Biography by Stephen Thomas
Erlewine
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 footageContent provided All Music Guide. Copyright 2008
All Media Guide, LLC.
