The Stone Temple Pilots are the result of a chance meeting between Scott Weiland (b. 27 October 1967, Santa Cruz, California, USA; vocals) and Robert DeLeo (b. 2 February 1966, New Jersey, USA; bass) at one of Black Flag's final shows in Los Angeles. After discovering that they both went out with the same girl, a songwriting partnership led to the formation of a full band, originally known as Mighty Joe Young, and later renamed Stone Temple Pilots, with Eric Kretz (b. 7 June 1966, Santa Cruz, California, USA; drums) and DeLeo's brother Dean (b. 23 August 1961, New Jersey, USA; guitar) joining the duo. Moving away from the Guns N'Roses-crazed Los Angeles scene of the time to San Diego, the band were able to play club shows and develop hard rock material given an alternative edge by their varied influences. Although the sound of the band brought many others to mind, from Led Zeppelin to Seattle bands such as Pearl Jam and Alice In Chains, and Weiland's deep voice bore a passing resemblance to that of Eddie Vedder, it was very much Stone Temple Pilots' own sound, and there was no denying the quality of Core. The dense wall of muscular guitar over a tight, precise rhythm section provided a powerful setting for Weiland's emotive vocals and challenging lyrics. "Sex Type Thing", perhaps the band's best-known song, deals with sexual harassment from the viewpoint of a particularly brutish male, and the singer was initially concerned that the message would be misinterpreted. His fears proved unfounded and, helped by heavy touring, Core reached the US Top 20 by the summer of 1993, eventually selling over four million copies in the USA.
The band's follow-up album, Purple, debuted at number 1 in the US album charts, staying there for three weeks. This time the band purposely avoided any material that could be construed as derivative of Pearl Jam, having tired of the unfair criticism. Their second effort proved to be an atmospheric and rewarding experience, as STP produced a quasi-psychedelic sound that confirmed their own identity and considerable talents. In May 1995, Weiland was arrested in Pasadena, California, and was charged with possession of heroin and cocaine, a misdemeanour that carried with it a possible four-year jail sentence. In early 1996, their best album to date was released amid rumours of serious drug abuse during the recording sessions. Tiny Music ... Songs From The Vatican Gift Shop was indeed a powerful record, but its success was tainted by Weiland being ordered by the courts to be confined to a drug rehabilitation centre. To have this happen at such a crucial time in the band's career (when the new album was still in the US Top 20) was a severe blow and raised serious questions about the band's future. However, by the end of 1996, Weiland had been cleared of the drugs charges and the band was back on the road.
In 1998, Weiland released his solo debut and announced the band would record another album. Shortly afterwards, however, he was arrested in New York and charged with heroin possession, leading to a jail sentence. Despite their singer's incarceration, the band went ahead and released No. 4 the following year. Following his release from jail, Weiland rejoined his colleagues to record Shangri-La Dee Da.
