Rocketdog2000

Here's the thing though, Weiland may have been the focal point of the band, but he was hardly the main creative force. Most of their music was written and performed by the DeLeo brothers - Dean on guitar, and Robert on bass. Robert was particularly the main songwriter of the band, and Dean is perhaps one of the most overlooked guitarists of the last 20 years. Drummer Eric Kretz is no slouch, either. They were the true creative force of the band, writing and playing most all those catchy hooks. So forgive me if I take offense to someone who refers to them as "the three losers".

Trouble was, for all that talent, they still needed someone with the charisma of Scott Weiland to help sell it. And for a long time, everything was good, until the "real" loser of the band couldn't keep his shit together. Honestly, I can't think of an artist who had more going for him (that didn't off himself), who time and again decided to piss it all away. If he could just have stay off the drugs and drink, and keep his head in check, everyone would be better off for it.

Unfortunately, these two entities just seem to be the right magical combination that works the best . Together, they are the porridge that Goldilocks ate, but on their own, or in other projects, it has been fairly well proven that people don't seem to have the same taste for them.

Weiland's two solo albums were ok, but his first was exactly what I was afraid it would be - a mostly over indulgent mess. His second was better, but they still showed that he doesn't have enough creative juice on his own to be truly successful. The albums he did with Velvet Revolver were an improvement, but only further helped illustrate the point that he needed other talented people to filter musical ideas through.

As for the DeLeo brothers and Kretz, the Talk Show album was as good as any STP album in my book. The only thing it could have benefitted better from was if they had perhaps used a more well known singer than Dave Coutts - whose prior band Ten Inch Men didn't exactly draw a lot of notice. They tried to remedy this the second time out with singer Robert Patrick (Filter) and drummer Barrett Martin (Screaming Trees, Mad Season) and the Army Of Anyone project, but it came too many years too late for most to care.

I get that this time out they are obviously keeping the STP name in hopes of better success. With three out of four original members, they certainly have more claim to it, and are deserving of it. But that said, I don't think it'll help them much. At least not at this point in the game. And unfortunately, as much as he also makes the band, there has been no one who has done more to sully the name of Stone Temple Pilots than Scott Weiland.

Oh, and for the record, I thought the last album was pretty damn good.

Troy Stiffler

I love the hell out of "Tiny Music From the Vatican Gift Shop". All of the other stuff feels like something from my childhood (which it is). But Tiny Music is still a good listen anytime. An all around epic album.

mkdevo

Great post. Sorry, but anyone referring to the DeLeo brothers and Kretz as "three losers" seems to not know that much about music and can't possibly be taken seriously.

I watched the KROQ video and was impressed. Chester's voice isn't for everyone, but IMO, he's a pretty damn good fit. Give me the choice between those 2 bands - I would take Chester with the rest of STP in a heartbeat.

Mikael79

I second that.

Guru Askew

Maybe "three losers" was a little harsh but without Weiland they're Talk Show or Army of Anyone. That says it all. You can say all you want about their contributions in the band but the frontman is almost always the main draw and STP isn't even close to being an exception.

Mikael79

The DeLeos and Kretz are professionals, and it says something that you can name the other two bands they've been in. It's not their fault that Weiland can't get his life together. It's easy to be outside of the group and say they should tough it out and stick with him, but you have to remember that this shit has been going on since the early-to-mid 90s.

Why So Blu?

Scott Weiland is playing a solo show at one of the HOB's here at the end of the month and June, I think. It will be interesting to see if he says anything leading up to, during, and after the show(s).

TheKing

The new song sounds alright, but I can't help but put it in the Gary Cherone in Van Halen category.

Van Halen III is not a great album, but it's not awful either. But there was no chance of Cherone's tenure being a success. In this case, there's even less of a chance as Linkin Park is arguably bigger than STP at this point in their careers.

gerrythedon

Stone Temple Pilots Suing Ex-Frontman Scott Weiland

The Stone Temple Pilots accuse former frontman Scott Weiland of misusing the band's name to further his solo career and want a judge to strip the rocker of his ability to use the group's name or songs.

A lawsuit filed Friday in Los Angeles accuses Weiland of being chronically late to concerts while the group was together and having his lawyer attempt to interfere with the airplay of the group's new single "Out of Time."

Weiland and Stone Temple Pilots parted ways in February, and the 45-year-old singer said at the time that he learned of his ouster from a statement released to the media.

The suit sheds light on the band's breakup, accusing Weiland of interacting with band mates only through lawyers or managers and showing up late to the group's 2012 shows. It cites Weiland's addiction struggles and poor performances as detriments to the band's earning potential.

"The band endured much strife and lost significant opportunities because of Weiland," the suit states.

Phone messages left for Weiland's manager Andrea Pett-Joseph and lawyer Gary Stiffelman were not immediately returned Friday.

The lawsuit claims the band owns the rights to the name Stone Temple Pilots, and the band's songs, copyrights and trademarks. Wieland has used many of the band's hits in his solo shows, the lawsuit states. The band wants a judge to block him from even calling himself a former member of the band.

The band has been reconstituted with Chester Bennington of Linkin Park taking the frontman role.

The lawsuit claims that Weiland's lawyer called the head of programming at KROQ, a Los Angeles modern rock station, and said if the station played "Out of Time" it would be infringing on Weiland's rights.

"Enough is enough," the band's lawsuit states. "Without relief from the court, Weiland will continue violating STP's rights, misappropriating STP assets and interfering with the band's livelihood."

The lawsuit states the band entered into agreements in 1996 and 2010 that state that no former members can use the Stone Temple Pilots name.

The band's hits include "Vasoline," ''Interstate Love Song" and "Plush," which won a Grammy in 1993 for best hard rock performance with vocal.

Weiland alluded to lawyers getting involved when the band's statement about his departure was released.


http://www.billboard.com/articles/ne...-scott-weiland

dex14

UAIOE

I never really know how to feel about bands that replace the lead singer. I mean, it worked for Van Halen (Sammy Hagar), but every other instance I've seen it just doesn't feel right (Queen+ _____ INXS, etc..)

I understand the why behind them keeping the STP name, but having Chester doing Scott sung songs borders on cover band territory.

Honestly, I think STP has reached a point where they are appealing mostly to their fan. So I don't see how breaking up and forming a new band would hurt. I mean, if you like STP enough to know they are having these troubles, you're gonna know that they broke up and the other members formed _________ with the dude from Linkin Park.

Spiderbite

Van Halen was only in the public conscious for 7 years when Sammy Hagar joined. Even though they had a couple of classic albums when Sammy joined, they were still relatively new to the public. I think that is why they had a better chance. And it didn't hurt that Eddie was still writing decent music and huge hits at the time.

When bands start replacing the lead singers and they have been around for 10 plus years,have had several classic albums, and the lead singer basically embodied the vision and sound of the band (in the public's mind at least) makes it fail (i.e. Alice In Chains, Queen, Journey, Motley Crue, etc).

arminius

Queen, a band I really did not care for, is the quintessence of this. Farrokh Bulsara was such an integral part of the band in his vocals, writing, showmanship and design that he was not just irreplaceable, there is no Queen without him. He was the core of the group. Not really my place to say but the rest of the guys should have called themselves something other than Queen.

Why So Blu?

Well, in Queen's defense the founding members were also part of the band, not just Freddie, which is why they added the AND ____, with Paul Rodgers and those other guest vocalists.

STP could just do the same "STP and Chester Bennington" or "STP featuring Chester Bennington," etc.

Scott also made a good point that he's never used the STP name while touring solo. It's either been his own name or the name of his solo band.

Rocketdog2000

I agree with some of that, but not all of it is true in Van Halen's case. The band had been around for almost 10 years with David Lee Roth, with six Top 20 albums, five of which were Top 10, and three of which were Top 5 on Billboard's Top 200 Album chart. They'd also had eleven Top 100 singles, including a #1, and had just come off of their best selling album to date when Roth left the band. It was hardly like they were relatively new to the public. One of the reasons Roth went solo in the first place, was beacause he was becoming such a personality in his own right, and he very much embodied the vision and sound of the band. It was a pretty big deal when Sammy Hagar replaced him, and nobody knew if it was going to work.

The only other major band that had switched a lead singer under similar circumstances, and had equal or greater success was AC/DC. They, at least, got cut some slack, as their former lead singer (Bon Scott) had died.

I suppose you could say Genesis, too, after Peter Gabriel left - but at least Phil Collins had already been doing some of the singing on their albums, and was already a member of the band.

Journey is an odd exception, as Steve Perry wasn't their original lead singer, either. Keyboardist Greg Rollie (who had also sung on a number of Santana songs when he and guitarist Neal Schon were members of that band), was the band's original vocalist. Then there was a brief dalliance with singer Robert Fleischman (Channel, Vinnie Vincent Invasion), before Steve Perry was brought into the fold on their fourth album - and even then, Rollie was still handling a fair amount of lead vocals until he left the band. True, though, that the band did achieve their greatest success with Steve Perry.

Generally, though, the main reason a band will stick with a name is for buisness purposes. It's much easier to sell a known entity, than it is to a new, unkown one. Right or wrong, there are plenty of people who will buy an album, or see a concert by a name they know, without even bothering to see if any of the band members have changed. That's at least what the labels are counting on, and many times (but not always) that's what they'll insist on. It can often decide on whether a band will get (or keep) a record deal, or not. With STP, I can almost guarantee that this is at least partially the case, and in all fairness, I can't say I entirely blame them for it.

That said, I think Why So Blu? is onto something that would be more PC, with his suggestion they should refer to themselves as "STP with Chester Bennington".

UAIOE

I feel so stupid for forgetting AC/DC.

I still don't see why STP can't pull a New Order (monetary reasons aside).

Spiderbite

Good post. I did forget the big deal that came with DLR leaving/getting kicked out of VH. But that just goes to show you that having a hit record goes a long way with the public. Release a catchy song and the general public will forgive anything usually. "Why Can't This Be Love" is of my favorite VH songs and I was a big DLR fan at the time and thought VH wouldn't go anywhere when he left. But again, their first album was in 1978 and all the DLR shit hit the fan in 1985 so their weren't dealing with the massive amount of time that some of these groups deal with. But 1984 was a freaking huge record. I can't imagine the pressure Eddie probably felt when DLR departed.

Forgot about Journey. But their pre-Perry music couldn't have been anymore different than the Peter Gabriel fronted Genesis was. Two very different incarnations even though they contained most of the same members.

AC/DC only lasted 5 years from their first album to when Bon Scott died. They did very well for themselves making the perfect choice to replace him. Not much time difference and again...hit records and catchy songs go a long way.

The problem with STP is that they have been off and on with Scott for 20+ years now. I have all their albums and was a huge fan right at the beginning when they were just being dismissed as a Pearl Jam rip-off (which I never understood then and still do not understand to this day). That being said, I could not name one of the other guys from STP. They may be great musicians and wrote all of the awesome STP music but Scott wrote the lyrics and has always been the face and voice of the band. Hell, in any interviews, Scott would always be the one talking and the other 3 just typically sat there barely adding any info. Whether they like it or not, STP isn't STP without Scott.

But as I have said, a big catchy hit goes a long way. The problem is getting a big catchy hit in R'n'R in the current music climate is almost nearly impossible.

Styx is a weird one. I won't even get into their wacky history but Tommy touring as Styx without Dennis DeYoung is bullshit.

Chicago surprised everybody with several big hits right after Peter Cetera left.

Sorry for the long post but I could talk about this dumb shit all day. Must be the old music store manager coming out in me. I miss getting stoned and talking about music. It was a fun job to have during college.

Rocketdog2000

Excellently well said right back at you.

Especially that last part.

As for myself, tough. I can remember a few instances where it was one, or both of the DeLeo brothers doing the talking. Especially since Robert (the bass player) was the primary songwriter in the band. In Dean's case, since I have always been impressed with his playing, I made sure I found out who he was. I've said it before, and I'll say it again - I still consider him one of the most underrated guitarists to come out of the whole Rock scene in the last 20 odd years. Had a little STP listening marathon this morning, and I still stand by that comment.

Oh, and I forgot about Styx, myself. At least with them, while Denis DeYoung may have been their featured lead singer, Tommy Shaw also contributed a fair amount of lead vocals to the band's hits, too, as well as the occasional song from James JY Young. I liked the one album they did in Glen Burtnik replaced Tommy Shaw, but haven't really heard anything they've done since Lawrence Gowen replaced DeYoung.

mkdevo

Slash and Duff McKagan joined Chester + STP last night for Mott The Hopple's "All The Young Dudes":

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Dlha2EhuuKY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Why So Blu?

It's official:

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/ne...ether-20130531

Stone Temple Pilots and Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington first revealed their surprising collaboration recently at L.A. radio station KROQ's annual Weenie Roast show. Last night the two acts joined forces at the annual MAP/MusiCares Fund Benefit Concert in L.A., where Bennington was presented the Stevie Ray Vaughan Award for his dedication to MAP/MusiCares and helping other addicts with recovery.

Before Bennington and STP took the stage, the group talked to Rolling Stone and revealed this is not just a musical fling. "When you get together and put a new piece in, there's a whole different energy. For us the creative juices have just been flowing – we've been writing, we have tons of great ideas," Bennington said. "Next week we're going back in the studio and hammering out some more music."

Stone Temple Pilots Sue Scott Weiland

But that does not mean there will be an album anytime soon, or any sort of fixed schedule: With Bennington still heavily involved in Linkin Park, he and STP will disseminate new music the way they did with their first track together, "Out of Time."

"We don't have a label," he said. "Everything we're doing is on our own, so we're just taking it one track at a time. We would love to sit down and hammer out a record, but the reality is we're gonna make music, we're gonna make a lot of it, and we're gonna be in a position to release a single at a time, go out and really give people music the way they want to get it," he said. "It is a good position to be in, and for us, all we care about is going out, making the legacy as great as it needs to be, as great as people expect it to be, and coming out with new music that lives up to that standard."

About the addition of Bennington, Dean DeLeo said, "It just came about very harmoniously. I don't want to use the 's' word – serendipitous – but it really was. Very natural."

For Bennington, to play on this night not just with STP, but with his longtime friends Slash and Duff McKagan – who joined the group for a rousing singalong on the Mott the Hoople classic "All the Young Dudes" – was very special because of what MAP/MusiCares means to him.

"The reason why I come and do the things I do for MusiCares is it's a program that helps people that really need the help. They go out and change people's lives, and they give them the support that they need," he said. "And if they had asked me to show up and just play the first song by myself like I did a couple of years ago, I would've done the same thing, and it wouldn't have mattered about the award or whatever."

McKagan echoed the sentiment. "I've been here the last few years, and good for Chester. Chester is a big name. It draws a lot of people in, they're gonna pay the high dollars for a table, and that's what you want. You want to raise money for MusiCares – that's the most important thing."

Rocketdog2000

Hmmm? Interesting that they should be playing with two of Weiland's former Velvet Revolver bandmates. You just know that's got to be stinging Scott a little. Would have loved to have been a fly own the wall for those backstage stories.

dex14

http://www.spin.com/2016/02/stone-te...n=spinfacebook

hdnmickey

They could always do a Rock Band: STP! It worked out so well for INXS and Supernova.

dex14

http://www.spin.com/2016/02/stone-te...n=spinfacebook

wishbone

STP Mark II