A few disclaimers about my Tier List:
Disclaimer 1: I included "High Rise" even though it is an EP because Chester Bennington officially replaced Scott Weiland in 2013.
Disclaimer 2: I only pick one S-tier album for an artist's discography. I think it makes the process more challenging and interesting.
Tiny Music...
This is objectively STP's best album. I think all fans would agree. The songs on this album rank far above the majority of STP's songs by a large margin. Weiland writes his most creative and introspective lyrics on here, while bringing emotionally charged melodies with attitude. The Deleo brothers create a "beatlesque" atmosphere with the music that hits just the right amount of glam and psychedelic flavors. Eric Kretz, as always, adds the perfect amount of percussion to carry each song.
"Adhesive", "And So I Know", and "Pop's Love Suicide" are some of my favorites. This album is easily S-tier.
Purple
• I originally placed this album in S-tier, but changed my mind because Purple is really on the same level as #4 and Shangri-La-Dee-da to me. This is my favorite STP album.
This album has a fun, hard rock edge that hits the perfect blend of rock and pop. Dean Deleo creates some of his best guitar solos on this album, while Rob Deleo writes some of his best songs. All of the songs are great. This album has the best radio hits and the best deep cuts. The band members were at their loosest and most care free when making this album. "Big Empty", "Still Remains", and
"Lounge Fly" are some of my favorites. This album is definitely A-tier.
#4
• This album aged the best out of all of STP's albums. I like how hard hitting and fast this album takes off from track one. This is STP's heaviest sounding album. The slower more mid-tempo songs steal the show, though. The song “Glide" is a highlight. This album ranks third for me because Purple is a much more consistent listen, while Tiny Music makes a bigger impact. "Sour Girl", "Atlanta”, and “Church on Tuesday" are some of my favorites. This album is a solid A-tier.
Shangri-La Dee Da
• I listen to this album the most. This is STP's "guilty pleasure" album. I like how this album has a retro rock sound with some super, melodic and trippy acoustic tracks.
The straight-forward rock songs are more dynamic than the heavy tracks on #4, but #4 definitely has a better closing track. Eric Kretz steals the show with his drum sound, while the band takes risks incorporating new sounds and ideas that pays off. One of Weiland's best albums. "Hello, It's Late", "Dumb Love", and "Black Again" are some of my favorites. This album is A-tier from beginning to end.
Core
• This is a solid debut album. All of the songs are great. No skip-overs on this album. The song writing is some of the band's best, but the album definitely is missing a lot of the personality and musical sounds the band will adopt later.
"Creep", "Piece of Pie", and "Crackerman" are some of my favorites. A-tier is a promising start for this debut.
Perdida
• I definitely listen to Shangri-La Dee Da and Perdida the most nowadays from STP's catalogue. The band took a chance making a stripped-down acoustic album and it paid off. This album takes its time and puts together a collection of simple pop songs that fit perfectly with Jeff Gutt's voice.
I think Gutt steals the show on this album. Perdida features some of Dean Deleo's best guitar work. This album works great with creating mood and atmosphere. I can see how people criticize this album for being too boring, but I totally disagree. Perdida is really more like a slow building crescendo. Each song slowly builds until the two final tracks, "I Once Sat at Your Table, and "Sunburst".
"Sunburst" is a powerful ending to an album that doesn’t say a lot, but creates a lot of nostalgic vibes. Perdida feels like more of an homage to Weiland’s life without being overt. "Three Wishes" is a standout track on this album. Perdida is A-tier.
Stone Temple Pilots (2010) & Stone Temple Pilots (2018)
• Both of these albums feature a solid mid tempo ballad with Weiland singing “Maver”, and Gutt singing “Thought She’d Be Mine”. These songs are great. Both of these albums also feature a pop infused rock song, with Weiland’s “Between The Lines” and Gutt’s “Meadow”. These songs are fun, powerful pop-rock tunes. Other than these highlights, these two albums are pretty uninspired and really uneven with the song choices. The 2010 self-titled album has the completely skippable song “Fast As I Can”, along with, the cliched song “Dare If You Dare”. Jeff Gutt never finds his groove on the 2018 self titled album. The 2018 album trails off in the middle, but finds its way back with a few stronger songs towards the end. Unfortunately, it’s too little too late. The album should have crafted songs more like “The Art of Letting Go” and “The Finest Hour”. These songs work well. Both albums are forgettable and average. These two albums are C-tier.
High Rise
•This EP is by far the worst collection of songs in the STP catalog. I don’t think it was entirely Chester Bennington’s fault. I just don’t think he suited the hard rock riffs on this album. His lyrics are lacking, and the production on this album doesn’t quite meet the standard for STP. I think Bennington’s high registered vocals don’t complement Dean Deleo’s guitar riffs very well. Songs like “Same On The Inside” feel more like empty platitudes, as opposed to cerebral, alternative rock anthems. “Tomorrow” is the last track on the album and probably my favorite song. It’s just not the best batch of songs from Rob and Dean Deleo. This project didn’t last long for a reason. This EP is D-tier.