Stone Temple Pilots Unreleased Purple Material Leaks After 25 Years

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UPDATE: In celebration of the 25th anniversary of PURPLE, we are releasing PURPLE: SUPER DELUXE EDITION, available on September 13, as a 3CD/1LP set, 2CD, and digitally. Featuring a newly remastered version of the original studio album on both CD and vinyl, this edition will also include unreleased versions of album tracks and rarities, along with an unreleased full concert recording from 1994. A limited edition bundle of the PURPLE: SUPER DELUXE EDITON is now available to pre-order at the link in bio, which includes a bonus replica 7-inch vinyl single of “Interstate Love Song” that was originally released in the UK in 1994. This exclusive bundle is limited to 1,000 copies.

Stone Temple Pilots have released a never before seen look at Scott Weiland’s handwritten “Big Empty” lyrics. The band have been making other posts that seem to be hinting at a Purple 25th anniversary reissue, with the album’s 25th anniversary falling on Friday. Purple was released on June 7, 1994 and is arguably STP’s most acclaimed album, with the band formulating their own unique Led Zeppelin meets southern rock sound on many of the album’s biggest hits.

The recording of Purple at a tumultuous time for Stone Temple Pilots, with a 1994 Metal Hammer Germany interview documenting the making of the album:

Back to the start of the interview. First I spoke to Eric Kretz, then with Robert DeLeo. Both of them gave the impression that the mood in the band was great and that there were no problems whatsoever. In the subsequent interview with Scott Weiland I get a totally different idea. We’re talking about the lyrics of the new single “Vasoline”, which describes the feeling of helplessness. “It’s about the powers around you. The media are without a doubt also a part of this machine, just like the music industry. I wanted to capture the feeling of the despair of being captive. I don’t know if Robert and Eric mentioned it, but we’ve been on speaking terms again for a little while now. We went through personal problems within the band and ourselves for a long time. It’s unbelievable that we were able to make this album. I think the tensions had a positive effect on the artistic aspects of it. But we created a lot of resentment towards one another when dealing with eachother during this time. When you’re experiencing problems, often you will find yourself trapped inside yourself. Add to that the pressure… That’s a strange time to be doing an interview. Yesterday I spoke with Robert again for the first time since we came back from Atlanta. I haven’ said a word to Dean at all yet. We only make decisions by having each band member speak with our manager individually. There’s definitely a lack of communication.”

Robert DeLeo and Scott Weiland have been writing partners for eight years, but their relationship has reached a low point now. “From some kind of wonderful reason, we’re all at the same level, musically. I have no idea how that happened. Still, I hope that things will be better. They couldn’t be much worse,” says Scott with admirable openness. Indeed it would be a shame of the album, which undoubtedly has all the ingredients to be a best seller. Besides, no lesser band than the Rolling Stones have begged STP to support them on their upcoming U.S. Tour. But before that happens, the tensions and problems that have built, have to be taken care of.

“We almost got to the point where we halted the recording to fly back to Los Angeles. That’s when Brendan O’Brien called us together and said: ‘We recorded some unbelievable songs, but I can’t continue under these circumstances. You’ll either start talking again or I’ll pack up and go home’. That’s when they regrouped and with that they avoided what would have almost certainly be the end of Stone Temple Pilots. These kind of ego-problems are nothing new in Rock’n’roll. From Slayer to Skid Row, from the Beatles to the Stones there’s been quarrels in band, and often these problems brought the bands further.

That’s also what Scott Weiland hopes, but it will take at least a couple of uncomfortable group sessions before that happens. “Yesterday I told my fiancee: ‘I don’t know if I want to go on tour with the others anymore.’, ponders the the singer. Is it difficult to deal with two brothers in a group? “Yeah, they have a hard time talking about our problems. They are both so thickheaded, but I also think it’s some kind of defense mechanism against my own strong personality. But I am nowhere near as inflammable as they think. I do really love those guys and it’s a big step forward that Robert and I can sit in the same room again and laugh together – that hasn’t happened for months. I can feel anger and hatred towards Robert and Dean at one moment, but when I hear them play, I’m totally moved again.”

The tensions between the band members have obviously influenced Scott’s lyrics. “Because I was totally alone, estranged from the rest of the group while we were recording, I holed myself up in this small rental apartment every night and wrote and wrote. That’s how some things got clear to me, and they turned into lyrics. They helped me deal with my problems, that’s why the words on this disc are something special to me.”

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