Their early stuff is obnoxious and not in a good way. While I like some punk-funk and funky post-punk/No wave, RHCP to me sounded more like funk-*rock* or even funky hard-rock; I never really got the funk-punk groove from them, even on the debut. Considering how great Funkadelic were in the 70's as well as some of the late Hendrix-songs, one would think it works well but after the 70's, it practically never does; I don't really know why but I think it has to do with 80's vs. 70's musicianship-values and the sheer "busyness"/lack of space in the grooves when funk was mixed with 80's rock/metal/whatever aesthetics as opposed to 70's stuff.

Their later stuff mjeanwhile just strike me as bland radio-rock.

That leaves "Mother's Milk" and "BSSM" that I guess are their most tolerable records. I actually bought "Mothers Milk" back in the day because I was getting into Hendrix and was trying to broaden my horizons and I thought it was kind of cool but I have had absolutely no need to play that record in the past 20+ years, don't know why.

"BSSM" meanwhile I got as a christmas gift from the same (then) clueless italian buddy who had also given me Faith No More's "the real thing" some years earlier. I don't know what he was thinking about my tastes or anything but he was heavily into stuff like Jane's Addiction and Living Colour as well as those bands so I guess he wanted to share his enthusiasm with me.

Anyway, I remember liking several songs on "Blood sugar..." like "Breaking the girl" for example which is really cool. My issue is instead-again-with the self-consciously "funky" rockers like "Give it away" and "Suck my kiss" and others; I don't like the term "dated" but I can't imagine much rock that has aged worse than "Give it away". In hell, that song would be played on repeat...

EDIT:I'm listening to "Mother's milk" right now on spotify-*YIKES*. I guess that's why I haven't played it in years...