The Fat Angel Sings

Stone Temple Pilots, an American rock band formed in San Diego, California, in 1989. Originally consisting of lead vocalist Scott Weiland, drummer Eric Kretz, and brothers Dean (guitar) and Robert DeLeo (bass), the band’s lineup remained unchanged from its formation until the firing of Weiland in February 2013. Linkin Park vocalist Chester Bennington then joined the band in May 2013 but left amicably in November 2015.

The band have explored a variety of styles, including psychedelic rock, bossa nova, and country. Stone Temple Pilots are regarded as one of the most successful rock bands of the 1990s, having sold more than 18 million albums in the United States and 40 million worldwide that decade.

Weiland died December 2015, while Bennington then died two years later. In 2016, the band launched an online audition for a new lead vocalist; Jeff Gutt was ultimately announced as their new lead singer on November 2017.

The band signed with Atlantic Records, Their debut album, “Core”, was released in 1992, It became a major commercial hit and proved instrumental in the popularization of grunge in the early 1990s. The band released four more studio albums “Purple” (1994), “Tiny Music… Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop” (1996), “No.4 “(1999), and “Shangri-La Dee Da” (2001) – before separating acrimoniously in 2003.

The band members then began reconvening in 2008 for a reunion tour. They then released their self-titled sixth album in 2010. In 2013, the band released the EP “High Rise”, which was their only release ever recorded with Bennington as the lead vocalist. STP has since released two albums with Gutt on vocals: a second self-titled album in 2018, and “Perdida” in 2020.

“Core”

“Core”, was released on September 1992, and reached No.3 on the Billboard Albums Chart. “Core” was a big success, producing hits “Sex Type Thing”, “Plush”, “Creep”, and “Wicked Garden”. While the album was a major commercial success, some in the music press criticized the band as “grunge imitators”. The same year, Scott Weiland and Dean DeLeo played an acoustic version of “Plush” on the MTV show Headbangers Ball. This is considered one of Weiland’s greatest vocal performances. Despite negative reviews from some critics, Stone Temple Pilots continued to gain fans and toured.

A powerful and hard-hitting single, “Sex Type Thing” is an energetic and unforgettable track. It features an aggressive vocal delivery from Scott Weiland, punctuated by a tight and powerful rhythm section. The song’s lyrics explore the issue of sexual objectification and its impact on society and relationships.

Its message resonates with listeners, making the song both an enduring classic and a powerful statement on sexual politics.

Pegged as fifth-rate Pearl Jam copyists. It is true that the worst moments of “Core” play like a parody of the Seattle scene — titles like “Dead and Bloated” and “Crackerman” tell you that much, playing like really bad Alice in Chains parodies, even if it rocks pretty hard, it’s usually without much character, sounding like cut-rate grunge. To be fair, it’s more that they share the same influences as their peers than being overt copycats, but it’s still a little disheartening all the same. If that’s all that “Core” there are the hits that propelled it up the charts, songs that have remarkably stood the test of time to be highlights of their era. “Sex Type Thing” may have a clumsy anti-rape lyric that comes across as misogynist, but it survives on its terrifically lunk-headed riff, while “Wicked Garden” is a surprisingly effective piece of revivalist acid rock.

“Wicked Garden” is a hard-hitting rock track that demonstrates Stone Temple Pilots’ penchant for dynamic songwriting.Its complex guitar riffs and lyrics, delivered with vocalist Scott Weiland’s signature style, capture the band’s unique amalgamation of grunge and psychedelia. The song is driven by a powerful rhythm section and features a prominent bass line.

Debuting in 1992, Stone Temple Pilots’ “Creep” is a powerful hard rock ballad that has become an iconic song of the 90s. The track evokes strong emotion with its passionate vocals, melancholic guitar solo, and intense drums. Lyrically, the song tackles themes of loneliness and isolation, with a chorus that is both heartrending and anthemic. It has become a fan favourite, with its powerful melodies and universal message resonating with listeners.

Then, there’s the slow acoustic crawl of “Creep” that works as well as anything on AIC’s Sap and, finally, “Plush,” a majestic album rock revival more melodic and stylish than anything grunge produced outside of Nirvana itself. These four songs aren’t enough to salvage a fairly pedestrian debut, but they do find STP to be nimble rock craftsmen when inspiration hits.

Weiland was the band’s primary lyricist. His style changed with the band’s evolution; much of the lyrics on “Core” were written about societal issues such as religion, abuse of power, and isolation.

In 1993, the band filmed an episode of MTV Unplugged, where they debuted the song “Big Empty”. In a January 1994 Rolling Stone poll, the band was simultaneously voted Best New Band by Rolling Stone’s readers and Worst New Band by the magazine’s music critics.

“Purple”

In the spring of 1994, Stone Temple Pilots returned to the studio to work on their second album, “Purple”. Completed in less than a month, “Purple” debuted at number one in the United States upon its release on June 1994. The radio-friendly “Interstate Love Song” quickly became a big hit, spending a record-setting fifteen weeks atop the album rock tracks chart. Other hits from the album included “Vasoline” and “Big Empty” (the latter also being featured on the soundtrack to the film The Crow).

“Purple” is nevertheless a quantum leap over their debut, showcasing a band hitting its stride. They still aren’t much for consistency, and there’s more than a fair share of filler over this album’s “12 Gracious Melodies.” it has its own character, heavily melodic and slightly psychedelic. That’s a fair assessment of the hits, as well, but there’s a difference there — namely, expert song and studio craft. They were unafraid to temper their grunge with big arena hooks and swirling melodies. It works particularly well on the tight, concise “Vasoline” and the acoustic-based “Pretty Penny,” but it really shines on the record’s two masterpieces, “Big Empty” and “Interstate Love Song.”

“Big Empty” is ominous and foreboding, yet remains anthemic, a perfect encapsulation of mainstream alienation that is surpassed only by “Interstate Love Song,” a concise epic as alluring as the open highway. These two songs are so good (really, mainstream hard rock didn’t get better than these two cuts) that the unevenness of the rest of the record is all the more frustrating, but the filler here is better than before — and those singles are proof positive that STP was the best straight-ahead rock singles outfit of their time.

In the studio for their second album, “Purple”, the band’s style developed, taking influence from psychedelic rock, country music, and jangle pop. The band continued to diverge into various genres and influences.

the album “Tiny Music… Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop” on March 1996. The album’s sound marked a drastic change from their previous outings, oriented more in the direction of glam rock and psychedelic music than that of the hard rock/grunge sound that propelled them to popularity; critical reception, at the time, was mixed. Rolling Stone, a magazine known for its initial dismissal of the band’s music, held a favourable opinion of the album, regarding the release as the group’s best effort to date.

“Tiny Music…Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop” illustrates that the band aren’t content with resting on their laurels. Without abandoning their trademark hard rock, STP have added a new array of sounds that lend depth to their immediately accessible hooks. Dean DeLeo layers his guitar tracks to create distinctive, multi-textured sounds that make his riffs more powerful. Though there are hints of grunge scattered throughout the album, what makes “Tiny Music” so impressive is how the band brings in elements of psychedelia, trancy shoegaze, jangle pop, and other forms of melodic alternative guitar pop. By accentuating their pop tendencies in both their riffs and melodies, they are able to slip in a number of creative arrangements which manage to expand their musical repertoire significantly. Although the lyrics are nearly as ambitious as the music, they simply don’t have the same weight. But with a band like Stone Temple Pilots, the music is what matters and “Tiny Music” showcases the band at their most tuneful and creative.

The 3-CD/1-LP  Super Deluxe Edition, available from Rhino, includes a newly remastered version of the original studio album on both CD and vinyl, plus unreleased versions of early versions, instrumentals, and alternate takes along with a complete concert recording from 1997.

Along with a newly remastered version of the original album, There are 15 unreleased tracks that pull back the curtain on the creative process. Those include early versions of nearly every song on the album with nacent incarnations of “Tumble In The Rough,” “Pop’s Love Suicide” and “Seven Caged Tigers.” The selections also feature an alternate take for “Big Bang Baby,” and a percussion mix of “Trippin’ On A Hole In A Paper Heart.” There’s also instrumentals for “Ride The Cliché” and “Adhesive,” plus the unreleased “Kretz’s Acoustic Song.”

An exclusive feature of the Super Deluxe Edition is a previously unreleased live recording of the band’s March 1997 concert in Panama City Beach, Florida. STP is dialled in from start to finish, delivering blistering takes of songs from the new album (“Tumble In The Rough” and “Big Bang Baby”), as well as hits from their earlier records (“Vasoline,” “Plush” and “Interstate Love Song.”)

“No.4”

In late 1998, the band regrouped and began work on a fourth Stone Temple Pilots album. Released in 1999, “No.4” was conceived as a “back-to-basics” rock album in the vein of “Core” or “Purple2. The album’s sound was compared to contemporary alternative metal bands and wrote in his review “it’s as if STP decided to compete directly with the new generation of alt-metal bands who prize aggression over hooks or riffs. The single “Sour Girl”, fuelled by a popular music video starring Sarah Michelle Gellar of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame. The band also recorded an episode of VH1 Storytellers, Through its melancholic melodies and raw lyrics, the song paints a picture of a failed love, exploring the feelings of guilt and sadness that come with it.

“Down”, a hard rock track with a heavy guitar riff and a memorable chorus. Its sound is a combination of the band’s grunge, hard rock, and alternative influences. Musically, the riff is simple, but its power lies in the repetition and the underlying guitar chords.

The chorus is anthemic and catchy, with a hypnotic vocal melody. The song’s emotional lyrics explore themes of loss and regret.

The narrator’s inner turmoil is further accentuated by the powerful vocals of Scott Weiland, allowing the listener to experience the pain of the situation. “Sour Girl” is a powerful and poignant track that speaks to the struggles of letting go.

it’s their hardest effort since their debut, “Core”. “Down” and “Heaven & Hot Rods” provide a powerful, brutal opening for “No. 4” — it’s as if STP decided to compete directly with the new generation of alt-metal bands who prize aggression over hooks or riffs. With these two songs, the band’s attack is as vicious as that of the new generation, but they retain their gift for gargantuan hooks. Much of the album hits pretty hard — most explicitly on “No Way Out,” “Sex & Violence,” and “MC5,” — and even the ballads and neo-psychedelic pop have none of the swirling production that distinguished “Tiny Music”.

That sense of adventure is missed, because even if the album finds STP returning to the muscular hard rock that made them, they always sounded better when they concentrated on melodicism. “No. 4’s” most effective moments have a variety of sonic textures and color — “Pruno” tempers its giant riffs with spacy verses; “Church on Tuesday” is a great pop tune, as are the trippy “Sour Girl” and “I Got You”; and the psychedelic “Glide” and closing ballad, “Atlanta,” have a sense of majesty. These songs anchor the heavier moments, instead of the other way around, and it all plays well together. As a matter of fact, it’s their hardest effort since their debut, Core. “Down” and “Heaven & Hot Rods” provide a powerful, brutal opening for No. 4 — it’s as if STP decided to compete directly with the new generation of alt-metal bands who prize aggression over hooks or riffs. With these two songs, the band’s attack is as vicious as that of the new generation, but they retain their gift for gargantuan hooks. Much of the album hits pretty hard — most explicitly on “No Way Out,” “Sex & Violence,” and “MC5,” — and even the ballads and neo-psychedelic pop have none of the swirling production that distinguished Tiny Music. That sense of adventure is missed, because even if the album finds STP returning to the muscular hard rock that made them, they always sounded better when they concentrated on melodicism. No. 4’s most effective moments have a variety of sonic textures and color — “Pruno” tempers its giant riffs with spacy verses; “Church on Tuesday” is a great pop tune, as are the trippy “Sour Girl” and “I Got You”; and the psychedelic “Glide” and closing ballad, “Atlanta,” have a sense of majesty. These songs anchor the heavier moments, instead of the other way around, and it all plays well together.

it’s a record that consolidates all their strengths.”No. 4″ is as tight as “Tiny Music”.

“Shangri-La Dee Da”

2001, the band released its fifth album, “Shangri-La Dee Da”, which produced one modest rock radio hit in “Days of the Week”.

“Sour Girl” gave the band its biggest hit in years, and it set up their fifth album, “Shangri-La Dee Da”, perfectly.

“Days of the Week” is a reflection on the monotony and cyclical nature of day-to-day life.

“Days of the Week,” released from their 2001 album Written by Dean DeLeo, Robert DeLeo, Eric Kretz, and Scott Weiland, “Days of the Week” was one of the singles from STP’s fifth studio album. The song features a more straightforward rock approach compared to the experimental sounds of their previous albums. “Shangri-La Dee Da” was produced by Brendan O’Brien, The lyrics explore the idea of living in a world with no surprises and never-ending repetition.

The song focuses on the feeling of being stuck in a mundane routine, and the singer’s longing for something different.

They seized this opportunity by turning out the same record as the time before, splitting the difference between heavy rockers and sugar-sweet psych-pop tunes. That’s not a bad thing, nor is it unexpected, since they’ve basically been staking this same territory since Tiny Music, yet at this point, it feels as if the Pilots are comfortably within a musical groove, no matter how much turmoil they have privately. And, while this doesn’t result in a particularly surprising record, it’s not an album that’s bad, either. They’re are phenomenal on the pop tunes. Regardless of their critical reputation, no rock band of their time turned out such a consistently dazzling streak of pop tunes. Sometimes, the rockers do catch hold — “Dumb Love” provides a gripping opening, “Hollywood Bitch” has a real sense of propulsion, the dreamy “Hello It’s Late” has a gentle rush of its own — but, by this point, they don’t seem as interesting as the excursions into psych-pop that gives “Shangri-La Dee Da” its real core.

Despite reports that the band had begun work on a sixth studio album in 2002, the band went quiet by the end of that year after reports of an altercation between Dean DeLeo and Weiland after the last show of Stone Temple Pilots’ tour The band appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman for the first time in ten years performing the song “Between the Lines”. The band’s self-titled sixth album was released on May 2010,

Stone Temple Pilots’ 2010 reunion album isn’t a song deep before Scott Weiland alludes to his checkered chemical past by singing “even when we used to take drugs,” which may not be a confession — the singer took great pains to claim he was writing in third person for this, the sixth STP album — but it’s easy to read between the lines, particularly when the song title invites you to do so.

Despite Weiland’s knack for a fractured phrase, the kind that jams a verse or chorus into the brain, words have never been the reason to listen to Stone Temple Pilots, it’s always been their candied crunch, the way the filter ‘70s sleaze through psychedelic swirls. The brothers DeLeo are responsible for the former, and Weiland for the latter and, like it or not — the decade-long absence suggests that they surely don’t — they need each other, neither team sounding quite as good in their solo projects as they do working together.

“Stone Temple Pilots” finds the band picking up where they left off, retaining the harder, diamond edge of “Shangri-La Dee Da”, balancing swagger and melody with an expert professional touch, offering everything as expected, except for the key ingredient of Brendan O’Brien, who produced every one of STP’s albums before this. In his stead come the DeLeo brothers, who somehow strip the group’s sound to the core while still managing to pile on six-string overdubs; it’s an STP record that’s guitar heavy, its bluntness extending to a direct quotation of “Dancing Days” in the guitar solo for “Hickory Dichotomy” and an open homage to prime Aerosmith on “Huckleberry Crumble.” but as it stands, Stone Temple Pilots is a good solid record and an inadvertent testament to the fact that these guys need each other.

“High Rise”

Stone Temple Pilots released a five-track EP titled “High Rise” on October 2013, credited as Stone Temple Pilots with Chester Bennington. The album’s second single, “Black Heart”, was released through iHeartRadio on September 2013. They officially dropped “with Chester Bennington” from their name in March 2015

Bennington announced he was amicably leaving Stone Temple Pilots to focus more on Linkin Park. On December 3rd, 2015, Scott Weiland was found dead of an accidental overdose of alcohol, pills, and cocaine on his tour bus in Minnesota. Stone Temple Pilots released a statement noting his death in which they thanked him for his time with them and said he was “gifted beyond words”

“Stone Temple Pilots“

The second Stone Temple Pilots album to be titled “Stone Temple Pilots”, following the first by eight years. A lot happened during those years. At the dawn of the decade, when STP issued their first eponymous album, the group reunited with their erstwhile frontman Scott Weiland, but that revival didn’t last long: They fired the singer in 2013, hiring Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington in his stead. Bennington lasted only two years before amicably parting ways in 2015.

Written by Dean DeLeo, Robert DeLeo, Eric Kretz, and Jeff Gutt, “Meadow” was the lead single from STP’s first album with new vocalist Jeff Gutt. The track marked a new chapter for the band, introducing Gutt’s vocals while maintaining the classic STP sound that fans recognized. Produced by the band themselves, the 2018 self-titled album debuted at #24 on the Billboard 200. “Meadow” reached #6 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, proving that STP could still create successful rock singles with their new lineup. The song features the DeLeo brothers’ signature guitar and bass work alongside Eric Kretz’s powerful drumming, establishing continuity with their classic sound.

The remaining three STP were already gearing up for an online search for a new vocalist. By the end of 2017, the band revealed they’d hired Jeff Gutt — a runner-up on the third season of The X Factor — as their new lead singer. Gutt debuted on the 2018 self-titled set from Stone Temple Pilots and, from a certain perspective, he could be mistaken for a well-behaved Weiland. He nails how the late singer could slide from a snarl to a sigh, conjuring a bit of a snaky sexuality while still seeming a bit safe. In other words, he’s a good fit for the DeLeos, While there may not be much tension between the singer and the band — which was a defining characteristic of STP during their heyday — this ease feels earned and welcome, not least because it makes it possible to appreciate the craft of the DeLeos. Whether it’s psychedelicized hard rock or candied melodies, the pair not only know how to construct melodies, they know how to showcase these hooks with layered productions that skirt the edge of being ornate.

Stone Temple Pilots are now clearly lead by Robert and Dean DeLeo, and this 2018 album shows they haven’t lost their knack for hooky-heavy hard rock that wedges its way into the subconscious.

December 2019 the band announced that their eighth studio album, “Perdida”, would be released on February 2020, and would be “an acoustic record largely recorded on vintage instruments

After a decade bookended by just two album releases and capped off with a pair of tragic deaths, Stone Temple Pilots press pause on their usual big rock sound to process grief with their back-to-basics acoustic eighth album, “Perdida”. Titled after the Spanish word for “loss,” this introspective set is weathered, weary, and surprisingly beautiful, an intentional therapy session for a band that’s experienced its fair share of tragedy and drama.

As such, loss is the central theme for much of the album, but instead of being weighed down by sadness and misery, “Perdida” does its best to find hope in the darkness. From the dusty, country-tinged opener “Fare Thee Well” to the flamenco-kissed title track, STP take this opportunity to play with a variety of ideas and inspirations, resulting in one of their most enjoyable and straightforward efforts to date. The plaintive “I Didn’t Know the Time” floats upon moody flute accompaniment, an evocative highlight that features one of a handful of gorgeous extended solos on “Perdida”.

Meanwhile, bassist Robert DeLeo takes center stage for the first time as a vocalist on the reflective “Years,” a vulnerable goodbye to love, and guitarist Dean DeLeo has his turn with the instrumental “I Once Sat at Your Table,” which swells with optimism and hope. Vocalist Jeff Gutt does a fine job with the material, filling the space left by two iconic frontmen without completely falling prey to karaoke imitation. His voice shines and — even if Weiland’s spirit can be felt on certain songs like “Three Wishes” and “Miles Away” — he meets the challenge head on, taking the lead as the DeLeo brothers, drummer Eric Kretz, and a team of guests provides lush backing with a string section, guitarron, saxophone, and even a marxophone at various points throughout.

The lyrics reflect the impermanence of life, with phrases such as ‘someday soon, will all be gone’. Musically, the song is melancholic, with a slow tempo and minor key, combining acoustic and electric guitars with a subtle string accompaniment.

“Perdida” marked a complete stylistic departure for the band, being entirely acoustic and showcasing a more folk and country-influenced sound. The album title means “lost” in Spanish, and the songs explore themes of loss and reflection. Produced by the band themselves, “Perdida” was recorded at Homey Airport Studios in California. The track demonstrates STP’s continued evolution and willingness to experiment with different musical styles over three decades into their career.

Stone Temple Pilots bare their souls and take the first steps toward moving on into a new era. Even though it’s focused on loss — in life and in love — “Perdida” ends up feeling like a rebirth, losing the past to make way for the future. Like the barren tree on the album cover, life eventually blooms again in time.

Studio albums

• Core (1992)
• Purple (1994)
• Tiny Music… Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop (1996)
• No. 4 (1999)
• Shangri-La Dee Da (2001)
• Stone Temple Pilots (2010)
• Stone Temple Pilots (2018)
• Perdida (2020)