Album of the Week: Blood Sugar Sex Magik

“It Was The Album We’d All Been Waiting For…”

To many, the Red Hot Chili Pepper’s 1991 album is Flea at his very best. With the band’s line-up at it’s peak, Blood Sugar Sex Magik is a glorious fusion of metal, funk and punk rock. Dedicated to the boundary-pushing jazz-punk bassist Mike Watt, the team assembled to produce it was also unmatchable. Rumour has it that producer Rick Rubin clashed with Flea, trying to persuade him to simplify his basslines, especially on the standout track Give It Away. Regardless, the bass playing throughout was a total inspiration. Just as previous generations grew up wanting to be Jack Bruce, John Paul Jones or Jaco, so a whole new generation wanted to be Flea. Tracks like Suck My Kiss, If You Have To Ask and Under The Bridge rattled the rib cages of bass players everywhere. It was the album that we’d all been waiting for.