I was never all that crazy about the Red Hot Chili Peppers either.
I liked the first record. They hated it. Andy Gill of Gang of Four produced it, and it sounded fine to me. Past that, the production really got me down. I mean, Flea is just an awesome bass player and all that, but the material past “True Men Don’t Kill Coyotes” never struck a chord. On top of that, I heard from a band that toured with them that they were real prima-donnas, and bad attitudes always get me down. However, on a lark, I downloaded another live boot CD in .shn format.
I’m just in cover heaven lately. The live version of “Higher Ground” just leaves the studio abortion in the dust. I’ve wanted to have a copy of their cover of “Search and Destroy” too, but I’ve never wanted to shell out the cash. But the real surprise is a fairly good cover of the old PIL song, “Poptones,” which has always been a favorite. Bootleg manufacturers are always musically literate: on this disk, it’s labeled as “instrumental,” which it is, saving the experience of having Anthony ape John Lydon. I was always a big fan of Second Edition. The sound quality is pretty good, and maybe it’s being around Scott, but I like music with mistakes in it! But the whole situation is like Roy Harper’s relationship with Pink Floyd: when music becomes an industry, I lose interest. There are some fun moments on this disk, but that doesn’t make me want to support the corporation.
