After the death of founding guitarist Hillel Slovak and the subsequent departure of drummer Jack Irons , vocalist Anthony Kiedis and bassist Flea regrouped with the addition of guitarist John Frusciante and drummer Chad Smith. Frusciante's influence altered the band's sound by placing more emphasis on melody than rhythm , which had dominated the band's previous material.
Returning producer Michael Beinhorn favored heavy metal guitar riffs as well as overdubbing. Frusciante perceived Beinhorn's taste as excessive, and as a result, the two constantly fought over the album's guitar sound.
Mother's Milk was a greater commercial success than the band's first three albums, peaking at number 52 on the US Billboard It received widespread airplay for the three singles which are the cover of Stevie Wonder 's " Higher Ground ", " Knock Me Down " and " Taste the Pain ", and it became their first gold record in early Although it was not met with the same positive critical reception that its predecessor The Uplift Mofo Party Plan had garnered, Mother's Milk was the first step for the band in achieving international success and, according to Amy Hanson of AllMusic , "turned the tide and transformed the band from underground funk-rocking rappers to mainstream bad boys with seemingly very little effort.
Disappointed with the results of the production, vocalist Anthony Kiedis and bassist Flea replaced guitarist Jack Sherman with founding member Hillel Slovak , who had quit his band, What Is This?
The album, a critical success that peaked at number on the Billboard , [ 5 ] is the only Red Hot Chili Peppers album the original members recorded together. Shortly following the ensuing tour, Slovak died of a heroin overdose and left the rest of the group in complete shock; Irons, citing an inability to cope with the death, quit. Peligro , formerly of the punk rock outfit, Dead Kennedys , replaced Irons. The band was not without a guitarist for long. Flea had originally directed Frusciante to audition for the band Thelonious Monster.
