The Pilots Let the Past Be Their Guide : *** 1/2, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, “Tiny Music . . . Songs From the Vatican Gift Shop”, Atlantic

As the Alternative Nation’s first arena-ready stars, Stone Temple Pilots quickly became radio darlings and every critic’s worst nightmare. Pilloried for snatching their sound from outfits who’d paid tough dues (Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam), the Los Angeles-based band was also slammed for quilting ripped-off riffs into too-perfect songs. They were grunge’s own Pat Boone--well, if it weren’t for singer Scott Weiland’s drug bust.

Those who rocked guiltlessly to STP circa 1992 will be amazed that this weirdly brilliant work was fashioned by the same group. Those who hated the blatant pillaging will be flat-out appalled, but if you respect a band ornery enough to wrestle a multitude of rock ‘n’ roll monsters with ambitious, grabby, creatively sly maneuvers, “Tiny Music” will make you swoon.

Like a joke stretched beyond absurdity, a stuck-out tongue to all those offended critics, the group’s third album flaunts obvious references, from Led Zeppelin to Boston to the Stones--and even the Beatles. Jazzy, loungey, bluesy, poppy and punkish, “Tiny Music” spans the spectrum. While the first single, “Big Bang Baby,” closely resembles the ‘70s-rock sound of the debut album, “Core,” most of “Tiny Music” is STP revamping classic riffs for the ‘90s. It might seem more like blasphemy than flattery, but STP makes blasphemy sound like irreverent, wicked fun.