Fornication by Jeff Apter

Author:Jeff Apter [Apter, Jeff]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-85712-065-6
Publisher: Music Sales Limited
Published: 2009-09-14T16:00:00+00:00

In comparison to the stop-start sessions for The Uplift Mofo Party Plan, where Kiedis frequently opted for smack over music, pre-production for what would become the Mother’s Milk LP progressed smoothly enough, even though Beinhorn remembers the time as “long and dull”. Such tracks as ‘Knock Me Down’, one of the many songs very clearly inspired by the death of Slovak, came out of these early jams during March and April at Hully Gully. Unlike most of his experiences with the Peppers – “being prepared,” their two-times producer would tell me, “was never a strong suit for the band” – Beinhorn remembers that ‘Knock Me Down’ was one song that didn’t require tweaking in pre-production. The band brought it into Hully Gully fully formed, thanks mainly to the work of Kiedis and Frusciante. It would prove to be a significant tune for the Peppers, a poignant, honest statement about their fallibility as human beings and the potentially fatal consequences of over-indulgence. They’d clearly learned something from the loss of their brother.

“I never expected that it would be as successful as it was,” the producer said of ‘Knock Me Down’, “but I loved it the moment I heard it – and it’s still a great song.”

The Kiedis/Frusciante collaboration on the track was significant, as far as Flea – and the creative future of the band – was concerned. Flea would refer to “a new, melodic, chord-change-based style of songwriting to our band that wasn’t there before” which was epitomised by ‘Knock Me Down’, the most immediately tuneful track the band had yet composed. The bulk of their past music had been built from rhythm upwards, whereas ‘Knock Me Down’ took a more traditional path.

“Most of the [previous] songs were groove based and had started with basslines,” Flea stated. “It was an immense new element to the sound of our band and a big opening up for us.”

Flea remembers their stint at Hully Gully as “a time of a lot of very physical playing. We played hard and fast more than [at] any other time in our career, I think. A lot of chops were going down … we played constantly, got to know each other, and came up with the record.”

What became clear during these early sessions was the musical prowess of “Greenie” Frusciante. Even at this nascent stage in his career as a Chili Pepper, Frusciante was proving that his claim that “I can write for any instrument” was more than the idle boasting of a feisty 19-year-old. He was rapidly developing into an able replacement for Hillel Slovak.

According to Beinhorn, “It was apparent early on that John was the perfect guitarist for the band – he brought the elements of songwriting and composition to the band which they’d never truly had prior to his involvement. I believe that John is a pivotal figure in the Chili Peppers, being that he is such a distinctive songwriter.”*

Taking a break from pre-production, the revitalised Chili Peppers hit the bitumen for a short tour, where they could road test both new members and new songs.

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