Additional personnel: Paul Leary (guitar); Brendan O'Brien (percussion, guitar, mellotron).

Recorded at Southern Tracks, The Record Plant, Paisley Park and Harptone Studios between May 1993 and March 1994.

PURPLE includes "12 Gracious Melodies," an uncredited hidden track at the end of the record.

Personnel: Scott Weiland (vocals, guitar, percussion); Paul Leary (guitar, Mellotron, percussion); Robert DeLeo (guitar, percussion); Dean DeLeo (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, drums, percussion); Eric Kretz (drums, percussion).

Audio Mixer: Brendan O'Brien.

Recording information: Harptone Studios (07/12/1993-03/??/1994); Record Plant (07/12/1993-03/??/1994); Southern Tracks (07/12/1993-03/??/1994).

Illustrator: Dale Sizer.

Stone Temple Pilots had hits with Core, but they got no respect. They suffered a barrage of savage criticism and it must have hurt, since their second effort seems a conscious effort to distinguish themselves as a band not indebted to grunge. That didn't get them anywhere, as they were attacked as viciously as before, but Purple is nevertheless a quantum leap over their debut, showcasing a band hitting its stride. They still aren't much for consistency, and there's more than a fair share of filler over this album's "12 Gracious Melodies." Still, this filler isn't cut-rate grunge, as it was on the debut; it has its own character, heavily melodic and slightly psychedelic. That's a fair assessment of the hits, as well, but there's a difference there -- namely, expert song and studiocraft. Yes, they were considerably more mainstream than their peers, but time has proven that that's their primary charm, since they were unafraid to temper their grunge with big arena hooks and swirling melodies. It works particularly well on the tight, concise "Vasoline" and the acoustic-based "Pretty Penny," but it really shines on the record's two masterpieces, "Big Empty" and "Interstate Love Song." "Big Empty" is ominous and foreboding, yet remains anthemic, a perfect encapsulation of mainstream alienation that is surpassed only by "Interstate Love Song," a concise epic as alluring as the open highway. These two songs are so good (really, mainstream hard rock didn't get better than these two cuts) that the unevenness of the rest of the record is all the more frustrating, but the filler here is better than before -- and those singles are proof positive that STP was the best straight-ahead rock singles outfit of their time. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Stone Temple Pilots' second album, PURPLE, meshes guitar rock with grunge, and forges deeper into hard rock territory. Lurching out of the speakers with aggressive bottom-heavy rock, PURPLE is an example of what brought guitar-oriented rock back into the spotlight in the nineties. The 5 songs are driving, stripped to the basics of guitar, bass, and drums. PURPLE exemplifies straight ahead rock.

Embracing styles from grunge to late-1960s hard rock, Stone Temple Pilots are a band accomplished at writing abrasive rock songs, but aren't afraid of quieter acoustic melodies. The album starts with the menacing "Meat Plow," with the lyrics, "Fine place for a day full of breakdowns," leaving the listener to wonder if PURPLE is an analogy to a bruise. But as the bruise begins to fade, so does STP's over-wrought aggression. "Interstate Love Song" shows their sensitive side both lyrically and musically, and Scott Weiland's vocals are pushed beyond his hard rock growl into a near-sensitive croon.

What makes Stone Temple Pilots click is their ability to write basic, riff-heavy guitar rock. PURPLE finds Stone Temple Pilots comfortable in their hard-rock medium, but also willing to take the chance on their softer side.