After nearly three months on the road behind his new album Happy in Galoshes, Scott Weiland will bring his first solo tour in a decade to a close this week.

2008 was a banner year for SPIN.com readers: Fans were treated to behind-the-scenes footage of Slayer and Bayside working on their new albums; were invited along on Pearl Jam’s North American tour with our blogger Zach Newman, who hit every show along the way and even interviewed guitarist Mike McCready; and were the first to hear new tunes from Scott Weiland, Minus the Bear, Death Cab for Cu

Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland has had a pretty good run lately: Between a well-received new solo album,"Happy" In Galoshes, a kick-ass live performance, and an interview in this month's issue of S

With chart-topping hits, past drug problems, a lofty ego, flashy duds, and an ever-present cigarette, Scott Weiland is a living cliché of the classic "rock star." But there's no denying it: Even after 20 years in the music business, he still has what matters most -- talent. And he proved it with a memorable solo show at New York City's Fillmore East Friday night.

Here's a rundown of the essential albums available online and in record stores today:

The binges, the arrests, the pimp hats -- Scott Weiland has lived dangerously for much of the past two decades. But the man can safely claim to be one of the most successful artists of the past 20 years, pushing 35 million records worldwide as frontman for grunge-era scene-stealers Stone Temple Pilots and supergroup Velvet Revolver.