12 Bar Blues (album)

12 Bar Blues
Studio album by
Scott Weiland
ReleasedMarch 31, 1998 (1998-03-31)
RecordedScott's house, Foxy Dead Girl, Royaltone, Oceanway, The Village, and Master Control
Genre
Length58:51
LabelAtlantic
ProducerBlair Lamb
Scott Weiland chronology
12 Bar Blues
(1998) 		"Happy" in Galoshes
(2008)

12 Bar Blues is the debut solo album from Scott Weiland and produced by Blair Lamb. Scott was a founding member and singer for Stone Temple Pilots. 12 Bar Blues's sound and style differ greatly from STP's previous releases. The design concept of the cover is a homage to the cover design of John Coltrane's Blue Train album. The album title comes from the simple chord progression known as "twelve-bar blues".

A 25th anniversary vinyl limited pressing (7,500) was offered by Rhino Records for a special Record Store Day release April 22, 2023.

Development

In a 1998 interview on MTV's 120 Minutes, Weiland states that his then brother-in-law introduced him to Blair Lamb, who recorded and produced 12 Bar Blues with Weiland acting as co-producer.[1]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Entertainment WeeklyB[3]
Pitchfork(7.8/10)[4]
Robert Christgau(dud)[5]
Rolling Stone[6]
Spin7/10[7]

Released in 1998 on Atlantic Records, the album was not a commercial success, selling only 90,000 copies in the United States by June 1998.[8]

The album received positive reviews. In a retrospective review, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic gave the album 4 out of 5 stars, declaring "12 Bar Blues is an unpredictable, carnivalesque record confirming that Weiland was the visionary behind STP's sound. He's fascinated by sound, piling on layers of shredded guitars, drum loops, and keyboards, making sure that each song sounds drastically different from its predecessor."[9] David Fricke of Rolling Stone awarded the album 3.5 out of 5 stars and declared that "12 Bar Blues isn't really a rock album, or even a pop album. Weiland, out on his own, has simply made an honest album – honest in its confusion, ambition and indulgence. It was worth the risk." but also remarked that "Maybe it's a little early for Scott Weiland to be going the solo way."[10] Pitchfork Media stated upon its release that "12 Bar Blues is easily the most innovative album Weiland has ever produced for public consumption,"[11] while Entertainment Weekly wrote that "the LP's sheer invention and hooks will make your indulgence worthwhile."[3]

Track listing

  1. "Desperation #5" – 4:05
  2. "Lazy Divey" – 4:00
  3. "Barbarella" – 6:36
  4. "About Nothing" – 4:48
  5. "Where's the Man" – 4:55
  6. "Divider" – 4:23
  7. "Cool Kiss" – 4:55
  8. "The Date" – 5:21
  9. "Son" – 5:04
  10. "Jimmy Was a Stimulator" – 3:58
  11. "Lady, Your Roof Brings Me Down" – 5:26
  12. "Mockingbird Girl" – 5:02
  13. "Opposite Octave Reaction" – 4:18

Track information

  • "Mockingbird Girl" was a re-recording of a song Weiland had originally recorded with The Magnificent Bastards for the 1995 Tank Girl soundtrack three years prior. "Lazy Divey," its name and chorus based on "Mairzy Doats," is only on the promo release and rerelease of he album.[12][13]

Personnel

  • Scott Weiland – vocals, guitar, keyboards, piano, synthesized bass
  • Victor Indrizzo – vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards, bass, drums
  • Martyn LeNoble – bass, cello
  • Blair Lamb – drum programming, guitars
  • Sheryl Crow – accordion
  • Brad Mehldau – piano
  • Peter DiStefano – guitars, bass
  • Daniel Lanois – synthesizers, production
  • Tony Castaneda – guitars, bass
  • Michael Weiland – drums, percussion, drum loops.
  • Tracy Chisolm – theremin
  • Holly Reiger – guitars
  • Jeff Nolan, Zander Schloss – guitars

Production

  • Produced by Blair Lamb and Scott Weiland.
  • Recorded by Blair Lamb and Tracy Chisholm.
  • Mixed by Tracy Chisholm.
  • Additional Recording by: Chad Banford and Chris Goss.
  • Additional engineers: David Nottingham, Eric Greedy, Jeff Robinson, John Sorensen, Rafa Sardina, Reid Miller
  • Additional Mixing by Mark Howard and Daniel Lanois.
  • Mastering: Daniel Lanois, Tracy Chisholm and Mark Chalecki.

Chart performance

Sales chart performance for 12 Bar Blues
Chart Peak
US Billboard 200[14] 42
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[15] 47

Additionally, "Barbarella" peaked at 194 on the UK Singles Chart[16]

Chart (2023) Peak
position
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[17] 26

References

  1. ^ "YouTube.com: Scott Weiland - interview 1998".[dead YouTube link]
  2. ^ AllMusic review
  3. ^ a b "12 Bar Blues". EW.com.
  4. ^ Schreiber, Ryan. "12 Bar Blues". pitchfork.com. Retrieved on April 29, 2010.
  5. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Scott Weiland Reviews". Robertchristgau.com. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  6. ^ "Rolling Stone review". Archived from the original on May 12, 2007.
  7. ^ Spin 4/98, pp.124-125
  8. ^ Wolk, Josh (June 3, 1998). "Pilot Error". EW.com. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  9. ^ Allmusic review, cited September 20, 2008
  10. ^ Rolling Stone Rolling Stone Magazine review, cited September 20, 2008
  11. ^ "Scott Weiland: 12 Bar Blues: Pitchfork Review". November 26, 2001. Archived from the original on November 26, 2001.
  12. ^ https://www.spin.com/2023/03/scott-weiland-solo-debut-reissue/
  13. ^ https://www.discogs.com/master/130318-Scott-Weiland-12-Bar-Blues
  14. ^ "Scott Weiland Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  15. ^ "Charts.nz – Scott Weiland – {album}". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  16. ^ "Chart Log UK: Kristine W - Tammy Wynette". zobbel.de.
  17. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2023. 17. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 5 May 2023.