‘No. 4′ always deserved this treatment. Stone Temple Pilots’ 1999 platinum-certified album is getting its first-ever audiophile vinyl reissue courtesy of Mobile Fidelity, available today as a numbered-edition 180g 45RPM 2LP set, with a Hybrid SACD following at a later date. Order it here.
The source chain here is serious. Pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing and sourced from the original analog tapes at 1/2″ / 30 IPS analog master to DSD 256 to analog console to lathe, the set is housed in a Stoughton gatefold jacket. Quiet surfaces, exceptional groove definition, and black backgrounds give this pressing the kind of presence that prior versions simply couldn’t deliver.
The most immediate beneficiary is Scott Weiland’s voice. On earlier pressings, imaging and separation were partially obscured. Here, the tenor, grain, attitude, and full dynamic range of one of rock’s most distinct vocals come through with new clarity and immediacy. Producer Brendan O’Brien’s dense, thick-sounding record finally has a format worthy of its construction.
‘No. 4’ is the heaviest and edgiest entry in the STP catalog, and tracks like “Down,” “Heaven & Hot Rods,” “No Way Out,” and “Sex & Violence” hit with visceral, muscular force on this pressing. The massive riffs and sledgehammer rhythm section land with the kind of physical weight that audiophile vinyl does best.
The album’s range comes through just as well. “Sour Girl,” named by Billboard as one of the 100 Best Rock Songs of the 2000s, sits alongside the country-tinged “I Got You,” the glam-nodding “Glide” with its zither outro, and the string-accompanied mini-epic “Atlanta.” The songwriting chemistry between Weiland and guitarist Robert DeLeo holds up across every side of this 2LP set.
Recorded after Weiland’s time in jail for drug violations, ‘No. 4’ addressed addiction, personal loss, and toxic impulses without protective shielding. That emotional directness is part of what makes the record resonate decades later, and this reissue gives it the sonic platform it always warranted.
The numbered edition is available now. Order at mobilefidelity.com.
‘No. 4’ Track List:
Side One: Down / Heaven & Hot Rods / Pruno
Side Two: Church on Tuesday / Sour Girl
Side Three: No Way Out / Sex & Violence / Glide
Side Four: I Got You / MC5 / Atlanta