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Stone Temple Pilots
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Stone Temple Pilots | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | ||
| Also known as | STP | |
| Origin | San Diego, California, USA  |
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| Genre(s) | Hard rock Alternative rock Grunge Pop/Rock |
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| Years active | 1990-2002 | |
| Label(s) | Atlantic Records | |
| Associated acts |
Camp Freddy Talk Show Velvet Revolver Army of Anyone |
|
| Website | The Official Website | |
| Members | ||
| Dean DeLeo Robert DeLeo Eric Kretz Scott Weiland |
||
Stone Temple Pilots (abbreviated STP) was a popular Grammy Award-winning American rock band in the 1990s and early 2000s, comprised of Scott Weiland (vocals), brothers Robert (bass) and Dean DeLeo (guitar) and Eric Kretz (drums).
STP's five albums have sold over 17 million copies in the United States alone. The band had fifteen top ten singles on the Billboard rock charts, including six # 1's, and one # 1 album on the pop charts (1994's Purple). STP won the 1994 Grammy for the "Best Hard Rock Performance with Vocal" for their song "Plush". In addition to their original material, they have also covered songs by Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Doors, and The Beatles. These bands were some of the groups cited by the band as its influences.
In 2003, the band released the greatest hits compilation Thank You. Around this time, band members began going their separate ways. Since the band's demise, Weiland has moved on to become the frontman of Velvet Revolver with former members of Guns N' Roses. The DeLeo brothers have recently announced the formation of a new band, Army of Anyone, with Richard Patrick of Filter. Kretz founded Bomb Shelter Studios in Los Angeles.[1]
Contents |
Stone Temple Pilots' beginnings can be traced to a 1987 Black Flag concert in Long Beach, California where Scott Weiland met Robert DeLeo. "It was one of those weird things. You get into a heavy discussion with a total stranger, and you discover that both of you are seeing the same girl." When the girl left town, Weiland and DeLeo moved into her vacated apartment. Immediately, Weiland and DeLeo formed a band, calling it Mighty Joe Young. It combined Weiland's punk rock inclinations and DeLeo's hard rock aspirations. Seeing the band's potential, drummer Eric Kretz joined the band. Soon after, Robert DeLeo's brother, Dean DeLeo, decided to play guitar in the band, completing the quartet. During the recording, they received a call from their lawyer who informed them that there was a blues man who had already claimed the name Mighty Joe Young. They changed the band's name to Shirley Temple's Pussy and performed under this name in San Diego, but then changed the name again due to record label pressure. They liked the initials STP (from the STP Motor Oil Company logo) and eventually settled on the name Stereo Temple Pirates, but just prior to their first record it was suggested to change Stereo to Stone, and Pirates (which sounded imposing) to Pilots, and they became officially the Stone Temple Pilots in 1990.
Stone Temple Pilots built a fan base in San Diego bars in order to steer clear of the Los Angeles corporate music scene and build up their technique and following in the clubs. In 1992, Stone Temple Pilots signed with Atlantic Records. Their first album, Core, was released in September of the same year. Although the album was an instant success producing several big hits like "Sex Type Thing," "Plush," and "Creep," critics condemned Stone Temple Pilots as rip-off artists whose greatest ability lay in copying other grunge bands like Pearl Jam, Nirvana and Alice in Chains.
In spite of the critics, Stone Temple Pilots continued to gain fans. Bringing their music to the people, they toured for four weeks opening for Rage Against the Machine, then played a forty-date tour supporting heavy metal band Megadeth. 1993 brought continued success on the road, with the band headlining a two-and-a-half-month U.S. tour. Two sold-out shows in New York's Roseland Ballroom featured Stone Temple Pilots in full KISS make-up (causing some critic to dismiss the band as glam-rockers), in honor of their childhood heroes. Around this time, Stone Temple Pilots also performed at benefits for pro-choice organizations.
The loyalty of the band's fans and the animosity of its critics came to a head in January 1994 when the band was simultaneously voted Best New Band by Rolling Stone's readers and Worst New Band by the magazine's music critics. The tie was broken the next month, when Stone Temple Pilots won Favorite Pop/Rock New Artist and Heavy Metal/Hard Rock New Artist at the American Music Awards. On March 1, at the Grammy Award ceremonies, "Plush" won the band its first Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance with Vocal.
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 in June. 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 Crow movie). By October, just four months after its release, Purple had sold three million copies. Stone Temple Pilots had achieved across-the-boards popularity.
Although the band's success continued into 1995, it would not be a good year for the band. Two weeks of recording session work had to be scrapped in February, and in May Weiland was arrested for possession of heroin and cocaine in Pasadena, California, when police found the illegal drugs in his wallet. Facing up to three years in prison, Weiland pled not guilty, and a trial date was set the next year.
Following Weiland's arrest, the Pilots separated. Weiland formed a temporary side unit called the Magnificent Bastards, which contributed a song to the movie soundtrack of Tank Girl and a cover song to a John Lennon tribute album. By October 1995, though, the band regrouped with Weiland to begin recording its third album.
STP released their third album, Tiny Music... Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop, in April 1996. Fans again showed their support of the band when the album debuted at number four on the U.S. charts. Critical reception, however, was mostly negative. David Browne of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "None of it ... has a distinct personality." Rolling Stone was surprised at "the clattering, upbeat character of the music" given Weiland's much-publicized run-ins with drugs and the law.
However, Weiland's drug addiction again became a serious obstacle to the band's success. The band was unable to launch a tour to promote the album and even had to cancel previously announced dates. Following the release of Tiny Music, the band issued a statement saying that Weiland "has become unable to rehearse or appear for these shows due to his dependency on drugs. He is currently under a doctor's care in a medical facility."
Weiland's entry into a drug rehabilitation program was not voluntary. In April 1996 he was ordered by a Pasadena judge to spend up to six months under round-the-clock medical supervision. After Weiland completed five months in a drug treatment program, the charges of cocaine and heroin possession were dropped in October 1996. Unfortunately, Weiland's 1996 stay in a rehabilitation center proved useless. In January 1997 he checked himself into another drug treatment center. Once again, a tour was canceled.
Despite their fans' loyalty, the band's patience with Weiland seemed to be coming to an end. Guitar Player Magazine reported in May 1997 that the Stone Temple Pilots would honor their five-album recording contract, but they expected the next album to be recorded without Weiland, with a new sound and a new name.
In September 1997, while Stone Temple Pilots were on hiatus, Weiland released a solo album, 12 Bar Blues, while the remaining members of STP formed the one-time band Talk Show, with former Ten Inch Men singer Dave Coutts. Neither release did well commercially.
Stone Temple Pilots soon reunited, releasing No.4 in 1999. Singles released from the album included "Down" and "No Way Out", but they scored one of their biggest hits since the success of Core and Purple with the single, "Sour Girl". "Sour Girl" was inspired by Weiland's failing relationship with his then wife, and peaked at number three on the Modern Rock Charts. Shortly after its completion, Weiland was sentenced to a year in a Los Angeles county jail for violating probation.
During the summer of 2001, the band released their fifth album, Shangri-La Dee Da, which produced two modest rock radio hits, including "Days of the Week". It would be their last, as it ended their contractual obligations, and the group disbanded after their fall 2002 tour. On November 11, 2003, Atlantic released a greatest hits album, Thank You, with a bonus DVD. The album included a previously unreleased single called "All in the Suit That You Wear". Although the band has not had a platinum record since No.4, their music is still played regularly on American and Canadian rock radio.
The DeLeo brothers' new band, Army of Anyone, released its debut album on November 14th, 2006. It features Ray Luzier, a famed session drummer, and Richard Patrick of the industrial rock band Filter. Weiland formed Velvet Revolver along with former Wasted Youth guitarist Dave Kushner, and former Guns N' Roses members Slash, Matt Sorum, and Duff McKagan. The group is currently working on their sophomore album, expected to be released sometime in early 2007.
In October 2004 "Plush" appeared in the popular video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, playing on Alternative station Radio X. Additionally, the second installment in RedOctane's popular Guitar Hero simulation series, released in November 2006, features "Trippin' On a Hole in a Paper Heart" from the band's Tiny Music album.
In 2006, VH1 posted a Decades Rock Episode dedicated to Scott Weiland and the guests included Velvet Revolver and Stone Temple Pilots. This pointed out a reunion of Stone Temple Pilots. It later turned out that this was all a hoax. Robert DeLeo said he didn't even know about this in an interview.
When asked in a late 2006 interview whether he foresaw Stone Temple Pilots ever getting back together, Scott Weiland cryptically commented, "Every shelf needs two bookends." Robert DeLeo also commented regarding an STP reunion around the same time saying, "I never say never. I don't think there was ever a specific end to Stone Temple Pilots."
| Album information | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
Core
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Singles Released
|
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Purple | Singles Released
|
 |
Tiny Music... Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop | Singles Released
|
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No. 4
|
Singles Released
|
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Shangri-La Dee Da | Singles Released
|
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Thank You
|
Singles Released
|
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Hot 100 | US Modern Rock | US Mainstream Rock | UK singles | |||
| 1992 | "Sex Type Thing" | - | - | #23 | - | Core |
| 1993 | "Wicked Garden" | - | - | #21 | #11 | Core |
| 1993 | "Plush" | #9 | #1 | #23 | Core | |
| 1994 | "Creep" | - | #12 | #2 | - | Core |
| 1994 | "Vasoline" | - | #2 | #1 | #48 | Purple |
| 1994 | "Interstate Love Song" | #2 | #1 | #53 | Purple | |
| 1994 | "Big Empty" | - | #7 | #3 | - | Purple |
| 1995 | "Unglued" | - | #16 | #8 | - | Purple |
| 1995 | "Pretty Penny" | - | - | #12 | - | Purple |
| 1995 | "Dancing Days" | - | #11 | #3 | - | Encomium |
| 1996 | "Trippin' On a Hole in a Paper Heart" | - | #3 | #1 | - | Tiny Music... |
| 1996 | "Lady Picture Show" | - | #6 | #1 | - | Tiny Music... |
| 1996 | "Big Bang Baby" | - | #2 | #1 | - | Tiny Music... |
| 1997 | "Tumble In The Rough" | - | #36 | #9 | - | Tiny Music... |
| 1999 | "Down" | - | #9 | #5 | - | No.4 |
| 2000 | "Sour Girl" | #78 | #3 | #4 | - | No.4 |
| 2000 | "Heaven & Hot Rods" | - | #30 | #17 | - | No.4 |
| 2000 | "No Way Out" | - | #24 | #17 | - | No.4 |
| 2000 | "Break On Through" | - | - | #35 | - | Stoned Immaculate |
| 2001 | "Revolution" | - | - | #30 | - | - |
| 2001 | "Hollywood Bitch" | - | #29 | #25 | - | Shangri-La Dee Da |
| 2001 | "Days of the Week" | - | #5 | #4 | - | Shangri-La Dee Da |
| 2003 | "All in the Suit That You Wear" | - | #19 | #5 | - | Thank You |
- "Sex Type Thing" (1992)
- "Creep"(1993)
- "Plush" (1993)
- "Wicked Garden" (1993)
- "Vasoline" (1994)
- "Interstate Love Song" (1994)
- "Big Bang Baby" (1996)
- "Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart" (1996)
- "Lady Picture Show" (1996)
- "Down" (1999)
- "Sour Girl" (2000)
- "No Way Out" (2000)
- "Days of the Week" (2001)
- Won:1993 | MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist
- Nominated:1993 | MTV Video Music Award for Best Alternative Video (Plush)
- Won:1994 | American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock New Artist
- Won:1994 | Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance (Plush)
- Nominated:1994 | MTV Video Music Award for Best Editing (Vasoline)
- Nominated:1995 | American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group
- Nominated:1995 | American Music Award for Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Artist
- Nominated:1995 | MTV Video Music Award for Best Group Video
- Nominated:1995 | MTV Video Music Award for Best Hard Rock Video (Interstate Love Song)
- Nominated:1995 | MTV Video Music Award for Best Alternative Video (Interstate Love Song)
- Nominated:1995 | MTV Video Music Award for Best Cinematography (Interstate Love Song)
- Nominated:1997 | American Music Award for Favorite Alternative Artist
- Nominated:1997 | American Music Award for Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Artist
- Nominated:1997 | Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance (Trippin' On A Hole In A Paper Heart)
- Nominated:2000 | MTV Video Music Award for Best Cinematography (music video Sour Girl)
- Nominated:2000 | Billboard Music Video Award for Best Modern Rock Clip of the Year (music video Sour Girl)
- Nominated:2001 | Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance ("Down")
- Velvet Revolver
- Army Of Anyone
- List of best-selling music artists
- List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart
- Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Stone Temple Pilots". All Music Guide. Retrieved June 13, 2005.
| Stone Temple Pilots |
| Scott Weiland | Dean DeLeo | Robert DeLeo | Eric Kretz |
| Discography |
|---|
| Studio albums: Core | Purple | Tiny Music... Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop | No. 4 | Shangri-La Dee Da |
| Compilations: Thank You |
| Singles: "Sex Type Thing" | "Wicked Garden" | "Plush" | "Creep" | "Big Empty" | "Vasoline" | "Interstate Love Song" | "Unglued" | "Pretty Penny" | "Dancing Days" | "Big Bang Baby" | "Trippin' On a Hole in a Paper Heart" | "Lady Picture Show" | "Tumble In The Rough" | "Down" | "Sour Girl" | "No Way Out" | "Days of the Week" | "Hollywood Bitch" | "Revolution" | "All In The Suit That You Wear" |
| Related articles |
| Talk Show | Velvet Revolver | Army of Anyone |