Stone Temple Pilots
Stone Temple Pilots | |
|---|---|
| File:Stonetemplepilots.jpeg | |
| Background information | |
| Years active | 1990 – 2004 |
| Members | Scott Weiland (vocals) Robert DeLeo (bass guitar/vocals) Dean DeLeo (guitar) Eric Kretz (drums) |
Stone Temple Pilots (abbreviated STP) were a popular hard rock/alternative rock band formed in 1990, after Scott Weiland and Robert DeLeo met at a Black Flag concert in Long Beach, California and discovered that they were dating the same woman. They got to know each other, rather than fight over the woman, who eventually fled to Texas; the two moved into her old San Diego apartment and started playing together. Robert got his brother Dean DeLeo to join their jamming sessions and also found Eric Kretz, who was then with another band, to play drums.
In 1990, going by the name Mighty Joe Young, they played at Whisky in Los Angeles, California. In 1992, Don Mullen, a booking agent for Triad Artists, saw them perform and led them to Atlantic Records. On April 1, 1992, they signed a contract and began recording tracks with Brendan O'Brien. During the recording, STP's lawyer called and told them there was a blues musician who had already claimed the name Mighty Joe Young. They changed the band's name to Shirley Temple Pussy after seeing the STP Motor Oil Company logo, but ended up changing it because of pressure from the record label. Wanting to keep the band's initials, they came up with Stone Temple Pilots. In September 1992, they released their first album, Core, including the hit songs "Plush", "Creep", "Wicked Garden", and "Sex Type Thing". The critics initially disregarded the group, writing them off as a derivative of grunge bands such as Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains. After the "Plush" video appeared on MTV, showing the band through a distorted lens, many supposed Scott Weiland and Pearl Jam lead singer Eddie Vedder were the same person. The still long-haired Vedder reported receiving messages complimenting him on his new short, red hairdo.
In 1994, STP released their second album, Purple, which debuted at No. 1 and stayed there for three weeks. 1995 saw the band take a turn in the wrong direction, when Scott Weiland got involved with a side music project, Magnificent Bastards, and with heroin. In May 1995, Weiland was arrested for possession of rock cocaine and heroin. Weiland was given one year's probation and during this time the group recorded their next album Tiny Music... Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop. Although this CD got better reviews than their previous albums, it failed to generate as many sales. Still not having kicked his drug habit, Weiland was ordered by a judge to go into a drug rehabilitation program. Weiland had left the program at Impact House, without notice, but returned the next day. In October of that year, suggestive pictures of Weiland and Courtney Love surfaced and, luckily for Weiland, Hustler publisher Larry Flynt refused to publish the pictures. On November 4th of that year, Weiland was released from the rehab program and STP began touring again in Los Angeles, but again, Weiland went back in rehab, starting rumours that the band was breaking up, which turned out to be untrue.
In September 1997, while STP was on hiatus, Weiland released a solo album, Twelve 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.
STP soon reunited, releasing No. 4 in 1999. Shortly after its completion, Weiland was sentenced to a year in a Los Angeles county jail for violating probation.
During the summer of 2001, STP released Shangri-La Dee Da.
On November 11, 2003, STP released a CD/DVD entitled Thank You, a greatest hits album.
Meanwhile, since that year, Scott Weiland has formed the hard rock/heavy metal band Velvet Revolver with former members of Guns N' Roses, plus Dave Kushner.
Band members (and brothers) Robert DeLeo and Dean DeLeo recently announced the formation of a new band "Army of Anyone" led by Filter frontman Richard Patrick.
Eric Kretz currently plays drums in the band Spiralarms.
Discography
Albums
| Date of Release | Title | Label | US Peak Chart Positions | US Sales |
| September 29,1992 | Core | Atlantic | #3 | 8,000,000 |
| June 7,1994 | Purple | Atlantic | #1 | 6,000,000 |
| March 5,1996 | Tiny Music... Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop | Atlantic | #4 | 2,000,000 |
| October 26,1999 | No.4 | Atlantic | #6 | 1,000,000+ |
| June 19,2001 | Shangri -- La Dee Da | Atlantic | #9 | 500,000 |
| November 11,2003 | Thank You | Atlantic | #26 |
Singles
| Year | Song | US Hot 100 | US Modern Rock | U.S. Main- stream Rock | UK singles | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | "Sex Type Thing" | #23 | Core | |||
| 1993 | "Plush" | #9 | #1 | #23 | Core | |
| 1993 | "Wicked Garden" | #21 | #11 | Core | ||
| 1993 | "Creep" | #12 | #2 | Core | ||
| 1993 | "Sin" | Core | ||||
| 1994 | "Crackerman" | Core | ||||
| 1994 | "Big Empty" | #7 | #3 | Purple | ||
| 1994 | "Vaseline" | #2 | #1 | Purple | ||
| 1994 | "Interstate Love Song" | #2 | #1 | Purple | ||
| 1995 | "Unglued" | #16 | #8 | Purple | ||
| 1995 | "Dancing Days" | #11 | #3 | |||
| 1996 | "Big Bang Baby" | #2 | #1 | Tiny Music... | ||
| 1996 | "Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart" | #3 | #1 | Tiny Music... | ||
| 1996 | "Lady Picture Show" | #6 | #1 | Tiny Music... | ||
| 1996 | "Pretty Penny" | #12 | Tiny Music... | |||
| 1996 | "Adhesive" | 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 | "No Way Out" | #24 | #17 | No. 4 | ||
| 2000 | "Heaven and Hot Rods" | #30 | #17 | No. 4 | ||
| 2001 | "Days of the Week" | #5 | #4 | Shangri-La Dee Da | ||
| 2001 | "Hollywood Bitch" | #29 | #25 | Shangri-La Dee Da | ||
| 2003 | "All in the Suit That You Wear" | #19 | #5 | Thank You |
Awards / Nominations
- 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
- Nominated:1994 | MTV Video Music Award for Best Editing (Vaseline)
- 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")
See also
References
- Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Stone Temple Pilots". All Music Guide. Retrieved June 13, 2005.