Thought this week that I would discuss one of my favorite CDs from the 90s by one of my favorite bands, Stone Temple Pilots.
STP’s CD “Purple” came out in ‘94 and made me a fan for many years to come. Grunge was coming to an end but it was going out on a strong note!
Sure, there was Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Alice In Chains but something about STP really got me going. It had everything; melody, grooves, cool riffs, interesting lyrics and a diversity that I have always loved about the band itself. The fact that Weiland was such a mess at this time in his life yet still able to come up with such great material is a testament to the guys talent.
In ‘94 I had recently moved to the big city from my little hometown and I would go out to the rock clubs to meet other local bands and party and this CD was in rotation everywhere. I had recently joined a cover band called, get this, “Lois Lane” and our singer was this chick that ended up being a finalist on that INXS Rockstar show years later. We would play several tunes from this CD nightly and the crowds would sing along.
One of the high points of “Purple” in my opinion is “Interstate Love Song” with its Zeppelin-ish guitar intro and sweet harmonies that round out the chorus. It has some great chord changes in the verse that were my first exposure to a rock band using “jazz” type voicings. “Vasoline” is a combo of groove meets punk with its ostinato bass/guitar intro and the trippy bridge vocal melody (that ends on a cool #11 for all you musicians!) “Pretty Penny” is updated John Lennon with its acoustic leanings and 6/8 feel and “Unglued” kicked my ass everytime I put it on.
I pretty much killed several CD players by listening to “Purple” so often, and I learned a lot about how to construct a melody that isn’t stock but one that uses interesting note choices and rhythms which I later learned more about when I went to music school but that is a whole other blog.
Anyway, if you have a favorite CD of the 90s, feel free to put your 2 cents in.
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