10 Greatest Comeback Albums In Rock

Just when The Red Hot Chili Peppers started to finally reach the big time, they were going through absolute hell behind the scenes. For all of the accolades they were getting at the time, John Frusciante was not prepared for that level of fame quiet yet, quitting the band right before a performance and everyone in the band relapsing on hard drugs for the next few years. There was a lot of pain coming out of those few years, but Californication was the first time they seemed to find inner peace.

Getting John back in the band and everyone getting clean and sober, there's a much more organic feel to the songs on here, sounding both bouncy and energetic on Around the World and bringing it down to something a lot more soulful on Otherside. Aside from the sound of the record, the lyrics are also much more poignant this time around, like the title track talking about the more artificial sides of the Sunshine State or having the life experience to bring to a track like Scar Tissue.

These guys had built up a fair amount of scars along the way, but when you listen to these songs, they're no longer coming from a place of pain. They've come out on the other side here, and you can tell that the band are actually finally at a place where they're actually having fun playing together again.