The year war 1988 and it was a time of great change for the Californian foursome. A year before Hillel Slovak had tragically died of a drug overdose, his death shook the band hard at its very core, Jack Irons could not take it and decided to quit the band.

Things looked grim, however Anthony and Flea found the strength to continue and looked for new band members, the original replacement for Hillel was DeWayne McKnight, however the guitarist and the band found creative difference and McKnight departed. Soon after an 18 year old John Frusciante, who at the time was one of the bands biggest fans filled in the role of the bands axe man, striking a unique chemistry with the band.

Three weeks before the band were set to go into the studio, the band found Chad Smith, the man who would become legendary for "Eathing Drums for Breakfast". The band were ready to record...

The result would be Mother's Milk, the bands most commercially successful album at the time. With the addition of Smith and Frusciante the band embraced new sounds while keeping their signature style. Songs like Knock Me Down and Higher Ground (Stevie Wonder cover) were the bands first radio played tracks and the album peaked at number 22 at the Billboard Top 100 chart and eventually certified platinum.

In 89 the band would go onto its biggest world tour at the time. The Peppers fan base had become huge and the band were having considerable trouble adjusting to the scale of the new found fandom. Nevertheless Mother's Milk was the Peppers first breakthrough album.

In 1990 by the end of their touring the band had realised the track "Show Me Your Sole" for the motion picture Pretty Woman.The band had also switched labels from EMI to Warner Bros.

It was time for the Peppers next album...