Stone Temple Pilots: The Beginning
Singer Scott Weiland and bass player Robert DeLeo turned what could have been an awkward situation (dating the same woman) into an opportunity to devise a band. The resulting band was called Mighty Joe Young. The band was forced to change names after legal problems and began a career playing in strip clubs to get away from the Los Angeles scene. After pressure from labels Stone Temple Pilots changed their name from an explicit title to Stone Temple Pilots. The Stone Temple Pilots were labeled Grunge, a genre that STP never embraced themselves. Scott Weiland’s versatile voice gave the band a great range of styles to run through such as blues and classic rock.
Stone Temple Pilots: Core Album
The Stone Temple Pilots released their first album Core in 1992. Like many bands of the Grunge era, the Stone Temple Pilots found immediate gold with their debut album. The bluesy “Plush” would garner much critical acclaim and become a signature song. “Plush” would be a No.1 single, and its dark lyrics powered by Scott Weiland’s soaring vocals gave the Stone Temple Pilots their trademark sound. An acoustic version would also become popular and “Plush” won a Grammy.
Singles “Creep,” “Sex Type Thing,” and “Wicked Garden” made the Stone Temple Pilots radio staples for not only 1992-93 but for years to come. The Stone Temple Pilots gained more fans with a tour supporting Rage Against the Machine and also tapped into a slightly older crowd with a long tour supporting Megadeth. With a collection of hits, music videos, and tours, Stone Temple Pilot’s album Core went eight-times platinum and it was then that Stone Temple Pilots had arrived.
Stone Temple Pilots: Purple Album
The Stone Temple Pilots were awarded the music video slot for the soundtrack to The Crow. The choice song was “Big Empty” another signature song that also had a slow bluesy feel. The Crow soundtrack has been regarded as possibly the best movie soundtrack of all time and united the Stone Temple Pilots with such bands as Nine Inch Nails, Pantera, Rage Against the Machine, and My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult.
The Stone Temple Pilot’s second album Purple was released in 1994. With “Big Empty” already bringing in fans, Purple debuted No.1 and would eventually go platinum six times. “Interstate Love Song” was a No.1 single as was “Vasoline.” As the popularity of Stone Temple Pilots reached new heights, Scott Weiland was deep in a battle with drugs and legal problems. Both would be a recurring theme in Stone Temple Pilots’ history.
Stone Temple Pilots: Troubles
After inter-band turmoil and the legal problems facing Scott Weiland, Stone Temple Pilots reunited for the album Tiny Music… Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop. The strength of three No.1 singles “Big Bang Baby,” “Lady Picture Show,” and “Trippin’ on a Hole in a Paper Heart” was not fully capitalized on by the Stone Temple Pilots thanks to Scott Weiland’s drug problems hampering touring activities. Even with no real tour, Tiny Music… Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop still went double platinum.
After a long hiatus, Stone Temple Pilots entered the studio with the album No. 4 being the result in 1999. No.4 was heavily influenced by Scott Weiland’s drug addiction and the songs reflected it. “Down” was a good charting single, but “Sour Girl” was the hit of the album with a critically acclaimed music video. No.4 went platinum but again the Stone Temple Pilots were not able to tour thanks to Scott Weiland’s problems.
The Shangri-La Dee Da album was released in 2001 and contained the radio hit “Days of the Week” and the album eventually went gold. But after even more band problems, Stone Temple Pilots broke up. A greatest hits album Thank You was released and Stone Temple Pilots seemed to be done. Scott Weiland went on to find multi-platinum success with former members of Guns-n-Roses in the band Velvet Revolver. The critical and commercial power of Velvet Revolver made a Stone Temple Pilots reunion seem impossible.
Stone Temple Pilots: Reunion
Scott Weiland eventually had a falling out with Velvet Revolver and left the band. At the same time “Plush” gained Stone Temple Pilots more fans thanks to its appearance in the hit video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. More Stone Temple Pilots songs found themselves on other successful video games such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band. With growing interest and availability, the Stone Temple Pilots eyed a reunion and subsequent tour.
After announcing their reunion, Stone Temple Pilots have kept busy with a few small shows and appearances on TV. Once the kinks of the long layoff were shaken off, Stone Temple Pilots began planning a tour. The reunion of Stone Temple Pilots has been a dream of music fans that cut their teeth on Alternative Rock and hits like “Big Empty” and “Plush.” But Stone Temple Pilots tickets are not just for members of Generation-X. Fans of all genres can appreciate the powerful music and complex lyrics of the Stone Temple Pilots.
Stone Temple Pilots: Greatest Hits
| Event | Date/Time | |
|---|---|---|
| KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas | Sat, Dec. 13, 2008 4:00 PM |  |
| Stone Temple Pilots | Wed, Dec. 31, 2008 8:30 PM | |
| Stone Temple Pilots | Fri, Jan. 2, 2009 7:00 PM | |
| Stone Temple Pilots | Sat, Jan. 3, 2009 7:00 PM | |
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