Length: 68:46
Released: July 9th 2002
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*
Guitarist John Frusciante said the happiest time of his life was writing By The Way, although happiness and awesomeness are totally separate things. By The Way lags compared to its predecessor, Californication, with many similar filler tracks between it’s outstanding moments. At 69 minutes, certainly several tracks could’ve been cut and made By The Way a much tighter album. It also, for the most part, lacks the former funkiness the band championed for so long, only the single “Can’t Stop”, and “On Mercury” hint at the fun that was once “BloodSugarSexMajik.” Only a few tracks stick out distinctly amongst the slow melodic majority of the album: “The Zephyr Song” a smooth wispy sex analogy that sounds like a less depressive take on “Otherside”, And “Venice Queen” a tribute to a friend of Anthony’s whom he met during rehab played out in two parts, first a haunting bow like melody then a faster acoustic section. By The Way closed out the second stage of the Chili Peppers Career capping off their second Best Of Collection, unfortunately it is arguably their weakest album since “Blood Sugar” (Excluding the embarrassment of “One Hot Minute”).
6.8/10 (Singles 9/10)
* Notes Particular Ownage
