I got this album for Christmas when it came out (I was twelve) and since that day, the Red Hot Chili Peppers have been my favorite band. If you haven't listened to them before, this album is strange starting point, but amazing none the less. Since the late eighties, the Chili Peppers have evolved so much album to album in front of the 9 million or so fans with an eye on them. They put By The Way out in 2002 and showed everyone something unexpected. Can't Stop, one of the radio singles and an all around killer song, lets out the unbelievable intertwining of the guitar and bass with intricate tangled melodies that build the foundation for the song. The percussion flows through with an impeccable consistency, something that is a little too uncommon these days. The often cryptic lyrics weave rhymes that provide a little throwback to the funk/jazz era they went through in the earlier years of the band. This whole album is arranged in a way that carries the emotion so well, open to close this record is 100% perfect.