Why Red Coats?

The military are not known for their brains but i have never understood why the British Army had a penchant for wearing lobster red outfits.
I originally thought that red was chosen as it didn't make blood stains obvious or it was an arrogance thing meant to scare the enemy as if once they saw the mass of red looming over a hill and coming in their direction they would pack up their weapons and wave a white flag.
My idea would be to wear a less conspicuous colour like green or brown so you at least didn't stand out but apparently the point was to stand out so you didn't get a butt full of buckshot from your own side.
The British Military Museum said that in the days of the musket and black powder, battle field visibility was quickly obscured by clouds of smoke and bright colours provided a means of distinguishing friend from foe.
Still brings me back to my original point that if you stood out to your own side, you also stood out to the other people shooting at you. 
I'm still none the wiser then why red was considered to be the colour to wage war in but at least someone had the sense to realise it was a stupid idea and change it.