Tiny Music… Songs From the Vatican Giftshop

Artist: Stone Temple Pilots
Listenability Scale: 100%
Released by: Atlantic Records
A Review by:
–  The Wimp

Stone Temple Pilots continues to be a band that never ceases to amaze. Their latest release, “Tiny Music…Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop” is another classic. I can honestly say that although Pearl Jam’s “ten” is one of the greatest albums of all time, STP, album for album, is the better band. STP continues to blend a variety of sounds into their own talented mix.

Not taking anything away from STP’s music, but it continues to be the type where you say to yourself, “This sounds like…” Early on, it was Pearl Jam and Soundgarden progressing now to a seventies retro meets Jane’s Addiction with a country/hula twang thrown in. This album has been on top of my “always listen to” pile with Dokken’s “Dysfunctional” and Van Halen’s “Best of – Volume I” for the last few months. It’s a great album, and with hits like “Big Bang Baby”, “Lady Picture Show”, “Tumble in the Rough”, and “Trippin’ On a Hole in a Paper Heart”, this album is one of my “soon” to be published (Dude on the Right, my editor, chuckles at this point) “Wimp’s Top 25 Albums of the All Time.” Here are my comments for each of the tunes.

– Press Play (Instrumental)
Funky seventies retro thang. It works for me.

– Pop’s Love Suicide
Whiny grunge song. Kinda grating but lots of energy.

– Tumble in the Rough *****
Groovin’ song with some radio play.

– Big Bang Baby *****
A seventies retro…STP is the only band in the 90’s that has been able to pull the seventies retro thing in a cool way.

– Lady Picture Show *****
Another great song with radio play. A grunge tune with a hidden sadness

– And So I Know
A slow song that reminds me of a mild Jane’s Addiction ballad.

– Trippin’ on a Hole in a Paper Heart *****
Yet again another classic. Groovin’ grunge at its finest.

– Art School Girl
Funky song…I love it. “I got a girlfriend, she got a girlfriend.” Hubba hubba

– Adhesive
Another ballad. The kind you chill with after lovin’. Heeeyyy baby.

– Ride the Cliché
Another grunge sounding tune. A good song towards the end of the CD, where most bands tend to hide the so-so songs.

– Daisy (Instrumental)
Two instrumentals on one album…hmmm. Hula music…ahhhh. (See previous note about end of album songs)

– Seven Caged Tigers
Good song with grunge sound. This album is worth listening to from start to finish.

(Songs marked with ***** are songs that I think would make any album great)

Well, all in all a great album. I’m giving this one a 100% on the Entertainment Ave! listenability scale!

That’s it, I’m The Wimp!