Core - Dark Publications

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Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.com
Though lambasted in some quarters as cynical clones of the then-vaunted "Seattle sound" (in particular, Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam) STP's 1993 debut nonetheless found a considerable following for its potent crunch and sly hooks. While some tracks do seem to ape the era's grunge ethos a bit too slavishly, there's also a sense that perhaps Weiland and company were merely sharing some of the same influences as their contemporaries--and on standouts like the riff-savvy "Sex Type Thing" and the moody acoustics of "Creep", accomplishing it with a bit more ambitious range. Indeed, the radio anthem "Crush" belies a devotion to songcraft disdained by many of their peers, one that served as an effective bridge between the stadium rock of the '70s and '80s and the more introspective alt-rock just then coming into vogue--even if the album's triple-platinum sales showed just how ironic and misplaced the "alternative" label could ultimately be. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews: Read 211 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

The classic debut April 7, 2005
51 out of 54 found this review helpful

In 1992/93, probably most people would not have expected Stone Temple Pilots to be one of the best bands of the decade. People were really split on STP back in the day. To be sure, they were one of the most popular bands of the decade right off the bat. Over half of the songs on their debut album "Core" were very popular radio staples back in the early 90s and remain popular to this day. Fans bought "Core" in droves upon its release, and it has gone on to sell eight million copies.

Most likely because of the band's almost instant success, they received an enormous amount of condemnation. They were accused of jumping on the grunge bandwagon. The most common complaint thrown at STP was that they were Pearl Jam rip-offs. A few years later, if you were to listen to Pearl Jam's "No Code" and then listen to STP's "Tiny Music," it would be hard to imagine thinking that STP was a knockoff of PJ. But in the early 90s, however, before STP really got into their own groove with subsequent albums, the comparison and complaints remained.

I think that one of the main differences between these two bands is that Pearl Jam is a college/undergound band at heart, and Stone Temple Pilots was an arena rock band at heart. The fact that STP never lost the knack for writing great hooks throughout their five releases, and that Pearl Jam's music became increasingly less commercial, more arty, confirm that for me (not to say that one band is superior to the other, as they were/are both great in their own right).

In all honesty, "Core" is not the most groundbreaking influential album of all-time. Stone Temple Pilots were a very talented and eclectic band, and they did have their own sound. In the beginning, however, they did borrow from some of their peers, like Pearl Jam and Nirvana. On the surface, there are some similarities between "Core" era STP, and "Ten" era Pearl Jam. "Plush" is probably the best example. If you listened to "Plush" on the radio, with its grungy guitars and baritone vocals, you might have concluded that this was Pearl Jam you were listening to. "Core" actually sound like a mix of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden. These songs from "Core", however, sound like they were meant as anthems and for the arena and massive radio/MTV play. You get the sense by listing to "Core" that it was destined and tailored to be huge, probably one of the reasons it was so unfairly bashed in the first place.

Original or not, "Core" remains one of the finest rock albums of the early 90s. Even if they did borrow from the Seattle songbook, these songs remain classics from that era. These songs are so timeless because they all have killer groves, monster solos, and infectious hooks. The radio staples "Dead and Bloated," "Sex Type Thing," "Wicked Garden," "Creep," "Plush," and "Crackerman" have all stood the test of time and have weathered as well as anything from "Ten." The non-radio staples are also mostly quite memorable, so "Core" contains very little filler. "Core" sounds as fresh today as it did back in the early 90s.

I would go as far as to say that Stone Temple Pilots were the Led Zeppelin of the 1990s. The band, Scott Weiland (vocals), Dean DeLeo (Guitars) Robert DeLeo (bass) and Eric Kertz (drums) were an incredible band and they reinvented themselves with each new album, always churning out new music that sounded fresh and had new ideas, never stagnating or losing momentum. "Core," was an excellent foundation on to which a great band was built. And while the band's debut "Core" took the cue from some of it's peers, it's still a classic album and is a cornerstone to any good 90s rock collection.

5 out of 5 stars

STP: At their maximum energy and talent March 9, 2000
20 out of 22 found this review helpful

Personally, although Stone Temple Pilots are my favorite band, I still think others should be able to appreciate the underlying angst and heavy guitar rhythms, as well as the passion and strain that can be detected in singer Scott Weiland's voice as he croons through the album. Songs such as Dead and Bloated, Sex Type Thing, Wicked Garden, Creep, and the epic Plush helped to define early 90's rock and roll/grunge/alternative, as well as setting the tone for later artists such as Bush, Godsmack, etc. Call them unoriginal, call them copycats, call them whatever you want, but Stone Temple Pilots always have a new style or a new variation on an old style that keeps you guessing. I give core an A-plus as a musician and as a music lover. This album is especially revered by those who like the heavy grunge sound of the early 90's, as it is very evident. The melancholy 'creep' invokes a sense of desperation, of a man driven out of his mind and into the arms of a woman who doesn't love him. Sex Type Thing, though controversial, is about the evils of date rape, not the benefits of it as was common belief when the song was released. Plush, by far the most masterful of the recordings, will make the price of the cd worth it by its own merit alone.

5 out of 5 stars

One of the best rock CD's in recent years July 18, 2001
14 out of 18 found this review helpful

I have long considered Core to be one of the best rock albums to be released in the '90's. People can say all they want about STP and how they were grunge posers, but the fact remains that with Nirvana dead, Alice in Chains in extended hibernation, Soundgarden broken up, and Pearl Jam busy recording every concert they perform, these "imitators" have outlasted their peers. This album was the beginning of STP's huge catalog of great songs. Classics like "Sex Type Thing" and "Plush" are accompanied by bombastic fare such as "Crackerman," which in my opinion, is meant to be one cohesive song with "Wet My Bed." Truth be told, there isn't really a single song that I dislike on this album...all 12 are at least very good, many of them excellent. After 9 years, this is still easily STP's best album.

5 out of 5 stars

Great Debut from a great band! March 18, 2001
12 out of 17 found this review helpful

Core is an excellent example of grunge. Each track rocks really hard. There's some great hard rock tracks on this cd such as Sex Type Thing, Wicked Garden,and Dead and Bloated. Awesome softer tunes are Creep, Plush and where the River Goes.

Dead and Bloated 9/10-this is a really great song. It starts with the chorus being sung by Scott and then really kicks into a hard rocking song. There are some more melodic moments in it, but at the end of the song you feel that you've experienced one [heck] of a kickoff to this album.

Sex Type Thing 10/10-Another awesome hard rock tune. Lyrics about sex, hard rocking guitars, tearing vocals, and a pulsating drum beat, grunge doesn't get much better that this.

Wicked Garden 9.5/10-This song has really great vocals. The way the verse changes numerous times makes this a really original song. The lyrics are about setting someone free from chains that bind them, pretty [darn] cool.

No Memory 6/10-This is a fairly boring instrumental. It would have been king if there was lyrics put into it.

Sin 7/10-I can't say much about this song. It never really gets going. There's not much punch to it. The lyrics are really good though.

Naked Sunday 8/10-This song is good. The chorus consists of Scott singing a bunch of oh's and ah's, but the verses have really good lyrics. I can't rate this amongst some of my favorites because the chorus is a little, shall we say, boring?

Creep 10/10-Now we're talking. Two mediocre tracks build up the anticipation for this one. Great acoustic riff and vocals. The lyrics, while simple, are haunting. A great pre-chorus. Most everybody has heard this ballad on the radio,and it's even better on disc.

Piece Of Pie 9/10-A great hard kicking song with good lyrics. Not much else to say.

Plush 10/10-Of course this song is gonna get a ten. One of the most memorable singles of all time. Excellent guitar riff, excellent lyrics, excellent vocals, [darnit] excellent song!!!

Wet My Bed 3/10-Uhhh... No thanks, I'll pass on this one. [....]

Crackerman 6/10-Slightly boring tune, not much special about it. Lyrics and guitar are sorta dull. Never really stood out at me.

Where The River Goes 10/10-A great melodic closer. Great guitar and lyrics.

5 out of 5 stars Showed their true promise that would be fulfilled later August 4, 2000
11 out of 13 found this review helpful

This album contained more recognizable hit singles than any debut should be allowed to have. It showed STP's promise that would soon be fulfilled with later albums like "Purple" and "Tiny Music..." along with "No. 4".

Sure they were passed off as Pearl Jam wannabes, but then again this album sold as many copies as Pearl jam's debut and yeilded more hits than that of "Ten" (released a year before this).

Though they deny the term "grunge," this is a Grunge album. To their credit, this is the only grunge album they made...even "Purple" contained songs that were more Alternative than Grunge. This one, though, certainly is...

Onto the review: unless you were nowhere near a radio throughout the past 8 years, you'll recognize the hits on this album within seconds. "Plush" is arguably the best, most known STP song ever. It's so catchy it's disturbing...the lyrics and harmonies blend in with catchy guitar chords, extraordinary bass and a Bonham-esque drum line. If this were the only good song on "Core," the CD would still have 5 stars. Really, people...it's that good.

But there are more. While the lyrics to "Sex Type Thing" and "Creep" are among the most famous words of the last decade, the hooks are just as well. Tell me you've never heard "I'm half the man I used to be" and I'll say you're lying. Equally known are the songs "Dead and Bloated" and "Wicked Garden"...making this a CD with 5 HUGE radio hits.

The rest isn't half bad, either..."No Memory" and "Sin" go as well together as Pink Floyd's "Brain Damage/Eclipse." "Naked Sunday" are some of the only STP lyrics you could understand at a glance without interpreting them yourself..."Piece of Pie" is a nice but not-to-noteworthy grunge rocker..."Crackerman" isn't the best or worst STP song by far..."Where the River Goes" is a good closer.

Inexcusable filler of the album award goes to: "Wet My Bed." Either that's Weiland's attempt at creating a Jim Morrison-esque piece for his album (even Weiland said he was worried people would say he was a Jim wannabe because he was listening to a lot of Doors music at the time), or it is just there to make the CD longer. Either way, I doubt it's at the top of any STP fan's "favorite list."

BUY THIS CD! It is well worth the money. It went on to sell almost ten million copies, coming close to matching "Nirvana" and "Pearl Jam" while surpassing "Alice In Chains" and "Soundgarden" by far...it's funny, because critics saying "STP were wannabes of those bands" surely didn't show.

However, do not make this your only STP CD. They have improved on each one so far, and by now "Core" is just a sample of how great their other albums went on to be.

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