By the Way

By the Way (2002) is the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ eighth studio album, featuring frontman and lead singer Anthony Kiedis, drummer Chad Smith, guitarist and backup vocalist John Frusciante, and bassist Flea (Michael Balzary). By the Way contains 16 tracks, from the widely known ‘Can’t Stop’ to the more underground songs like ‘Tear’ and ‘This is the Place’. Ever since buying the album a few months ago, I have By the Way playing in my car at least once every two weeks. Almost everyone (or almost all millennials!) knows the breakout tracks that made it to the Greatest Hits album, the titular ‘By the Way’ and ‘Universally Speaking’, as well as the more recently popularized ‘Can’t Stop’, but few who haven’t actually listened to the whole album can appreciate the rest of the songs and how they flow. By the Way takes a less funky approach than Californication, and especially Blood Sugar Sex Magik, preferring relatively soothing vocals. Anthony Kiedis throws his voice around a lot less here, but it actually makes for a very smooth listening experience. Tracks 3-6 are soulful and warm, with a small detour at #7, ‘Can’t Stop’ and then picking back up at #8, ‘I Could Die for You’. Track #9 is ‘Midnight’, which admittedly is one of the less catchy songs on the album. After track 10, ‘Throw Away your Television’, with its strong, repetitive vocals, ‘Cabron’ etches itself into your mind, only to immediately be followed by ‘Tear’, a slow song where the vocals are often slurred in such a way that creates a profound impact on the listener. Tracks 13 and 14 pick up the pace, with ‘On Mercury’ and ‘Minor Thing’ respectively.  #15, Warm Tape, is once again a lot slower, and though it has some peaks it overall isn’t as great as the songs before it, in my opinion. Finally, the album caps itself off with a letter to the lead singer’s drug rehabilitation agent, in ‘Venice Queen’. Overall, this album is a must-buy for any Chili Peppers fan, but more so is a great CD to get your hands on if you’re into this kind of alternative rock. The lyricism and voice of Anthony Kiedis can make anything seem philosophical (even songs with vulgar meanings), and will be sure not to disappoint those listening to them.