Album Review: Scott Weiland-12 Bar Blues (1998)

It is with sadness that I review this album. It has been 1 week since Scott has passed and like everything in life, we must go on. He was a great singer with demons, and now he is gone. I must move on as well and review other things. I have focused on him over the last week, but this will be it for a while. Unfortunately, he will probably fall into my posts related to the anniversary of his death. Or maybe the special anniversary of an album. I hope I do his legacy and/or memory justice.

Desperation # 5 – This has sort of a Tone Loc-Wild Thing beginning. Then the song has 2 separate sections. First a slower, almost jazzy sextion. Second a louder, electronic section that has sort of a NIN like sound to it. it is a unique, and well laid out start to the album, with a little bit of something for everyone.

Barbarella – Piano and more electronica start this song off. Then an acoustic guitar strums as Scott’s voice penetrates. It has a tiny little bit of Creep(my favourite STP song) to it, in that his vocals have kind of a haunting gloominess mixed with acoustic guitar. His voice almost seems to grab a hold of you and force you to listen. Sometimes the best vocalists can get us to pay attention even when singing softly. For me personally, Scott’s slower songs have more power than his louder songs.

About Nothing – Starts with an electronic dance beat. Has kind of a U2 flavour from POP. The late 90’s must have been the time to have kind of a dance beat on a rock song. It morphs into a rock song though and Scott’s voice is raspy and real good. It definitely is a catchy song, and bonus points for a bit of harmonica added in.

Where’s The Man – Cool guitar strumming begins this song. It sounds a bit like the guitar is in the far room. Then it moves to the fore front as Scott begins to sing. Another haunting vocal display. Has the same flavour as Creep again but no electronica here. More of a straight ahead rock song. There is some cool mixing of Scott’s vocals here. It sounds like 2 people singing, but I believe he sang both parts, and they were mixed together. Some subtle but cool electric guitar work helps this song out, and the cello at the end is a nice touch.

Divider – Has kind of a Caribbean island flavour to it. Quiet and subtle, with piano, drums and bongos. Would be a perfect mellow song to listen to while watching the waves hit the beach. The Mellotron helps the cool effect the song has.

Cool Kiss – Sounds like a dive bomber at the start of this song, then the booming bass and drums take over. Has a different style to it. Almost talking instead of singing. Another cool effect as it again feels like there are more than one vocalist. In fact it almost sounds like 3 singers, as the styles are so different.

The Date – This song is 100% Scott Weiland. He does vocals, drums, guitars, synths, percussion, bass, and piano. He does a commendable job at all of them.

Son – This song seems to foreshadow the future. It is a touching song similar to  John Lennon’s Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) as a tribute from a father to son. However Scott’s son Noah was born in 2000. The booklet shows the song was “For Zack”. Since it was co-written by Victor Indrizzo, it may be about his son. But the lyrics seem to fit Scott to a T. “Time and time again I’m not the man.”, “I wish I had the beauty you hold inside.”, and “You make the world a better place to find.” These lines could all describe (as many have stated) that Scott was too messed up to be a good father. I don’t know if this is true. As a father, I’d like to believe he loved his kids, and would do anything for them. As for the song itself it is a really beautifully written and played love song, that I would place right up there with the Lennon song as the 2 best songs ever written about a father and son.

Jimmy Was A Stimulator – I have one word for you. Theramin. If any other electronic device is any cooler, I’d like to see it, and the expertise needed to make sounds out of this thing are astronomical. The song starts off with a Theramin sound, then some booming bass that would rattle the windows on any slammed Honda thunders and booms. As the vocals begins, the song almost has a stoner rock meets electronica vibe to it. really cool beat that gets the head nodding along.

Lady, Your Roof Brings Me Down – Accordion, violin, cello, viola, piano. Cool I say. I have family that play for a big city orchestra, so I know how hard it is to do this music, and I have an appreciation for it. It almost has a Beatles vibe to it, but Scott`s voice growls like no Beatle could ever imagine. This is a really nice song. If you can imagine a musical, a Beatles song, and an STP song thrown in a blender, then this would be it. Also there is a Crow named Sheryl.

Mockingbird Girl – More booming bass, and cool guitars start this off. Then some fast beating drum work with awesome vocals. Possibly the best guitar work here, but then some quiet, sensitive moments mixed in. It really is another great song.

Opposite Octave Reaction – The guitar and vocals have kind of a Nirvana flavour. However, this is not your average grunge song. It is unique and interesting. It is much happier and has a great beat. Mix Nirvana, SGT Pepper`s, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Lenny Kravitz up and see what happens. This song would be the end result, and it really is quite unique and cool.

Daniel Lanois had his hand in the mastering of this album, as well as performing in some of the songs, so the end result is probably better for it. Also Scott’s brother Michael plays drums on some of the songs. (The saddest part is both died in drug related deaths).

I will miss you Scott. This was a really great album to end my reviews on. If you don’t love it right away, give it another spin. I promise you, it will grow on you.

9.75/10