Stone Temple Pilots

SINCE the release of their debut album, Core, in 1993, it's been one thing after another for the members of Stone Temple Pilots. Blasted early on as little more than a Pearl Jam clone, S.T.P. eventually shed that label only to be blitzed by bigger problems involving their frontman, Scott Weiland. In 1996 alone, tour dates were canceled, dirty pictures surfaced, and Weiland bounced in and out of drug rehab more frequently than Robert Downey, Jr. Yet, even in the wake of Weiland's struggles, the band continues to gain critical respect. The questions surrounding S.T.P. these days are no longer in the vein of "Who are they ripping off?" or "Are they actually talented?", but fall closer to the classic: "Will their quick rise to fame ultimately destroy them?"

It was only natural that a band would come out of the first encounter between Weiland and bassist Robert DeLeo. What else can you do when you bump into a guy at a Black Flag concert in Long Beach, and discover that you're both dating the same woman? Rather than knocking heads, they started jamming together, and when the femme fatale moved to Texas, the pair moved into her apartment. Weiland was a West Coast post-punker, DeLeo an East Coast classic rocker, and together they forged a grungy hard-rock sound akin to what was already gaining popularity in the Pacific Northwest. Drummer Eric Kretz was coaxed out of another band, but the trio still lacked a guitarist. In sheer desperation, DeLeo lured his brother Dean out from New Jersey for a demo session, and although he had vowed never to live on the left coast, the climate and a new girlfriend agreed with him, and soon Dean was calling San Diego home. The rest of the band followed him south, because they believed that record labels were only interested in L.A. bands that sounded like somebody else.

Going by the name Mighty Joe Young, the future S.T.P.-ers played their first gig at the Whisky in L.A. in 1990, and two years later, Don Mullen, a booking agent for Triad Artists, caught their act and led them to Atlantic Records. On April Fools' Day of 1992, they signed to the label, and before long found themselves in the studio, laying down tracks for their first record, with producer Brendan O'Brien. In the midst of recording, their lawyer called and let them know that an elderly bluesman had already claimed Mighty Joe Young as his moniker, and after some brainstorming, the S.T.P. Motor Oil logo provided the inspiration and the acronym for the band's new name, which, incidentally, doesn't mean a thing. Core, their first album, was released in September of 1992, and included the hit singles "Sex Type Thing" and "Plush." Although critics compared them to Pearl Jam mercilessly, the album climbed the charts, and has since sold over six million copies.

The following year saw Stone Temple Pilots join Megadeth's European tour and served up a chance for the band to open for Aerosmith. Most bands would have jumped at the opportunity, but S.T.P. decided smaller venues were still their scene, turning down Aerosmith to share a tour bus with the Butthole Surfers on the Bar-B-Que Mitzva Tour. In 1994, the band released its second record, Purple, which landed on the charts at No. 1, and held off all challengers for three weeks. There was still plenty of Eddie Vedder-wannabe criticism leveled at Weiland, but the number of detractors had decreased.

In 1995, Scott Weiland began publicly experimenting with two side projects--the first was the splinter group the Magnificent Bastards, and the second, unfortunately for his fans and bandmates, was an addiction to heroin. In May of 1995, he was busted for buying rock cocaine, and when searched, the cops came away with more coke and some smack. He was given a year's probation, during which time the band managed to record its latest album, Tiny Music . . . Songs From the Vatican Giftshop, which was released in April of 1996. While it has not sold as well as its predecessors, Tiny Music earned the band its finest reviews ever.

Things were looking up, to be sure, but it turned out Weiland hadn't kicked his habit, and on the eve of the band's summer tour, a judge ordered him into rehab for a period of four to six months. Weiland had let down his fans and his band, but that still wasn't enough to compel him to straighten out his act. He made headlines again by disappearing from the treatment center Impact House in the middle of his stint, returning voluntarily the next day. To top it all off, just before his release in October, some, well, suggestive photos of Weiland and Courtney Love surfaced, a potentially embarrassing problem that was taken care of by Hustler publisher Larry Flynt, who refused to publish the images.

Finally, the kind folks at Impact House opened the doors and let Weiland out, and Stone Temple Pilot's fans rejoiced as the band took to the road November 4 in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, before the end of the year, Weiland was back on the Impact House doorstep, which forced the band to cancel more shows and disappoint their fans once again. S.T.P.'s manager has squelched rumors of an impending breakup by stating that Weiland hasn't been fired, and with the singer out of rehab again in early 1997, another concert tour is planned to start in April. Suffice it to say that despite that good news, the band's future depends on Weiland's mental and physical health.

Stone Temple Pilots were able to make alternative rock into stadium rock; naturally, they became the most critically despised band of their era. Accused by many critics of being nothing more than rip-off artists, pilfering from Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains, the band nevertheless became major stars in 1993. And the influences of those bands are apparent in their music, but Stone Temple Pilots do manage to change things around a bit. STP are more concerned with tight song structure and riffs than punk rage. Their closest antecedents are not the Sex Pistols or Hüsker Dü; instead the band resembles arena rock acts from the '70s -- it's popular hard rock that sounds good on the radio and in concert. No matter what the critics might say, Stone Temple Pilots have undeniably catchy riffs and production; there's a reason why over three million people bought their debut album, Core, and why their second album, Purple, shot to number one when it was released.

Following the success of Purple and its accompanying tour, the band took some time off, during which the group's lead singer, Scott Weiland, developed a heroin addiction. In the spring of 1995, he was arrested for possession of heroin and cocaine, and was sentenced to a rehabilitation program. Following his completion of the program, Stone Temple Pilots recorded their third album. Released in the spring of 1996, Tiny Music...Songs From the Vatican Gift Shop, entered the charts at number four. Shortly after its release, Stone Temple Pilots announced that Weiland had relapsed and entered a drug rehabilitation facility, thereby canceling the group's plans for a summer tour. Weiland's drug problems and the group's inability to support Tiny Music with a tour meant that the album couldn't replicate the success of its predecessors -- by the end of the summer, it had fallen out the Top 50 and had stalled at platinum, which was considerably less than what the group's two previous albums achieved.

Still battling his personal demons, Weiland recorded a 1998 solo album, 12 Bar Blues, while the remaining members of STP recruited vocalist Dave Coutts to record a self-titled LP under the name Talk Show. To the surprise of many onlookers, Stone Temple Pilots then reunited, although shortly after completing 1999's No. 4 Weiland was sentenced to a year in a Los Angeles county jail for violating his probation stemming from an earlier conviction for heroin possession. A newly rejuvenated Stone Temple Pilots and a sober Weiland emerged stronger than ever during the new millennium. The band got back to basics on Shangri-La Dee Da, released in summer 2001. Two years later, STP issued the ambitious greatest-hits package Thank You. The audio-only edition featured 15 tracks -- 13 hits spanning the group's entire career, an acoustic version of "Plush" dating from 1992, and the new track "All in the Suit That You Wear." Thank You also appeared in a CD/DVD format that included three hours of videos, live performances, and behind-the-scenes footage. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide