Californication: John Frusciante’s favourite albums from California
Few bands are as linked with one location as The Red Hot Chili Peppers are with California. Scantily clad and forever talking about the city of angels, they became off-beat posters boys for the sunshine state, shining a light on the more complex nature of its lifestyle.
There were of course plenty of artists who came before the Chili’s, advertising the opulent and grand style of living that was available to those sunbathing by the pacific ocean. But with an exception of a few, none of them really delved into the twisted underbelly of America’s west coast. Sure, hearing Anthony Kiedis give an ode to LA repeatedly bordered on the cringeworthy, but one thing you can say is that they always did so with unflinching truth.
‘Under The Bridge’ and ‘Fight Like A Brave’ told stories of the darkness that lived in the shadows of the excessive sunshine and from there onwards, the band became gatekeepers of California and more specifically, LA’s truth.
John Frusciante was simply integral to the entire construction of this creative idea. Flea and Chad Smith consistently delivered funk-laden foundations that doffed its cap to the silky sensibilities of California’s artistic history, allowing Frusciante to come in and elevate it into something psychedelic. Chords and solos intertwined with one another to become a sonic embodiment of California’s kaleidoscopic living, one that shone brightly one minute, before descending into hypnotic chaos the next.
His influence was noticeable in his absence and subsequent return, in 1998 for their album Californiacation. It was no surprise that the return of their great guitarist brought with it an album that outrightly celebrated their home state, for it felt like the band had sonically returned home. In that state, they could embrace the warts and all reality of their home influences, drenching songs in funk, losing themselves to Frusciante’s guitar playing and allowing Kiedis to strut around with confidence, labelling himself the “California King”.
In that absence, Frusciante worked with The Mars Volta, giving him a new perspective on the art of guitar playing. “John’s always had an understated confidence, but he likes being loud now, and part of that came from hanging out with The Mars Volta,” Kiedis explained, in reference to Californiacation. “John’s always been capable of that. But he didn’t feel it. Now he feels it.”
The Texas band were of great influence to Frusciante, helping him regain his sense of artistic self ahead of the band’s ode to California, but also gave the guitarist one of his favourite ever Californian records. Recorded at The Mansion in Los Angeles, Frusciante labelled the band’s 2003 album De-Loused In The Comatorium as one of his all time favourites.
While the influences that make Frusciante the guitarist he is today, largely come from all over, from the the north west of England to the depths of the Austrian alps, there are a handful of records that join Volta’s in his all time favourite Californian works.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band played a heavy role in Frusciante and Flea’s instrumental partnership and Fruscinate labels Trout Mask Replica as his favourite for the group, while Germs’ (GI) also makes the list.
But unsurprisingly, Frusicante has made room for his fellow axe-playing pioneer Frank Zappa, labelling Hot Rats his all time favourite. Purely admiring how Zappa operated, Frusicante once told LA Weekly “I would listen to something like Frank Zappą’s Hot Rats album, where if he played a guitar solo, there was one take, maybe two, and any musician who was playing with him had to be good enough to be able to do shit in a couple of takes.”
An uncompromising take on music performance that ultimately made Frusciante, as well as Zappa, one of the greatest guitarists to ever do it.
