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Purple (Stone Temple Pilots album)

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Purple
Studio album by
Stone Temple Pilots
ReleasedJune 7, 1994 (1994-06-07)
Recorded
  • May 25, 1993
  • July 12, 1993
  • March 1994
Studio
Genre
Length46:59
LabelAtlantic
ProducerBrendan O'Brien
Stone Temple Pilots chronology
Core
(1992) 		Purple
(1994) 		Tiny Music... Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop
(1996)
Singles from Purple
  1. "Big Empty"
    Released: April 1994[7]
  2. "Vasoline"
    Released: June 1, 1994
  3. "Interstate Love Song"
    Released: September 9, 1994

Purple (stylized on the cover art in its Chinese character 紫, also known as Stone Temple Pilots) is the second studio album by the American rock band Stone Temple Pilots, released on June 7, 1994, by Atlantic Records.[2] The album, building on the foundation laid by the band's debut album Core (1992), was a major commercial success, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 252,000 copies sold in its first week.[8] It remained at the top of the chart for three weeks, eventually selling over six million copies. It spawned a number of successful singles; "Vasoline" and "Interstate Love Song" both topped the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and reached number 2 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart, while "Big Empty" also reached the top ten on both charts. Lesser-known album cuts "Pretty Penny" and "Unglued" were released as promotional radio singles.

Recording

[edit]

For a moment there, I thought: I need to come up with another "Plush". It lasted for a little bit, and then I realised it wasn't what I wanted to get out of the second record.

The recording of Purple began in the wake of Stone Temple Pilots' extensive touring behind their 1992 debut album, Core.[2][9] Material for the follow-up had already started to take shape while the band was still on the road. On May 25, 1993, the band recorded "Big Empty" for the 1994 film The Crow at the Record Plant in Los Angeles. On July 12 they recorded "Lounge Fly" at Paisley Park Studios in Minneapolis with the producer Brendan O'Brien.[9][1] Following a short break after touring, the band reconvened in Los Angeles in early 1994, spending time in a rehearsal space where they worked out song structures and arrangements.[2][9] After this period of preparation, they traveled to Atlanta for pre-production with O'Brien. Recording began shortly afterward at Southern Tracks Recording Studio, located just outside the city.[9]

The sessions were marked by efficiency and a fast pace. The album was recorded, mixed, and mastered in approximately three and a half weeks during March 1994,[2][9][1] with basic tracking completed in the first ten days and mixing taking an additional five.[10] The band entered the studio with the material well-rehearsed and used a process that involved tracking with a public address system to simulate a live environment. This method was encouraged by O'Brien, who aimed to capture performances quickly and with minimal second-guessing.[2] The recording environment was relatively informal. The band stayed near the studio to avoid travel delays, and downtime often included recreational activities like basketball and wiffle ball in the parking lot. These breaks served as a way to decompress between sessions.[9] In at least one case, the band moved outside the formal studio setting to record. For "Pretty Penny", O'Brien arranged for them to record at Harptone Studios using a two-inch eight-track tape machine. The session took place in a living room, where the band recorded the track live with minimal overdubs.[2][a] During the main sessions, the vocalist Scott Weiland often joined after the instrumental work had been completed. He recorded his vocals in the evenings, after the rest of the band had finished their parts for the day. O'Brien handled these vocal sessions with Weiland separately from the group's daytime tracking.[9] Despite this split schedule, Weiland completed all of his vocals in just one week.[10]

The band worked with minimal oversight from their record label. According to the members, Atlantic Records gave them considerable creative latitude during the process. O'Brien also preferred to keep industry personnel out of the studio, a practice the label respected.[2] Despite some interpersonal strain during the sessions, partly attributed to fatigue after over a year of touring, the band completed the album as planned. At one point, members briefly considered halting the process, but ultimately regrouped and finished the recording. In retrospect, the group described these tensions as typical of their circumstances at the time, rather than as signs of lasting conflict.[9] Purple was completed and delivered to the label on schedule.[2] The band credited their prior experience with O'Brien, their pre-production efforts, and their familiarity with the studio process for the speed and focus of the recording.[2][9]

Artwork

[edit]

The cover art for the album features a painting of a child riding on a Qilin accompanied by a quintet of fairies above the creature and the child, taking place on a cloudy background. The album title is written as a Chinese character, zǐ (紫), on the cover, and nowhere else on the packaging (with exception of the UK and European limited edition vinyl release). Early pressings featured the Chinese character and band name printed on the CD jewel case cover itself.[11]

On analogue formats (LP and cassette) of the original release, the album title is shown as simply Stone Temple Pilots on the tape shells and LP labels. No track listing appears on the back cover, which instead displays the image of a decorated cake with the phrase 12 Gracious Melodies, which is a clue to a hidden track as song twelve.

On the cover of the cassette version of Purple, the child is holding the Chinese character in his hand, rather than positioned in the corner. There are two pressings of the actual disc art of Purple. One version has a close-up of the frosted flowers from the cake on the rear panel on it and another has dragon scales.

The vinyl LP release is made from colored vinyl - transparent purple in the US and UK release and a limited edition opaque marbled vinyl in a softer shade of purple available only in the UK and Europe.[12]

Critical reception

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Contemporary reviews

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Chicago Tribune[13]
Entertainment WeeklyB−[14]
Rolling Stone[15]
Select[16]
Spin Alternative Record Guide5/10[17]

Purple received mixed-to-negative reviews on release, with critics noting a lack of originality.[13][14][15] Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune called it a "hollow, superficial" follow-up to Core, finding that it recycles the sound of "Plush" and relies on overproduced grunge formulas.[13] Writing for Entertainment Weekly, David Browne noted multiple musical influences from contemporary bands at the time and remarked that they "pull off these copycat melodies with supreme skill".[14] Rolling Stone's Lorraine Ali also acknowledged the band's derivative tendencies but praised the album's confidence, emotional range, and musical diversity. Despite the continued comparisons to other bands, Ali suggested that "Purple will blow your skirt up – if you let it".[15]

Retrospective reviews

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[18]
Christgau's Consumer Guide(dud)[19]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal9/10[20]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[21]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[22]
Sputnikmusic4/5[23]

Retrospective reviews have been generally positive. In the New Rolling Stone Album Guide, Steve Appleford stated that Purple's "playing is better, more confident, and looser" than Core.[22] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic reviewed the album positively, describing it as a "quantum leap" over Core and a sign of the band coming into its own. He acknowledged that the album still contained filler, but felt it had more character than the debut.[18] Sputnikmusic staff YoYoMancuso offers high praise for Purple, calling it Stone Temple Pilots' best album and a major step forward from Core. While noting that none of the techniques are groundbreaking, he commends the band's melodic instincts, the fullness of Dean DeLeo's guitar work, Robert DeLeo's dynamic basslines, and Weiland's expressive and technically strong vocals.[23]

Legacy

[edit]

In 2005, Purple was ranked number 438 in Rock Hard magazine's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.[24] In 2006, the album was ranked number 73 on Guitar World magazine's list of the 100 greatest guitar albums of all time. In May 2014, Loudwire placed Purple at number six on its "10 Best Hard Rock Albums of 1994" list.[25] In July 2014, Guitar World ranked Purple at number 24 in their "Superunknown: 50 Iconic Albums That Defined 1994" list.[26] In 2019, Rolling Stone ranked the album at No. 24 on its list of the "50 Greatest Grunge Albums."[3] In 2022, Pitchfork named Purple one of the 25 Best Grunge Albums of the '90s.[27]

A 25th anniversary edition of the album was released on October 18, 2019, in several formats including a 1LP/3CD/7 inch super deluxe box set much like the deluxe version of Core released in 2017.[28]

Track listing

[edit]

All lyrics written by Scott Weiland.

Purple track listing
No.TitleMusicLength
1."Meatplow"Robert DeLeo, Dean DeLeo3:37
2."Vasoline"R. DeLeo, D. DeLeo, Weiland, Eric Kretz2:56
3."Lounge Fly"R. DeLeo5:18
4."Interstate Love Song"R. DeLeo3:14
5."Still Remains"R. DeLeo, D. DeLeo3:33
6."Pretty Penny"D. DeLeo3:42
7."Silvergun Superman"R. DeLeo, D. DeLeo5:16
8."Big Empty"D. DeLeo4:54
9."Unglued"Weiland, R. DeLeo2:34
10."Army Ants"D. DeLeo3:46
11."Kitchenware & Candybars" (includes hidden track[note 1])R. DeLeo8:06
Total length:46:59
Notes
  1. ^ "Kitchenware & Candybars", ends at 4:27. A hidden track named "My Second Album", starts at 4:54. The lounge song was performed by Richard Peterson, a musician who happens to be a big fan of Johnny Mathis, hence the reference to him in the song as well as the similar cover of Olé. This track was engineered and produced by Seattle's Peter Barnes.[citation needed]

Personnel

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Stone Temple Pilots

  • Scott Weiland – lead vocals, guitar on "Silvergun Superman", percussion on "Pretty Penny"
  • Dean DeLeo – electric and acoustic guitars, percussion on "Pretty Penny", drum ending on "Silvergun Superman"
  • Robert DeLeo – bass, backing vocals, guitar on "Vasoline", "Lounge Fly", "Pretty Penny", "Silvergun Superman", and "Kitchenware & Candybars", percussion on "Pretty Penny"
  • Eric Kretz – drums, percussion on "Vasoline", "Lounge Fly", "Pretty Penny", and "Big Empty"

Additional personnel

  • Brendan O'Brien – producer, recording, mixing, percussion on "Meatplow", "Interstate Love Song", "Silvergun Superman", "Army Ants" and "Kitchenware & Candybars", guitar on "Kitchenware & Candybars", mellotron on "Army Ants"
  • Nick DiDia – engineer
  • Caram Costanzo – assistant engineer
  • Bob Ludwig – mastering
  • Paul Leary – ending guitar solo on "Lounge Fly"
  • John Heiden – design
  • Dale Sizer – illustrations

Charts

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Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[47] 2× Platinum 140,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[48] 3× Platinum 300,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[49] Platinum 15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[50] Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[51] 6× Platinum 6,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Notes and references

[edit]

Notes

  1. ^ a b According to the album's liner notes, "Pretty Penny" was recorded at Harptone Studios.[1] While the drummer Eric Kretz does not mention this name directly, he describes recording the song at the home of Clay Harper, located in an unknown location. Since this is the only session described as occurring outside Southern Tracks after those sessions had begun,[2] it is likely that Harper’s home studio was credited as Harptone Studios.

References

  1. ^ a b c Purple (liner notes). Stone Temple Pilots. US: Atlantic Records. 1994. 82607-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Hart, Ron (November 5, 2019). "Stone Temple Pilots Tell the Stories Behind Their Classic Album 'Purple'". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 3, 2022. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "50 Greatest Grunge Albums". Rolling Stone. April 1, 2019. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  4. ^ Manley, Brendan (March 25, 2016). "20 Years Ago: Stone Temple Pilots Release 'Tiny Music… Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop'". Diffuser.fm. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  5. ^ "10 Best Hard Rock Albums of 1994". Loudwire. January 12, 2024. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  6. ^ Martins, Jorge (June 19, 2024). "Story of the Album That Pushed Grunge's Psychedelic Side Into a Masterpiece". Ultimate Guitar. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  7. ^ "Stone Temple Pilots, Big Empty, Atlantic" (PDF). The Hard Report. April 1, 1994. p. 35.
  8. ^ "Billboard". June 25, 1994.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Doherty, Niall (July 12, 2023). "How Stone Temple Pilots' Purple album captured a band at their peak, before everything started to go wrong". Classic Rock. Archived from the original on December 10, 2024. Retrieved April 9, 2025.
  10. ^ a b Lynskey, Dorian (September 2005). "Stone Temple Pilots: "Interstate Love Song"". Blender. Vol. 4, no. 8. Dennis Publishing. p. 79. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  11. ^ "R-2718967-1297953608.jpeg (418x417 pixels)". Archived from the original on July 15, 2012. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  12. ^ "Stone Temple Pilots - Purple (Vinyl, LP, Album) at Discogs". Discogs. June 6, 1994. Retrieved March 6, 2012.
  13. ^ a b c Kot, Greg (June 8, 1994). "Crash Landing". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on April 29, 2022. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  14. ^ a b c Browne, David (June 10, 1994). "Purple". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on November 30, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2012.
  15. ^ a b c Ali, Lorraine (July 14, 1994). "Stone Temple Pilots: Purple". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 2, 2008. Retrieved August 23, 2012.
  16. ^ Wilkinson, Roy (July 1994). "Stone Temple Pilots: Purple". Select. p. 87. Archived from the original on January 24, 2025. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  17. ^ Arnold, Gina (1995). "Stone Temple Pilots". Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. p. 377. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  18. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Purple – Stone Temple Pilots". AllMusic. Archived from the original on January 19, 2025. Retrieved March 6, 2012.
  19. ^ Christgau, Robert (2000). "Stone Temple Pilots: Purple". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 9780312245603. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  20. ^ Popoff, Martin (2007). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. pp. 423–424. ISBN 978-1-894959-62-9.
  21. ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). "Stone Temple Pilots". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
  22. ^ a b Appleford, Steve (2004). "Stone Temple Pilots". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 785–86. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
  23. ^ a b YoYoMancuso (October 29, 2012). "Stone Temple Pilots: Purple". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved April 12, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  24. ^ Best of Rock & Metal - Die 500 stärksten Scheiben aller Zeiten (in German). Rock Hard. 2005. p. 33. ISBN 3-89880-517-4.
  25. ^ "10 Best Hard Rock Albums of 1994". Loudwire. May 20, 2014. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
  26. ^ "Superunknown: 50 Iconic Albums That Defined 1994". Guitar World. July 14, 2014. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
  27. ^ "The 25 Best Grunge Albums of the '90s". Pitchfork. October 6, 2022.
  28. ^ "Purple (Super Deluxe Edition)". Rhino Records. Archived from the original on December 4, 2019. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
  29. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Stone Temple Pilots – Purple". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  30. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Stone Temple Pilots – Purple" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  31. ^ "Top Albums/CDs – Volume 59, No. 23". RPM. Walt Grealis. June 27, 1994. Archived from the original on November 10, 2012. Retrieved December 14, 2012.
  32. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Stone Temple Pilots – Purple" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  33. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Stone Temple Pilots – Purple" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  34. ^ "Charts.nz – Stone Temple Pilots – Purple". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  35. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Stone Temple Pilots – Purple". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  36. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Stone Temple Pilots – Purple". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  37. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Stone Temple Pilots – Purple". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  38. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  39. ^ "Stone Temple Pilots Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  40. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2019. 43. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
  41. ^ "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Albums 1994". Australian Record Industry Association Ltd. Archived from the original on November 2, 2015. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  42. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  43. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1994". Billboard. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  44. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 1995". The Official NZ Music Charts. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  45. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1995". Billboard. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  46. ^ Geoff Mayfield (December 25, 1999). 1999 The Year in Music Totally '90s: Diary of a Decade - The listing of Top Pop Albums of the '90s & Hot 100 Singles of the '90s. Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
  47. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2006 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  48. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Stone Temple Pilots – Purple". Music Canada.
  49. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Stone Temple Pilots – Purple". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  50. ^ "British album certifications – Stone Temple Pilots – Purple". British Phonographic Industry.
  51. ^ "American album certifications – Stone Temple Pilots – Purple". Recording Industry Association of America.
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