Red Hot Chili Peppers

Red Hot Chili Peppers were only meant to play one gig. That 1982 Los Angeles show turned into four decades of funk-punk, built on Flea's slapping bass, Anthony Kiedis's rapid-fire vocals and a wild, often shirtless energy.

Guitarist Hillel Slovak's death in 1988 brought in John Frusciante, whose melodic touch shaped Blood Sugar Sex Magik, recorded with Rick Rubin in a reputedly haunted Hollywood mansion. 'Under the Bridge' and 'Give It Away' made them huge.

Californication and By the Way leaned into bittersweet melody, and after a decade away Frusciante returned for Unlimited Love and Return of the Dream Canteen in 2022.