| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [2] |
The Abbey Road E.P. is an EP by Red Hot Chili Peppers, released in the UK in May 1988 through EMI America as a way of introducing UK fans to the band's back catalog as they were touring the UK that year. Out of the five tracks included on this EP, four had already been previously released on the band's studio albums, although the band's first two albums The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Freaky Styley were not released in the UK until 1990, thus it provided a way of introducing tracks to new listeners.
The only "new" track is a cover of the song "Fire" by Jimi Hendrix, which was recorded during the sessions for The Uplift Mofo Party Plan and included in a different mix as the b-side to "Fight Like a Brave". The same recording of "Fire", however, would be later included once again on the band's next studio album Mother's Milk in tribute to Hillel Slovak, the band's original guitarist who died of a heroin overdose and plays guitar on the track.
The title and cover was a tribute to The Beatles' famous album Abbey Road. Like the Beatles, the cover depicts the four bandmembers walking across a zebra crossing in single file, the twist being that they are all naked except for white tube socks covering their genitals. Wearing only socks in this manner was something they regularly employed in their stage shows at the time. All songs on the EP were also featured on the band's hits compilation, What Hits!?.[2]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Fire" | Jimi Hendrix | 2:02 |
| 2. | "Backwoods" | Flea, Anthony Kiedis, Jack Irons, Hillel Slovak | 3:06 |
| 3. | "Catholic School Girls Rule" | Flea, Kiedis, Cliff Martinez | 1:57 |
| 4. | "Hollywood (Africa)" | The Meters | 5:04 |
| 5. | "True Men Don't Kill Coyotes" | Flea, Kiedis, Cliff Martinez, Jack Sherman | 3:38 |
Release history
- The Abbey Road E.P. (CD, EP, Comp) EMI-Manhattan Records CDP-7-90869-2 US 1988
- The Abbey Road E.P. (12", EP) EMI-Manhattan Records E1-90869 US 1988
- The Abbey Road E.P. (12", EP) EMI-Manhattan Records, 12MT 41, E1-90869 US 1988
- The Abbey Road E.P. (12", EP) EMI-Manhattan Records K 060 20 2633 6 Europe 1988
- The Abbey Road E.P. (7", EP) EMI-Manhattan Records MT 41 UK 1988
- The Abbey Road E.P. (CD, EP, Comp) EMI-Manhattan Records CDP-7-90869-2 UK 1988
- Note
Some versions of 12" do not include "Fire" while the 7" version does not include "Fire" and "Catholic School Girls Rule"
References
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-02-06. Retrieved 2013-09-28.
- ^ a b Sytsma, Sara. "The Abbey Road E.P.- Red Hot Chili Peppers". AllMusic. Retrieved October 3, 2018.