Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication
Released in 1999, the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Californication is a landmark album that rejuvenated the band's career, selling over 15 million copies worldwide and marking the crucial return of guitarist John Frusciante. Produced by Rick Rubin, it represented a more mature, introspective sound for the band, exploring themes of Hollywood's dark, shallow underbelly, addiction, and the decay of the American Dream, while spawning iconic hits like "Scar Tissue" and the title track.
The album cover features a surreal, dreamlike image of a swimming pool with inverted colors—a fiery orange/red sky appearing within the water against a blue, mountainous backdrop. Designed by Lawrence Azerrad based on a vision from guitarist John Frusciante, it symbolizes the artificiality and "inverted" reality of Hollywood.