"SOUL TO SQUEEZE" RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS (1993)

This month, the Mental Jukebox revisits the movie soundtracks of the nineties. The music I’m highlighting are some of my personal favorites. In many cases, the movies themselves were huge for me as well. But the focus will still be on the music – as always. Let’s bring on the throwback classics, the grunge, the gangsta rap, and the indie gems. #31DaysOf90sMovieSongs

Movie: Coneheads

As a casual fan of the Chili Peppers, I’ve witnessed a band that was never uncertain of who they are, even as their sound evolved. Their roots were steeped in a funk rock that allowed everyone in the band to rock out hard. Flea’s frenetic and funky bass work on those pre-Mother’s Milk albums are impressive. By Mother’s Milk, the band lineup changed and things got a little more melodic with staples like the Stevie Wonder cover “Higher Ground” and the alt rock anthems “Taste the Pain” and “Knock Me Down”. By the time Blood Sugar Sex Magik and Californication rolled out, the funk elements were diminished considerably. But the band’s sound was still somehow 100% Chili Peppers. A critical part of the band’s evolution was the slowed down number “Soul To Squeeze”.

It’s significant that “Soul to Squeeze” has no ounce of funk in it from beginning to end. It’s bluesy and melodic. Its strength isn’t its rhythm, but its flow. Everyone in the band shines on this one, but the key word here is subtlety. Kiedis’ vocals flow freely and smoothly. Flea’s bass lines are understated, but beautifully melodic. Frusciante’s guitar ushers us into the fold in those first 20 seconds, then becomes an exercise in restraint. And Smith, he’s just keeping time. Subtlety is more than enough here.

"PARALLEL UNIVERSE" RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS (1999)

Each day in November, I’m revisiting a song from the 90’s — a decade that was a sorta coming of age for me. In that span, I experienced high school, college and my time as a young single guy in New York City. It was a decade of ups and downs, and the music never stopped playing during that span. It was always there with me. #30DaysOf90sSongs

Few bands feature bass players who overshadow their guitarist counterparts. But such is the case with Red Hot Chili Peppers. While I really like Frusciante’s guitar playing style a lot, Flea’s ambitious funk-fueled bass lines are awe inspiring and the star of the show on many RHCP songs. His bass lines are like guitar parts in and of themselves, worthy of the highest volume on your subwoofer. But, in stark contrast to RHCP’s plethora of bass-prominent tracks is “Parallel Universe”, an anomaly with freakishly atypical instrumentation for the band.

There’s a lot of shredding happening on this song. But not a lot of funk. Kiedis’ vocals, as usual, are muscular, gut-wrenching and plain rock & roll. However, Flea humbly takes a backseat on “Parallel Universe” while Frusciante’s guitar work thrashes, strums and picks its way to the foreground. There’s not one or two great guitar riffs. There are three of them. The frenetic opening riff, the hefty power chords in the chorus, and the instrumental bridge that kicks up the distortion levels to create something galactic. It may not be a typical Red Hot Chili Peppers anthem, but it still rocks hard, which is really all we ever wanted from the band.

“Deep inside of a parallel universe it's getting harder and harder to tell what came first.”

"OTHERSIDE" RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS (1999)

In 1999, my art director/creative partner and I would spend late nights at our agency coming up with ideas for ads. The guy was fun to be around and he had great taste in music—and that counted for something. Together we listened incessantly to Californication, and “Otherside” was my favorite track. Never a huge fan of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, I was swayed by the more melodic and introspective side to the band that I hadn’t heard before.

“I heard your voice through a photograph. I thought it up and brought up the past. Once you know you can never go back. I gotta take it on the other side.”