To Record Only Water for Ten Days Tracklist
John Frusciante’s third solo album, To Record Only Water For Ten Days, marks a significant departure from his two prior releases, and finds him exploring elements of new wave, 1980s synthpop, and electronica music. At this time, Frusciante was deeply connected to the spiritual plane, and his visions of spirits provided a great source of inspiration.
The album was written and recorded at home by Frusciante, following rehabilitation from a heroin addiction. Producer Jimmy Boyle, encouraged him to record the album, and he was also able to rejoin the Red Hot Chili Peppers to work on their most commercially successful release, Californication.
The ideology behind the album’s title is believed to reference the timeframe in which the album was conceived. Frusciante has described this as a symbolic form of self-purification, in which the body becomes a tape recorder to document only what’s necessary (water) for ten days. By removing the body’s “chemical make-up,” the album forms a representation of the feelings and places that Frusciante wanted to reflect. The lyrics express this, dealing mostly with philosophical and spiritual themes, as well as delving into his usual brand of psychedelia-tinged personalism.
In 2001, the entirety of the album was made into a series of short experimental films directed by Vincent Gallo. However, these videos were never given an official release, and only received one airing on MTV2.
A collection of demos, unreleased tracks, and outtakes have since been released unofficially.
