10 Perfect Albums That Will Make You Love Alternative Rock

As we reached the tail end of the '90s, the Red Hot Chili Peppers had really suffered a lot more than any of their contemporaries. They had already spent the first half of their career reeling from the death of Hillel Slovak, and then once they reached the top, John Frusciante found himself going down a similarly dark path. While One Hot Minute may have painted a sad picture of what the band were going through, they seemed to find peace once John reentered the fold on Californication.

Up until this point, the Peppers always had a unique formula to their sound, taking the trappings of funk, rock, and even punk in places to create their best jams. And all of that is still present on this record, with a lot more raw beauty added into the mix. After John had kicked his heroin addiction, this whole album feels like the band are reborn into a completely different group, able to combine their usual balls to the wall style with prettier tracks like Otherside or Porcelain.

Whereas the last album felt like it was a chore to make, this is the kind of record where the Peppers rediscovered their love of making music together again. Granted, it was a long road to get here, but these guys just seem happy to still have their heads above water after all this time.