Core (Stone Temple Pilots album)
Encyclopedia
The album was released on September 29, 1992 on Atlantic, the same day Alice in Chains
released Dirt, another important album of the grunge era. Despite high sales, the album received mixed to negative reviews. Critics blasted the band as "rip-offs" of grunge
bands such as Pearl Jam
and Alice in Chains. Entertainment Weekly
gave the album a B rating, saying "Stone Temple Pilots' hit 'Sex Type Thing
' could be Mike Tyson
's rape defense transcribed into grunge rock. It's unclear whether STP, which sounds like it has crash-landed Pearl Jam into Alice in Chains, is condemning or identifying with its narrator. With a real point of view, this band could be bigger than an accident." Regarding the album's initial reception, Weiland told Entertainment Weekly
in 2008, "It was really painful in the beginning because I just assumed that the critics would understand where we were coming from, that these just weren't dumb rock songs". Don Kaye of Kerrang!
also praised the band's "confidence and identity", unusual in debut albums.
"Plush
" won the 1994 Grammy Award
for Best Hard Rock Performance
. Stone Temple Pilots also won the MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist
award at the 1993 MTV Music Video Awards. In the midst of the album's success, the band was simultaneously voted Best New Band by Rolling Stones readers and Worst New Band by the magazine's music critics in January 1994. Several of the album's songs remain rock radio staples in the United States.
In October 2011, Core was ranked number ten (preceded by Eric Clapton
's acoustic live album Unplugged
) on Guitar World
magazine's top ten list of guitar albums of 1992.
"Dead & Bloated" is the opening track of the album. Although it was never released as a single, "Dead & Bloated" has received substantial radio airplay and is known as one of STP's heaviest songs. "Dead & Bloated" is frequently performed live by the band and is known by Weiland's use of a bullhorn to sing the intro, occasionally bringing up an audience member to perform it. However, during the recording of the album, Weiland sang the intro through an electric guitar pick-up. STP has been known to play this song live as a part of the set list's encore
. In addition, Velvet Revolver
and Army of Anyone
, both of which consisted of former STP members, have performed "Dead & Bloated" in concert.
"Crackerman" is the eleventh track of the album. Like "Dead & Bloated", it was never released as a single, but still received a fair amount of radio airplay. Both "Dead & Bloated" and "Crackerman" were lambasted as "really bad Alice in Chains parodies" by Allmusic. "Crackerman" is frequently played in STP concerts and was the band's opening song during their 1993 performance on MTV Unplugged
. "Crackerman" also contains a lyrical reference to Shel Silverstein
's song "A Boy Named Sue
", at the beginning of the second verse: "trippin', as I'm thinkin' 'bout a boy, his name was Sue".
In a 2007 interview with Rolling Stone
, Weiland stated that Core and Velvet Revolver's Libertad are the only albums he has written sober.
, except where noted.
Some Korean copies of the album omit "Crackerman" and add an acoustic version of "Plush" at the end.
Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist and songwriter Jerry Cantrell and original lead vocalist Layne Staley. The initial lineup was rounded out by drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Starr...
released Dirt, another important album of the grunge era. Despite high sales, the album received mixed to negative reviews. Critics blasted the band as "rip-offs" of grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
bands such as Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready...
and Alice in Chains. Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
gave the album a B rating, saying "Stone Temple Pilots' hit 'Sex Type Thing
Sex Type Thing
"Sex Type Thing" is the debut single released in 1992 by American rock band Stone Temple Pilots from their debut studio album, Core. "Sex Type Thing" also appears on the greatest hits compilation album Thank You. The song spawned a music video which received moderate rotation on MTV...
' could be Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson
Michael Gerard "Mike" Tyson is a retired American boxer. Tyson is a former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and holds the record as the youngest boxer to win the WBC, WBA and IBF world heavyweight titles, he was 20 years, 4 months and 22 days old...
's rape defense transcribed into grunge rock. It's unclear whether STP, which sounds like it has crash-landed Pearl Jam into Alice in Chains, is condemning or identifying with its narrator. With a real point of view, this band could be bigger than an accident." Regarding the album's initial reception, Weiland told Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
in 2008, "It was really painful in the beginning because I just assumed that the critics would understand where we were coming from, that these just weren't dumb rock songs". Don Kaye of Kerrang!
Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
also praised the band's "confidence and identity", unusual in debut albums.
"Plush
Plush (song)
"Plush" is a song by American rock band Stone Temple Pilots. It is one of the band's biggest hits, and was released as the second single from the band's debut studio album, Core .-Composition and inspiration:...
" won the 1994 Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for Best Hard Rock Performance
Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance was an award presented to recording artists at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, for works containing quality performances in the hard rock music genre...
. Stone Temple Pilots also won the MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist
MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist
The MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist is one of the four original general categories that have been given out since the first annual MTV Video Music Awards in 1984...
award at the 1993 MTV Music Video Awards. In the midst of the album's success, the band was simultaneously voted Best New Band by Rolling Stones readers and Worst New Band by the magazine's music critics in January 1994. Several of the album's songs remain rock radio staples in the United States.
In October 2011, Core was ranked number ten (preceded by Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
's acoustic live album Unplugged
Unplugged (Eric Clapton album)
Unplugged is a live album by Eric Clapton released in 1992. It was recorded live in England for the MTV Unplugged series and includes both the hit single "Tears in Heaven" and a heavily reworked acoustic version of "Layla"....
) on Guitar World
Guitar World
Guitar World is a monthly music magazine devoted to guitarists. It contains original interviews, album and gear reviews and guitar and bass tablature of approximately five songs each month. The magazine is published 13 times per year...
magazine's top ten list of guitar albums of 1992.
Music and lyrical content
Weiland has said that the main theme of the album is that humanity is confused, with songs like "Sex Type Thing", "Piece of Pie", and "Naked Sunday" dealing with social issues. "Sex Type Thing", according to Weiland, deals with abuse of power, "macho" behavior, and humanity's attitude toward women, treating them as sex objects. "Naked Sunday" is an attack on government and organized religion, with Weiland stating "the song is about organized religion. About people who tell others what to do and what to believe. They switch off people's minds and control the masses. It gives me a feeling of isolation, when I think about it. Organized religion does not view everyone as equals." "Sin" continues this theme, as the lyrics focus on rage and violence in a relationship."Dead & Bloated" is the opening track of the album. Although it was never released as a single, "Dead & Bloated" has received substantial radio airplay and is known as one of STP's heaviest songs. "Dead & Bloated" is frequently performed live by the band and is known by Weiland's use of a bullhorn to sing the intro, occasionally bringing up an audience member to perform it. However, during the recording of the album, Weiland sang the intro through an electric guitar pick-up. STP has been known to play this song live as a part of the set list's encore
Encore (concert)
An encore is an additional performance added to the end of a concert, from the French "encore", which means "again", "some more"; multiple encores are not uncommon. Encores originated spontaneously, when audiences would continue to applaud and demand additional performance from the artist after the...
. In addition, Velvet Revolver
Velvet Revolver
Velvet Revolver is an American hard rock supergroup consisting of former Guns N' Roses members Slash, Duff McKagan, and Matt Sorum, alongside Dave Kushner formerly of punk band Wasted Youth. Stone Temple Pilots vocalist Scott Weiland was Velvet Revolver's lead singer from their formation until...
and Army of Anyone
Army of Anyone
Army of Anyone was a supergroup formed by Filter frontman Richard Patrick with two of the then-former members of rock band Stone Temple Pilots. In addition to Patrick on vocals, the band featured Dean DeLeo and Robert DeLeo on guitars and bass, respectively, and Ray Luzier on drums...
, both of which consisted of former STP members, have performed "Dead & Bloated" in concert.
"Crackerman" is the eleventh track of the album. Like "Dead & Bloated", it was never released as a single, but still received a fair amount of radio airplay. Both "Dead & Bloated" and "Crackerman" were lambasted as "really bad Alice in Chains parodies" by Allmusic. "Crackerman" is frequently played in STP concerts and was the band's opening song during their 1993 performance on MTV Unplugged
MTV Unplugged
MTV Unplugged is a TV series showcasing many popular musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show has received the George Foster Peabody Award and 3 Primetime Emmy nominations among many accolades.-Unplugged:...
. "Crackerman" also contains a lyrical reference to Shel Silverstein
Shel Silverstein
Sheldon Allan "Shel" Silverstein , was an American poet, singer-songwriter, musician, composer, cartoonist, screenwriter and author of children's books. He styled himself as Uncle Shelby in his children's books...
's song "A Boy Named Sue
A Boy Named Sue
"A Boy Named Sue" is a song written by Shel Silverstein and performed by Johnny Cash. Cash was at the height of his popularity when he recorded the song live at California's San Quentin State Prison at a concert on 24 February 1969. The concert was filmed by Granada Television for later...
", at the beginning of the second verse: "trippin', as I'm thinkin' 'bout a boy, his name was Sue".
In a 2007 interview with Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
, Weiland stated that Core and Velvet Revolver's Libertad are the only albums he has written sober.
Track listing
All lyrics written by Scott WeilandScott Weiland
Scott Weiland is an American musician, lyricist, and vocalist, most notable for his work with Grammy Award-winning rock band Stone Temple Pilots. Weiland is also known for his five-year career with supergroup Velvet Revolver as well as his own solo career...
, except where noted.
Some Korean copies of the album omit "Crackerman" and add an acoustic version of "Plush" at the end.
Personnel
- Scott WeilandScott WeilandScott Weiland is an American musician, lyricist, and vocalist, most notable for his work with Grammy Award-winning rock band Stone Temple Pilots. Weiland is also known for his five-year career with supergroup Velvet Revolver as well as his own solo career...
(credited only as "Weiland") – vocals - Dean DeLeoDean DeLeoDean DeLeo is an American guitarist for the rock band Stone Temple Pilots.He is also known for his role in the short-lived bands Talk Show and Army of Anyone, which featured his younger brother Robert DeLeo, Filter frontman Richard Patrick, and session drummer Ray Luzier...
– guitar - Robert DeLeoRobert DeLeoRobert Emile DeLeo is an American bass player, songwriter, and harmony vocalist for the rock band Stone Temple Pilots. He has also played in Talk Show and Army of Anyone...
– bass - Eric KretzEric KretzEric Kretz is an American musician and producer, known as the drummer for the rock band Stone Temple Pilots, one of the most successful rock bands of the 1990s and early 2000s that reunited in 2008. He has also played for Talk Show, and most recently Spiralarms...
– drums
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Heatseekers | 1 |
| 1993 | The Billboard 200 | 3 |
| UK Albums Chart | 27 | |
| Canadian RPM Albums Chart | 8 |
End of decade charts
| Chart (1990–1999) | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 93 |
Charting songs
| Year | Song | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | "Sex Type Thing" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 23 |
| "Plush" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 1 | |
| Modern Rock Tracks | 9 | ||
| Top 40 Mainstream | 18 | ||
| UK Singles Chart | 23 | ||
| "Wicked Garden" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 11 | |
| Modern Rock Tracks | 21 | ||
| "Creep" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 2 | |
| Modern Rock Tracks | 12 | ||