Rock of Ages: Stone Temple Pilots - "Silvergun Superman" (1994)

By 1994, grunge saw a huge turn for the worse when Kurt Cobain took his own life. It was a sad day that I remember greatly. Music would never be the same. Although some think it would take a turn for the worse, some bands took off into new directions. Although Stone Temple Pilots first record Core can be seen as a purely grunge record, their second album Purple has a much more distinct sound and vibe to it that sets it aside from that early grunge period. Their sound evolved into a more bluesy, glammed out version of their earlier grunge sound. Although the riffs are still heavy on Purple, the songs still come around as a step ahead of their debut. The epic rocker "Silvergun Superman" was never a radio hit, but it is the standout track of STP's career. It's a fantastic slow jam that builds into a seeringly fantastic guitar solo, easily one of the best from the 1990's. Dan DeLeo is a fantastic guitarist and one that deserves credit. Not only on this song, but on many more.

Scott Weiland's lyrics, which could either be a song about his drug addiction or even his drugged out alter ego. Here is my tip off lyric for that:
"Rolling back the days
With my friend I love to play
The little one
Superman with silver gun"
It's almost like it's his version of "Happiness is a Warm Gun" but instead of trippy constantly changing music around it, it's one searingly ferocious riff. The musical quality of this track swells forth at the end which ends in a clatter much like that of a drugged out frenzy. FOr some reason, STP always got the shaft by many as the weird step son of Pearl Jam and many people wrote off their genius, but something abotu STP always seemed way more honest and just straight up more rocking. They left us a legacy of 5 killer albums, although their latter career was less a treasure trove and more of diamonds mixed in the rough. Not every STP track can be as powerful as "Silvergun Superman."



Up Next: Stereolab's dreamy soundscape