Any successful band has to deal with the downside of knowing when they are past their prime.  Lately, there have been a lot of albums that have turned out to be major disappointments.  This is not one of them.

When Green Day released "American Idiot" two years ago, there was a huge sigh of relief among their fans.  They proved that they still had it.  The Chili Peppers have done the exact same thing with their release "Stadium Arcadium."  On this double disc album, the Chili Peppers showcase everything that puts them among rocks greatest.  If you were to make a mix of songs taken from all of their albums the result would be "Stadium Aracadium."  It has tracks that sound as hard as their early material along with songs that sound as if they could be b-sides from "Blood Sugar Sex Magik."  They even have a couple of songs that sound more like the refined tracks on "Californication" and "By the Way."  The album is a sweet sigh or relief for longtime fans; newbie's may not be as enamored with it. The album lacks the radio friendliness of their previous releases.  This is not necessarily a bad thing though.

"Stadium Arcadium" is a must have for any die hard Chili Peppers fan.  The most refreshing thing about this disc is that Anthony Kiedis's vocals are just as fresh and vibrant as they were on their first release in 1984.  Cheers to the Chili Peppers.