Album

Mother’s Milk

by Red Hot Chili Peppers

Released16 August 1989

LabelEMI Records USA

Popularity93.5

Also cited22 August 1989

alternative rock funk rock funk metal rock dance-rock

Wikipedia ↗MusicBrainz ↗Deezer ↗Podcast cover

Mother's Milk is the fourth studio album by Red Hot Chili Peppers, released on 16 August 1989 by EMI Records. It arrived after the death of founding guitarist Hillel Slovak and the departure of drummer Jack Irons. Anthony Kiedis and Flea regrouped with new recruits John Frusciante on guitar and Chad Smith on drums, giving the band the line-up that would define their next chapter.

Frusciante's arrival shifted the music towards melody, where earlier records had leaned on rhythm. Producer Michael Beinhorn, back for a second time, pushed for heavy metal riffs and plenty of overdubbing, and he and Frusciante clashed repeatedly over the guitar sound. The album includes a cover of Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground", alongside "Knock Me Down" and "Taste the Pain". It reached number 52 on the US Billboard 200 and became the band's first gold record in early 1990, marking their first real step towards international success.

Mother’s Milk: tracklist, credits and charts

13 tracks · 44:37

Tracklist

1Good Time BoysRed Hot Chili Peppers4:59
2Higher GroundStevie Wonder3:21
3Subway to VenusRed Hot Chili Peppers4:26
4Magic JohnsonRed Hot Chili Peppers2:55
5Nobody Weird Like MeRed Hot Chili Peppers3:48
6Knock Me DownFlea, Frusciante, Kiedis, Smith3:43
7Taste the PainFlea, Frusciante, Kiedis, Peligro4:30
8Stone Cold BushFlea, Frusciante, Kiedis, Peligro3:05
9FireJimi Hendrix2:01
10Pretty Little DittyFlea and John Frusciante1:34
11Punk Rock ClassicsRed Hot Chili Peppers1:45
12Sexy Mexican MaidFlea, Frusciante, Kiedis, Peligro3:20
13Johnny Kick a Hole in the SkyFlea, Frusciante, Kiedis, Smith5:10

Produced by: Michael Beinhorn
Recorded at: Ocean Way Recording, Track Record Studios (North Hollywood), Ocean Way and Image (Hollywood)
Recorded: November 1988 – March 1989
Mixed by: Dave Jerden, Garth Richardson
Engineered by: Michael Beinhorn, Garth Richardson, Eddie DeLena
Labels: EMI Records USA, EMI USA
Length: 44:37

Line-up

Flea · bass, trumpet
John Frusciante · guitar
Chad Smith · drums (drum set)
Sir Babs · background vocals · guest
Vicki Calhoun · background vocals
Aklia Chinn · background vocals · guest
Bruno Deron · background vocals · guest
Anthony Kiedis · lead vocals
Iris Parker · background vocals · guest
Julie Ritter · background vocals · guest
Randy Ruff · background vocals · guest
Gretchen Seager · background vocals · guest
Jack Sherman · background vocals · guest
Laura Spinosa · background vocals · guest
Various Artists · background vocals · guest
Kristen Vigard · background vocals · guest
Joel Virgel · background vocals · guest
Merrill Ward · background vocals · guest
Patrick English · trumpet · guest
Lon · trombone · guest
Tree · tenor saxophone · guest
David Coleman · cello · guest
Fish · drums (drum set) · guest
Jack Irons · drums (drum set) · guest
Hillel Slovak · guitar · guest

Singles

“Higher Ground” · April 1989
“Knock Me Down” · August 1989
“Taste the Pain” · June 1990

Peak chart positions

Chart	Peak
US Billboard 200 · 1989–1990	52
Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1989–1990	33
New Zealand Albums · 1989–1990	47
Dutch Albums · 1989–1990	69

Certifications

Region	Certification
Canada · 1991	Gold
United Kingdom · 2013	Silver
United States · 2003	Platinum

From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.

93.5

Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)

6.9k

ListenBrainz listeners

309k

Wikipedia views, last 12 months

45k

Deezer fans (all editions)

Released the same week

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The Rolling Stones · 1989

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Releases and pressings

How we know the release date wikipedia 1989-08-16; musicbrainz + wikidata 1989-08-22 (6 days apart, likely another territory)

Source	Date	Note
MusicBrainz	22 August 1989
Wikipedia infobox	16 August 1989
Wikidata	22 August 1989
US release	22 August 1989	earliest US date
UK / Europe release	1989	earliest UK or European date

26 editions

Date	Country	Label	Barcode	Kind
—	XE	EMI USA	077779215225	other
—	XE	EMI USA	0077779215225	other
1989	GB	EMI Records USA	0077779215218	other
1989	US	EMI Records USA	0208313892205	other
1989	CA	EMI Records USA	077779215225	other
1989	US	EMI USA	077779215249	other
1989	US	EMI		other
1989	US	EMI Records USA		other
1989	US	EMI USA	077779215225	other
22 August 1989	US	Capitol Records	077779215225	original
1991	JP	EMI USA	4988006663619	other
1992	BR	EMI		other
October 1996	US	EMI	015775168329	other
15 October 1996	US	Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab	015775168329	other
2003	RU	Capitol Records	094636134529	remaster
10 March 2003	GB	Capitol Records	724354037825	remaster
11 March 2003	US	Capitol Records	724354037825	remaster
11 March 2003	US	—		remaster
6 December 2005	XW	Capitol Records	724354037856	remaster
28 June 2006	JP	Capitol Records	4988006842946	remaster
2009	US	EMI America	5099969817212	other
2013	US	Capitol Records	00602537385744	other
2013	—	EMI	00602537385768	remaster
27 July 2021	—	EMI	00602537385744	other
—	—	BMG Direct Marketing, Inc.		other
—	—	EMI	00602537385751	other

Cover art sources

coverartarchive · native: native 1500x1500

Source	Size	Verdict
coverartarchive ✓	1500×1500	native: native 1500x1500
deezer	1200×1200	upscaled
fanarttv	1000×1000	upscaled