Red Hot Chili Peppers

Formed in Hollywood, 1983, from a core trio of Fairfax High School friends, the Red Hot Chili Peppers concocted a fierce signature blend of L.A. punk and Parliament-styled funk . . . and they're still running with it, after vaulting a series of potentially devastating setbacks. The band didn't just bounce back from the 1988 death of founding guitarist Hillel Slovak, they hit the charts with two of their most defining albums: the 1989 breakthrough, Mother's Milk, and its cultural phenomenon of a follow-up, Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991). The latter set the group's bar for both funkified and bittersweet songwriting . . .

. . . and they kept hitting (and often exceeding) that mark, too, as you'll soon hear in our Next Steps.

Don't be misled by a freakily nonsensical song title like "Hump de Bump" . . . the Red Hot Chili Peppers rank among modern rock's most consistently brilliant songwriters. From the wilder rap-rock stylings of "Organic Anti-Beat Box Band" — on outstanding 1987 album The Uplift Mofo Party Plan, the last before guitarist Slovak's death by overdose — to the mellow, layered harmonies of "Dosed" and the gathering storm of the title track from 2006 double-CD monster-work, Stadium Arcadium, the band's craft has always underscored its wild side.

Dip into our Deep Cuts section for some of the Peppers' finest in-the-groove moments.

Wondering why "The Brothers Cup" sounds like a P-Funk B-side? Maybe it's because it's part of the George Clinton-produced Freaky Styley (1985), one of the first albums to fuse the hardcore-matinee spirit of Black Flag with the space-age funk of Parliament. That's just one side of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' expansive sound, the layers of which are peeled away by these tracks, which include reggae-referencing rock ("Funny Face"), buzz-saw wah-wah funk-rap (the demo version of "Out In L.A.," which was included as a bonus track on the 2003 remastered reissue of the band's self-titled 1984 studio debut), and reinvented protest folk ("Subterranean Homesick Blues").

It's hard to believe, but the Red Hot Chili Peppers have been together for more than a quarter-century. During that time, they've done it all, from attacking the early-'80s Sunset Strip with little more than strategically placed tube socks to setting the template for rap-rock a decade early with the George Clinton-produced Freaky Styley. Since then, they've done the highly unlikely, surviving several struggles with addiction and key lineup changes to emerge as one of modern rock's greatest success stories. Combining their punk-powered, funk-fortified roots with an unforeseen knack for gorgeous pop songcraft, the band's dished out nothing but hits over three decades. Dig in.