The words and wisdom of poet Dylan Thomas seem particularly applicable Stone Temple Pilots. After years of raging against the dying of the light, the band seems to have finally decided to go gentle to that good night. At the same time it hurts this long-time fan, it also seems an appropriate time to walk away with some dignity intact.
Scott Weiland possesses one of the most convincing rock voices of the last ten years. It really is a shame that it goes to waste as a result of his heroin abuse. Stone Temple Pilot’s descent from the throne began happening on about the time of the recording of their third album—Tiny Music. At the time, I didn’t notice the trouble in their music. I just thought that they’d made a few very interesting changes in the STP sound. Truth be told, the psychedelic sounds were indeed a reflection of the band’s helplessness to Weiland’s heavy drug use.
So between the release of 1996’s Tiny Music and 1999’s No. 4 the three lucid members of Stone Temple Pilots collaborated with Dave Coutts, the former vocalist for Ten Inch Men. That project, Talk Show, reverted back to the straight ahead hard rock that STP so successfully tweaked to their liking in the early and mid-1990’s. Brothers Dean DeLeo (guitar) and Robert DeLeo (bass guitar) and drummer Eric Kretz were unable to duplicate the chemistry and sheer, entertaining dirty rock of their main band but the Talk Show effort was enough to momentarily stifle needy cries of fans.
The biggest problem I have with Talk Show is that the songs are clearly carved from the same rock (bad cliché, I know) as earlier STP material. But whereas I adore Weiland’s uncontrollable growls, Coutts is much less convincing. He just doesn’t seem quite fitted to the band’s style…probably because I do expect to hear Weiland and instead am greeted with the replacement singer’s less guttural voice. This isn’t to say that Coutts is really any worse—he’s just not Weiland.
And yes…I’m stuck up when it comes to my STP.
Talk Show (1997) sounds very much like surplus material from previous albums—and by many reports indeed it is. At the time it was released, the band likely saw little possibility of another STP album for quite some time. Do I like it on the whole? Somewhat. But unfortunately the fact is that it pales in comparison to at least the first three of the five STP albums. Coutts has a huge pair of impossibly ill-fitting boots to fill.
With just one single released from the eponymous album, Talk Show will probably go down in history as little more than a blip. Hello Hello managed to crack Modern and Mainstream Rock charts. And if memory serves, it got a decent amount of airplay. Ironically, it is also the song in which Coutts sounds the most like Weiland. It’s a fine enough song with a relatively mellow feel but with typical STP verve the chorus is what will rope listener in. This single along with songs So Long, Morning Girl and Ring Twice account for the best that Talk Show has to offer.
Of course not everything about this album is even close to perfect. The shtick gets old quickly and leaves me with no doubt as to the mediocre reception critics awarded the band for their effort. Particularly problematic are how badly the Coutts-written tracks fit into the overall scheme of the album. They aren’t bad (generally) but as for Wash Me Down, End of the World, and also Peeling The Orange (with words, not music by Coutts) I’m left bewildered as to the direction of Talk Show.
Thus far we’ve got some fine rock songs not to mention a few strange mid-tempo mellow tracks. But there’s a third much more disturbing kind of song here. This category is best represented by bone chillingly awful not to mention aimless John and the dark pseudo-retro lounge Behind. They just don’t do it for me.
If there’s one thing that can be said for Talk Show, it is that they tried. They tried to continue in the wake of Weiland’s disintegration. They tried to continue making music with long-time friend Coutts at the helm. But the fact remains that despite the fact that the DeLeo brothers and Kretz are incredibly talented musicians the heart and soul of STP was always Weiland. And without him this album just feels hollow. Not just that, but the songs don’t mesh well.
If you want to investigate this album, take note. It’s not perfect and it’s not immediately (or possibly ever) entertaining. Mind you, these are words coming from out the keyboard of a devout STP fanatic. If you really want to get your groove on to Stone Temple Pilot my suggestion would be to first maybe investigate their recent greatest hits Thank You and then start from their debut Core and work through their disappointing swan song Shangri-La Dee Da.
Rating: 2.5/5 (rounded up)
Track Listing:
01. Ring Twice
02. Hello Hello
03. Everybody Loves My Car
04. Peeling An Orange
05. So Long
06. Wash Me Down
07. End Of The World
08. John
09. Behind
10. Morning Girl
11. Hide
12. Fill The Fields
___________________________________
Related Reviews:
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.