Stone Temple Pilots: An Appreciation

Underrated and at times disrespected, Stone Temple Pilots produced some of the most enduring music of the grunge era. It was hard for STP to compete with the Seattle quartet of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains. But they did, and their first three albums are among the best work of the '90s. 

Core: Released in 1992, it contains two of the band's biggest hits, "Plush" (watch below) and "Creep," plus "Sex Type Thing," "Wicked Garden" (watch below) and "Crackerman." The album hit No. 3.

Purple: Released in 1994, it contains two more hits, "Vasoline" and "Interstate Love Song" (watch both below). The album reached No. 1.

Tiny Music… Songs form the Vatican Gift Shop: Released in 1996, it contains lesser hits like "Big Bang Baby" and "Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart" (watch below). The album hit No. 4.

Scott Weiland, who passed away last night in Bloomington, MN (he was found dead in his tour bus), was arrested for heroin and cocaine in 1995. This eventually led to the decline of the band and their eventual breakup in 2002.

But the music of Stone Temple Pilots - dense and melodic, warm and psychedelic - lives on, even now that Weiland and his raspy voice are gone.

Steve Bloom

Steve Bloom

Publisher of CelebStoner.com, former editor of High Times and Freedom Leaf and co-author of Pot Culture and Reefer Movie Madness.