The Uplift Mofo Party Plan
Encyclopedia
The Uplift Mofo Party Plan is the third studio album by American funk rock
band Red Hot Chili Peppers
, released on September 29, 1987 on EMI America Records
. Due to prior obligations resulting in temporary personnel changes following the band's formation in 1983, The Uplift Mofo Party Plan is the only studio album to feature all four founding members of the band on every single track: vocalist Anthony Kiedis
, bassist Flea
, guitarist Hillel Slovak
, and drummer Jack Irons
. Uplift features the band's signature funk-rock musical style, but also draws influences from reggae
and heavy metal
. For the album, the Red Hot Chili Peppers recruited new producer Michael Beinhorn
, who encouraged the members to expand their musical horizons in order to create a more diverse work.
The recording process was difficult as Kiedis often skipped recording sessions to search for drugs; however, the band was ultimately content with its work on Uplift. Flea later referred to the album as "the 'rockingest' record" the band has ever made. The album was more successful than its predecessors both critically and commercially, and was the band's first album to enter the Billboard 200
, where it charted at number 148. Although Uplifts follow-up Mother's Milk would reach Gold
first, The Uplift Mofo Party Plan would go on to become the band's earliest effort to do so.
After the tour promoting the album, Slovak died of a heroin overdose and Irons quit the band, unable to cope with the death. However, Kiedis and Flea decided to continue making music, and recruited guitarist John Frusciante
and drummer Chad Smith
to finish the Chili Peppers' next album, Mother's Milk
.
in 1983, founding members Hillel Slovak
and Jack Irons
left the group to focus on their group What Is This?
, which had also signed a record deal. Vocalist Anthony Kiedis
and bassist Flea
hired Jack Sherman as guitarist and Cliff Martinez
as drummer, and established themselves as a prominent funk rock
band with their 1984 debut album The Red Hot Chili Peppers
. Disappointed with the results of the production, Kiedis and Flea replaced Sherman with Slovak, who had quit his band, What Is This?, several weeks earlier. The group's George Clinton
-produced second album, Freaky Styley
(1985), was Slovak's first studio album with the band. In early 1986, the band began work on their upcoming album, and EMI gave the Chili Peppers a budget of $5,000 to record a demo tape. The band chose to work with producer Keith Levene, because he shared the members' interest in drugs. Levene and Slovak put aside $2,000 of the budget to spend on drugs without telling the rest of the group, which created tension between the members. Martinez' "heart was no longer in the band", but he did not quit, so Kiedis and Flea fired him. After the firing of Martinez, original drummer Jack Irons rejoined the band, which marked the first time all four founding members were together since 1983.
Both Kiedis and Slovak struggled with debilitating heroin addictions, which grew worse as the band was preparing to record Uplift. Due to his addiction, Kiedis lacked the motivation to contribute to the band musically, and appeared at rehearsal "literally asleep". He was asked to leave the band in order to undergo drug rehabilitation. During that time, the band won the LA Weekly
Band of the Year award which prompted Kiedis to quit using heroin cold turkey. He visited his mother in Michigan
for guidance, who drove him to drug rehabilitation immediately after picking him up from the airport upon seeing his unhealthy appearance. He checked into Salvation Army
rehabilitation clinic in Grand Rapids, an experience which he initially detested until he noted that the other people in the clinic were understanding of his struggles and were trying to help him. He moved in with his mother after twenty days at the clinic, a time which marked the first time he was completely abstinent from drugs since he was eleven years old. After Kiedis completed his stint in rehabilitation, he felt a "whole new wave of enthusiasm" due to his sobriety and wrote the lyrics to a new song entitled "Fight Like a Brave
" on the flight home. He rejoined the Red Hot Chili Peppers in Los Angeles to record the group's next album.
was looking for work at EMI Records after several unsuccessful projects on other labels, when a man working at EMI approached Beinhorn and suggested that he work with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, as "no one [knew] what to do with them". Beinhorn recalled of the situation: "Though their music all seemed kind of abstract, there was definitely an excitement to it. I thought they needed a lot of arrangement help ... I also quickly learned that [executives] at the record label actually hated the Chili Peppers, like openly reviled them so bad that they didn't even want them to succeed. It was the weirdest thing." He contacted the band to meet up, and instead of arranging a formal meeting, the band proposed to meet him at a club in New Orleans called Tipitina's
. Beinhorn was impressed by the band's originality and non-conformist attitude and decided to work with the band. Kiedis then sat down with Beinhorn to discuss the recording of the album; Kiedis planned to record the album in ten days and write the songs during the recording sessions.
The album was recorded in the basement of the Capitol Records Building
in Hollywood. Although Kiedis had recently become clean, his withdrawal symptoms increased and affected his musical contributions to the group. After fifty days of sobriety, Kiedis decided to take drugs again as a one-time attempt to celebrate his new music, which led to his resumed addiction. The recording process for the album became difficult as Kiedis would often disappear to seek drugs. Beinhorn recalled that "There were points in pre-production where I really thought the record wasn't gonna get made." Kiedis felt "excruciating pain and guilt and shame" when he would miss a recording session so he would try to write lyrics while searching for drugs; although the band was upset by his drug use and frequent disappearances, they were impressed with his musical output at the time.
Although Kiedis' drug use disrupted the early recording process, the Chili Peppers still had an enjoyable time recording the album. The band was musically inspired by the rejoining of their original drummer Jack Irons, which added "such an important and different element to our chemistry." Beinhorn encouraged the band to expand their musical horizons on the album, and although the band were initially uncomfortable stepping out of their comfort zone, the members began to feel that Beinhorn was helping them produce their best work. Slovak helped Kiedis record his vocals on the album. In between takes, Slovak would run around the studio out of excitement and say "This is the most beautiful thing we've ever done." Slovak reflected on his deep connection to the album in his diary; "It was so fun. I'm so extremely proud of everybody's work—it is at times genius." During a jam session, the guitarist created a melodic riff which differed greatly in style from the band's previous work. While Slovak nearly abandoned the riff out of fear that it was too much of a departure stylistically, Beinhorn saw potential in the new melody-based style and encouraged Slovak to turn the short tune into a full song. While the band was skeptical at first, each member began writing their own musical parts and the song became one of the album's three singles, "Behind the Sun
".
techniques. On Uplift, Slovak experimented with genres outside of traditional funk music including reggae
and speed metal
. His melodic riff featured in the song "Behind the Sun
" inspired the group to create "pretty" songs with an emphasis on melody. Kiedis describes the song as "pure Hillel inspiration". Slovak also used a talk box
on the song "Funky Crime", in which he would sing into a tube while playing to create psychedelic effects. Flea incorporated a "slap" bass style on the album, which would become a staple of the band's early work. The album features a cover of Bob Dylan
's "Subterranean Homesick Blues
", which abandons nearly all of the original song's folk
stylistics in favor of the band's signature funk-rock leanings.
. The reunion of the four original members of the group had a great influence over the lyrics; Kiedis explained that "a lot of the jubilation in the lyrics of that record are about being united." Kiedis was also inspired by personal experiences of himself and rest of the band members. During the recording of Freaky Styley, Kiedis and Slovak indulged in heavy cocaine
use. When Slovak was under the influence, he would often wear brightly colored clothing and dance in a "shuffling" fashion, which became the inspiration for the song "Skinny Sweaty Man" from Uplift. The song "No Chump Love Sucker" was also inspired by Slovak; during the recording of the album, Slovak had been "left high and dry" by a girlfriend who left him for someone who had "more money and more drugs". The song served as a revenge song against "that type of evil, materialistic woman."
"Funky Crime" was reflective of a conversation between the band and George Clinton while writing and recording Freaky Styley. Kiedis described the song as a lyrical description of the conversation, about how music itself is "color-blind" but is "segregated by the media and radio based of their perceptions of the artists." Kiedis wrote "Me and My Friends", a song which "came together nicely", while driving home from San Francisco with his childhood friend Joe Walters. "Backwoods" details the history of rock and roll
. Kiedis said that "Love Trilogy" became one of the group's all time favorite songs; it is about "loving the things that aren't necessarily perfect or always lovable". He explained that "For years, whenever someone would question our lyrics, Flea would say, 'Read 'Love Trilogy' and you'll know what real lyrics are all about.'"
, which was far more successful than any of the band's previous releases. It was the band's first album to enter the Billboard 200
, and has since been certified Gold
in the United States. The band filmed a music video for the album's lead single, "Fight Like a Brave
", however the song failed to make an impact on any Billboard
charts. "Behind the Sun
" was not released as a single until 1992, after the band had released two subsequent albums, Mother's Milk
and Blood Sugar Sex Magik
. The single, which was released to promote the Chili Peppers' What Hits!?
compilation album, peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart.
The album also helped the Red Hot Chili Peppers earn a dedicated cult fanbase in Los Angeles. One of these fans was John Frusciante
, who would later join the band as guitarist after Slovak's death. Frusciante recalled: "The first time I saw the Red Hot Chili Peppers live was at the Variety Arts Center
, and that was really amazing ... They were going for this real hard sound. Hillel was doing all this awesome feedback and stuff. It was the most magical experience I ever had in the experience of a show." Frusciante based a lot of his playing style on Slovak's work, and explained, "I learned everything I needed to know about how to sound good with Flea by studying Hillel's playing and I just took it sideways from there." Flea has referred to the album as "the 'rockingest' record" the band has ever made.
described the album as "hit-and-miss"; while he praised the "tender tunefulness" of "Behind the Sun", he felt that the majority of the songs "wear pretty thin pretty fast, further suggesting that this is a band that's in command on stage--but in trouble in the studio." Bill Meredith of Allmusic gave the album four out of five stars, observing that "The energy of having these four friends from Los Angeles back together jumps out of the opening anthem 'Fight Like a Brave' and the experimental 'Funky Crime' ... Slovak and Irons brought things to the Chili Peppers that no one else ever has." Blaine Sayers of Consequence of Sound
praised Slovak's guitar work on the album, saying that "Slovak proves with these tracks that he was not just a funk guitarist, but he could rock with the best thrash metal bands of the 80s as well." However, in The New Rolling Stone Record Guide, 4th Edition, author Nathan Brackett was highly critical of Uplift, giving it two out of five stars. He felt that the album was a minor improvement over the band's last two efforts, but felt that the group's offbeat humor detracted from the album: "The California quartet brings a modicum of structure to The Uplift Mofo Party Plan, but their humor—as their famous 'party on your pussy' chorus demonstrates—wouldn't merit an audience in a high-school locker room."
Despite the band's new enthusiasm, Kiedis and Slovak continued to struggle with their worsening drug addictions. Both Kiedis and Slovak stopped using heroin prior to the tour and decided to help each other "steer clear" of the drug. During the tour both experienced intense heroin withdrawal, with Slovak much more unstable than Kiedis. His withdrawal symptoms took a toll on his ability to play his instrument; at one point Slovak had a mental breakdown and was unable to play a show, leaving the rest of the band to play an entire set with no guitar. He recovered a few days later, but his bandmates felt he was not healthy enough to perform and replaced Slovak with DeWayne McKnight for a few shows. After a few days with McKnight, the band decided to give Slovak another chance, and he rejoined for the European leg of the tour. Kiedis attempted to take Slovak to drug addiction counseling, but Slovak had difficulty admitting that his addiction was serious enough to require medical help.
Upon returning home, Slovak isolated himself from the rest of his bandmates, and struggled to resist the drug without the mutual support provided by his friends, Kiedis in particular. A few weeks after the band returned from the tour, the members attempted to get in contact with Slovak, but were unable to find him for several days. Slovak was found dead by police in his Hollywood apartment on June 27, 1988. During his autopsy, authorities determined that he had died on June 25, 1988 due to a heroin overdose. Irons subsequently left the group, saying that he did not want to be part of a group where his friends were dying. Kiedis and Flea debated whether they should continue making music, but ultimately decided to move ahead, hoping to continue what Slovak "helped build". The two recruited eighteen year old guitarist John Frusciante
, who was a fan of the group and idolized Slovak. To replace Irons, the group held a lengthy open audition process, and eventually chose drummer Chad Smith
.
Additional musicians
Recording personnel
Additional personnel
Funk rock
Funk rock is a music genre that fuses funk and rock elements. Its earliest incarnation was heard in the late 1960s through the mid-1970s by acts such as the Jimi Hendrix Experience , Eric Burdon and War, Trapeze, Parliament-Funkadelic, Betty Davis and Mother's Finest. The 1990s were known for acts...
band Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers is 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, hip hop and psychedelic rock...
, released on September 29, 1987 on EMI America Records
EMI America Records
EMI America Records was started in 1978 by EMI as a second US label next to Capitol Records. It absorbed Liberty Records in 1984. In the late 1980s EMI America was consolidated with Manhattan Records to form EMI Manhattan Records, which later became known simply as EMI in 1990, then part of EMI...
. Due to prior obligations resulting in temporary personnel changes following the band's formation in 1983, The Uplift Mofo Party Plan is the only studio album to feature all four founding members of the band on every single track: vocalist Anthony Kiedis
Anthony Kiedis
Anthony Kiedis is an American vocalist/lyricist, and occasional actor best known as the lead vocalist of the Grammy-winning American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. Kiedis spent his youth in Grand Rapids, Michigan with his mother before moving, shortly before his 12th birthday, to Hollywood,...
, bassist Flea
Flea (musician)
Michael Peter Balzary , better known by his stage name Flea, is an Australian-American musician and occasional actor. He is best known as the bassist, co-founding member, and one of the composers of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers...
, guitarist Hillel Slovak
Hillel Slovak
Hillel Slovak was an Israeli-American musician best known as the original guitarist and founding member of the Los Angeles rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers...
, and drummer Jack Irons
Jack Irons
Jack Steven Irons is an American musician who is best known as the original drummer of the American rock band The Red Hot Chili Peppers, as well as the former drummer for Eleven and Pearl Jam. He has also worked with Joe Strummer and The Latino Rockabilly War, Redd Kross, Raging Slab, Spinnerette...
. Uplift features the band's signature funk-rock musical style, but also draws influences from reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
and heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
. For the album, the Red Hot Chili Peppers recruited new producer Michael Beinhorn
Michael Beinhorn
Michael Beinhorn is an American musician and record producer.Beinhorn started his professional career as a musician, playing keyboards in Bill Laswell's Material during the 1980s...
, who encouraged the members to expand their musical horizons in order to create a more diverse work.
The recording process was difficult as Kiedis often skipped recording sessions to search for drugs; however, the band was ultimately content with its work on Uplift. Flea later referred to the album as "the 'rockingest' record" the band has ever made. The album was more successful than its predecessors both critically and commercially, and was the band's first album to enter the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, where it charted at number 148. Although Uplifts follow-up Mother's Milk would reach Gold
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
first, The Uplift Mofo Party Plan would go on to become the band's earliest effort to do so.
After the tour promoting the album, Slovak died of a heroin overdose and Irons quit the band, unable to cope with the death. However, Kiedis and Flea decided to continue making music, and recruited guitarist John Frusciante
John Frusciante
John Anthony Frusciante is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, record and film producer. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, with whom he had been for a number of years and recorded five studio albums...
and drummer Chad Smith
Chad Smith
Chad Smith is an American musician, best known as the longtime and current drummer of Red Hot Chili Peppers. Smith is also the drummer of the hard rock supergroup Chickenfoot which includes Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani, and Michael Anthony, former Deep Purple vocalist Glenn Hughes' backing band and...
to finish the Chili Peppers' next album, Mother's Milk
Mother's Milk
Mother's Milk is the fourth studio album by American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, released on August 16, 1989, on EMI America Records. It was the first album to feature the band's most well-known lineup...
.
Background
After Red Hot Chili Peppers signed a record deal with EMIEMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
in 1983, founding members Hillel Slovak
Hillel Slovak
Hillel Slovak was an Israeli-American musician best known as the original guitarist and founding member of the Los Angeles rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers...
and Jack Irons
Jack Irons
Jack Steven Irons is an American musician who is best known as the original drummer of the American rock band The Red Hot Chili Peppers, as well as the former drummer for Eleven and Pearl Jam. He has also worked with Joe Strummer and The Latino Rockabilly War, Redd Kross, Raging Slab, Spinnerette...
left the group to focus on their group What Is This?
What Is This?
What Is This? was a rock band that originated in Fairfax High School in California and would play numerous shows along the coast of California. Originally named Chain Reaction when the band members were in junior high school, What Is This? were formed before and played around the same time as the...
, which had also signed a record deal. Vocalist Anthony Kiedis
Anthony Kiedis
Anthony Kiedis is an American vocalist/lyricist, and occasional actor best known as the lead vocalist of the Grammy-winning American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. Kiedis spent his youth in Grand Rapids, Michigan with his mother before moving, shortly before his 12th birthday, to Hollywood,...
and bassist Flea
Flea (musician)
Michael Peter Balzary , better known by his stage name Flea, is an Australian-American musician and occasional actor. He is best known as the bassist, co-founding member, and one of the composers of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers...
hired Jack Sherman as guitarist and Cliff Martinez
Cliff Martinez
Cliff Martinez is an American film score composer and former drummer.-Biography:Cliff Martinez was born in the Bronx, New York. Raised in Columbus, Ohio, his first job composing was for the popular television show Pee Wee's Playhouse...
as drummer, and established themselves as a prominent funk rock
Funk rock
Funk rock is a music genre that fuses funk and rock elements. Its earliest incarnation was heard in the late 1960s through the mid-1970s by acts such as the Jimi Hendrix Experience , Eric Burdon and War, Trapeze, Parliament-Funkadelic, Betty Davis and Mother's Finest. The 1990s were known for acts...
band with their 1984 debut album The Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers (album)
The Red Hot Chili Peppers is the debut studio album by American funk rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, released on August 10, 1984 on EMI America Records. The album was produced by Gang of Four guitarist Andy Gill, and is the only album to feature guitarist Jack Sherman.-Background and recording:Red...
. Disappointed with the results of the production, Kiedis and Flea replaced Sherman with Slovak, who had quit his band, What Is This?, several weeks earlier. The group's George Clinton
George Clinton (musician)
George Clinton is an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and music producer and the principal architect of P-Funk. He was the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s, and launched a solo career in 1981. He has been cited as one of the foremost...
-produced second album, Freaky Styley
Freaky Styley
Freaky Styley is the second studio album by American funk rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, released on August 16, 1985 on EMI America. The album name holds its origins in a commonly used phrase in the 80's to describe anything as being "freaky styley". Freaky Styley marks founding guitarist Hillel...
(1985), was Slovak's first studio album with the band. In early 1986, the band began work on their upcoming album, and EMI gave the Chili Peppers a budget of $5,000 to record a demo tape. The band chose to work with producer Keith Levene, because he shared the members' interest in drugs. Levene and Slovak put aside $2,000 of the budget to spend on drugs without telling the rest of the group, which created tension between the members. Martinez' "heart was no longer in the band", but he did not quit, so Kiedis and Flea fired him. After the firing of Martinez, original drummer Jack Irons rejoined the band, which marked the first time all four founding members were together since 1983.
Both Kiedis and Slovak struggled with debilitating heroin addictions, which grew worse as the band was preparing to record Uplift. Due to his addiction, Kiedis lacked the motivation to contribute to the band musically, and appeared at rehearsal "literally asleep". He was asked to leave the band in order to undergo drug rehabilitation. During that time, the band won the LA Weekly
LA Weekly
LA Weekly is a free weekly tabloid-sized "alternative weekly" in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Editor/Publisher Jay Levin and a board of directors that included actor-producer Michael Douglas...
Band of the Year award which prompted Kiedis to quit using heroin cold turkey. He visited his mother in Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
for guidance, who drove him to drug rehabilitation immediately after picking him up from the airport upon seeing his unhealthy appearance. He checked into Salvation Army
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
rehabilitation clinic in Grand Rapids, an experience which he initially detested until he noted that the other people in the clinic were understanding of his struggles and were trying to help him. He moved in with his mother after twenty days at the clinic, a time which marked the first time he was completely abstinent from drugs since he was eleven years old. After Kiedis completed his stint in rehabilitation, he felt a "whole new wave of enthusiasm" due to his sobriety and wrote the lyrics to a new song entitled "Fight Like a Brave
Fight Like a Brave
"Fight Like a Brave" is the first track from American funk rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers' album The Uplift Mofo Party Plan. It was released as the lead single for the album. Despite being a single, the song has not been performed live since 1989 though according to a magazine it was played once...
" on the flight home. He rejoined the Red Hot Chili Peppers in Los Angeles to record the group's next album.
Recording and production
While Kiedis was in rehab, the band sought a new producer for their next album. Aspiring producer Michael BeinhornMichael Beinhorn
Michael Beinhorn is an American musician and record producer.Beinhorn started his professional career as a musician, playing keyboards in Bill Laswell's Material during the 1980s...
was looking for work at EMI Records after several unsuccessful projects on other labels, when a man working at EMI approached Beinhorn and suggested that he work with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, as "no one [knew] what to do with them". Beinhorn recalled of the situation: "Though their music all seemed kind of abstract, there was definitely an excitement to it. I thought they needed a lot of arrangement help ... I also quickly learned that [executives] at the record label actually hated the Chili Peppers, like openly reviled them so bad that they didn't even want them to succeed. It was the weirdest thing." He contacted the band to meet up, and instead of arranging a formal meeting, the band proposed to meet him at a club in New Orleans called Tipitina's
Tipitina's
Tipitina's is a music venue located at the corner of Napoleon Avenue and Tchoupitoulas Street in Uptown New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.Local music enthusiasts opened the venue on January 14, 1977. The name was inspired by a well-known song by Professor Longhair who also performed there until his death...
. Beinhorn was impressed by the band's originality and non-conformist attitude and decided to work with the band. Kiedis then sat down with Beinhorn to discuss the recording of the album; Kiedis planned to record the album in ten days and write the songs during the recording sessions.
The album was recorded in the basement of the Capitol Records Building
Capitol Records Building
The Capitol Records Building, also known as the Capitol Records Tower, Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District, located in Hollywood, Los Angeles is a thirteen story tower designed by Welton Becket – and one of the city's landmarks...
in Hollywood. Although Kiedis had recently become clean, his withdrawal symptoms increased and affected his musical contributions to the group. After fifty days of sobriety, Kiedis decided to take drugs again as a one-time attempt to celebrate his new music, which led to his resumed addiction. The recording process for the album became difficult as Kiedis would often disappear to seek drugs. Beinhorn recalled that "There were points in pre-production where I really thought the record wasn't gonna get made." Kiedis felt "excruciating pain and guilt and shame" when he would miss a recording session so he would try to write lyrics while searching for drugs; although the band was upset by his drug use and frequent disappearances, they were impressed with his musical output at the time.
Although Kiedis' drug use disrupted the early recording process, the Chili Peppers still had an enjoyable time recording the album. The band was musically inspired by the rejoining of their original drummer Jack Irons, which added "such an important and different element to our chemistry." Beinhorn encouraged the band to expand their musical horizons on the album, and although the band were initially uncomfortable stepping out of their comfort zone, the members began to feel that Beinhorn was helping them produce their best work. Slovak helped Kiedis record his vocals on the album. In between takes, Slovak would run around the studio out of excitement and say "This is the most beautiful thing we've ever done." Slovak reflected on his deep connection to the album in his diary; "It was so fun. I'm so extremely proud of everybody's work—it is at times genius." During a jam session, the guitarist created a melodic riff which differed greatly in style from the band's previous work. While Slovak nearly abandoned the riff out of fear that it was too much of a departure stylistically, Beinhorn saw potential in the new melody-based style and encouraged Slovak to turn the short tune into a full song. While the band was skeptical at first, each member began writing their own musical parts and the song became one of the album's three singles, "Behind the Sun
Behind the Sun (song)
"Behind the Sun" is a song by the Red Hot Chili Peppers from their 1987 album, The Uplift Mofo Party Plan. The band had originally wanted to release the song as a single back in 1987 however it would not be released until 1992 to promote the What Hits!? compilation album. A video was also made in...
".
Music
In the book Give It Away: The Stories Behind Every Song, author Rob Fitzpatrick writes "As far as sheer power goes, The Uplift Mofo Party Plan is the Chili Peppers at their most virile, most chest-beating, most unabashedly macho." However, Kiedis recalls that during the composition of the album, Beinhorn encouraged him to step away from his improvisational speed-rap style in favor of slower, crooning vocals. At the time, Kiedis was very uncomfortable with his singing voice, and felt that the new style was "sappy". Kiedis also observed that guitarist Hillel Slovak's playing evolved during his time away from the group in What Is This?, and that Slovak had adopted a more fluid style featuring "sultry" elements as opposed to his original hard rockHard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
techniques. On Uplift, Slovak experimented with genres outside of traditional funk music including reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
and speed metal
Speed metal
Speed metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal music that originated in the late 1970s from NWOBHM and hardcore punk roots. It is described by Allmusic as "extremely fast, abrasive, and technically demanding" music....
. His melodic riff featured in the song "Behind the Sun
Behind the Sun (song)
"Behind the Sun" is a song by the Red Hot Chili Peppers from their 1987 album, The Uplift Mofo Party Plan. The band had originally wanted to release the song as a single back in 1987 however it would not be released until 1992 to promote the What Hits!? compilation album. A video was also made in...
" inspired the group to create "pretty" songs with an emphasis on melody. Kiedis describes the song as "pure Hillel inspiration". Slovak also used a talk box
Talk box
A talk box is an effects unit that allows a musician to modify the sound of a musical instrument. The musician controls the modification by lip syncing, or by changing the shape of the mouth...
on the song "Funky Crime", in which he would sing into a tube while playing to create psychedelic effects. Flea incorporated a "slap" bass style on the album, which would become a staple of the band's early work. The album features a cover of Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
's "Subterranean Homesick Blues
Subterranean Homesick Blues
"Subterranean Homesick Blues" is a song by Bob Dylan, originally released in 1965 as a single on Columbia Records, catalogue 43242. It appeared 19 days later as the lead track to the album Bringing It All Back Home. It was Dylan's first Top 40 hit, peaking at #39 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also...
", which abandons nearly all of the original song's folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
stylistics in favor of the band's signature funk-rock leanings.
Lyrics
The majority of the lyrics in the album focus on friendships between the band members, sex, and life in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. The reunion of the four original members of the group had a great influence over the lyrics; Kiedis explained that "a lot of the jubilation in the lyrics of that record are about being united." Kiedis was also inspired by personal experiences of himself and rest of the band members. During the recording of Freaky Styley, Kiedis and Slovak indulged in heavy cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
use. When Slovak was under the influence, he would often wear brightly colored clothing and dance in a "shuffling" fashion, which became the inspiration for the song "Skinny Sweaty Man" from Uplift. The song "No Chump Love Sucker" was also inspired by Slovak; during the recording of the album, Slovak had been "left high and dry" by a girlfriend who left him for someone who had "more money and more drugs". The song served as a revenge song against "that type of evil, materialistic woman."
"Funky Crime" was reflective of a conversation between the band and George Clinton while writing and recording Freaky Styley. Kiedis described the song as a lyrical description of the conversation, about how music itself is "color-blind" but is "segregated by the media and radio based of their perceptions of the artists." Kiedis wrote "Me and My Friends", a song which "came together nicely", while driving home from San Francisco with his childhood friend Joe Walters. "Backwoods" details the history of rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
. Kiedis said that "Love Trilogy" became one of the group's all time favorite songs; it is about "loving the things that aren't necessarily perfect or always lovable". He explained that "For years, whenever someone would question our lyrics, Flea would say, 'Read 'Love Trilogy' and you'll know what real lyrics are all about.'"
Release and reception
EMI originally refused to release the album unless the Chili Peppers changed the name of the song "Party on Your Pussy"; the band subsequently renamed the song "Special Secret Song Inside". The Uplift Mofo Party Plan, was released on September 29, 1987, peaked at number 148 on the Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, which was far more successful than any of the band's previous releases. It was the band's first album to enter the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, and has since been certified Gold
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
in the United States. The band filmed a music video for the album's lead single, "Fight Like a Brave
Fight Like a Brave
"Fight Like a Brave" is the first track from American funk rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers' album The Uplift Mofo Party Plan. It was released as the lead single for the album. Despite being a single, the song has not been performed live since 1989 though according to a magazine it was played once...
", however the song failed to make an impact on any Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
charts. "Behind the Sun
Behind the Sun (song)
"Behind the Sun" is a song by the Red Hot Chili Peppers from their 1987 album, The Uplift Mofo Party Plan. The band had originally wanted to release the song as a single back in 1987 however it would not be released until 1992 to promote the What Hits!? compilation album. A video was also made in...
" was not released as a single until 1992, after the band had released two subsequent albums, Mother's Milk
Mother's Milk
Mother's Milk is the fourth studio album by American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, released on August 16, 1989, on EMI America Records. It was the first album to feature the band's most well-known lineup...
and Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Blood Sugar Sex Magik is the fifth studio album by American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, released on September 24, 1991. Produced by Rick Rubin, it was the band's first record released on Warner Bros. Records...
. The single, which was released to promote the Chili Peppers' What Hits!?
What Hits!?
What Hits!? is a compilation album by Red Hot Chili Peppers, released on September 29, 1992 by EMI. The album contains tracks from the band's first four albums as well as "Under the Bridge" from 1991's Blood Sugar Sex Magik and the stand-alone single "Show Me Your Soul".This album was released on...
compilation album, peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart.
The album also helped the Red Hot Chili Peppers earn a dedicated cult fanbase in Los Angeles. One of these fans was John Frusciante
John Frusciante
John Anthony Frusciante is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, record and film producer. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, with whom he had been for a number of years and recorded five studio albums...
, who would later join the band as guitarist after Slovak's death. Frusciante recalled: "The first time I saw the Red Hot Chili Peppers live was at the Variety Arts Center
Friday Morning Club
Friday Morning Club is a historic building on South Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles that was built in 1923 and was the home for many years of a women's club of the same name. The architects were Allison & Allison....
, and that was really amazing ... They were going for this real hard sound. Hillel was doing all this awesome feedback and stuff. It was the most magical experience I ever had in the experience of a show." Frusciante based a lot of his playing style on Slovak's work, and explained, "I learned everything I needed to know about how to sound good with Flea by studying Hillel's playing and I just took it sideways from there." Flea has referred to the album as "the 'rockingest' record" the band has ever made.
Critical reception
The album received mixed reviews from critics upon its release in 1987. Duncan Strauss of the Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
described the album as "hit-and-miss"; while he praised the "tender tunefulness" of "Behind the Sun", he felt that the majority of the songs "wear pretty thin pretty fast, further suggesting that this is a band that's in command on stage--but in trouble in the studio." Bill Meredith of Allmusic gave the album four out of five stars, observing that "The energy of having these four friends from Los Angeles back together jumps out of the opening anthem 'Fight Like a Brave' and the experimental 'Funky Crime' ... Slovak and Irons brought things to the Chili Peppers that no one else ever has." Blaine Sayers of Consequence of Sound
Consequence of Sound
Consequence of Sound, also known often as CoS, is a Chicago-based music website featuring news, album and concert reviews, and editorials. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook micro-site, which serves as an on-line database for music festival news and rumors...
praised Slovak's guitar work on the album, saying that "Slovak proves with these tracks that he was not just a funk guitarist, but he could rock with the best thrash metal bands of the 80s as well." However, in The New Rolling Stone Record Guide, 4th Edition, author Nathan Brackett was highly critical of Uplift, giving it two out of five stars. He felt that the album was a minor improvement over the band's last two efforts, but felt that the group's offbeat humor detracted from the album: "The California quartet brings a modicum of structure to The Uplift Mofo Party Plan, but their humor—as their famous 'party on your pussy' chorus demonstrates—wouldn't merit an audience in a high-school locker room."
Tour and Slovak's death
The band embarked on an extensive international tour to promote the album. The band noted that during the tour, their fan base had rapidly increased both in size and enthusiasm. Kiedis recalled "During the Uplift tour I remember actually feeling a change taking place not just in the amount of people showing up at the gigs but the intensity of the fan base." Flea added that "We were in love with those songs and how much fun we were having playing them."Despite the band's new enthusiasm, Kiedis and Slovak continued to struggle with their worsening drug addictions. Both Kiedis and Slovak stopped using heroin prior to the tour and decided to help each other "steer clear" of the drug. During the tour both experienced intense heroin withdrawal, with Slovak much more unstable than Kiedis. His withdrawal symptoms took a toll on his ability to play his instrument; at one point Slovak had a mental breakdown and was unable to play a show, leaving the rest of the band to play an entire set with no guitar. He recovered a few days later, but his bandmates felt he was not healthy enough to perform and replaced Slovak with DeWayne McKnight for a few shows. After a few days with McKnight, the band decided to give Slovak another chance, and he rejoined for the European leg of the tour. Kiedis attempted to take Slovak to drug addiction counseling, but Slovak had difficulty admitting that his addiction was serious enough to require medical help.
Upon returning home, Slovak isolated himself from the rest of his bandmates, and struggled to resist the drug without the mutual support provided by his friends, Kiedis in particular. A few weeks after the band returned from the tour, the members attempted to get in contact with Slovak, but were unable to find him for several days. Slovak was found dead by police in his Hollywood apartment on June 27, 1988. During his autopsy, authorities determined that he had died on June 25, 1988 due to a heroin overdose. Irons subsequently left the group, saying that he did not want to be part of a group where his friends were dying. Kiedis and Flea debated whether they should continue making music, but ultimately decided to move ahead, hoping to continue what Slovak "helped build". The two recruited eighteen year old guitarist John Frusciante
John Frusciante
John Anthony Frusciante is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, record and film producer. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, with whom he had been for a number of years and recorded five studio albums...
, who was a fan of the group and idolized Slovak. To replace Irons, the group held a lengthy open audition process, and eventually chose drummer Chad Smith
Chad Smith
Chad Smith is an American musician, best known as the longtime and current drummer of Red Hot Chili Peppers. Smith is also the drummer of the hard rock supergroup Chickenfoot which includes Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani, and Michael Anthony, former Deep Purple vocalist Glenn Hughes' backing band and...
.
Track listing
Personnel
Red Hot Chili Peppers- FleaFlea (musician)Michael Peter Balzary , better known by his stage name Flea, is an Australian-American musician and occasional actor. He is best known as the bassist, co-founding member, and one of the composers of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers...
- bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocals - Jack IronsJack IronsJack Steven Irons is an American musician who is best known as the original drummer of the American rock band The Red Hot Chili Peppers, as well as the former drummer for Eleven and Pearl Jam. He has also worked with Joe Strummer and The Latino Rockabilly War, Redd Kross, Raging Slab, Spinnerette...
– drums, backing vocals - Anthony KiedisAnthony KiedisAnthony Kiedis is an American vocalist/lyricist, and occasional actor best known as the lead vocalist of the Grammy-winning American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. Kiedis spent his youth in Grand Rapids, Michigan with his mother before moving, shortly before his 12th birthday, to Hollywood,...
– vocals - Hillel SlovakHillel SlovakHillel Slovak was an Israeli-American musician best known as the original guitarist and founding member of the Los Angeles rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers...
– guitar, sitar (on "Behind the SunBehind the Sun (song)"Behind the Sun" is a song by the Red Hot Chili Peppers from their 1987 album, The Uplift Mofo Party Plan. The band had originally wanted to release the song as a single back in 1987 however it would not be released until 1992 to promote the What Hits!? compilation album. A video was also made in...
"), vocoder, backing vocals
Additional musicians
- Michael BeinhornMichael BeinhornMichael Beinhorn is an American musician and record producer.Beinhorn started his professional career as a musician, playing keyboards in Bill Laswell's Material during the 1980s...
– background vocals - John Norwood FisherJohn Norwood FisherJohn Norwood Fisher is the bass player and founder for the band Fishbone. Fisher has played bass in the band throughout its history, even as other members have departed and returned...
– background vocals - David Kendly – background vocals
- Angelo MooreAngelo MooreAngelo Christoper Moore is an American musician, best known for his work as the founding member, lead singer and saxophonist for the Los Angeles alternative rock band Fishbone. Moore also performs and records spoken word poetry under the stage name of Dr. Madd Vibe.-Biography:In 1993 he released a...
– background vocals - Annie Newman – background vocals
Recording personnel
- Michael Beinhorn – production
- Russell Bracher – mixing assistant
- Judy Clapp – recording engineer
- Stan Katayama – mixing assistant
- John Potoker – mixing
- Howie WeinbergHowie WeinbergHowie Weinberg is a music mastering engineer who has worked with numerous bands.- Career :He has worked at Masterdisk, New York City, since 1977...
– mastering engineer
Additional personnel
- Nels Israelson – photography
- Henry Marquez – art direction
- Gary Panter – cover illustration