Last night Linkin Park honoured their fallen bandmate Chester Bennington.
Also, just before his death, Linkin Park was featured in the popular Carpool Karaoke.
These events got me thinking about how I had never done a tribute to Chester when he died. It happened so close to the death of Chris Cornell, that I was completely in shock.
Out Of Time – First Off, no one can replace Scott Weiland. Chester is not trying to be a clone here. He’s his own singer, and right out of the gate he does the STP boys proud. His pipes are in peak form, and with this amazing backing band, he can really shine.
(The video below is a live version, not on this album)
Black Heart – This is an amazing STP song. The nice thing is Linkin Park fans can climb onboard as well.
Same On The Inside – This sounds more like a Linkin Park song to me. The subtle guitar and ever present bass sound really good on this one.
Flip over the 10 inches of black vinyl. (I love the uniqueness of 10″ slabs. I want more in my collection)
Cry Cry – The guitar work on this one is so simple but so 70’s at the same time. A minute or so in Chester’s pipes give off a bit of a wail. It has such a cool grove it kind of reminds me of Lenny Kravitz. The bass and drums are great, and did I mention the guitar is cool.
Tomorrow – A slower song, which, believe it or not sounds like a mashup of a STP and Linkin Park. The guitar solo is pretty cool in this one, and the percussion in the background may be new for an STP song.
R.I.P Chester. Hopefully you can meet up with Chris.
9.5/10
Boppin's Blog 
Interesting Bop, I’m not much of a fan of Scott Weiland’s voice and so I may actually prefer these versions – the live track was great.
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Plus 10″ vinyl.
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Totally. It makes all music 23.457% better.
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I always felt it at least made it all music 15.37% better.
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I love this EP. That’s not a knock on Weiland, just really always wanted something with Chester singing, and I never liked LP.
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I wish he and the band had stuck it out.
If Scott and the band would not work out, he was a pretty good number 2.
To me his voice suited this band
I like LP better than you, but I like songs, not really albums.
If the 2 bands could have worked it out, they could have toured together.
I am quite positive STP would have been better with Chester than whoever else they finally decide on in 2021.
#chinesedemocracy2
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I agree that the live track was great.
I wonder if it will be the last live track the band ever has. At this rate the whole lead singer search has become a joke.
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You like this one way more than me. I don’t think it’s bad, but I also don’t think it’s very good… it just sounded very much like a continuation of the so-so sounds of the self-titled album.
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I thought this one was a good mix of STP and Linkin Park. Admittedly weaker than early STP offerings, but what I felt was a fresh approach.
I liked how it was a 5 song EP. Trim the fat. Release 5 good songs.
The guitar work felt fresh and unique to me. The unique percussion. A new singer that brought in his own ideas. At least one song that felt more like a Linkin Park song.
I did not feel it felt too similar to any other STP album.
Do you think even just a bit of your love for Scott Weiland tainted your feelings.on this one?
Your comment makes me realize I need to re-visit the entire STP catalogue again, but most especially the later stuff.
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I don’t think so… I think STP were at their best when Weiland was inspired. He was on top of his game during the three album run of Purple, Tiny Music…, and No. 4. As highly as I rated Weiland, I also acknowledge that the other three STP albums are a mixed bag, with some more inspired than others.
My issue with this was never that Weiland wasn’t involved, but it just didn’t do anything for me. I have the same feelings about Shangri-La and the self-titled albums. I think that the DeLeos and Kretz are great musicians, but Weiland was always the component that made the band truly special for a while. His creativity (lyrical contradictions, bonkersness, phrasing, melodically) really pushes the songs forward and ensured there wasn’t a band like STP. His lack of involvement in the songwriting process was evident on the self-titled album.
Anyhoo, I don’t think my opinion of Weiland impacts on this. Like I say, it’s not bad, but not great. It’s fairly unremarkable. Which is where I think STP are headed. I’d love to hear something special from them, but I just can’t see any vocalist being the fit the band need.
Even if they went under a different name, I would still rate Talk Show higher than this. Considerably higher.
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I like your reply.
I think STP in later years will always pale to the early ones.
I am afraid thr once great band is sliding into a mixture of laughing stock and obscurity.
I really want them to succeed, but really doubt they will.
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I didn’t even know this existed and, now that I do, I dunno if I need it or not. If I saw it cheap somewhere, I’m sure I’d give it a try.
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You will not find this vinyl cheap.
I have only ever seen this one in the wild, and it was an instant purchase.
It is also available on cd, and I do recommend it.
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I think this is most interesting as an artifact of two groups affected by death. Never cared much for LP, and I liked STP years ago but honestly don’t listen to them too much these days.
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