Stone Temple Pilots - No. 4

1.    Down
2.    Heaven & Hot Rods
3.    Pruno
4.    Church On Tuesday
5.    Sour Girl
6.    No Way Out
7.    Sex & Violence
8.    Glide
9.    I Got You
10.    MC5
11.    Atlanta

Revenge is sweet! Written off by many critics, Stone Temple Pilots fired a loud warning shot in 1999 with “No. 4.” The multi-award-winning album brings together the strengths of the San Diego quartet’s three previous records while also marking a return to the band’s hard-rock roots. “No. 4” is regarded as the hardest and edgiest album in the career of the Californian ensemble. Despite prevailing trends and a lack of promotion — caused in part by the one-year prison sentence handed down to singer Scott Weiland shortly before the album’s release — “No. 4” was certified Platinum by the RIAA on August 7, 2000, and by the CRIA in August 2001. The song “Down” was nominated for Best Hard Rock Performance at the Grammy Awards. The album also produced one of STP’s biggest hits: “Sour Girl,” which reached number 78 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained the only song by the band ever to appear on that chart.

Under the direction of the band’s longtime producer Brendan O’Brien, “No. 4” made a serious impact. The rich, punchy guitar sound, the crack and thunder of the drums, the flowing textures of the bass and the reverberant echo of the studio space amplify the power of the music with an almost physical force. Despite its back-to-basics character, “No. 4” is remarkably varied: massive riffs drive hammering tracks such as the grinding “Down,” the storming “Heaven & Hot Rods,” the stomping “No Way Out” and the biting “Sex & Violence.” The latter comes very close to garage-rock territory, while Stone Temple Pilots plough their way through the album with powerful arrangements, a full-bodied sound and dark, distortion-drenched moods.

Even while embracing aggression and heaviness, Stone Temple Pilots never overlook the importance of catchy hooks and accessible melodies. The springy, pop-leaning “Church On Sunday” and the dreamy rhythm of “Sour Girl” underline the excellent songwriting chemistry between Weiland and guitarist Robert DeLeo. The same applies to “Glide,” a spacious homage to the glam movement of the 1970s. Here, Weiland sings in his highest registers, and as an added flourish the song closes with a folky outro carried by an otherworldly zither. And let us not forget the closing track “Atlanta,” a small epic with a classical string section and a buoyant melodic quality reminiscent of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic “My Favorite Things.”

Stone Temple Pilots then deliberately dial back the tempo and allow a touch of optimism to shine through on “I Got You,” a country-tinged track underscored by pedal-steel guitar, six-string bass and piano. Most of the songs read like confessions and pleas. They deal with personal loss, drug abuse, destructive impulses and desperate struggles. “No. 4”may not be Stone Temple Pilots’ most commercially successful work, but it remains their most uncompromising. And that status arguably carries more weight than any other.

MFSL now presents “No. 4” for the first time in reference-grade sound quality for demanding listeners! This numbered Hybrid SACD, lovingly mastered from the original tapes at MoFi’s California studio and housed in mini-LP-style gatefold packaging, presents this classic in exceptional reference quality for the first time. The collectible reissue sets new standards in terms of spaciousness, transparency and dynamics. The vitality and credibility of the album, created at a time when many rock artists were increasingly turning to electronic elements or leaving the stage for good, are reinforced by Brendan O’Brien’s brilliant production — as MFSL’s Hybrid SACD impressively proves!