No, I don't think so. Are they worth checking out?

Does Frusciante tone down the guitar wankery on them at all?

Soul to Squeeze
Search and Destroy
Sikamikanico
Fela's ****
And some instrumental jams.

I would consider all those pretty good. SAD being a Iggy Pop cover and you probably know Soul To Squeeze. Not to much wankery at all.

Good to know. I know "Soul To Squeeze" well already but I'll check the others out some time.

the stooges cover is by the numbers.

sikamikaniko is in the same vein as 'the greeting song'

fela's c0ck is a fela kuti cover. i vaguely remember it and didn't think it was that great when i had downloaded it back when napster was new, quite different from their regular stuff.

like rezz said, they're all worth checking out. as i said in my own re-assessment 2 of those b-sides should have been on the album hehe. :p:

Yeah, I played 'Sikamikanico' the other day and I immediately thought of Janszoon and this thread. It is one of my favorites from this recording session... :thumb:

I don't understand your criticism of Frusciante on this album. You say his style is over-the-top and it sounds like classic rock, yet his only classic rock influence is Hendrix (at this time) and his sound is more melodic and subdued than your preferred album, Mother's Milk. On BSSM his focus is his high-end interplay with Flea's bass and a few somewhat forced guitar solos, while on Mother's Milk it was heavy and riff laden. His playing is far more overbearing on Mother's Milk.

'If You Have to Ask' and 'Funky Monks' bring plenty of funk to the table, even if they are at a somewhat slower pace. They were nearly 30 years old by this point after all. If Kiedis and Flea are what attract you to the band then I see no reason why you shouldn't like those tracks.

We have talked about 'Breaking the Girl' plenty before and you know how I feel about that one (I agree with you and it should have been replaced by 'Soul to Squeeze' at the very least).

'Suck My Kiss' is a classic and most certainly would stand out on any of their previous releases, just as it did here. It would have fit in great on Uplift Mofo. I especially like Chad Smith's playing on that song.

I think 'I Could Have Lied' is alright and love the guitar solos. Sure, it is too slow and prodding but I see nothing wrong with Frusciante getting more attention in a song. Lord knows Flea gets his share.

'Mellowship Slinky in B Major' is one of my favorites and just has such an awesome groove. Kiedis's "singing" on that song is indeed a little grating.

'Righteous and the Wicked' is far from filler and like just about every other song on the CD, Frusciante and Flea jam so well together.

Agreed on 'Give It Away' and 'Blood Sugar Sex Magik'.

As overplayed as it is, I still agree with this statement (whether it was sarcasm or not):

Then you have four songs in a row that I honestly can never remember the sequence, but they are all fine songs. Frusciante is great on 'The Greeting Song'.

What song doesn't have a great Flea bass line? And how is Frusciante's playing anything but perfectly complimenting Flea? Sure, Kiedis decides he can sing on this album (which sucks) and there is a little too much sappy guitar soloing along with a crappy ballad, but Chad Smith is grooving along and the two guitars are at near perfection.

I don't know if you ever had a chance to hear the b-sides so here is my favorite:

agree about Naked in the Rain being a horrible vocal performance, my band wanted to cover it and it was absolutely no fun to sing at all. Thankfully they gave that **** up

I think you and I just have very different perspectives on what constitutes overbearing guitar. "More melodic and subdued" is exactly what I don't like about Frusciante's playing on BSSM and why I find it very classic rock-ish and wanky. His playing on Mother's Milk is far from my favorite thing about the album but I certainly prefer the heavy, more high-energy style to what he was doing on BSSM.

You realize I'm 33, right? :laughing: