Red Hot Chili Peppers: Ranking Their Albums From Worst To Best

8. One Hot Minute

Undoubtedly the black sheep of the RHCP discography, 1995's One Hot Minute is akin to Weezer's Pinkerton in that it veers into much darker territory, was released to a muted response critically and commercially, and was effectively disowned by those responsible. However, while Pinkerton is now retrospectively viewed as something of a forgotten classic, One Hot Minute remains a huge creative misstep in the eyes of fans and the band itself.

But is this fair? Admittedly, it's not always an easy listen. Frusciante's replacement Dave Navarro also contributes to the album's bleaker vibe with a playing style that shifts away from the slinky funk of his predecessors and focuses more on psychedelic flourishes and heavy metal riffs. Lyrically, it's the darkest the band have gone - true, previous Kiedis lyrics had touched on drug addiction and its effect, but this album forces the listener to dwell in these depths with little respite. During recording Kiedis had relapsed after over five years of sobriety, which only adds to the sense of hopelessness that permeates the songs here.

Even the the album's most mellow moment, the lovely My Friends is clearly the work of a man at the end of his tether - "On the brink of emptiness/No words I know of to express/This emptiness". For a band formerly best-known for wearing socks on their private parts, it's pretty heavy stuff. For those who persevere though, there's a lot about One Hot Minute to enjoy - opener Warped is an addictive mash-up of classic RHCP funk and acid rock, Coffee Shop shows why Flea and Smith are one of the best rhythm sections around and Tearjerker is an emotional tribute to the late Kurt Cobain that emphasises how far he'd evolved as a singer. Although it's great that Frusciante came back and they went on to rule the world all over again, it is interesting to hear a band explore different avenues of their sound. Ultimately it was a failed experiment, but a noble one nonetheless.