Band mate and long-time friend Flea asked John if he would like to rejoin the band in 1998. Frusciante was so overjoyed by the question that the band regrouped and started the recording process. In 1999, the band released "Californication". During the Californication tour, Frusciante recorded some more songs in what would eventually become "To Record Only Water For Ten Days", which was released in 2001. Frusciante returned to the recording studio in early 2002 in which they would later release the band's eighth album, "By the Way". Four Years later the Peppers released their ninth studio album, "Stadium Arcadium". In December of 2009 he announced that he would leave the Red Hot Chili Peppers and focus more on his solo albums.