8 Albums You'll Never Forget Listening To For The First Time

7. Red Hot Chili Peppers €“ The Red Hot Chili Peppers

Though the Red Hot Chili Peppers' 1984 debut record may not be as overtly bizarre as something abstract or avant-garde, there's no denying that listening to The Red Hot Chili Peppers (the songs of which have largely completely fallen from the band's live catalogue) for the first time is a strange experience. The album is the only Red Hot Chili Peppers record to feature Jack Sherman on guitar, who was subsequently fired by the band and replaced by Hillel Slovak. Approaching the record having heard their most popular work first, the music found on The Red Hot Chili Peppers is so different that it's incredibly striking and initially very jarring. Gone are the catchy choruses, replaced with true funk rock. Though their roots are still apparent in their later work, The Red Hot Chili Peppers is the band's essence completely distilled, making for an incredibly memorable first listen.