Nevermind & Blood Sugar Sex Magik 25 Years On

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NEV ERMIND & BLOOD S UG AR S E X MAGI K 25

YEARS ON
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NEVERMIND & BLOOD SUGAR SEX MAGIK 25 YEARS ON

Posted on September 23, 2016 by Peter
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September 24, 1991 was an historic day for music: it was the
day that both Nirvanas Nevermind and Red Hot Chili Peppers
Blood Sugar Sex Magik were released. Along with Metallicas
self-titled album and Pearl Jams Ten both of which were
released the previous month these records inarguably
shaped the musical path of the decade to follow. To celebrate
the anniversary of these landmark records, lets take a look at
their place in rock history.
Red Hot Chili Peppers Blood Sugar Sex Magik
By Jay Hale
Twenty-five years ago, though theyd earned a gold album for
their 1989 release Mothers Milk and a minor hit with their
remake of Stevie Wonders Higher Ground, the Red Hot Chili
Peppers were still something of anunderground band. Not
Introducing The Jimi

Hendrix Signature
Strat Set
(http://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/thetone-garage/hendrix)
Seymour Duncan
Releases Historic Jimi
Hendrix Signature
Strat Pickup Set and
Loaded Pickguards
(http://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/pressreleases/seymourduncan-releaseshistoric-jimi-hendrixsignature-stratpickup-set-andloaded-pickguards)
2/13
5/11/2016
quite Los Angeles bestkept secret anymore, but

not yet a fully national,
much less international
success. Little did they
know all that was about
to change.
Having just scored a new
record deal with Warner
Brothers after leaving
EMI, singer Anthony
Keidis and guitarist John
Frusciante had begun
writing songs for what would be their debut release for their
new label. They decided on Rick Rubin to produce the album.
Rubin agreed, despite having turned down a request to
produce their early release Uplift Mofo Party Plan due to Keidis
and Frusciantes predecessor, former guitarist Hillel Slovaks
drug addictions (a battle Slovak would later lose).The band
decided they wanted an interesting vibe for the recording
sessions, and the infamous Houdini House in Los Angeles
Laurel Canyon was chosen.
The house, owned by Rubin, was quickly outfitted with the
necessary recording gear. It now exists as a full-time recording
facility known as The Mansion. There have been stories
written about the place; its alleged to be haunted, and walking
around at night, you definitely get the feeling youre not alone
(even when technically you are). The place is seriously spooky.
Five Fiendishly
Frightful Halloween
Shred Machines
(http://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/thetone-garage/fivefiendishly-frightfulhalloween-shredmachines)
Get To Know Us: Max

Gutnik
(http://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/backstage
pass/get-to-know-usmax-gutnik)
Comparing The 805 &

Forza Overdrives
(http://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/thetone3/13
5/11/2016
One rumor states that people have been inappropriately

touched in the basement (which is probably the creepiest
area of the house). Also in the basement once existed a secret
tunnel, now boarded up, that lead underneath Laurel Canyon
Avenue to a house across the street, supposedly used for
Masonic or Druidic (depending on who you talk to) rituals
another previous owner, Rudolph Valentino is said to have
participated in.
garage/comparingthe-805-forzaoverdrives)
In May of 1991, three quarters of the band decided they would

reside there during the recording sessions. Drummer Chad
Smith, wanting no part of sleeping in a haunted house said
no thanks and commuted daily. Frusciante has indicated,
however, that the spirits in the house were friendly. Keidis,
Frusicante and bassist Flea each took rooms in different areas
of the mansion and the recording sessions began. Fleas
brother documented the sessions in what would later be
released as the Funky Monks
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpKEpA7KFBQ)
documentary (sharing its title with one of the songs that
would come from the sessions).
The band recorded for a month at the house, and in addition
to the aforementioned musical growth they were experiencing,
the tracks were a departure sonically from their previous work
as well. Frusciante, having been dissatisfied with being coaxed
into using primarily heavy tones on their previous effort, was
given by Rubin the freedom to experiment with cleaner, more
funk-oriented Strat tones. There would still be instances of his
heavier Marshall tones, but here he regularly throws down
4/13
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some Strat quack that would be at home on any Parliament or

George Clinton track (and Frusciante has long been a fan of
the clarity of the SSL-1 Vintage Staggered for Strat
(http://www.seymourduncan.com/pickup/vintage-staggeredstrat)). This was accomplished in many cases by plugging his
Strat directly into the board; though for amp sounds he split
his signal via a DOD Chorus pedal to a pair of Marshalls. He
would also experiment with Hendrix-influenced backwards
guitar sounds, like the solo on Give it Away which become a
major hit, and still a popular song all these years later.
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Red Hot Chili Peppers - Give It Away [Ofcial Music V...
6/13
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Interestingly, in the April 2009 issue of Vintage Guitar

(https://www.vintageguitar.com/3743/john-frusciante/),
Frusciante revealed that what he thought were original 50s
Fender pickups in his 1955 Stratocaster were actually SSL-1s.
They are so similar to the original that its hard to tell the
difference in sound, he said. I had my 62, which has the
original pickups, and then I had the 55 with the Duncans, and
the sound was very similar. The differences had more to do
with the guitars than the pickups. Eventually, I had to get
Duncans in the 62 as well.
Rubins overall production is excellent, and has aged well over
the years. Theres no schmaltz or overdone effects on the
tracks, its actually quite dry. Fleas bass tone and playing is
impeccable, and Chad Smiths drums, though also dry, sound
like they were recorded in well, a mansion, or some huge
room, at least. Its hard to imagine any drummer complaining
about the tone. He also beats the drums like they owe him
money, which always helps. The combined stellar production
and more melodic, mature songwriting would prove to be a
hugely successful combination. Mind you, the material was still
mostly about getting laid (of course), but it was atmospheric
and imaginative and the funk was strong with it. There were
also anti-racism messages (The Power of Equality) and
ruminations on broken relationships (Breaking the Girl and I
Could Have Lied) Keidis relationships to be specific. Aside
from his more melancholy vocals on those tunes, his ability to
write silly-yet-thoughtful rap lyrics that fit perfectly in the
7/13
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pocket of the groove his bandmates created is especially

impressive here. Though theyd go on to be credited for
spawning Rap Rock, no one does it quite like Keidis.
Once completed, the album was released on September 24,
1991. Warner Brothers got fully behind the project,
commissioning videos for Give it Away and Suck My Kiss
(which complied bits of the Funky Monks footage shot by
Fleas brother), Under the Bridge and Breaking the Girl. The
release was an immediate hit, and all of those singles were
huge hits. The album peaked at #3 on Billboards Top 100.
Comparatively, their previous release Mothers Milk had
peaked at #52. Once a mild amusement, MTV suddenly loved
them, as did everyone else.
The impact of Blood Sugar Sex Magik cant be denied, and it
still stands up as their seminal release today. Everyone loved
the success except for Frusciante, who thought it somehow
tainted the music. His frustration led to him leaving the band
mid-tour, (to be briefly replaced by Arik Marshall) and
plunging into the depths of heroin addiction, as documented
in a Behind the Music (https://vimeo.com/39748627)
documentary. He would eventually get clean and re-join the
band, but not before Arik Marshall was briefly replaced with
Dave Navarro for their follow-up album. Hes since quit again,
replaced by Josh Klinghoffer. The Chili Peppers continue to
soldier on, and again used the Houdini House AKA the Mansion
to record their most recent release, Stadium Arcadium. But
Blood Sugar Sex Magik is what the RHCP will be remembered
for most when all is said and done.
8/13
5/11/2016
Nirvana Nevermind
By Peter Hodgson
Although there were
hints of their sound in
other bands before they
arrived on the scene,
1991 was the perfect
time for Nirvana to break
through. Their angrier
take on the Pixies-like
quiet verse/loud chorus
formula and Kurt
Cobains distinctively
raspy vocal delivery
were the ideal antidote
to the overblown excess
of the previous decade of rock, and even though there are little
hints of 80s-style production still creeping around the edges
of Nevermind, the bands aggression and the darkness of the
lyrical themes was certainly more in tune with Generation Xs
sense of isolation and pessimism. By the time Nirvana released
In Utero in 1993, the world was theirs.
Famously recorded mainly at Sound City studios in Van Nuys,
California, Neverminds bass and drum tracks were nailed in a
couple of days, with Cobain taking more time to build the
albums layers of guitars. Check out the swimming chorus
effect in Come As You Are and the verses of Smells Like
9/13
5/11/2016
Teen Spirit for great examples of how Cobain fattened up his

clean tones and gave them a sense of movement which
allowed the distorted choruses to hit even harder.
Cobains guitar style was particularly influential, probably
because it wasnt particularly difficult to emulate. Part of
Cobains genius was that his guitar parts were primal and
direct, and kids who had never played guitar before could
pretty easily learn to play a working version of hits like Smells
Like Teen Spirit and Come As You Are. And his guitar solos
were typically restatements of his vocal melodies, which made
them very memorable and playable. Perhaps another key to
Cobains accessibility to young guitarists: his tone didnt sound
like a rack full of processors, and was therefore more
attainable by fans looking for a similar sound. Cobain liked to
use the JB Model
(http://www.seymourduncan.com/pickup/jb) (particularly in
Mustangs), and he had the bridge single coil pickups of his
Fender Stratocasters replaced with Hot Rails
(http://www.seymourduncan.com/pickup/hot-rails-stratbridge) single-sized humbuckers.
At the time Nevermind came out, there was a bit of a division
in the guitar world. For some you were either a Nirvana kid or
a Metallica kid, and that was that. Time has dulled these
divisions though, and even fans of ultra-technical guitar will be
able to find plenty of inspiration in Neverminds arrangement
ideas, tones and approaches.
10/13
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Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
11/13
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WRITTEN ON SEPTEMBER 23, 2016, BY
Peter
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(http://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/author/peter)
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and tagged Blood Sugar Sex Magik
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NEV ERMIND & BLOOD S UG AR S E X MAGI K 25

Introducing The Jimi

quite Los Angeles bestkept secret anymore, but

Get To Know Us: Max

Comparing The 805 &

One rumor states that people have been inappropriately

In May of 1991, three quarters of the band decided they would

some Strat quack that would be at home on any Parliament or

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Give It Away [Ofcial Music V...

Interestingly, in the April 2009 issue of Vintage Guitar

pocket of the groove his bandmates created is especially

Teen Spirit for great examples of how Cobain fattened up his

Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit

WRITTEN ON SEPTEMBER 23, 2016, BY

SHARE THE KNOWLEDGE!

This entry was posted in: The Player's Room

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