10 Best Number One Rock Albums Of The 1990s
9. Purple - Stone Temple Pilots
Though their legacy hasn't quite endured in the same way as some of their colleagues, Stone Temple Pilots were a huge deal in the 90s, as one of the forerunners of the emerging grunge movement.
Heralding from San Diego, California - which makes them one of the few grunge bands not from Seattle - the Pilots achieved a string of hit records throughout the decade, but the only one to reach the top of the pile was 1994's Purple.
And before you ask, no, it was neither a homage to Prince or Grimace.
Instead, Purple was a collection of songs that adhered to all the best grunge tropes (gravelly vocals, muddy chords, a general sense of malaise etc.) whilst also leaving a firm imprint of the band on the audience. These tunes had melody, character, and spirit, which was more than could be said for so many other pale imitators at the time.
Purple was number one for three weeks in the summer of 1994, which was longer than Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, or Nirvana could manage that year.
It was eventually unseated by The Lion King soundtrack, which is fair enough.