Disco de Stone Temple Pilots: “Tiny Music...Songs From the Vatican Gift Shop”

Tiny Music...Songs From The Vatican Gift Shop (1996.), the Stone Temple Pilots' third studio album

The 1990's was an age of great success for alternative rock bands. The Stone Temple Pilots were one band which had such success and achieved great fame with their first two releases, 1992's 'Core' and 1994's 'Purple'. Both albums, with pretty much a grunge styled angle to them sold phenominally well. No doubt about it, early on the band did a lot of borrowing from their peers, such as Pearl Jam but the band ultimately found their sound with their masterpiece 'Purple'. However, like many a band before them and after them, following up a legendary album is no easy task, to put it lightly. So, when 1996 rolled around, so came STP's newly anticipated release. So what did it have in store for the fans?

'Tiny Music' without doubt shows a much more developed band putting out some pretty diverse music. Even though this is not my favourite STP album, as that honour will always go to 'Purple', it is definitely a creative peak for the band. STP, with 'Tiny Music' finally assured the world they were no one album wonders and could develop like other great bands. They also were able to totally shake off the 'grunge copycat' tag fully with this album - afterall, just look at the difference between STP and Pearl Jam's music in 1996. Like other reviewers have pointed out too, PJ's 1996 masterpiece 'No Code' is a mile away from 'Tiny Music'. Both are diverse efforts but show two bands who once sounded similar moving in completely different directions. STP try out all sorts of different styles in this 12 track outing. The work comes fully equipped with rocking tunes, country styled instumentals, bossanovas and even a bit of jazz fusion! Some songs work better than others but there are no poor tracks on this work; it's great. In fact, my only real complaint, a similar one I have of which with the band's next album 'No.4', is that there isn't enough of this great music. At 41 minutes the albums run time does fall on the short side. However, these complaints aside, you have to give the band enormous credit for breaking their original mold and developing. Individually, the 4 members are playing on top form. Scott Weiland gives plenty of moody but energetic performances, showing his development as a vocalist and the deLeo brothers faultlessly tackle different guitar/bass styles on the work. 'Tiny Music' is an album full of surprises; I just wish it had the god damn tracklisting printed on the CD back (a problem found also with 'Purple').

So, what about the 12 songs on this album? 'Press Play' is a clever and interesting start. The opener is a 1 minute fade in of sorts, with a quirky, funky synthesizer part driving the song. It sounds more like a song you'd hear being played in a hotel reception! Next though, the album full begins to mean business with 'Pop's Love Suicide'. This a catchy rock song with the classic STP riff sound to it. Similarly, 'Tumble In The Rough' keeps the album rocking. A stunted guitar start builds into another song with a catchy riff to it; more good vocals from Weiland on this one. 'Big Bang Baby' was the big hit off the album and it's not hard to see why. It's catchy rolling riff with 'Nothing for free' chorus makes this one a winner. Scott Weiland's gravelly vocals coupled with some almost glam styled guitar work are a great combination on this song. Things then slow down for the more balladic 'Lady Picture Show' where Weiland gives a more controlled vocal performance over some great riffs and funky chorus. Then, 'And So I Know' follows. A refreshingly surprising track - the song has an almost jazzy/bossanova beat. It's a great song and is awesome to relax to with it's gentle and light feel.

'Tripping On A Hole' then picks up the pace of the album again. Snarling guitars, call and response vocals and another catchy chorus makes this song a solid effort. Then follows for me what is the best track on the album in 'Art School Girl'. A great guitar riff with a cool beat and bassline gives the song a superb start. The sudden turn of aggression in the choruses of the song is a clever change. Then, we have the slow but epic 'Adhesive'. Scott Weiland get's reflective and looks at fame on this song. The grand guitar chords and chorus and the jazz saxophone interlude makes this song a real diverse work. 'Ride The Cliche' is a return to more melodic rock and classic STP trademark music. But...just to throw you, a slow country styled instrumental in 'Daisy' follows. Again a great track to chill out to with plenty of slide guitar. 'Seven Caged Tigers' then provides the finishing track to the album and what an awesome closing song it is. More catchy guitar riffs, especially in the chorus and another deep, inspired vocal performance from Weiland feature in this song. The oriental sounding fade out at the end of the track marks an interesting end to an interesting but very well executed album.

STP are no joke. Beyond the attacks they sometimes get for being grunge 'rip offs' in their really early work lies a band which produced more than their fair share of original music during their time. 'Tiny Music...', STP's most diverse work, is proof of this. It's just a shame that this is perhaps the band's most underrated work in their catalogue. Any fan of alternative 90's rock should pick up this album or any music fan in general in all truth. This catchy, likable work is full of surprises and shouldn't disappoint.

MY RATING: 8.5/10

In my opinion STP's third career offering is nothing short of a masterpiece. The music is surreal, each chord and note touching your very essence. On this album, despite battling his own personal demons, Scott Weiland, I believe, writes some of his most memorable and thought provoking lyrics, all the while showcasing the many different facets of his awesome voice. No doubt when it's all said and done he will go down as one of the best singers/frontmen that rock has ever known. Kretz and the Brothers DeLeo show once again that they are much more than just a one-dimensional alt. grunge band with songs derivative of Pearl Jam. The band grinds out their most melodic, free spirited tunes on this energetic opus that shouldn't be taken for granted by those who are only used to STP'S "Core" and "Purple" eras. There are some absolute killer little 'ditties' on this gem. "Big Bang Baby", "And So I Know", Trippin' On A Hole in A Paper Heart" are just a few of my favorites. Quite simply,the package as a whole sounds completely fresh and inspired and will no doubt leave the average STP fan happy. Listening to this album only makes me long that these guys were still making kick-a music together, and so, I am keeping my fingers crossed. Army of Anyone and Velvet Revolver rock, but there is just something very special about Scott, Robert, Dean, and Eric working together as unit. Absolutely beautiful.

As a boy growing up in the nineties, grunge was my first real exposure to rock music. My first favorite band was pearl jam and i loved all the major grunge acts and STP was no exception. Through highschool i started listening to classic rock and 60's music and opened up to the indie rock scene. I can say now that ive grown out of the grunge music all together. The likes of Alice in Chains Peal Jam and Soundgarden hold only a couple of tracks on my itunes library. Ive moved on, but one album from that era that I still listen to, and have even gained a greater appriciation for, is Tiny Music. This is the most underrated album of its era. By channeling the sounds of the 60's and seventies, STP was almost a decade afead of their time on this one. If this album had been released in 2002 by anyone else it would be considered a modern classic. But because critics immediately thought cheap non-seattle born grunge johnny-come-lately nock off act everytime they read the words Stone Temple Pilots on a CD cover the ablum is immidiatley panned before it's even heard. Which is too bad cause there's some great stuff on here.

Stone Temple Pilots third album was released in the wake of Scott Weiland's very public arrest for heroin possession.It was quite clear from media reports that he was living on the edge.

Pictures of Weiland in the media showed a zombie-like individual who looked a shadow of the man we had seen on earlier albums.

The first video I saw from this album was 'Big Bang Baby' and it really blew me away.OK, Weiland looked skinny and strange indeed.His voice sounded like it was struggling as well - probably as result of his heroin addiction.However, the song itself was absolutely fantastic and gripping.It was post-grunge mixed with Beatlemania - a fantastic melodic chorus.OK, it was different from the intelligent post-grunge of the 'Purple' era but it was no less compelling.

This album is a mixed bag of styles.There really is something here for everyone.There are the usual reliable Pilots rockers like "Pop's Love Suicide" and "Tumble In The Rough" but there are also nice surprises like 'Daisy' and 'And So I Know'.Both these tracks sound out of place on a Pilots album but you actually start to get the feeling that the Pilots are going off on tangents on purpose to prove their diversity and to dispel the unfair slagging off that they got as being Pearl Jam clones.

I especially love the Beatle-esque "Lady Picture Show" and the knockout chorus of "Big Bang Baby"

The biggest anomaly of this album is the strangeness of Scott Weiland's voice.He sounds nothing like he did on earlier excellent songs like "Plush" or "Interstate Love Song" but his voice has a gripping quality all of it's own now.

All in all this was Pilots' landmark album.It has it's critics but I am not one of them....

This will go down in history as STP's heroin album. Obviously, with Scott Weiland in the band, they all have a certain amount of drug content, but this record is all about fighting a losing battle with demons. The record sounds somehow dryer, lighter, less substantive than Purple and Core, both classics in their own rights. It's because Weiland is barely alive as he sings the songs. The emotional cries on "Trippin...", "Adhesive", and "Seven Caged Tigers" are worth the price of admission by themselves, but the first few songs recall the band's earlier work, causing a striking contrast right around track 5. The reflective 'And So I Know' is the crux of Weiland's resignation, and after that, it's a descent into drug-crazed madness. It's not as easy a listen as Purple, that much is true, but it's all the more effective because of the pain between the lines.