✧ Album of the Year ✧ 2013

After a lot of consideration I've made the choice: Red Hot Chili Pepper's I'm Beside You is my album of the year for 2013. So obscure that it is unavailable on iTunes or anywhere for sale other than on vinyl, I'm Beside You features songs recorded during sessions for the band's 2011 studio album I'm With You, produced by Rick Rubin. Previously released as a series of nine individual 7" singles (from 8/12 to 7/13), the 17 tracks were released together on limited-edition numbered vinyl for Record Store Day in November 2013.

Ten of the tracks are currently available to listen to as singles on Spotify. I found the other seven tracks on YouTube. The remarks on the YouTube page echo my own opinion: How were these tracks left off the I'm With You album and tossed aside?! I like these tracks even more than the excellent collection on I'm With You.

One element I like about RHCP is that they certainly don't give a f*#k about what anyone else thinks. They seem a bit crazy, in a good way! I mean, these guys are known for performing with only tube socks on their junk. And while they can certainly rock and bring the funk, they also produce songs with lush pop sensibilities and soaring harmonies. It's that balance that really appeals to me.

Once I made the choice to call I'm Beside You my album of the year, I started digging up info on the band. Here's what I thought was a good background:

"Red Hot Chili Peppers (also sometimes shortened to the "Chili Peppers" or abbreviated as "RHCP") are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk rock and psychedelic rock. When played live, they incorporate many aspects of jam band due to the improvised nature of much of their performances. Currently, the band consists of founding members Anthony Kiedis (vocals) and Michael "Flea" Balzary (bass), longtime drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, who joined in late 2009, following the departure of John Frusciante. Red Hot Chili Peppers have won seven Grammy Awards, and have become one of the best-selling bands of all time, selling over 80 million records worldwide.

The band officially began recording their tenth studio album (I'm With You) with producer Rick Rubin in September 2010. According to Rubin, the band recorded enough material to release a double album but ultimately decided not to. Rubin notes, "it was painful not to share all of the material that we had, but we felt it would be too much. We really wanted it to be twelve songs but it ended up being fourteen just because nobody could agree on which twelve." The recording process lasted until March 2011. Many of the songs were written between October 2009 and August 2010 and according to Flea around 60–70 songs were written in the ten months prior to entering the studio to record the album. According to Kiedis, the writing and process this time around was much different. In the past many of their songs came through jams, but this time around many were thought out and planned thanks to Flea's new knowledge of music theory.

On May 11, 2013, the band performed a special concert in Portland, Oregon for the Dalai Lama as part of the Dalai Lama Environmental Summit. According to the press release "The musical element of this event is intended to be a display of joyful celebration and an inspiration to future generations to care for our planet. The Red Hot Chili Peppers have been great supporters of the Tibetan cause, of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and of the need to work to protect and preserve our environment."

30 years of rocking. These guys are the real deal. And they are starting work on a new album this year!

And I owe it ALL to MARC FISHMAN!

                                    My Rating__9 out of 10         Headphones__ 7 out of 10