No. 4 (album)
No. 4 (officially stylized as № 4) is the fourth album released by American hard rock band Stone Temple Pilots, released on October 26, 1999, by Atlantic Records. The album was a return to the band's earlier hard rock roots, while also blending elements of heavy metal, psychedelic rock, and alternative rock. Despite the lack of promotion due to singer Scott Weiland's one-year jail sentence shortly before the album's release, No. 4 was certified Platinum by the RIAA on August 7, 2000,[2] and by the CRIA in August 2001.[3] 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 charted at #78 on the Billboard Hot 100, their only song to appear on that chart.[4] The CD was originally released as a digipak, then later changed to a standard jewel case.
Musical style
No.4 displays a deliberate effort by the band to return to a more hard rock-oriented sound featured on its first two albums. Allmusic cited the album as STP's "hardest effort" since Core, remarking that "it's as if STP decided to compete directly with the new generation of alt-metal bands who prize aggression over hooks or riffs." Stephen Erlewine also wrote that No.4 "consolidates all [of STP's] strengths."[1]
Reception
Allmusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine rated the album four out of five stars, praising the opening tracks "Down" and "Heaven & Hot Rods".[1] Entertainment Weekly critic Rob Brunner graded it "C", calling the album "generic and phoned in" and mostly "unexciting and obvious". Brunner deemed the track "Down" as "dour", "No Way Out" as "dated", and "Atlanta" as "pretentious". Brunner further deemed the tracks "Sex & Violence" and "Pruno" as "hardly original" and resemblances to David Bowie but also as "well-crafted".[7] Rolling Stone critic Lorraine Ali rated it three out of five, calling the songs "strong pop-rock pieces but without the self-consciousness of previous efforts".[8] CMJ New Music Monthly critic M. Tye Comer called the album "powerful and cohesive", recommending readers to listen the tracks "Heaven & Hot Rods", "Church on Tuesday", "Sour Girl", and "No Way Out".[6]
Track listing
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1. | "Down" | Scott Weiland, Robert DeLeo | 3:49 |
2. | "Heaven & Hot Rods" | Weiland, Dean DeLeo | 3:26 |
3. | "Pruno" | Weiland, R. DeLeo | 3:14 |
4. | "Church on Tuesday" | Weiland, D. DeLeo | 3:00 |
5. | "Sour Girl" | Weiland, D. DeLeo | 4:17 |
6. | "No Way Out" | Weiland, R. DeLeo, D. DeLeo, Eric Kretz | 4:19 |
7. | "Sex & Violence" | Weiland, R. DeLeo | 2:54 |
8. | "Glide" | Weiland, R. DeLeo | 5:00 |
9. | "I Got You" | Weiland, R. DeLeo | 4:15 |
10. | "MC5" | Weiland, D. DeLeo | 2:42 |
11. | "Atlanta" | Weiland, D. DeLeo | 5:19 |
Total length: | 42:17 |
Personnel
Stone Temple Pilots
Additional personnel
- Brendan O'Brien – producer, mixing, keyboards
- Barrett Martin – bass marimba
- Nick DiDia – recording engineer
- Russ Fowler – recording engineer
- Dave Reed – engineer
- Allen Sides – engineer
- David Campbell – string arrangement
- Suzie Katayama – contractor and cello
- Joel Derouin – concertmaster
- Evan Wilson – viola
- Larry Corbett – cello
- Charlie Bisharat, Gerry Hilera, Peter Kent – violins
- Matt Funes – viola
- Stephen Marcussen – mastering
- Andrew Garver – digital editing
- Erin Haley, Cheryl Mondello – production coordinators
- Richard Bates, Andrea Brooks – art direction
- Chapman Baehler – photography
- Steve Stewart – management
Charts
No. 4 and its singles made several appearances on the North American Billboard charts.
Album
Singles
Certifications
In popular culture
The album and its entire tracklisting is displayed in S1E7 of HBO's True Detective, during a scene in which Matthew Mcconaughey and Woody Harrelson's characters converse in a diner.[16]
References
- 1 2 3 4 No. 4 at AllMusic
- ↑ "Gold and Platinum Database Search". Retrieved 2010-03-04.
- ↑ "Gold & Platinum Certification – August 2001". Canadian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 2010-08-17.
- ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/artist/stone-temple-pilots-mn0000626463/awards
- ↑ Christgau, Robert (2000-10-15). Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. Macmillan. p. 297. ISBN 9780312245603.
- 1 2 Comer, M. Tye (November 1, 1999). "Must Hear the Essential Releases of the Week: Stone Temple Pilots – No. 4 (Atlantic)". CMJ New Music Monthly. p. 3. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
- 1 2 Rob Brunner (October 29, 1999). "No. 4 Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
- 1 2 Lorraine Ali (1999-11-11). "Stone Temple Pilots: No. 4 : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2007-10-01. Retrieved 2012-08-23.
- ↑ Clover, Joshua (December 1999). "No. 4 Review". Spin. SPIN Media LLC.
- ↑ "Stone Temple Pilots – Mainstream Rock Songs chart history". Billboard. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
- ↑ "Stone Temple Pilots – Alternative Songs chart history". Billboard. Retrieved June 25, 2017. "Alternative Songs" was formerly "Modern Rock Tracks".
- ↑ "Stone Temple Pilots – Adult Pop Songs chart history". Billboard. Retrieved June 25, 2017. "Adult Pop Songs" was formerly "Adult Top 40".
- ↑ "Stone Temple Pilots – The Hot 100 chart history". Billboard. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
- ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Stone Temple Pilots – No. 4". Music Canada.
- ↑ "American album certifications – Stone Temple Pilots – No. 4". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
- ↑ "Stone Temple Pilots And Depeche Mode Were Referenced On True Detective". Retrieved 2017-06-22.
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