In a recent Reddit AMA, record producer Michael Beinhorn answered several fan questions about his time working with Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Beinhorn notably produced the band’s third and fourth studio albums, “The Uplift Mofo Party Plan” (1987) and “Mother’s Milk” (1989). The latter includes the song “Knock Me Down,” which was written as a tribute to the band’s late guitarist Hillel Slovak, who died from an overdose in 1988. The single version of the track features vocals from both frontman Anthony Kiedis and guitarist John Frusciante, who joined the band following Slovak’s death.
Asking Beinhorn about the track, a fan questioned the decision to feature both Kiedis and Frusciante on vocals.
“‘Knock Me Down’ is one of my favorite songs by RHCP,” they wrote. “Why did John sing in that song? I know originally it was him and Anthony singing lead vocals, but ‘Knock Me Down’ being a requiem for Hillel, why not only Anthony, the deceased’s best friend?”
In response, Beinhorn explained: “I’m glad you love ‘Knock Me Down’ so much – it was a major departure from the RHCP sound up till that point. John sang the song (or rather, his voice was louder in the mix) because the song was melodic and Anthony was/is tone-deaf (ie- he can’t hear pitch).”
“At any rate, John essentially wrote the song, including the melody, so it wasn’t entirely inappropriate for him to [sing] it (plus he somewhat idolized Hillel),” he added.
Beinhorn went on to recall “how the band reacted to the final product,” admitting that Kiedis initially wasn’t happy with it.
“I never found out what they thought of the final mix,” he said. “However, when I finally played Anthony the tracks with the finished guitars on them for the first time (he hadn’t been to any of the sessions up till then), he freaked out – not in a good way. I think the band kind of disowned the record because of this.”
Elsewhere in the Q&A session, Beinhorn praised Frusciante, calling him a “prodigy.”
“It was amazing working with him– he was fun, childish to a fault, but musical and technically capable beyond the rest of the band. He pushed them all to excel just by being there. It was a revelation working with him and I’m not surprised at all to have watched him become wildly successful and even greater.”
