Stone Temple Pilots

Stone Temple Pilots could have been the Led Zeppelin of the '90s. In fact, they almost were. Much like the Smashing Pumpkins, the fearsome foursome turned the test tube stage of grunge into an arena rock platform, from the slither-and-strike offensives of "Sex Type Thing," "Vasoline," and "Wicked Garden" to the lighter-lifting acoustic balladry of "Creep." As they matured, STP also lived up to its fuel-injected nickname by bringing the decibel-decimating energy of classic, metal-infused rock (the cage-rattling release of "Down," for one) to radio stations worldwide. Teeth-gnashing tracks aside, Stone Temple Pilots also had an arty side from their second album (Purple) onward — something our Next Steps explores in detail.

Copious guitar pedals and unhinged soloing ("Silvergun Superman"), tidal waves of mind-warping psychedelic rock ("Lounge Fly"), and a string-steeped, belly-of-the-beast ballad partnered up with a hidden lounge-pop number ("Kitchenware and Candybars"). We must be talking about Purple, Stone Temple Pilots' stellar second album — a daring effort that immediately destroyed the Pearl Jam comparisons of Core. STP weren't done reinventing themselves the third time around, either; "Tumble in the Rough" and the rest of Tiny Music challenge every notion of guitar pop and grunge, to the point where you might have the urge to stop and check if you actually cued up an STP album . . . And as our Deep Cuts continue to show, that's a good thing.

Demon-plagued rock singers certainly aren't a new phenomenon, yet few '90s frontmen carried a mystique as genuine and engrossing as that of Stone Temple Pilots' Scott Weiland. Is it any wonder why we studied — eyes and ears glued — every one of his snaky, sinewy moves throughout STP's restless catalog and a stellar solo album (1998's 12 Bar Blues). That includes everything from heart-sinking ballads (the despondent drift of "Atlanta," the unplugged pleas of "Wonderful") to atypical pop songs like "Transmissions from a Lonely Room" and "Ride the Cliché."

As much as we love Scott Weiland's new lizard king role in Velvet Revolver, it takes only an evening with Stone Temple Pilots' five very different albums to appreciate (and desperately miss) his old gig. Check the progression: the swamp-trudging grunge of Core, the manic melodies and psychedelic flare-ups of Purple, the glam streaks and Beatles-esque gloss of Tiny Music, the rock 'n' roll purism of No. 4, and the fitting, unpredictable closing statement that is Shangri-LA DEE DA, which brought everything full circle — from STP's classic, riff-raking beginnings ("Dumb Love") to cracked glimpses of what might have been ("Bi-Polar Bear"). Speaking of what might have been: will you guys get on with it and make up already?! We're dying for one more classic alt-rock album over here.