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Sunday Old School: Stone Temple Pilots

This week, it was sadly confirmed that Scott Weiland, the former vocalist of Stone Temple Pilots and supergroup Velvet Revolver, had passed away at the age of 48. Perhaps the most tragic part of this news was that not too many people were surprised, given his long history of drug abuse. In spite of this, he was always respected for his outstanding vocal talents and unique stage presence that inspired dancing even during the heaviest songs he performed. This is the story of how he, the DeLeo brothers and drummer Eric Kretz made their name as one of the most popular bands in rock music, Stone Temple Pilots.

The story of how the group started is one that’s been debated. Most accounts claim that Scott Weiland met bassist Robert DeLeo at a Black Flag show, where they discussed their girlfriends and realised that they were dating the same girl, though in his autobiography, Weiland claims that he and his two friends, guitarist Corey Hicock and drummer David Allin had been chasing up DeLeo after seeing him perform with a band named Soi Disant. After convincing him to join them, the wrote for a few years before Allin left and was replaced by Eric Kretz, who the group had seen perform in Long Beach and not long after, Hicock also quit, with his place eventually being taken by Robert’s brother, Dean. The guitarist insisted that if he joined, the band would have to lose their name, Swing and so they settled on Mighty Joe Young, taken from the 1949 movie of the same name.

After recording a demo, the band continued to perform around California, building up a fan base in San Diego in particular. Their popularity led them to sign with major label Atlantic Records, in a time when record companies were snapping as many grunge and alternative rock/metal bands as they could. While recording their debut album, the band were contacted by a lawyer representing a blues artist named Mighty Joe Young who claimed he had trademarked the name and so, inspired the STP motor oil stickers they’d collected as children, they decided to use those initials, banding around such names as Shirley Temple’s Pussy, but eventually settling on Stone Temple Pilots.

The resulting album, "Core," with its name derived from the apple in the story of Adam and Eve, became a huge success, eventually reaching 8x Platinum in the Unites States and peaking at the number three spot on the Billboard Charts, as well as producing several hits such as "Sex Type Thing" and "Plush," which became staples of MTV, in addition to including a number of fan and live favourites such as "Dead and Bloated" and "Crackerman." Despite the success, critics were very harsh on the band, describing them of being Pearl Jam rip offs amongst other accusations.

Despite the critical backlash, Stone Temple Pilots went from strength to strength, touring with the likes of Megadeth and Rage Against the Machine, showing off Weiland’s vocal talents in an acoustic performance of "Plush," taking part in the famous MTV Unplugged series, during which they debuted the song, "Big Empty," which would go on to be heard in and featured on the soundtrack to the hit movie, "The Crow," and winning a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance with "Plush." The band then got to work on a second album, which was released in 1994 under the title, "Purple." The record debuted at the top of the Billboard Album Charts and featured more hits and fan favourites, including "Interstate Love Song," "Vasoline" and the outstanding, "Army Ants" amongst others and going on to sell over six million copies.

Unfortunately, it was around this time that Weiland’s run ins with the law as a result of drug abuse started to emerge, though the band were still able to go back to the studio and record a third album. The result, "Tiny Music... Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop," surprised many, taking the music into more of a glam direction and polarising critics, evidenced by a positive review from Rolling Stone, who had previously taken every opportunity to slate the band. It sold over two million copies however and again, featured some successful singles in "Big Bang Baby," "Trippin’ on a Hole in a Paper Heart" and "Lady Picture Show," all of which topped the Billboard Rock Chart. To help promote the album, the band were booked to support KISS on their reunion tour, but unfortunately had to drop off the trek because of the problems Weiland was having with substance abuse and his erratic behaviour, which also caused them to cancel tour dates of their own.

Following the troubles, STP decided to take a break, with Weiland recording a solo album entitled, "12 Bar Blues" while the other members joined forces with Ten Inch Men singer Dave Coutts to form a group named Talk Show, who released one self-titled album before breaking up. In 1998, the four members of Stone Temple Pilots reconvened and got to work on a new album, which was released in 1999 under the forgetful title, "No. 4." It was considered by critics and fans to be a rawer affair than "Tiny Music..." displaying a stripped down sound which was much heavier and darker than its predecessor. Though the dream like, "Sour Girl," complete with bizarre video featuring Buffy the Vampire Slayer star, Sarah Michelle Gellar, became one of their biggest hits, it was considered to be their most metal album to date, eventually going Platinum and being promoted by a tour with the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Though they faced delays because of Weiland’s drug habit, they were eventually able to record a fifth album, "Shangri-La Dee Da." It was easily the weakest performing album from the band, not helped by the limited support offered by the label, including refusing their idea of releasing a double album and was perhaps most notable for the minor hit, "Days of the Week," with "Hollywood Bitch" also scraping into the rock charts. It was a much lighter affair than "No. 4," exploring psychedelic music a lot further and to promote the album, the band were booked to play the Family Values tour along with Linkin Park and Godsmack amongst others.

Success was proving a little thin however and though there were reports that they were working on a new album, Stone Temple Pilots would only contribute the song, "All in the Suit That You Wear" to the Spider-Man soundtrack before calling it a day, reportedly as a result of a scuffle between Weiland and Dean DeLeo after a show. The DeLeo brothers went on to form a new band called Army of Anyone, while Kretz focused most of his attention on his studio, but it was Weiland who would have the most success after being invited by former Guns N Roses members Slash, Duff McKagen and Matt Sorum to take part in their new band, Velvet Revolver, along with former Wasted Youth guitarist, Dave Kushner. The band recorded two very successful albums, "Contraband" and "Libertad" before Weiland was fired for his behaviour, with the group reportedly looking for a replacement ever since.

Only a month after Weiland’s departure from Velvet Revolver, Stone Temple Pilots announced their reunion, with several high profile festival shows booked and plans to record a new album. After some shows and allowing Weiland the time to record a second solo album, "’Happy’ in Galoshes," the quartet entered the studio to record their self-titled sixth album, which hit the shelves in 2010, peaking at the number two spot on the Billboard Charts. It received mixed but generally positive feedback, with many critics comparing the record to those of the Beatles’ and the success allowed the band to tour South East Asia for the first time, as well as releasing their first live DVD, "Alive in the Windy City."

However, reports of tensions within the band soon flared up again, after a disagreement as to whether or not Weiland was capable of performing the "Core" album its entirety on a twentieth anniversary tour, leading him to anger his band mates by claiming he would perform it on a solo tour instead. Rumours began to circulate even further when Weiland states he was open to returning to Velvet Revolver, though Slash ruled it out and claimed that he’d heard the singer had been fired from Stone Temple Pilots. Two months after this, in February 2013, the band officially confirmed that Weiland had been fired from the group, leading to the now traditional lawsuit, which was settled out of court with the singing being unable to gain the rights to using the Stone Temple Pilots name.

While Weiland attempted to further his solo career and took part in a number of other projects, Stone Temple Pilots continued with Linkin Park vocalist Chester Bennington taking over the singing position, touring and releasing one EP with STP, "High Rise," before departing on friendly terms to focus on Linkin Park last month. People wondered soon after if the door would be open for Weiland to return, but tragically, this was not to be, as on December 3rd, just before he was about to perform a set with The Wildabouts, the singer was found dead on the tour bus. Cocaine was found in the area he had passed away in and the band’s bassist Tommy Black being arrested for possession of the drug two days after, following a search by the police. One would imagine that this could be the end of Stone Temple Pilots, but then again, it’s perhaps too early to speculate, as they are still dealing with such a sad event, but their legacy as one of the biggest bands in rock in the nineties will live on forever. The four experienced tremendous highs and devastating lows, though one high would prove to cause the most worst low of all.

Stone Temple Pilots - "Dead and Bloated"

Stone Temple Pilots - "Sex Type Thing"

Stone Temple Pilots - "Crackerman"

Stone Temple Pilots - "Army Ants"

Stone Temple Pilots - "Big Empty"

Stone Temple Pilots - "Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart"

Stone Temple Pilots - "Big Bang Baby"

Stone Temple Pilots - "Down"

Stone Temple Pilots - "Sour Girl"

Stone Temple Pilots - "Days of the Week"

Stone Temple Pilots - "Between the Lines"