10 Best Red Hot Chili Peppers Albums

10. The Getaway

The problem with this album lies largely with the production as opposed to the songs themselves. Breaking away for the first time in nearly three decades from producer Rick Rubin, his replacement DangerMouse does away with the minimalism of Rubin’s production. In doing so, he overproduces the band, stripping away what is such an important part of the band's inherent charm; at their core, the Chili Peppers sound like four guys in a room jamming, caught up in the joy of making music together.

Of course, any record includes a deal of refinement, but capturing that inherent spontaneity at the core of the band's process was what made Rubin the perfect producer for them. Here, DangerMouse produces a cold, overly-polished-sounding take on the Peppers. Still, the record is not without its merits, with Sick Love in particular a song that deserves its place in any RHCP best-of, despite its similarity to Benny and the Jets. We Turn Red and Go Robot likewise capture some of the fun of the band.

Klinghoffer seems more confident than on I’m With You, and supplies some memorable riffs, such as Detroit and The Longest Wave, a song with a wonderful chorus. However, the overproduction ruins singles Dark Necessities and the title track, and robs the album itself of some of its soul.