This Day in Music History: STP Releases ‘Purple’

For some reason, it seems to me that Stone Temple Pilots was always thought of as a second tier 90’s band. They were dubbed “grunge imitators” by many, not held in the same regard as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains. The disdain might not have reached Nickelback-level hatred, but there were a ton of critics. Say what you will, but there’s a lot of solid stuff on STP’s first three records. Their multi-platinum second album, Purple was released June 7^th, 1994. It debuted at #1 on the Billboard charts, and featured the hits “Vasoline”, “Interstate Love Song” and “Big Empty”.

Purple was a natural progression for the band after their successful debut, Core (1993). “Interstate Love Song” was something altogether new for the band. STP was still bringing the rock, but they were starting to mix in other elements. They made another huge evolutionary step with their next album, 1996’s Tiny Music… Songs From the Vatican Gift Shop.

Purple tracklisting: