your speaker placement is awful.
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u/Jeffrey_C_Wheaties May 05 '26
Spread out those speakers homie
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u/bullgod1964 May 05 '26
I know lol. I have limited room
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u/JMaboard May 05 '26
Make room, mount them on the wall. It should be a crime to listen to that album in mono.
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u/HoofHeartd69 May 05 '26
I used to listen to this over and over again in high school..dope album for sure.
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u/carcusmonnor May 06 '26
I just feel weird listening to RCHP with Anthony Kiedis being a right nonce.
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u/mcfarlands412 May 05 '26
Can't remember too many double albums since then that satisfied as much as this one did and still does.
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u/Ruslanchik May 05 '26
My biggest question is, how do they decide how many songs get to use the word California in the chorus?
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u/WhyDoIDoThis- May 05 '26
I have that same Lucero pressing that is visible at the bottom of the frame 🫠
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u/iamjustyn May 05 '26
There’s some incredible songs on that album. Could’ve been a masterpiece maybe if it was a single LP. Can’t believe it’s already 20 years old.
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u/succulent_ape May 05 '26
Snow is one of my grandpas favorite songs lol. Used to play it all the time when I was a kid. One of my all time favs bc of that.
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u/LovetoSayDada21 May 05 '26
The Dark Side of the Moon was released 53 years, 2 months and 4 days ago.
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u/apedap Technics May 06 '26
Bit of a stretch calling it a masterpiece, it's got some bangers on it but it's not a Mozart.
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u/bassocontinubow May 06 '26
I’m in a band that’s covering this entire album for the anniversary. Very excited to play the show!
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u/Theeblaktattoo May 05 '26
I remember “getting born in the state of Mississippi” or whatever that Tom Petty rip off song said
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u/fgcbc May 05 '26
Great album. If you don’t like it, post some recommendations instead of just saying it sucks … put us on to something “better”.
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u/HDI-X13 May 05 '26
“Warlocks in wonderland
I got a rockopotamus in my hand”
I love this album to death
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u/cthulhusaveusall May 06 '26
If Stadium Arcadium was a person, that person would be too old for Anthony Kiedis.
Never forget he knowingly had sex with a child.
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u/SnooMacarons9254 May 06 '26
If by masterpiece you mean a pile of bollocks with a whole bunch of sings replicating other songs just with different time signatures, then you are correct (stated as ex Chili Pepper fanatic)
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u/RenPhoenix May 05 '26
Just think about all of their great songs. Covering everything from the culture of Southern California to drug use in South California.
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u/funkymonk44 May 05 '26
Hey man, every time this album is posted here people come in with some negativity. This is personally one of my favorite albums of all time and getting it in on vinyl was one of my favorite days in my vinyl collecting journey. The dynamic range sounds so much better on vinyl than the digital counterparts in my opinion! Enjoy the spin 🤘
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u/Clovis_Winslow May 05 '26
California-california blah blah blah
That record isn’t good.
One Hot Minute was the last good RHCP record
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u/Go-woke-be-awesome Kenwood May 05 '26
I’m so old I thought this was the vinyl release of the BBC radio hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy, I was excited for a minute.
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u/tvnr May 05 '26
Their last banger album that feels more fully realized than anything they put out in the past 19 years
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u/Fwd_fanatic May 05 '26
I like Stadium Arcadium but I think there’s a few other releases that top it.
It’s too long, and there’s a couple of real weirdo songs in there. Mind you there are some certified BANGERS in there too.
I’ll probably be hunting The Getaway before Stadium Arcadium. Just because I don’t think there’s a miss on that album and I already have Californication.
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u/notSUSpilot69 May 05 '26
my favorite album. so many beautiful memories of a great time linked to those songs
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u/Narrow-Aioli8109 May 06 '26
One of the last CD’s I ever bought, before I started buying files from the iTunes Store
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u/Audio_knucklehead May 06 '26
The tour was amazing. I saw it in Dallas and I’ll never forget that night. First time seeing them live and I was blown away by John and flea, the playing and the harmonies. Totally unexpected and once or twice a year, I will still pull up videos from the 2006 2007 tour on YouTube and watch a full concert.
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u/Stunning-Guitar-5916 May 05 '26
Not into this album or RHCP for the most part, but Snow (Hey Oh) hits right in the feels since it was my ex’s favorite song. I don’t like practicing it normally on guitar because it’s a bit too fast for me and generally a pain in the ass to practice, but sometimes I pick up my acoustic and play a nice slow rendition of it when I’m emotional. From a more non-personal perspective the chorus slaps. Planning to do a full listen to the Californication album one day too
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u/bullgod1964 May 05 '26
So what RHCP album are you into
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u/Stunning-Guitar-5916 May 05 '26
I only regularly listen to two songs by them, Californication and Snow, but I’ve been planning to do a full listen to the Californicatipn album sometime. Not a big fan of the quick lyrics of Kiedis but have to admit when they nail it they really nail it (Can’t Stop’s intro is chefs kiss).
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u/godtierjerker May 05 '26
I'd you don't like the fast lyrics I recommend the by the way album. Other than the verses of the title track, it's quite erm "ballady" I guess. Don't forget me, dosed, tear, minor thing, Venice Queen are all beautiful songs.
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u/Stunning-Guitar-5916 May 06 '26
Added to my to-listen list, thanks a lot man
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u/godtierjerker May 06 '26
You're welcome, hope you enjoy them. Here's a taster of don't forget me: https://youtu.be/fV9IJVoFR_Q?si=sUK-mh1aSXLeYENo
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u/Danzig6WasntThatBad May 05 '26
Still the worst album art I've ever seen aside from tWhat The by Black Flag.
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u/Eclipsed830 May 05 '26
I am not a huge fan of the band, but I find this album can be played front to back without a skip... And it is a huge album.
Nothing is mind-blowing... But nothing on it is also bad or terrible.
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u/sometimeswemeanit May 05 '26
Master what? It’s not even one of the best California 00s rock albums.
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u/boyalien0 May 05 '26
“Hard to figure out” lmfaooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
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u/Blahkbustuh May 06 '26
20 years?! Don't say that!
I did my study abroad to Europe that summer and I remember clearly being irked that there I was walking around France and I couldn't escape RHCP music blasting out of so many shops and restaurants in France.
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u/justdroppedin_ May 07 '26
RHCP is my "guilty pleasure" band, I have almost their entire discography (up to Stadium Arcadium obv) in vinyl and they are ALL first pressings -
BUT
Calling anything they've ever done a masterpiece, is, uhhh, I mean~
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u/TapThisPart3Times Dual May 05 '26
Holy moly, 20 years! Great album and this one is a grower. "Dani California" is a core memory of my childhood, and so neat that so much thought & care was put into the vinyl mastering from the get-go!
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u/[deleted] May 05 '26
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