Released:

Sept. 7, 1991

Rating:

Genre:

funk/rap rock

Quotable:

“Probably the best album the Chili Peppers will ever make.” – Steve Huey, All Music Guide

Album Tracks:

  1. The Power of Equality
  2. If You Have to Ask
  3. Breaking the Girl
  4. Funky Monks
  5. Suck My Kiss
  6. I Could Have Lied
  7. Mellowship Slinky in B Major
  8. The Righteous & the Wicked
  9. Give It Away
  10. Blood Sugar Sex Magik
  11. Under the Bridge
  12. Naked in the Rain
  13. Apache Rose Peacock
  14. The Greeting Song
  15. My Lovely Man
  16. Sir Psycho Sexy
  17. They’re Red Hot

Sales (in millions):

7.0
0.3
--
14.5

Peak:

3
25

Singles/Hit Songs:

  • Give It Away (9/21/91) #73 US, #9 US, #1 MR
  • Suck My Kiss (12/14/91) #15 MR
  • Under the Bridge (2/15/92) #2 US, #13 UK, #2 AR, #6 MR, sales: 0.5 m
  • Breaking the Girl (8/8/92) #41 UK, #15 AR, #19 MR

Notes:

--

Awards:

Blood Sugar Sex Magik

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Review:

“The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ best album, Blood Sugar Sex Magik benefits immensely from Rick Rubin’s production.” SH “The Peppers find just the right blend of punk, funk, and hip-hop.” MG “This 1991 breakthrough has continuity and cohesion both within and across the 17 cuts.” MG “John Frusciante’s guitar is less overpoweringly noisy, leaving room for differing textures and clearer lines.” SH “The band overall is more focused and less indulgent, even if some of the grooves drag on too long.” SH

“Rubin masterfully fuses John Frusciante’s raunchy guitar with the irresistible grooves.” MG “Riding Flea's surging bass, Anthony Kiedis delivers his explicit lyrics with a rapper’s flair.” MG “Kiedis is as preoccupied with sex as ever, whether invoking it as his muse, begging for it, or boasting in great detail about his prowess, best showcased on the infectiously funky singles Give It Away and Suck My Kiss.” SH

“ However, he tempers his testosterone with a more sensitive side, writing about the emotional side of failed relationships (Breaking the Girl, I Could Have Lied), his drug addictions (Under the Bridge and an elegy for Hillel Slovak, My Lovely Man), and some hippie-ish calls for a peaceful utopia.” SH

“Three of those last four songs (excluding ‘My Lovely Man’) mark the band’s first consistent embrace of lilting acoustic balladry, and while it’s not what Kiedis does best as a vocalist, these are some of the album’s finest moments, varying and expanding the group’s musical and emotional range.” SH They “give the album depth and provide contrast to the raw energy of Mellowship Slinky in B Major, Funky Monks, and ‘Give It Away.’” MG

“Frusciante departed after the supporting tour, leaving Blood Sugar Sex Magik as probably the best album the Chili Peppers will ever make.” SH

Review Source(s):

Related DMDB Link(s):

Give It Away (video)

Suck My Kiss (video)

Under the Bridge (video)

Breaking the Girl (video)

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Last updated September 6, 2011.