Classic Albums - By The Way.
Sometimes albums will come along that are so commercially successful that you really don’t want to like them. If it appeals to the masses that much then it can’t be that good, can it? Surely it is just going to be mainstream drivel. And that was exactly how I felt when The Red Hot Chilli Peppers released, ‘By the Way’. I didn’t want to listen to it; let alone like it. But life is full of important lessons and this was another one. I was very wrong and felt stupid for being such a snob.
When I did get round to giving it a go, I discovered it was actually very good. And after I heard it a couple more times, it became clear that it had far more depth about than I’d thought. ‘By the Way’ is now an album that I love. Let all the kids with their skateboards listen to it on their MP3s; it isn’t just for them!
We all know about the ultra-catchy songs that got into the charts; but what about the other tracks? Well, they are always just as good and often even better. ‘By the Way’ is a stupendous album with excellent song writing, great production and wonderful instrumentation.
The Chilli’s are a fantastic band. They are massively entertaining, extraordinarily clever and have a seemingly bottomless supply of energy. But the other reason that I respect them so much is because of what they represent to young people. These guys were all really serious smack addicts who cleaned up their act and totally turned their lives around. But that is only the half of it; they did all that and still retained their uber-cool image. What a brilliant example to our kids. Our society could do with a few more role models like this.
I have just updated the images on the website for bio diesel fuel, I know that it may surprise you that I am doing some work for an oil company; but I don’t think they are as environmentally negligent as I thought they were. Plus, I’ve sold out!