The only bass line Flea regrets: “It’s the one thing I’d go back and fix”
The bass is a criminally underrated instrument. When rock music first came to the foreground and took over the world, the lead guitarists were covered in praise, and from that point on, it has always been considered one of the sexiest instruments, with the bass often overlooked. However, it is a fundamental part of all music, and many bands wouldn’t be the same without their bassist. A perfect example is Flea with the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
In an interview, Flea discussed some of the music that meant the most to him, and speaking about hip-hop producer J Dilla brought him to tears. He described it as music that moved him and remained a constant influence, which is hardly surprising when you listen to what he writes. J Dilla was a master of rhythm, constantly able to adjust the way he approached mapping out a song, not being restricted to the conventional rules when it came to putting a rhythm section together.
Flea has a similar attitude when it comes to making music. If a lot of other artists were given the same blueprint to work with that Red Hot Chili Peppers gave him, they would likely come up with something relatively safe that complements the way the track is put together. Flea thinks more individualistically than that, as he can view the track and develop a complicated bassline that works individually and as part of the bigger song.
It’s this kind of attitude that makes it so that many people consider him one of the greatest bass players of all time. His understanding of the bass as a whole and how it can be used to add another layer to a song is second to none.
The fact that he takes such an individual approach to writing means that he can pick out his guitar parts incredibly easily and is strict about the music he listens back to. For the most part, Flea is generally happy with his work for Red Hot Chili Peppers, with the bassist only having one track he looks on with regret.
When Red Hot Chili Peppers released One Hot Minute, it was one of the band’s more controversial releases. Dave Navarro, ex-Janes Addiction guitarist, gave them a much heavier sound, with some riffs bordering on heavy metal. When they play live today, very few songs from the album, if any, make it into the setlist, and one song that Flea particularly takes issue with is ‘Aeroplane’.
“Actually, ‘Aeroplane’ was the only song I was worried about; I thought it sounded like another stupid white boy trying to be funky,” he said, discussing why he doesn’t take to the tune. “When I played it live in the studio, the bass didn’t record right, so it was one of the few things I had to overdub.”
Despite Flea not being very impressed with the song, he put it on the album anyway after Rick Rubin affirmed it was good. Flea disagreed then and still does now. “I put it on anyway, but it’s the one thing I’d go back and fix,” he said. “The part kept feeling stiff to me, as if it wasn’t my day. I wanted to redo it, but Rick Rubin said it was cool.”
Given Flea’s complex understanding of rhythm and his approach to writing, he makes incredible music but doubles up as his own worst critic. Despite being relatively happy with what he has made in his career, ‘Aeroplane’ is the one song that never seemed to take off.
