Stone Temple Pilots Album: “Core”

Description :

Stone Temple Pilots: Weiland (vocals); Dean DeLeo (guitar); Robert DeLeo (bass); Eric Kretz (drums). <p>Recorded at Rumbo Recorders, Los Angeles. <p>"Plush" won the 1994 Grammy Award for "Best Hard Rock Performance With Vocal." <p>The group that put San Diego on the musical map, Stone Temple Pilots released their debut album with no fanfare, and caught the public's eye only after touring for a year. CORE's sound--relentlessly pounding guitars, a heavy bottom and a singer whose vocal style bled with some unseen pain--played perfectly into the swell of grunge that had been building up in the mainstream for two years before its release. Topically, CORE went beyond the the usual sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll fare associated with hard rock. The drill instructor intro that singer Weiland chants off at the beginning of "Dead & Bloated" is a disgusted swipe at the rivers of apathy coursing through America. The enigmatic singer often donned a dress on stage to drive home the point of the anti-rape song "Sex Type Thing." <p>Guitarist Dean DeLeo's playing grinds and swirls, pulling the listener to and fro on a crunchy carpet of distortion. Brother Robert's bass rumbles and pops thunderously, as drummer Eric Kretz matches him with unbridled ferocity. STP click spectacularly on the consecutive tandem of "Sin" and "Naked Sunday," taking on the political hot-button of religion. "Sin" addresses the danger of blind piety that leaves no room for compassion, while "Naked Sunday" deals with the quest for God and the uncertainty of such spiritual pursuits. Pretty heavy stuff for a group that should be more concerned with living the stereotypical rock 'n' roll lifestyle.

Personally, although Stone Temple Pilots are my favorite band, I still think others should be able to appreciate the underlying angst and heavy guitar rhythms, as well as the passion and strain that can be detected in singer Scott Weiland's voice as he croons through the album. Songs such as Dead and Bloated, Sex Type Thing, Wicked Garden, Creep, and the epic Plush helped to define early 90's rock and roll/grunge/alternative, as well as setting the tone for later artists such as Bush, Godsmack, etc. Call them unoriginal, call them copycats, call them whatever you want, but Stone Temple Pilots always have a new style or a new variation on an old style that keeps you guessing. I give core an A-plus as a musician and as a music lover. This album is especially revered by those who like the heavy grunge sound of the early 90's, as it is very evident. The melancholy 'creep' invokes a sense of desperation, of a man driven out of his mind and into the arms of a woman who doesn't love him. Sex Type Thing, though controversial, is about the evils of date rape, not the benefits of it as was common belief when the song was released. Plush, by far the most masterful of the recordings, will make the price of the cd worth it by its own merit alone.

Brimming with energy, inspiration, and dark pathos, Core is a masterpiece from the era that spawned it. Not only does the album have a unifying feel to it, the songs stand out on their own as utterly listenable and enjoyable.

Sex Type Thing, Plush, Wicked Garden, Dead and Bloated.... the number of stellar tracks on this CD is staggering.

Scott Weiland and his band have created an album that is replayable, engaging, and definetely one of the best albums of the 90s. There's some filler in the later half, but it's surrounded by such amazing gems it really doesn't impact the album.

Grade: A-

The fact that this masterpiece is not listed alongside Dark side of the Moon and Led Zeppelin 4 as one of the all-time classic albums makes me want to bash my fist through a wall. In fact, if you were to meld Zeppelin with the Rolling Stones, and throw Hendrix on lead guitar, then multiply the rock created by about a million, you still wouldn't have STP. They were that good. "Crackerman" is an awesome song that will make you involuntarily bang your head, so DO NOT listen to while driving or operating heavy machinery. "Plush" is the hit single from the album, and there is little doubt why. Not only does "Plush" appeal to music scholars across the planet, who appreciate the complexity of the guitars and the emotional depth of the lyrical content, but also the common fan can enjoy the sheer rocktitude of it. In conclusion, on a rock scale of 1 to 10, this album scores a... 23. Anyone who says otherwise is an ignoramus.

Review number 172.As some of us,including myself might assume that STP had come from Seattle,turns out they're actually from San Diego.Hadn't heard this,the band's first CD in awhile.With tunes like "Plush","Dead And Bloated","Naked Sunday" and "Sex Type Thing",intact,the listener(s) know they're in for some prime heavy-duty early '90's grunge.In fact,this whole disc rocks.Line-up:Weiland-vocals,Dean DeLeo-guitar,Robert DeLeo-bass and Eric Kretz-drummer.I believe I saw these guys open for Megadeth on this very tour.What an experience!Recommended.