Happy Anniversary: Stone Temple Pilots, NO. 4

19 years ago today, Stone Temple Pilots released their fourth album, and you’ll never guess what they called it!

Produced by Brendan O’Brien, NO. 4 wasn’t exactly the band’s best promoted album, but the blame for that situation must be set squarely at the feet of the late Scott Weiland, unfortunately, as he kicked off a one-year jail sentence just before the LP’s release, which definitely put a crimp in any possible tour plans. That’s a shame, too, because not only is it one of the band’s strongest albums, but it’s also one of their hardest albums, so one can only imagine that the material would’ve kicked some serious ass on the road.

Ironically, given STP’s inability to promote the album in any significant way, NO. 4 actually provided the band with something they’d never before experienced: a Hot 100 hit. “Sour Girl” didn’t set the charts on fire, but it did climb to #78, which was certainly unexpected but was definitely a very pleasant surprise. As ever, though, the band scored several hits on the Mainstream Rock and Modern Rock charts, with “Sour Girl” and “Down” making their way into the top 10 on both charts. “Heaven & Hot Rods” and “No Way Out,” meanwhile, made the Mainstream Rock top 20 and the Modern Rock top 30.

When all was said and done, Stone Temple Pilots’ popularity was so substantial at that point in their career that, tour or no tour, their fans’ excitement about a new album was more than sufficient to send NO. 4 into the top 10 and secure the band platinum-level sales once more.