Music
All-Time High (And Low) Scores
Best Of 2009
Best Of 2008
Best Of 2007
Best Of 2006
Best Of 2005
Best Of 2004
Best Of 2003
Best Of 2002
Best Of 2001
Best Of 2000
Upcoming &
Recent Releases
62
50 Cent
70
AFI
65
Air
70
Alice In Chains
53
Kris Allen
78
Amerie
79
Annie
76
Anti-Pop Consortium
86
The Antlers![]()
75
Arctic Monkeys
68
As Tall As Lions
82
Atlas Sound![]()
77
The Avett Brothers
67
Backstreet Boys
59
Bad Lieutenant
68
Devendra Banhart
71
Lou Barlow
88
Baroness![]()
69
Basement Jaxx
81
David Bazan![]()
72
Beak>
72
Brendan Benson
84
Biffy Clyro![]()
72
The Big Pink
95
Big Star![]()
46
Billy Talent
75
The Black Crowes
72
The Black Heart Procession
68
Blitzen Trapper
75
BLK JKS
53
Bon Jovi
76
A.A. Bondy
65
Boys Like Girls
76
Brand New
73
Tyondai Braxton
83
Brother Ali![]()
72
Ian Brown
75
Michael Buble
77
Built To Spill
61
Colbie Caillat
78
Califone
69
Mariah Carey
81
Brandi Carlile![]()
72
Julian Casablancas
83
Rosanne Cash![]()
71
Castanets
65
The Cave Singers
82
Nick Cave & Warren Ellis![]()
64
Exene Cervenka
79
Vic Chesnutt
75
Choir Of Young Believers
81
Circulatory System![]()
67
The Clean
84
The Clientele![]()
72
Cold Cave
85
Converge![]()
71
Eric Copeland
76
The Cribs
79
Cymbals Eat Guitars
62
Dashboard Confessional
71
Datarock
59
Dead By Sunrise
76
Dead Man's Bones
77
Del The Funky Homosapien & Tame One
88
Destroyer![]()
73
Do Make Say Think
63
The Dodos
77
Drive-By Truckers
67
Bob Dylan
58
Echo & The Bunnymen
61
Electric Six
44
The Entrance Band
69
Fanfarlo
71
Jay Farrar And Benjamin Gibbard
63
Felix Da Housecat
68
Fink
66
Orenda Fink
79
The Flaming Lips
66
Flight Of The Conchords
79
Florence And The Machine
67
John Fogerty
83
Fuck Buttons![]()
71
Nelly Furtado
47
Gary Go
68
Ghostface Killah
79
Girls
69
Gossip
62
David Gray
66
David Guetta
65
Calvin Harris
79
Richard Hawley
74
Mayer Hawthorne
66
Headlights
79
HEALTH
77
Joe Henry
67
Hockey
67
Whitney Houston
80
Hudson Mohawke
68
Imogen Heap
59
Jack Ingram
79
Islands
74
Jamie T
65
Jay-Z
51
Jet
68
Daniel Johnston
76
Norah Jones
77
Karen O And The Kids
72
Toby Keith
69
Kid Cudi
75
Kid Sister
66
Kings Of Convenience
62
Sean Kingston
64
KISS
63
Mark Knopfler
73
Kris Kristofferson
68
KRS-One & Buckshot
76
La Roux
85
Miranda Lambert![]()
72
Ledisi
71
Sondre Lerche
56
Juliette Lewis
62
Leona Lewis
82
Lightning Bolt![]()
74
Little Dragon
44
Pixie Lott
83
Patty Loveless![]()
73
Lyle Lovett
79
Lucero
75
Baaba Maal
77
Madness
84
Madonna![]()
85
Manic Street Preachers![]()
61
Maps
73
Mario
55
Massive Attack
57
Matisyahu
62
John Mayer
67
Reba McEntire
66
Tim McGraw
65
Brian McKnight
79
Mew
75
Mika
68
Amy Millan
76
Mission Of Burma
75
Molina And Johnson
80
Monsters Of Folk
66
Morrissey
85
Mount Eerie![]()
76
The Mountain Goats
62
Múm
72
Muse
66
Willie Nelson
82
Nirvana![]()
96
Nirvana![]()
80
No Age
71
Noah And The Whale
75
Noisettes
79
Nudge
64
OneRepublic
47
Dolores O'Riordan
74
Os Mutantes
78
Osso
67
Alec Ounsworth
81
Owen![]()
73
Paramore
78
Pastels And Tenniscoats
54
Sean Paul
80
Pearl Jam
69
Jemina Pearl
72
Jack Penate
65
Phish
82
Pissed Jeans![]()
61
Pitbull
79
A Place To Bury Strangers
79
Polvo
72
Porcupine Tree
72
Port O'Brien
79
Q-Tip
79
R.E.M.
88
Raekwon![]()
69
Rain Machine
70
Ramona Falls
75
Dizzee Rascal
74
The Raveonettes
79
Real Estate
76
Jay Reatard
81
Rodrigo Y Gabriela![]()
66
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez
78
Russian Circles
69
Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions
78
Say Anything
61
Sally Shapiro
78
Shudder To Think
70
Simian Mobile Disco
58
Simple Minds
72
Six Organs Of Admittance
80
Slayer
61
The Slits
78
Soulsavers
77
Speech Debelle
58
Spiral Stairs
58
Squarepusher
55
Steel Panther
75
Sufjan Stevens
52
Rod Stewart
68
Joss Stone
83
Barbra Streisand![]()
77
A Sunny Day In Glasgow
74
Susanna And The Magical Orchestra
79
The Swell Season
80
David Sylvian
83
Taken By Trees![]()
80
Tegan And Sara
68
The Temper Trap
78
The Dutchess & The Duke
71
The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart
74
Them Crooked Vultures
72
Themselves
82
They Might Be Giants![]()
67
Third Eye Blind
66
J Tillman
69
Times New Viking
57
Tokio Hotel
67
Trey Songz
73
Frank Turner
71
The Twilight Sad
60
Carrie Underwood
56
The Used
68
Various Artists
69
Various Artists
77
The Very Best
70
Kurt Vile
65
Vivian Girls
71
Volcano Choir
73
Rufus Wainwright
78
Wale
57
Weezer
81
White Denim![]()
76
Why?
83
Wild Beasts![]()
80
Wildbirds & Peacedrums
69
Robbie Williams
59
Andrew W.K.
65
Wolfmother
84
The xx![]()
79
Yo La Tengo
83
Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band![]()
52
Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson
59
Zero 7
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
Stadium Arcadium
EMAILPRINTby Red Hot Chili Peppers

Generally favorable reviews
Based on 25 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 832 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Warner Bros.
Release Date: 09 May 2006
Discs: 2 discs
Genre(s): Alternative, Rock
Summary
Rick Rubin produced this double-disc, 28-song set for the veteran Los Angeles rock outfit.
Also By This Artist: By The Way
Also On The Web: Official Artist Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Observer Music Monthly
There's hardly any doodling or misfiring to undermine the sheer vastness of Stadium Arcadium.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times
It overflows with the kind of music the Chili Peppers do best: a physical, often psychedelic mix of spastic bass-slapped funk and glistening alt-rock spiritualism. Only they've never sounded this good as musicians.
Read Full Review >Uncut
The supersized culmination of the Chili Peppers' artistic journey. [Jun 2006, p.102]
Q Magazine
Represents a career high for the Chili Peppers. [Jun 2006, p.106]
Billboard
A mature showcase of concentrated power with riotous groove jams, super-sized hooks and transcendent vocal arrangements.
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly
Stadium Arcadium ensures that graying Lollapalooza-era fans, indie teens, and rowdy lunkheads will all be satisfied.
Read Full Review >The New York Times
The music brims with a creative euphoria almost shocking for a band that has been around since Ronald Reagan's first term.
Read Full Review >Rolling Stone
Stadium Arcadium has too many midtempo tracks and, in the manner of U2's All That You Can't Leave Behind, is more of a summation of the Peppers' career than a step forward. But the band is still capable of surprises.
Read Full Review >Mojo
It's the sound of a band on a roll. [Jun 2006, p.110]
E! Online
The whole thing seems like a guided tour through the band's different incarnations.
Read Full Review >cokemachineglow
For anyone who legitimately enjoyed Blood Sugar, and think that they might actually want to purchase this thing, Stadium is unquestionably Red Hot Chili Peppers’ finest release since.
Read Full Review >New Musical Express
Somewhere along the line the Chilis got sophisticated on our asses.
Read Full Review >Blender
This is virile, excited music. [Jun 2006, p.146]
All Music Guide
The bare-bone production combined with the relentless march of songs gives Stadium Arcadium the undeniable feel of wading through the demos for a promising project instead of a sprawling statement of purpose; there's not enough purpose here for it to be a statement.
Read Full Review >MSN Consumer Guide (Robert Christgau)
At least when the bassist ruled they livened up this overworked dynamic with beats. Now they tax it with tunes.
Read Full Review >Village Voice
Neither disjointed embarrassment of riches à la The Beatles nor conceptual magnum opus like The Wall, Stadium Arcadium is two hours of sometimes middling, sometimes masterful, mostly pleasurable mainstream rock.
Read Full Review >Dot Music
Attempting such an ambitious concept in an age of diminished attention spans should no doubt be applauded, but overstretching itself in a stab at immortality, "Stadium Arcadium" marks a step backwards from 2002's "By The Way".
Read Full Review >NOW Magazine
Frusciante's guitar work... almost single-handedly saves the project, but not quite.
Read Full Review >The Guardian
Stadium Arcadium boasts virtuoso musicianship, lustrous arrangements and unpredictable flourishes, but inside all this breathtaking sonic architecture it is strangely empty.
Read Full Review >PopMatters
Stadium Arcadium is perfectly capable and occasionally ingratiating, but whatever goodwill it musters up is trounced by its redundancy.
Read Full Review >Stylus Magazine
Even the "there's a great album hiding in here!" cliché doesn't really apply, since if you conducted ten trials of picking fourteen songs at random, you'd end up with ten albums of near equal mediocrity.
Read Full Review >Pitchfork
Whereas poor production values and drug-fueled exuberance once excused their George Clinton worship, 20 years on, in Rick Rubin's sterile environment, the band sounds like they're in jamband training camp, filling in all the empty spaces with blippityblap reminders of Flea's virtuosity and John Frusciante's desire to use every effects pedal ever invented.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club)
The trouble with virtuosity is that it doesn't always translate into songcraft, and the absence of even one hum-it-on-the-way-home track here raises the old questions again: Does this band even make sense? Are punk energy and funk grooves music's peanut-butter-and-chocolate or its oatmeal-and-sardines? And what's Anthony Kiedis talking about, anyway?
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 9.2 (out of 10) based on 832 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Fortune F gave it a10:
An incredible mix of musical styles, from some of the best melodic rock around in 'Slow Cheetah' and 'She Looks To Me' to rappin' hard hitting funk in 'Storm In a Teacup'. The only odd this about this album is that, aside from Dani California, they chose the worst songs to be singles.
j m gave it a10:
One of the best albums ever made, every song is awesome. I have not found this album to be redundant at all, and on the contrary, has a variety of song styles. I have yet to meet anyone that dislikes this album.
Bruno S. gave it a10:
It's great! For sure, Stadium Arcadium is one of the best albums from Red Hot Chili Peppers.
helpus helpus gave it a10:
The band has developed much since then, most noticably in Anthony's singing style, which was much more rap-based. Do not discount this album because it is different to their others, judge it for its own merits, of which it has many. The majority of the tracks are strong, so much so that i listened to the whole double album first time around in one sitting with no skippings. Undoubtedly there are negatives which come (in my mind) during some of the slower songs which can drag on. But there are many highlights, such as my personal favourites "tORTURE ME""She's only 18" and "Slow Cheetah". Overall this is a very good album from one of the biggest and best bands on the planet and we should hope that they continue making them.This is a change and is brilliant. They are not my favourite band, and this type of music is not my cup of tea but I have to still give them a high rating for the effort. A lot of work was put into it. Very creative and different from anything else on the radio. One of those records you can throw on and listen to all of it. This Album is quite amazing and for anyone to say differently hasnt really listened to it or is just not really informed of what a skilled musician is.The band's musical ability was simply sensational in this album, and the Peppers went all out for this one. Not only was Frusciante's guitar incredible in songs like "Snow (Hey Oh)," but he also played blistering solos in "Dani California" and "Readymade" to name a couple. The rhythm section of the Chili Peppers is the reason I keep coming back, however. THe combination of Chad Smith's incredible drumming and Flea's godlike bass playing is what holds the music together every single track. Chad's drumming in "Stadium Arcadium" and "Hump de Bump" are highlights. Flea's bass playing... wow. His basslines in "Tell Me Baby," "She's Only 18," and "Warlocks" are memorable gemstones of the album. However, I must say Flea's most magnificent work to date is "Hump de Bump." Yes, I said it... best work to date. This song was by far the highlight of the album for me. "Hump de Bump" has an easy yet catchy guitar riff, sweet drum beat, and Flea's bass thumbing during the verse is simple but excellent. Once the chorus comes through, Flea goes wild with an absolutely orgasmic bass line that shows what the Chili Peppers are truly about and makes the song the highlight of the disc for many people, not just myself. All in all, the highlights of the album are "Stadium Arcadium," "Tell Me Baby," "She's Only 18," "Readymade," and, of course, the funk smash "Hump de Bump. Their new album is entitled "Stadium Arcadium," and it's utterly brilliant. The sound of the album is great. John Frusciante's guitar playing is heavenly; Frusciante is easily the Clapton of the 21st century. His solos in "readymade," "Dani California," and "21st Century" are simply dazzling and incredible.I loved Blood Sugar, By the Way, Californication was gd too, Freaky Styley extremly random, and Mothers Milk, which I thought was a stroke of genius. Stone Cold Bush, wotta song. So Since By the Way I had gone from Linkin Park to Trivium and Avenged Sevenfold, so now I wait for the Chilis, hoping that they will not be the cutsy light stuff that By The Way had become since my musical tastes enhanced. Dani California blew me off my seat personally. I liked the fact they heavied it up a bit but retained the chiliness. I had to buy the album. And soon into it I realised this was really gd well written music. Hey Oh, amazing, Charlie funkeriffic, it was gd to hear blood sugar was creeping somewhere into the album. Stadium Arcadium, beautiful song, really touching and agen, amazingly crafted. Jupiter perhaps losing its energy after about song 11 or 12 but still very decent. It took me a longer while to get into Mars I must say, but normally the best albums are the ones that take the longest to get into, then once u do its a bit gobsmacking. This definitley happened to me with Mars.This album is at once as melodic as By The Way, and as funky as Blood Sugar Sex Magic (ok, maybe not that funky, but I swear “Storm In A Teacup” is the funkiest song they’ve done since Freaky Styley). Contrary to popular opinion of those who criticize this album, the songs don’t sound the same at all, and really, each song has its own unique flavor.
Kasen Kasen gave it a10:
After the return of John Frusciante (1998) Red Hot Chili Peppers never deceive you with a mediocre or a bad album.The sound of the Red Hot Chili Peppers is amazing. Their songs I believe have taken rock music to the next level. The music they write really comes from the heart and expresses their true inner feelings about the world around them. This group has many talented people especially their bassist. They are very original. My musical tastes now though would not be present without the band Red Hot Chili Peppers. That is fact. I loved Blood Sugar, By the Way, Californication was gd too, Freaky Styley extremly random, and Mothers Milk, which I thought was a stroke of genius. Stone Cold Bush, wotta song. So Since By the Way I had gone from Linkin Park to Trivium and Avenged Sevenfold, so now I wait for the Chilis, hoping that they will not be the cutsy light stuff that By The Way had become since my musical tastes enhanced. Dani California blew me off my seat personally. I liked the fact they heavied it up a bit but retained the chiliness. I had to buy the album. And soon into it I realised this was really gd well written music. Hey Oh, amazing, Charlie funkeriffic, it was gd to hear blood sugar was creeping somewhere into the album. Stadium Arcadium, beautiful song, really touching and agen, amazingly crafted. Jupiter perhaps losing its energy after about song 11 or 12 but still very decent. It took me a longer while to get into Mars I must say, but normally the best albums are the ones that take the longest to get into, then once u do its a bit gobsmacking. This definitley happened to me with Mars. I think I prefer it, it doesnt lose its energy til the very very end, and with songs like Storm in a Tea cup and Readymade, you shouldnt be surprised. The sound is typical chili's, like one reviewer said. The strongest parts of Blood Sugar, Californication, and By The Way in two albums with a bit of a leap onwards as well.This particular album is by far the best of the RHCP's career. It features 4 musicians that are each individually, at the top of their game and the industry. All members of the band are shining to full potential: Antony is controlling the vocals as only he could, Chad is holding down the beat with perfection, Flea is the best bass player out right now or even ever, and John is etching his name into the best guitarist of all time statue. Their are so many different levels of genius in this album that anyone that does not listen to this album will miss out on an album that will eventually become the pinnacle of this era. At first listen, some of the songs I wasn't feeling all that well. For example: Hump de Bump, it has more funk style to it and I guess that turned me off, but then I listened to it more and tended to like it a little bit better. I think with 28 songs and a double disc, it's hard to like every single one.
Rodrigo G gave it a9:
I could rate this as awesome or terrible, because there are two versions to consider. But first, the album itself: 'Stadium Arcadium' is great! RHCP slightly downplayed the funk from their previous works, and added a solid touch of acid-rock, to mesmerizing results. This is the kind of record to which you should sit, relax, and listen carefully. But there is a problem: Vlado Meller's super-loud mastering makes it a pain to the ears! So don't bother with the CD version or any store downloads: the only way to get Stadium Arcadium with the sound quality it deserves is the vinyl release. It has a different mastering, by renowned audiophile favorite Steve Hoffman. Yes, it is a tad more expensive - it is a 4 LP set, after all. If you have a good stereo set, and you like RHCP, this one is worth it.
Pat S. gave it a6:
Easily one of the Peppers' poorest releases. Decent tunes comprise the album but haphazard vocal phrasing and redundancies are all too populous. Skip this one and replay Californication for the best of new Peppers.
