By The Way is the latest Red Hot Chili Peppers album, and is their eighth full-length album. Yet another Rick Rubin product, By The Way contains brief departures from the Peppers' west coast riffs, leaving the whining guitar notes behind for more dramatic flare and a lighter tone. Anthony Kiedis and company have opted for a more relaxed, surprising mode for this album, and despite the difference from their last platinum album Californication, By The Way still doesn't disapoint, giving a new facet to the Peppers' talents.
Track Listing:
1. By The Way
2. Universally Speaking
3. This Is The Place
4. Dosed
5. Don't Forget Me
6. The Zephyr Song
7. Can't Stop
8. I Could Die For You
9. Midnight
10. Throw Away Your Television
11. Cabron
12. Tear
13. On Mercury
14. Minor Thing
15. Warm Tape
16. Venice Queen
Highlights of the album include the title track, which was released over the radio waves before the album hit stores in July of 2002. It became one of the top ten singles in its second week of existence on the Billboard Top 10 charts, and the album was in the top ten in sales in its first week in stores.
By The Way is definitely a unique listening experience and provides quite a bit of tracks, majority of which are solid rock/pop tracks. Lacing their music with quartets of strings, electronic beats and plenty of odd noises, the Peppers' have created another step of their musical evolution, and have vaulted their careers into a little different light. After listening to By The Way, the band seems a little less like the naked guys wearing socks on their members, and a little more like accomplished musicians destined for greatness.