The Californian rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers released their eleventh studio album ‘The Getaway’ on June 17. The album got immediate success, premiering at No. 1 on the Top Album Sales chart worldwide, and reaching No. 2 on the Billboard 200.
During the first week, the album sold 108,000 copies, in a total of 118,000 equivalent album units sold, that include download and streaming, according to Billboard. This places the band at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart, right after Drake’s ‘Views’, which is currently holding the first position for the eighth week straight.
The record also reached No. 1 on the latest ARIA Albums Chart, a top with best-selling albums in the Australian music industry. In Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands and New Zealand, ‘The Getaway’ debuted at the top spot. In the United Kingdom and Germany, it reached place No. 2.
This is the seventh album of the funk-rock veterans that enters the top 10, along with ‘Blood Sugar Sex Magik’ in 1992, ‘One Hot Minute’ in 1995, ‘Californiation’ in 1999. ‘By The Way’ in 2002, and ‘I’m With You’ in 2011 also reached No. 2, while ‘Stadium Arcadium’ in 2006 hit the No. 1 spot.
After a quarter-century, the Red Hot Chili Peppers decided to work with a different producer
‘The Getaway’ was released five years after their successful ‘I’m With You.’ It is the first record in twenty-five years the band does not produce with Rick Rubin, American record producer, co-president of Columbia Records and co-founder of Def Jam Records.
Rick Rubin is responsible for the production of six of the most successful albums of Red Hot Chili Peppers, beginning in 1991 with ‘Blood Sugar Sex Magik’, ‘Californication’ in 1999 and ‘Stadium Arcadium’ in 2006.
In replacement for Rubin, the Chili Peppers brought Brian Burton, known in the music industry as Danger Mouse, American musician, songwriter and record producer. He has worked with a broad range of artists, including The Black Keys, Norah Jones, Gorillaz, and Adele. He was also a member of Gnarls Barkley, along with CeeLo Green and the band Broken Bells.
Burton also co-wrote five of the thirteen tracks on the album, including lead single “Dark Necessities”, and others like “The Getaway”, “The Hunter”, “We Turn Red”, and “Feasting On The Flowers”.
In an interview on the Kevin and Bean Show, vocalist Anthony Kiedis said that during those five years, the Chili Peppers wrote around 30 songs. After bassist Flea had broken his arm during a snowboarding session, they had to pause the whole process.
Following the recovery of the bassist, they met Burton and agreed to produce the record with him, but he suggested the idea to build from scratch and write a complete set of new songs. Kiedis added that at first, the band was not so sure about the idea, but decided to trust Burton.
The result was another top-charting record for the prolific rock band.
Source: Billboard