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| Cover Of STP's Album Core |
Okay boys and girls, as promised, my second ultimate album. This was hard for me to decide, I had may suggestions from friends and family but after changing my mind and the album about 6 times this one popped up on the shuffle in the ol' IPOD. Driving along and singing to the steering wheel to some songs from this one and I had one of those DUH! moments. I mean how could I not have remembered this album. I bought this album for a friend as a birthday gift, I went to the old Pop Tunes on Summer Ave. and what do you know sale time, buy one get one half price, so out I walked with two cassettes one for me and one for my buddy. I got in my old beat up 78 Trans Am, tore off that plastic heat shrink wrap from hell, popped it into the old Sony Super Bass cassette player and was instantly so glad I bought this one. It jumped from one musical style to the other hard, bluesy, soft, haunting. It was incredible, I fell in love with it the first time I listened to it, and believe me I did a lot of listening to this one. So a little history and accolades for this album shall we.
Released in 1994, it was severely punished by critics, here's some quotes:
Jon Pareles of The New York Times wrote in a 1993 concert review, "The San Diego band has climbed onto the Seattle grunge bandwagon. Its slow songs, with heaving riffs and half-speed vocals, are second-rate Pearl Jam; for variety, there are some midtempo groans that imitate Nirvana."Additionally, the band is casually mocked in the lyrics of the 1994 Pavement song "Range Life":
Wow, what a jerk, I bet he really thinks he knows something about good music, which is why I am doing this whole blog thing in the first place.
Then the ever popular Rolling Stone Magazine, (remember those guys, from the last blog entry?), In 1994 Rolling Stone Poll they were voted simultaneously voted Best New Band by the readers poll, and Worst New Band by the magazines overpaid, out of touch, totally ignorant music critics.
I can give them a small break this album was released on Sep 29, 1992. The same day that Alice In Chains released their huge album Dirt. What competition.
The album peaked at #3 on the billboard 200, the song Plush won the 1994 Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance, the MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist in 1993, and the American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock New Artist 1994. The band has also been ranked # 40 by VH1 in the 100 Greatest Artists Of Hard Rock. The album has been certified 8x's Platinum by the RIAA.
TRACK BREAKDOWN
1. "Dead & Bloated"
2. "Sex Type Thing
3. "Wicked Garden
4. "No Memory"
5. "Sin"
6. "Naked Sunday"
7. "Creep
8. "Piece of Pie"
9. "Plush"
10. "Wet My Bed"
11. "Crackerman"
12. "Where the River Goes"
Dead and Bloated
How do you start off the first song on your first album? You sing a couple of lines with no music through a guitar pick up, that's how. Then you bust into heavy riff slow tempo, and let it rock. I'm telling you when Scott Weiland is sober that dude can sing his nuts off. Listen to the chorus when he is singing and see if you can hear the extra layering on the guitar from Dean DeLeo, it gives the song that extra subliminal haunt.
Pictured Dean Deleo, guitarist for STP. The STP album Purple was ranked at #73 on Guitar World's 100 Greatest Guitar Albums of All-time list. While he owns over 100 guitars, his live rigs consist mainly of 78 Gibson Les Paul Standards, He was a former user of a Rockman for his switching and chorus effects
Sex Type Thing
Scott's tribute to sexual harassment, abuse of power, macho behavior and humanity's view towards women.
The song is well put together, with this deep, dark, distorted guitar work. Then in the pre chorus you get this little wow wow wow, going up scale to lead in and down scale to exit out, that just puts the accent to the whole thing. Scott doing the same thing with the vocals throughout the song.
Wicked Garden
This is my favorite song on the whole album. Crunchy guitar work, with this bass line in the song just pumping keeping the time, then in the chorus going to the forefront of the song up and down the frets low to high back to low. The back up vocals give it some extra flavor, and Dean DeLeo throwing in these little slides and screechy accents, really puts it all together. This song is my OOOOOOOOH I have got to learn to play the bass on this song list.
Pictured: Robert DeLeo, bassist for STP, one half of the blending of the music of STP, and the groove they put out.
Robert was interviewed and asked about his equipment he said he is using Schecter basses, because they are good for mid range, and he can get the same jazzy feel out of them that he can out of his old heavy Fenders.
No Memory
A little instrumental between the DeLeo brothers, acoustic with rich bass playing right along. I remember the first time I ever heard this song driving down the road, window down, engine just humming along cool night air, it was like one of those epiphanal moments when the planets were lined up and beaming some cosmic energy into the atmosphere, the song totally fit the mood and situation of the moment. You really can't tell which instrument to focus on as the front drive in the song it just kinda goes back and forth. And then...
Sin
You get this smooth guitar chording with this bass line just grooving right behind keeping the whole thing together. Listen closer and you can hear the accent points getting put in by Eric Kretz with some open high hat licks. The song is about rage and violence and the music just fits the mood of the song oh so right.
Pictured Eric Kretz drummer for STP. He helped co write the song Plush with Scott Weiland. Playing some of these songs is harder than you might think, you have to be in total sync with your bassist. Even the songs tend to be on a slower side, they still rock hard and get in your face.
Naked Sunday
An attack song on government and organized religion and the control they try to exert. Eric lays down this syncopated beat, Scott using his voice as the bridge, (in the style of Robert Plant maybe?), Listen closely to the bass line if you can hear it, it's in total harmony with the drums, almost couldn't pick it up when I was listening to it, it doesn't really stand out but if it was missing you could definitely tell. I don't what you guitar guys call that little chica chica chica chocca chocca thing you play but it gives this song the whole drive and feel, throw in some wah wah pedal accents and you get a really cool song.
Pictured Scott Weiland singer of STP. The voice behind of, in front of, and all over the music of STP.
Troubled by heroin abuse throughout the years, he said in a 2007 interview with Rolling Stone Magazine that Core and Libertad, were the only albums he wrote sober. He cites Jim Morrison and David Bowie as his influences.
Creep
Slow it down, give it an acoustic feel, and you get this song. Coming from the faster paced Naked Sunday, you have an almost slap in the face transition into this song, get all pumped up and WHAM. According to DeLeo he was thinking along the lines of Neil Young's Heart Of Gold, for this song, written in D-minor the saddest key of all, he says. The lyrics are about taking a look in the mirror and not liking what you see, a Creep.
Piece Of Pie
After the little slow down, you get hammered by this one. It is dark, heavy, and thick. Another one of my favorites on this album. The vocals going up and down, with back up vocals being echoed right behind. Gives it an eerie quality. The bass and guitar working in perfect unison, Eric providing the perfect beat in the transitions. The bass picking up the front in the chorus, with the guitar layering accents in the background. I really do dig this song.
Plush
Dean Deleo's homage to his love of ragtime music, well I don't know a lot about that but this song has that ethereal quality to it. Simple chords, back to basics, stripped down music. The lyrics were inspired by a newspaper article Scott read about a girl whose body had been found outside of San Diego. If you listen to it with no other distractions, I promise it will give you chill bumps. Now go into the chorus, get an octave or so higher with the vocals, increase the tempo just a little, Dean is playing this little bow wow wow wow bow thing behind the vocals, the bass and drums providing the supporting cast. Listen to it again with these thoughts in mind and it takes on a whole new persona.
Wet My Bed
Okay I have no idea what this one is all about if anyone does pleas tell me. Honestly I think they needed something short to fill in 1:37 of space on the album.
Crackerman
Oh yeah, go from the silly little thing before this and smack straight into this groovy little number. Hard hits on the snare set the tone, the guitar just pounding in your ears, It's hard to find the bass line in this one for me, until you get to the break and go into the solo. Put this song on next time you have to make a long drive, you will find your foot on the floor, and your neck doing a pigeon imitation, it's just.....Groove-a-liscious ( I hold the patent on that word, so don't even think about stealing it). Roaming roaming home, get away gotta get away, and I think too much, (an inside joke for some of you ha ha), and I'm thinking while I'm thinking, another one of my favorites on this album.
Where The River Goes
Once again slow it down a little but keep it heavy. Start off with some John Bonham-esque When The Levee Breaks drum intro, and away we go. The name of this song is so perfect for the feel of this song, just flowing along, cruising through the notes and stretching out the vocals to cover the gaps, for the toned down time. In the pre chorus you get these little guitar screeches to punctuate the mood. So you get the bottom dropped out almost completely, little bass and guitar softly hanging in, then bring it all back up, pound the snare for the lead into the solo. The solo for this song is so simple, it doesn't have 1000 notes crammed into a tiny space, no fingers running up and down the frets like Steve Vai on speed. Clean and simple, it reminds me of AC/DC's drummer. Go back and listen to some old AC/DC and really pay attention, the lack of drum fills and hard hitting crashes at every turn, he makes just as much of a statement by the lack of accents, as he could have by adding them. It just takes on this bluesy feel and keeps the whole mood of the song right on track.
Wow, what a jerk, I bet he really thinks he knows something about good music, which is why I am doing this whole blog thing in the first place.
Then the ever popular Rolling Stone Magazine, (remember those guys, from the last blog entry?), In 1994 Rolling Stone Poll they were voted simultaneously voted Best New Band by the readers poll, and Worst New Band by the magazines overpaid, out of touch, totally ignorant music critics.
I can give them a small break this album was released on Sep 29, 1992. The same day that Alice In Chains released their huge album Dirt. What competition.
The album peaked at #3 on the billboard 200, the song Plush won the 1994 Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance, the MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist in 1993, and the American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock New Artist 1994. The band has also been ranked # 40 by VH1 in the 100 Greatest Artists Of Hard Rock. The album has been certified 8x's Platinum by the RIAA.
TRACK BREAKDOWN
1. "Dead & Bloated"
2. "Sex Type Thing
3. "Wicked Garden
4. "No Memory"
5. "Sin"
6. "Naked Sunday"
7. "Creep
8. "Piece of Pie"
9. "Plush"
10. "Wet My Bed"
11. "Crackerman"
12. "Where the River Goes"
Dead and Bloated
How do you start off the first song on your first album? You sing a couple of lines with no music through a guitar pick up, that's how. Then you bust into heavy riff slow tempo, and let it rock. I'm telling you when Scott Weiland is sober that dude can sing his nuts off. Listen to the chorus when he is singing and see if you can hear the extra layering on the guitar from Dean DeLeo, it gives the song that extra subliminal haunt.
Pictured Dean Deleo, guitarist for STP. The STP album Purple was ranked at #73 on Guitar World's 100 Greatest Guitar Albums of All-time list. While he owns over 100 guitars, his live rigs consist mainly of 78 Gibson Les Paul Standards, He was a former user of a Rockman for his switching and chorus effects
Sex Type Thing
Scott's tribute to sexual harassment, abuse of power, macho behavior and humanity's view towards women.
The song is well put together, with this deep, dark, distorted guitar work. Then in the pre chorus you get this little wow wow wow, going up scale to lead in and down scale to exit out, that just puts the accent to the whole thing. Scott doing the same thing with the vocals throughout the song.
Wicked Garden
This is my favorite song on the whole album. Crunchy guitar work, with this bass line in the song just pumping keeping the time, then in the chorus going to the forefront of the song up and down the frets low to high back to low. The back up vocals give it some extra flavor, and Dean DeLeo throwing in these little slides and screechy accents, really puts it all together. This song is my OOOOOOOOH I have got to learn to play the bass on this song list.
Robert was interviewed and asked about his equipment he said he is using Schecter basses, because they are good for mid range, and he can get the same jazzy feel out of them that he can out of his old heavy Fenders.
No Memory
A little instrumental between the DeLeo brothers, acoustic with rich bass playing right along. I remember the first time I ever heard this song driving down the road, window down, engine just humming along cool night air, it was like one of those epiphanal moments when the planets were lined up and beaming some cosmic energy into the atmosphere, the song totally fit the mood and situation of the moment. You really can't tell which instrument to focus on as the front drive in the song it just kinda goes back and forth. And then...
Sin
You get this smooth guitar chording with this bass line just grooving right behind keeping the whole thing together. Listen closer and you can hear the accent points getting put in by Eric Kretz with some open high hat licks. The song is about rage and violence and the music just fits the mood of the song oh so right.
Pictured Eric Kretz drummer for STP. He helped co write the song Plush with Scott Weiland. Playing some of these songs is harder than you might think, you have to be in total sync with your bassist. Even the songs tend to be on a slower side, they still rock hard and get in your face.
Naked Sunday
An attack song on government and organized religion and the control they try to exert. Eric lays down this syncopated beat, Scott using his voice as the bridge, (in the style of Robert Plant maybe?), Listen closely to the bass line if you can hear it, it's in total harmony with the drums, almost couldn't pick it up when I was listening to it, it doesn't really stand out but if it was missing you could definitely tell. I don't what you guitar guys call that little chica chica chica chocca chocca thing you play but it gives this song the whole drive and feel, throw in some wah wah pedal accents and you get a really cool song.
Troubled by heroin abuse throughout the years, he said in a 2007 interview with Rolling Stone Magazine that Core and Libertad, were the only albums he wrote sober. He cites Jim Morrison and David Bowie as his influences.
Creep
Slow it down, give it an acoustic feel, and you get this song. Coming from the faster paced Naked Sunday, you have an almost slap in the face transition into this song, get all pumped up and WHAM. According to DeLeo he was thinking along the lines of Neil Young's Heart Of Gold, for this song, written in D-minor the saddest key of all, he says. The lyrics are about taking a look in the mirror and not liking what you see, a Creep.
Piece Of Pie
After the little slow down, you get hammered by this one. It is dark, heavy, and thick. Another one of my favorites on this album. The vocals going up and down, with back up vocals being echoed right behind. Gives it an eerie quality. The bass and guitar working in perfect unison, Eric providing the perfect beat in the transitions. The bass picking up the front in the chorus, with the guitar layering accents in the background. I really do dig this song.
Plush
Dean Deleo's homage to his love of ragtime music, well I don't know a lot about that but this song has that ethereal quality to it. Simple chords, back to basics, stripped down music. The lyrics were inspired by a newspaper article Scott read about a girl whose body had been found outside of San Diego. If you listen to it with no other distractions, I promise it will give you chill bumps. Now go into the chorus, get an octave or so higher with the vocals, increase the tempo just a little, Dean is playing this little bow wow wow wow bow thing behind the vocals, the bass and drums providing the supporting cast. Listen to it again with these thoughts in mind and it takes on a whole new persona.
Wet My Bed
Okay I have no idea what this one is all about if anyone does pleas tell me. Honestly I think they needed something short to fill in 1:37 of space on the album.
Crackerman
Oh yeah, go from the silly little thing before this and smack straight into this groovy little number. Hard hits on the snare set the tone, the guitar just pounding in your ears, It's hard to find the bass line in this one for me, until you get to the break and go into the solo. Put this song on next time you have to make a long drive, you will find your foot on the floor, and your neck doing a pigeon imitation, it's just.....Groove-a-liscious ( I hold the patent on that word, so don't even think about stealing it). Roaming roaming home, get away gotta get away, and I think too much, (an inside joke for some of you ha ha), and I'm thinking while I'm thinking, another one of my favorites on this album.
Where The River Goes
Once again slow it down a little but keep it heavy. Start off with some John Bonham-esque When The Levee Breaks drum intro, and away we go. The name of this song is so perfect for the feel of this song, just flowing along, cruising through the notes and stretching out the vocals to cover the gaps, for the toned down time. In the pre chorus you get these little guitar screeches to punctuate the mood. So you get the bottom dropped out almost completely, little bass and guitar softly hanging in, then bring it all back up, pound the snare for the lead into the solo. The solo for this song is so simple, it doesn't have 1000 notes crammed into a tiny space, no fingers running up and down the frets like Steve Vai on speed. Clean and simple, it reminds me of AC/DC's drummer. Go back and listen to some old AC/DC and really pay attention, the lack of drum fills and hard hitting crashes at every turn, he makes just as much of a statement by the lack of accents, as he could have by adding them. It just takes on this bluesy feel and keeps the whole mood of the song right on track.
So thank you for reading my blog, again, I keep telling myself more pictures and less getting so long winded. but hell man it's the albums that I love and I want to explain it to you from my "ear". I really hope that you might go back and listen to the album again and try and hear what I'm hearing, and I swear I'm not on drugs, just maybe a little deaf, but I swear it's there. And to answer your question chica, chocca and bow wow are the technical terms used by all musicians to describe the way things sound. I promise.
ENJOY!
ENJOY!
I learned so many things on this post. Now I want to go back and listen to it all again. Your insight makes it very interesting...a point of view with a musical background! I like it.
ReplyDelete1) Man I wish we had iPods back in the day. Do you know how many tapes I ruined by playing-rewinding-playing-rewinding over & over again?
ReplyDelete2)Even though he said he was sober for this album, thank God for Heroin. While it's definitely not for me, I think some of the best music in the world has been written on the stuff.
3)I'm gonna re-listen to this CD very soon. I think I have it on my hard drive. FYI, I have the biggest MP3 collection of anyone I know if you ever wanna come take a look. Bigger than the old 92.9 rock stations database. I've archived all my old stuff and then downloaded the complete anthology of just about every rock artist I could think of.... 320gb worth.