John Frusciante may not be the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ original guitarist (he was hired on in 1988 after the death of Hillel Slovak), but that doesn’t mean his addition to the famed funk rock band wasn’t the best possible choice, ever. He’s an incredible guitarist, and there are quite a few riffs that John Frusciante contributed to the band’s discography that are essential listening for any fan.
1. “Turn It Again”
Frusciante turned up the funk more and more through the years with Red Hot Chili Peppers. “Turn It Again” from 2006 is a great example of that. It’s a bit surprising, considering that Frusciante was relatively uninitiated to the world of funk before joining the band. Still, he was a natural at funky, slinky, scratchy guitar riffs.
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2. “Otherside”
Frusciante knows how to blend seamlessly with his bandmates. From the very beginning, he never stuck out or seemed like a poor fit. And with that seamlessness, he really knows how to harmonize beautifully with the other members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. From his stark vocals in the background to his conversational guitar riffs aligned with Flea’s bassline, “Otherside” is an excellent song featuring Frusciante.
3. “Knock Me Down”
John Frusciante put out some heavy riffs in the early days of RHCP. This is best heard in the 1989 track “Knock Me Down”. He blends together an excellent combination of sounds on the track, from smooth distortion to notable fuzz in the intro to a funky, metal-adjacent break.
It’s wild to think that producer Michael Beinhorn butted heads with the guitarist so much over RHCP’s signature guitar sound. Frusciante clearly knew what he was doing, even as a young musician.
4. “Can’t Stop”
“Can’t Stop” is a great example of Frusciante’s ability to keep things simple, but not boring. Where many guitarists try to add more and more to their sound to stand out, he seemed more interested in subtracting things and experimenting with how simple he could go.
The main riff of this song bounces between two notes; if any other guitarist had done it, it would have sounded a bit too mild.
Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/FilmMagic
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