Quick one this: top 5 opening tracks to Red Hot Chili Peppers (and related artists) albums. We’ll be back on the data next time.
Massive thanks to Jonathan Macha by way of the Universally Speaking Podcast for the inspiration.
Straight in at one. Good Time Boys. Best Chilis opening track. Best opening track. Period. This song is so fun. You listen to this, you listen to the whole damn album. And you dance, man. You dance. A party starter sent from heaven.
It’s Carvel.
Not in my Chilis top 50. Not on many of the copious Chilis playlists I curate. When it’s there, tho, it’s track one. After the near self destruction of the band and at least three of its nineties members this kicks off Californication with a bear roar of a song that screams we lived, we made it and you ain’t seen shit yet.
Flea’s beautiful Helen Burns album bares little resemblance to the classic Chilis. Gentle, jazzy, beat-boxy; named after a Jane Eyre character. This opening track serves as a sort of overture: a hint of what’s to come in the rest of the record. Wonderful.
Struggled to make a call here because both of the Josh era albums start with belters that sell the drama. Ultimately this wins because The Getaway isn’t the best candidate for opening track on that album*. It’s the discordant start bleeding into the super clean several of my best friends. It’s like they’re teasing us: new line up, wonder what we’re going to sound like? Well wonder for 30 seconds more.
*this is Encore and I’ll fight you
QED
Post Script
Possibly too far away from the Chilis to be a “related album” however I want to take the opportunity for a quick word about the one off Dave Navarro and Eric Avery project, Deconstruction. No-one mentions their album which is a shame because Dave’s guitars go bonkers on this one. The first track, however, isn’t so, erm, shreddy. It’s arty, seven minutes long and according to Dave “the most complicated song I’ve been involved in” (I’m paraphrasing because I couldn’t find the quote). It’s an absolute beast of a song and barely anyone has heard it. I think it’s a seriously cool opening track but I’m mostly writing about it because it’s so utterly forgotten.
🤓
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