Purple (album)
| Purple | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Stone Temple Pilots | ||||
| Released | June 7, 1994 | |||
| Recorded | 1993–1994 | |||
| Genre | Grunge, hard rock, alternative rock, psychedelic rock | |||
| Length | 46:59 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Producer | Brendan O'Brien | |||
| Stone Temple Pilots chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Purple | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B- [2] |
| Robert Christgau |  [3] |
| Rolling Stone | [4] |
| Sputnikmusic | [5] |
| Rock Hard (de) | 9/10[6] |
Purple is the second studio album released by the American rock band Stone Temple Pilots released in June 1994 on Atlantic Records. The album, building off the foundations laid by the band's debut album Core, was a huge success for the band, debuting at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart and remaining there 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 hit number 2 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart, while "Big Empty" also cracked the top ten on both charts. Lesser known album cuts "Pretty Penny" and "Unglued" were also released as promotional radio singles.
The album's style sees an expansion of the band's sound. While the band's debut, Core, had a more grunge-oriented sound with churning guitar riffs and aggressive vocals, Purple saw the band shift to a more alternative rock-style, incorporating a number of influences, including psychedelic and southern rock.
Album info and musical style
The album's first single, "Big Empty", made its debut at STP's MTV Unplugged acoustic performance in 1993. The song would later appear on the soundtrack to The Crow. The Crow soundtrack reached number #1 in 1994 and a couple of weeks later, Purple reached the top of the charts, thus making two for the band in 1994.
The lyric "She said she'd be my woman, she said she'd be my man" from "Lounge Fly" also appears on the Mighty Joe Young Demo, in the song "Spanish Flies". Paul Leary of the Butthole Surfers is credited to playing the ending guitar solo in "Lounge Fly".
While Purple still features strong elements of hard rock and grunge like its predecessor, Core, the album displays the band developing a more unique sound influenced by other genres, such as the psychedelic rock evident in "Lounge Fly" and "Silvergun Superman", the country vibes of "Interstate Love Song" and ragtime elements of "Big Empty". Allmusic's Stephen Erlewine wrote that "Purple is a quantum leap over [Core], showcasing a band hitting their stride." Erlewine also described "Interstate Love Song" as a "concise epic as alluring as the open highway" and "Big Empty" a "a perfect encapsulation of mainstream alienation."[7]
Artwork
The album title, "Purple," is written as a Chinese character on the cover, and nowhere else on the packaging (with exception of the UK and European limited edition vinyl release).[8]
There is no track list on the back of the case, instead it displays an image of a cake with the phrase "12 Gracious Melodies"
On the cover of the cassette version of Purple, the child is holding the Chinese character in his hand, and it is not in the corner. There are two pressings of the actual disc in Purple CDs. One version has flowers on it and another has dragon scales.[9]
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.[10]
Reception
In 2005, Purple was ranked number 438 in Rock Hard magazine's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.[11] In 2006, the album was ranked number 73 on Guitar World magazine's list of the 100 greatest guitar albums of all time.
Track listing
All lyrics written by Scott Weiland.
| No. | Title | Music | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Meatplow" | Robert DeLeo, Dean DeLeo | 3:37 | |
| 2. | "Vasoline" | R. DeLeo, D. DeLeo, Weiland, Eric Kretz | 2:56 | |
| 3. | "Lounge Fly" | R. DeLeo | 5:18 | |
| 4. | "Interstate Love Song" | R. DeLeo | 3:14 | |
| 5. | "Still Remains" | R. DeLeo, D. DeLeo | 3:33 | |
| 6. | "Pretty Penny" | D. DeLeo | 3:42 | |
| 7. | "Silvergun Superman" | R. DeLeo, D. DeLeo | 5:16 | |
| 8. | "Big Empty" | D. DeLeo | 4:54 | |
| 9. | "Unglued" | Weiland, R. DeLeo | 2:34 | |
| 10. | "Army Ants" | D. DeLeo | 3:46 | |
| 11. | "Kitchenware & Candybars" (see below) | R. DeLeo | 8:06 | |
Total length: |
46:59 | |||
Notes
The opening of track 3, "Lounge Fly", was used as the theme for MTV News's short MTV News Break segments for several years in the mid-1990s.
Track 11, "Kitchenware & Candybars", contains a hidden track named "My Second Album," which is a parody of most hidden tracks being unorthodox songs that a band wouldn't usually make. 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.[12]
The Japanese release of this album contains a bonus track a live version of "Andy Warhol" as track #12.
Personnel
Stone Temple Pilots
- Stone Temple Pilots – design
- Scott Weiland – vocals, percussion on Track 6, guitar on Track 7
- Robert DeLeo – bass, guitars on tracks 2, 3, 6, 7, 11 & percussion on track 6
- Dean DeLeo – electric and acoustic guitars, percussion on track 6, drum ending on track 7
- Eric Kretz – drums, percussion on tracks 2, 3, 6, 8
Additional Personnel
- Brendan O'Brien – producer, recording, mixing, mellotron on "Army Ants", percussion on tracks 1, 4, 7, 10, 11 & guitar on track 11
- Nick DiDia – engineer
- Caram Costanzo – assistant engineer
- Clay Harper – mastering
- Paul Leary – ending guitar solo on "Lounge Fly"
- John Heiden – design
- Dale Sizer – illustrations
Charts
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | U.S. Billboard 200 | 1 |
| UK Albums Chart | 10 | |
| Australian Albums Chart | 1 | |
| Canadian RPM Albums Chart | 2 |
End of decade charts
| Chart (1990–1999) | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200[13] | 99 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | "Big Empty" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 3 |
| Modern Rock Tracks | 7 | ||
| "Interstate Love Song" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 1 | |
| Modern Rock Tracks | 2 | ||
| Top 40 Mainstream | 22 | ||
| "Vasoline" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 1 | |
| Modern Rock Tracks | 2 | ||
| "Unglued" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 8 | |
| Modern Rock Tracks | 16 | ||
| 1995 | "Pretty Penny" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 12 |
| Preceded by Ill Communication by Beastie Boys |
Billboard 200 number-one album June 25 - July 15, 1994 |
Succeeded by The Lion King (soundtrack) by Various artists |
| Preceded by The Division Bell by Pink Floyd |
Australian ARIA Albums Chart number-one album June 26 - July 2, 1994 |
Succeeded by Voodoo Lounge by The Rolling Stones |
References
- ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Purple - Stone Temple Pilots". Allmusic. Retrieved 2012-03-06.
- ↑ David Browne (1994-06-10). "Purple Review | News Reviews and News". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2012-03-06.
- ↑ Christgau, Robert. "CG: Stone Temple Pilots". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved 2012-08-23.
- ↑ Ali, Lorraine (1994-07-14). "Stone Temple Pilots: Purple : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2008-12-02. Retrieved 2012-08-23.
- ↑ "Stone Temple Pilots - Purple (album review)". Sputnikmusic. 2006-04-13. Retrieved 2012-03-06.
- ↑ Albrecht, Frank. "Rock Hard". issue 86. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
- ↑ Purple - Stone Temple Pilots : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic
- ↑ http://s.dsimg.com/image/R-2718967-1297953608.jpeg
- ↑ Below Empty - FAQ
- ↑ "Stone Temple Pilots - Purple (Vinyl, LP, Album) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-03-06.
- ↑ [...], Rock Hard (Hrsg.). [Red.: Michael Rensen. Mitarb.: Götz Kühnemund] (2005). Best of Rock & Metal die 500 stärksten Scheiben aller Zeiten. Königswinter: Heel. p. 33. ISBN 3-89880-517-4.
- ↑ Ole
- ↑ 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.
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