Love Loss Life Magik
Last modified: 11:44:34 CET on 24 Sep, 2008 |
For Frusciante, the success of Californication was a reward less satisfying than knowing that his place in the band was one of a great importance. “I’m glad they noticed that,” he says. “I’m glad that we’re together and jamming and just getting along again.”
While the band basked in the glory of the biggest album in its then-17-year career, for Flea the reward was bittersweet. “I couldn’t really understand it.” he says of the album’s initial success. “I was too wrapped up in my own shit to see what was happening.” Dealing with a difficult romantic break-up left Flea in an almost catatonic state, as he “zombied around from show to show.” When he finally woke up, he realized the band was reaching heights not seen since the release of BloodSugarSexMagik. That album’s success, however, owed a lot to the youth-driven pop-culture upheavals that periodically send acts like Alanis Morissette soaring into the stratosphere only to return them at equal speed.
“We were phenomenon back then,” remembers Flea. “I mean, we were HUGE! Then, by the time we put out Californication, we weren’t that at all. You know, Limp Bizkit were that. And whoever those bands are – Limp Bizkit or ‘N Sync, whoever. And for us to sell so many records [with Californication] at that time – it was really just on the strength of our music and who we were as human beings… I could see so clearly that people were connecting with who we are – disconnected from just a bunch of rock-star-business trappings. It was a great feeling, a really good feeling. Now I just want to reciprocate and give the best that I can. And we want to give the best that we can as a band.”
Last spring, the band began recording material in a Sunset Boulevard studio – and old Hollywood haunt nestled between film companies where “The Three Stooges” and other classics were once filmed. Fitted with a drum room the size of a gymnasium, the band took advantage of the available vintage analog equipment and, with the help of returning producer Rick Rubin, soon recorded over 30 basic tracks. Their spacious digs however, turned out to be a bit too spacious, as modern technology allowed for a Pro Tools computer, compression devices and microphone to occupy only a small portion of the room.
“We thought, ‘What’s the point in staying in this huge expensive place,’” explains Kiedis. “’when we could just move into a hotel room that we’re comfortable at, that we could decorate to our liking, and spend the next month doing vocals there?’ And so we moved to the Chateau Marmot, which is probably the nicest hotel in L.A. It was built in 1931 – just beautiful architecture, beautiful vibe, warm, artistic flow to it. Lots of interesting people – pretty girls coming and going. And John was living there at that time, se he was down the hall. If I had a question, if I had a melody to run by him, show him a lyric, he was already there. It just made sense. It seemed like a cool approach. I set up my mic in the bedroom of this hotel suite, decorated it with my vintage movie posters. I had an Andy Warhol painting on the wall – I just kind of got into it.”
In fact, during the recording of Californication, it was Kiedis who had lived at the Marmot, which became infamous as the last stop for a drug-addled John Belushi. The hotel’s exotically morbid history, however, was the last thing on the band’s mind. They were spared from the pestered haunting of any existing ghosts – even their own. “We moved there because it was a convenient and comfortable environment to be in,” explains drummer Chad Smith. “It was like being in a bedroom and recording, instead of a studio, which tends to be a bit sterile.” For Kiedis, the familiar and comfortable setting may have rooted itself in the album somewhere. “We were, from the most part, totally at ease there and that’s probably reflected in the sound.”
For the band, the crafting of new songs is always a natural progression – the result of days of jamming, improvising and playing with new sounds. Their initial concept was to further the experimentation with harmony that began on Californication. Frusciante describes how producer Rick Rubin came to him during that album’s post-production with a devilish 3 a.m. grin. “Rick was like, ‘John! John! What would it sound like if we put a vocal harmony on this chorus?’” remembers Frusciante. “I was like ‘Well, I don’t know. Let’s try it.’” The band eventually liked it enough to try them on a few of the songs, namely “Around the World” and “Other Side.” On this record, it was something we actually knew we were going to do before we went into the studio. We started plotting and scheming on those parts in the rehearsal period, and obviously took it to a whole different level,” Kiedis says.
An entirely different sound can be heard on the songs “Universally Speaking,” “Venice Queen” and “Tear,” as John Frusciante’s vocals are pushed to the forefront with a surprising emphasis on pop standards from the ‘50s and ‘60s. “John is one of my favorite singers in the world,” explains Kiedis. “He’s got such a unique and extraordinary voice. It seemed like a real shame and waste not to use it whenever possible in our own recording.” On the song “Dosed,” the two share vocal responsibilities, resulting in a bittersweet duet. “I think we sound good together – we have an innate sense for phrasing and tone that works well together.” Flea was taken aback when he first heard the song. “It’s almost like Simon and Garfunkel or some shit, you know?” he laughs. “The two of them are really going for it and it’s a beautiful thing.”
Elsewhere, their voices complement each other to arrive at an even more overtly antiquated sound. “’Tear’ is a definite wall of Beach Boys-esque harmonies,” confesses Kiedis. “The funny thing is that John and I have been listening to a lot of doo-wop for the past 3 ½ years. I’d been listening to it even earlier than that, and I’m really just moved by the melodies and the whole vocal styling.”
