Talk Show, S/T, 1997
There are some albums I listen to all year round, and there are some that only sound great in the summer months. This is one of the latter. After wrapping up Tiny Music, Stone Temple Pilots went on a hiatus where Scott Weiland released his first solo album 12 Bar Blues, a strange album. The rest of the band had been jamming with singer Dave Coutts since 1995 and decided to release their debut album Talk Show. I came across it at a record store in Keene some years ago and snatched it from a friend who claimed to be ‘the biggest STP fan’; he dismissed it and I treasure it.
When the weather is warm enough, I roll down my windows and crank the first eight tracks of this album. Weiland’s solo record was a dip in the weird side, whereas, this album just rocks. I do find it odd to hear STP fronted by somebody else, but unlike Van Halen, this is a project that could have had legs if it wanted to grow them.
I love the guitar work by Dean DeLeo, and the huge drums of Eric Kertz all over this album. Robert DeLeo provides some great bass grooves and holds a lot of these songs together. Dave Coutts does a fine job on vocals, much more subdued compared to the eccentricities of Weiland. There is nothing too fancy on this record because the guys stick to what they do best.
This album is long out of print, but you can probably find some tracks out there: “Ring Twice”, “Hello, Hello”, “So Long”, “Peeling An Orange”, “End of the World” and “Wash Me Down”. If the opportunity strikes; buy this and don’t look back, you’ll love the unpretentious 90s rock.
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