The band Rick Rubin thought kept getting better
There comes a time in every band’s life when they seem to hit a particular peak. Even though they might have a few decent songs after their time in the sun, there is normally an album, an EP, or even a single song that marks the moment when every part of their sound falls perfectly into place. And while Rick Rubin has been fortunate enough to oversee some of the best moments of multiple different acts, he still found room for continual improvement.
Then again, Rubin has never been in the production business strictly for the paycheck. He has approached every single one of his projects from a fan’s perspective before anything else, and if he thinks that something is crap or that an artist isn’t aiming as high as they should, he has no problem telling them that they should work things out and come back with something different.
But even by the standards of rock and roll, Rubin has more hits than should really make sense for a producer. Outside of helping get hip-hop off the ground with Beastie Boys and Public Enemy, the dry production behind Slayer’s Reign in Blood and the orchestral work behind Tom Petty’s Wildflowers has shown him to be someone focusing on making something that moves the listener rather than pouring over every individual lyric.
Although he’s had the opportunity to work with many of his heroes like AC/DC and Johnny Cash, Rubin always worked better when he was nurturing bands on the cusp of blowing up. Despite the strained sessions that he had while helping a band like Slipknot cross over to the mainstream, his work with Red Hot Chili Peppers is still one of his greatest achievements in the studio.
While Rubin had the chance to work with the band for Mother’s Milk, it wasn’t until he was sure that everyone was sober that he came on board for Blood Sugar Sex Magik. And discounting the one project made without John Frusciante, the funk rock legends went on a hot streak for the ages, culminating in their massive album Stadium Arcadium, which is far better than it has any right to be for a double album that’s feature-length.
Anyone in that position might end up getting too comfortable in their own skin, but Rubin felt that the group only seemed to get better with time, saying, “U2 and R.E.M. aren’t making better records now than they were when they broke. The Chili Peppers feel like they just get better.” And though the magic did take a few dents when Frusciante left the picture, Rubin’s work with the band would only continue to blossom.
Despite it taking some fans a few songs to stomach Anthony Kiedis’s approach to singing, hearing their latest records like Unlimited Love still shows them as eager as ever to toy with their sound. It may have come at the cost of not treating Josh Klinghoffer the best, but listening to ‘Black Summer’ sounds like the same band all the way back on ‘Under the Bridge’, making yet another classic.
But maybe the key to the Chili Peppers has always come from their innate sense of groove. You have to remember that Rubin’s greatest productions, from AC/DC to Beastie Boys, were based on keeping the groove going, and if there’s someone like Flea and Chad Smith anchoring everything down, there’s hardly any way to go wrong.
