Alice in Chains | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Alice in Chains both epitomized the solemn, heavy Seattle sound of the 1990s and stood apart from the grunge hordes. What separated Alice in Chains from their alt-rock brethren was how their roots lay in heavy metal, not punk. Guitarist Jerry Cantrell and vocalist Layne Staley both played in metal bands prior to the formation of Alice in Chains in 1987 and they released the bands debut, Facelift, in 1990, well before Nirvanas Nevermind pushed the underground into the mainstream. Despite their connections to metal, Alice in Chains thrived in the glory days of grunge, and it wasnt merely a question of timing, either. The bands sensibility fit into the alternative rock zeitgeist of the early 90s. Cantrells gloomy, minor-key riffs were an ideal match for Staleys tortured lyrics, creating a sound that felt as heavy as their Seattle cohorts but also was slightly slicker and ready for radio. It was versatile, too. After the group scored rock radio and MTV hits with "Man in the Box" and "Would?" in the early days of grunge, Alice in Chains became one of the first alt-rock bands of the 90s to delve into acoustic-based music, scoring hits with the comparatively softer "No Excuses" and "I Stay Away." Despite its success, the band was plagued with internal tensions during its commercial peak, much of it stemming from Staleys drug addictions. His abuse slowed the bands upward trajectory in the back half of the 90s, a descent culminating in the singers accidental death in 2002. Four years later, Cantrell, drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Inez revived Alice in Chains with singer William DuVall, sparking an extended second life of recording and touring that has lasted longer than their original incarnation. The roots of Alice in Chains lay in Sleze, a Seattle-based hair metal band that featured Layne Staley as lead singer. Sleze switched their name to Alice N Chains in 1986, roughly a year prior to Staleys introduction to Cantrell at a party at the rehearsal space called the Music Bank. The pair became friends and Staley invited Cantrell to crash with him at his rented unit at the Music Bank. Shortly afterward, Alice N Chains broke up, as did Cantrells band, Diamond Lie. Cantrell began auditioning players for a new band, recruiting drummer Sean Kinney and bassist Mike Starr, but he still needed a vocalist and held out hope for Staley to join. At the time, Staley was singing in a funk band that also happened to need a guitarist, so Cantrell agreed to play on the condition his friend would join the fledgling group. Staley agreed. Not long afterward, the funk band folded and this quartet gelled under the name Alice in Chains. Alice in Chains started to gig regularly in the Seattle area, often sharing bills with Mother Love Bone, earning the attention of promoter Randy Hauser, who bankrolled a demo. Dubbed The Treehouse Tapes, the demo earned the attention of Soundgarden managers Kelly Curtis and Susan Silver, who passed it along to Columbia. The label signed Alice in Chains in 1989 and made them a priority, ushering the band into the studio with producer David Jerden, who had recently worked with Janes Addiction. Early in 1990, the label released the promo-only We Die Young EP with their eye on heavy metal audiences and its title track became a hit on rock radio, setting the stage for the August release of the groups debut, Facelift, which was quickly followed by a tour opening for Iggy Pop. "Man in the Box" became the albums second single in January 1991, and once its video entered heavy MTV rotation, Facelift took off. The album entered the Billboard charts in April 1991, Van Halen requested Alice in Chains as a tour opener in August, and in September the album earned its first gold certification; it would later earn two platinum certifications. As Facelifts momentum grew, Alice in Chains kept busy behind the scenes, working on material for a second album and recording an acoustic EP called Sap. One of the first all-acoustic records from an alternative rock band, Sap was released in February 1992. Alice in Chains also filmed a cameo in Singles, Cameron Crowes romantic comedy celebrating Seattles vibrant underground scene of the early 90s. By the time the films soundtrack appeared in June 1992, the Seattle scene had exploded nationally thanks to the unexpected success of Nirvanas second album, Nevermind, and Alice in Chains were in the thick of it. "Would?," a menacing grind that doubled as the first single from both the Singles soundtrack and Alice in Chains second album, Dirt, started its climb up Billboards mainstream rock chart in June 1992, the same month the Singles soundtrack was released. By the point Dirt appeared in stores in September, Alice in Chains had firmly laid stakes in the grunge camp: "Them Bones," the second single pulled from Dirt, became their first song to chart on Billboards alternative rock chart. Arriving at the peak of 1992s grunge explosion, the dark and gloomy Dirt made Alice in Chains career. By December, the album earned a platinum certification -- it would go platinum once again in 1993 and 1995, with a fourth and final certification arriving in 2000 -- and it stayed on the charts thanks to "Angry Chair" and the Top Ten mainstream rock hits "Rooster" and "Down in a Hole." Despite their success, Alice in Chains were in turmoil behind the scenes. Mike Starr left the band in January 1993, to be replaced by Mike Inez. The bands initial story was that Starr wasnt ready to gear up for an intense work schedule, but Starr later said he was fired due to drug addiction. The specter of heavy drugs hung over the band, thanks to lyrical allusions on Dirt and rumors alleging that Staley was addicted to heroin. Alice in Chains soldiered forth, releasing two new songs on the soundtrack for the Arnold Schwarzenegger film Last Action Hero (including the radio hit "What the Hell Have I") and playing a plum spot on the third Lollapalooza tour in 1993. Jar of Flies found the band retreating to softer, moody music, and the shift paid off commercially. Upon its January 1994 release, it became the first EP to debut at number one on the Billboard charts and, thanks in part to "No Excuses" -- which went to number one on the mainstream rock chart and three on Billboards alternative chart, the highest placing theyd have with Layne Staley in the lineup -- it was certified platinum by March; it would eventually earn two additional certifications. Alice in Chains remained on the top of the charts, but they also remained off the road during 1994, fueling speculation that Staley was mired in heroin addiction. The rumors were true. Behind the scenes, Staley went through a bout of rehab that didnt stick, leading the band to cancel its summer tour on a days notice and enter an unofficial hiatus. During this time, "Got Me Wrong" -- a song initially released on Sap -- was pulled as a single from the Clerks soundtrack and wound up as a radio hit. The bigger news during the hiatus was Staleys busmans holiday, Mad Season. Originally the Gacy Bunch at their initial concerts, Mad Season was a Seattle supergroup also featuring Pearl Jams Mike McCready, the Screaming Trees Barrett Martin, and John Saunders. The bands lone album, Above, arrived in March 1995. As Above was in the middle of its run on the charts -- it peaked at 24 on Billboards album chart, with "River of Deceit" reaching the Top Ten on Billboards mainstream and modern rock charts -- Alice in Chains reconvened to record their third album with producer Toby Wright. Upon its November 1995 release, the eponymous record debuted at number one on Billboard, with the singles "Grind" and "Heaven Beside You" reaching the mainstream rock Top Ten; the latter peaked at six on the alternative rock chart. Once again, Alice in Chains were loath to tour. Instead, they recorded a concert -- their first in nearly three years -- for MTV Unplugged on April 10, 1996. By the time the show was released as an album on July 30, Alice in Chains return to the stage was already thwarted: after four supporting dates for Kiss, Staley was found unresponsive after a heroin overdose on July 3, 1996 following a show in Kansas City, Missouri. Staley recovered from his OD but the band struggled as he battled his addiction. Following the death of his former fiancée, Demri Parrott, in October 1996, Staley secluded himself from the public, leading Jerry Cantrell to write and record a solo album called Boggy Depot; Mike Inez and Sean Kinney both appeared on Cantrells solo effort. Alice in Chains completed two new songs, including the Top Ten mainstream rock hit "Get Born Again," for the 1998 box set Music Bank. The box was the first of a series of archival releases in the next three years: Nothing Safe: The Best of the Box showed up in 1999, followed by the concert compilation Live in 2000 and Greatest Hits in 2001. All the members of Alice in Chains busied themselves during this extended hiatus. Sean Kinney and Mike Inez appeared in Spys4Darwin, Inez gigged with Zakk Wyldes Black Label Society during his downtime, and Cantrell worked on a second solo album. Degradation Trip, the guitarists sophomore record, appeared in June 2002, two months after Staley was found dead from a drug overdose at his Seattle condo. Alice in Chains parted ways after Staleys death, with Inez becoming a member of Heart and Cantrell collaborating with a number of hard rock and metal acts, including Heart and Ozzy Osbourne. Sony released Alice in Chains from their record contract in 2004, and the next year the group reunited to play a benefit concert for the South Asia tsunami disaster of 2004. Pat Lachman, the singer for Damageplan, acted as Staleys replacement but other stars appeared with the band, too, including Ann Wilson and Maynard James Keenan. The one-off concert went well enough that Alice in Chains decided to make their reunion permanent. Hiring William DuVall, formerly of Comes with the Fall, as Staleys replacement, Alice in Chains toured in 2006, which led to a tour supporting Velvet Revolver in 2007. The revived Alice in Chains recorded a comeback album in 2008 with co-producer Nick Raskulinecz, which appeared in September 2009 as Black Gives Way to Blue. Debuting at five on the Billboard charts, Black Gives Way to Blue wound up going gold while racking up two Grammy nominations, reestablishing Alice in Chains as a force in mainstream and modern rock. The group toured into 2010 and then in 2011 set to work on another album with Raskulinecz. Entitled The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here, the album debuted at two upon its release in May 2013. Alice in Chains toured The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here into 2014, then spent the next two years on the road. In 2017, the group started work on another new album with Raskulinecz. Recorded primarily in Seattle, the resulting Rainier Fog appeared in August 2018. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 17 Title: Facelift Released: 1990-08-28 Tracks: 12 Duration: 54:08 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 We Die Young (02:32) 2 Man in the Box (04:46) 3 Sea of Sorrow (05:49) 4 Bleed the Freak (04:01) 5 I Can’t Remember (03:42) 6 Love, Hate, Love (06:27) 7 It Ain’t Like That (04:37) 8 Sunshine (04:44) 9 Put You Down (03:16) 10 Confusion (05:44) 11 I Know Somethin (Bout You) (04:21) 12 Real Thing (04:03) |
| Facelift : Allmusic album Review : When Alice in Chains debut album, Facelift, was released in 1990, about a year before Nirvanas Nevermind, the thriving Seattle scene barely registered on the national musical radar outside of underground circles (although Soundgardens major-label debut, Louder Than Love, was also released that year and brought them a Grammy nomination). That started to change when MTV jumped all over the video for "Man in the Box," giving the group a crucial boost and helping to pave the way for grunges popular explosion toward the end of 1991. Although their dominant influences -- Black Sabbath, the Stooges -- were hardly unique on the Seattle scene, Alice in Chains were arguably the most metallic of grunge bands, which gave them a definite appeal outside the underground; all the same, the groups sinister, brooding, suffocating sound resembled little else gaining wide exposure on the 1990 hard rock scene. Neither hedonistic nor especially technically accomplished, Alice in Chains songs were mostly slow, oppressive dirges with a sense of melody that was undeniable, yet which crept along over the murky sludge of the bands instrumental attack in a way that hardly fit accepted notions of what made hard rock catchy and accessible. Although some parts of Facelift sink into turgid, ponderous bombast (particularly over the erratic second half), and the lyrics are sometimes immature, the overall effect is fresh, exciting, and powerful. While Alice in Chains would go on to do better and more consistent work, Facelift was one of the most important records in establishing an audience for grunge and alternative rock among hard rock and heavy metal listeners, and with its platinum sales certification, it also made Alice in Chains the first Seattle band to break through to a wider, less exclusively underground audience. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 17 Title: Dirt & Sap Released: 1992 Tracks: 18 Duration: 1:18:26 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Them Bones (02:30) 2 Dam That River (03:09) 3 Rain When I Die (06:01) 4 Down in a Hole (05:38) 5 Sickman (05:29) 6 Rooster (06:15) 7 Junkhead (05:09) 8 Dirt (05:16) 9 God Smack (03:50) 10 Iron Gland (00:43) 11 Hate to Feel (05:16) 12 Angry Chair (04:47) 13 Would? (03:28) 1 Brother (04:27) 2 Got Me Wrong (04:12) 3 Right Turn (03:17) 4 Am I Inside (05:09) 5 Love Song (03:44) |
 | Album: 3 of 17 Title: Dirt Released: 1992-09-29 Tracks: 13 Duration: 57:35 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Them Bones (02:30) 2 Dam That River (03:09) 3 Rain When I Die (06:01) 4 Sickman (05:29) 5 Rooster (06:15) 6 Junkhead (05:09) 7 Dirt (05:16) 8 God Smack (03:50) 9 Iron Gland (00:43) 10 Hate to Feel (05:16) 11 Angry Chair (04:47) 12 Down in a Hole (05:38) 13 Would? (03:28) |
| Dirt : Allmusic album Review : Dirt is Alice in Chains major artistic statement and the closest they ever came to recording a flat-out masterpiece. Its a primal, sickening howl from the depths of Layne Staleys heroin addiction, and one of the most harrowing concept albums ever recorded. Not every song on Dirt is explicitly about heroin, but Jerry Cantrells solo-written contributions (nearly half the album) effectively maintain the thematic coherence -- nearly every song is imbued with the morbidity, self-disgust, and/or resignation of a self-aware yet powerless addict. Cantrells technically limited but inventive guitar work is by turns explosive, textured, and queasily disorienting, keeping the listener off balance with atonal riffs and off-kilter time signatures. Staleys stark confessional lyrics are similarly effective, and consistently miserable. Sometimes hes just numb and apathetic, totally desensitized to the outside world; sometimes his self-justifications betray a shockingly casual amorality; his moments of self-recognition are permeated by despair and suicidal self-loathing. Even given its subject matter, Dirt is monstrously bleak, closely resembling the cracked, haunted landscape of its cover art. The album holds out little hope for its protagonists (aside from the much-needed survival story of "Rooster," a tribute to Cantrells Vietnam-vet father), but in the end, its redeemed by the honesty of its self-revelation and the sharp focus of its music. [Some versions of Dirt feature "Down in a Hole" as the next-to-last track rather than the fourth.] | ||
 | Album: 4 of 17 Title: Dirt/Facelift Released: 1993-10-18 Tracks: 25 Duration: 1:51:43 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Them Bones (02:30) 2 Dam That River (03:09) 3 Rain When I Die (06:01) 4 Sickman (05:29) 5 Rooster (06:15) 6 Junkhead (05:09) 7 Dirt (05:16) 8 God Smack (03:50) 9 Iron Gland (00:43) 10 Hate to Feel (05:16) 11 Angry Chair (04:47) 12 Down in a Hole (05:38) 13 Would? (03:28) 1 We Die Young (02:32) 2 Man in the Box (04:46) 3 Sea of Sorrow (05:49) 4 Bleed the Freak (04:01) 5 I Can’t Remember (03:42) 6 Love, Hate, Love (06:27) 7 It Ain’t Like That (04:37) 8 Sunshine (04:44) 9 Put You Down (03:16) 10 Confusion (05:44) 11 I Know Somethin (Bout You) (04:21) 12 Real Thing (04:03) |
| Dirt/Facelift : Allmusic album Review : Alice in Chains first two albums, Dirt and Facelift, were packaged together as a limited release in Britain in 1993. Since the set contains no bonus tracks, theres no reason for fans to hunt this down, unless they simply want it as a collectors item. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 17 Title: Alice in Chains Released: 1995-11-07 Tracks: 12 Duration: 1:04:52 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Grind (04:45) 2 Brush Away (03:22) 3 Sludge Factory (07:12) 4 Heaven Beside You (05:27) 5 Head Creeps (06:28) 6 Again (04:05) 7 Shame in You (05:35) 8 God Am (04:07) 9 So Close (02:45) 10 Nothin’ Song (05:40) 11 Frogs (08:18) 12 Over Now (07:03) |
| Alice in Chains : Allmusic album Review : Dispelling rumors of their demise due to Layne Staleys heroin addiction, Alice in Chains is a sonically detailed effort that ranks as their best-produced record, and its best moments are easily some of their most mature music. Alice in Chains relies less on metallic riffs and more on melody and texturally varied arrangements than the groups previous full-length albums, finally integrating some of the more delicate acoustic moods of their EPs. The lyrics deal with familiar AIC subject matter -- despair, misery, loneliness, and disappointment -- but in a more understated fashion, and the lyrics take on more uplifting qualities of toughness and endurance, which were missing from much of their previous work. The consistent visceral impact Alice in Chains lacks in comparison to that previous work is partially made up for by the skilled production and songs like "Grind," "Brush Away," "Over Now," and the hit ballad "Heaven Beside You," which are among the bands best work. Still, in spite of its many virtues, its hard not to feel a little frustrated with the record, as though, given those qualities, it should have turned out better than it did -- there are some slow spots where the songs are undercrafted and not especially memorable, and those moments can make the band sound uncommitted and distracted. That, in turn, can make the defiance of songs like "Grind" ("youd be well advised/not to plan my funeral fore the body dies") sound more like denial; just when Alice in Chains music was finally beginning to emerge from the dark side, the intra-band problems became too much to bear and made Alice in Chains the last collection of new material the Staley-fronted AIC would release. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 17 Title: Nothing Safe: The Best of the Box Released: 1999-06-29 Tracks: 15 Duration: 1:02:19 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Get Born Again (05:26) 2 We Die Young (demo) (02:24) 3 Man in the Box (04:46) 4 Them Bones (02:30) 5 Iron Gland (00:43) 6 Angry Chair (04:47) 7 Down in a Hole (05:38) 8 Rooster (06:51) 9 Got Me Wrong (04:24) 10 No Excuses (04:16) 11 I Stay Away (04:14) 12 What the Hell Have I (03:59) 13 Grind (04:45) 14 Again (04:05) 15 Would? (03:28) |
 | Album: 7 of 17 Title: Music Bank Released: 1999-10-26 Tracks: 48 Duration: 3:40:29 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Get Born Again (05:26) 2 I Can’t Have You Blues (demo) (04:00) 3 Whatcha Gonna Do (demo) (02:53) 4 Social Parasite (demo) (04:22) 5 Queen of the Rodeo (04:40) 6 Bleed the Freak (demo) (03:31) 7 Killing Yourself (demo) (02:35) 8 We Die Young (02:32) 9 Man in the Box (04:46) 10 Sea of Sorrow (demo) (05:17) 11 I Can’t Remember (03:42) 12 Love, Hate, Love (06:27) 13 It Ain’t Like That (04:37) 14 Confusion (05:44) 15 Rooster (demo) (05:46) 16 Right Turn (03:17) 17 Got Me Wrong (04:12) 1 Rain When I Die (06:01) 2 Fear the Voices (04:58) 3 Them Bones (02:30) 4 Dam That River (03:09) 5 Sickman (05:29) 6 Rooster (06:15) 7 Junkhead (demo) (05:10) 8 Dirt (05:16) 9 God Smack (03:50) 10 Iron Gland (00:43) 11 Angry Chair (04:47) 12 Lying Season (03:19) 13 Would? (03:28) 14 Brother (04:27) 15 Am I Inside (05:09) 16 I Stay Away (04:14) 17 No Excuses (04:16) 1 Down in a Hole (05:38) 2 Hate to Feel (05:16) 3 What the Hell Have I (remix) (03:54) 4 A Little Bitter (remix) (03:48) 5 Grind (04:45) 6 Again (Tattoo of Pain mix) (04:02) 7 Head Creeps (06:28) 8 God Am (04:07) 9 Frogs (08:18) 10 Heaven Beside You (05:27) 11 Nutshell (unplugged) (04:32) 12 Killer Is Me (unplugged) (05:16) 13 Over Now (unplugged) (05:56) 14 Died (05:57) |
| Music Bank : Allmusic album Review : Three studio albums, two EPs, one live album, and a few European B-sides seemingly is a scant body of work to provide the basis for a box set, but that proves not to be the case with Music Bank, a three-disc retrospective of Alice in Chains decade-long career. In many ways, the very release of Music Bank and its single-disc distillation, Nothing Safe, is a roundabout admission that AIC is no longer an active proposition for any of its members. But even if the group makes a comeback sometime in the next century, the two compilations are good snapshots of an era when Alice in Chains was one of the best bands in metal. By its very nature, Music Bank is for the hardcore fan, since it spans three discs, but this is one box that gets it right. It does feature all the hits, but theyre surrounded by so many rarities -- including an abundance of demos, 12 previously unreleased cuts, live tracks, and alternate mixes and takes -- that it never seems like a hits compilation. More impressively, Music Bank has a real narrative drive; its easy to hear the band evolve, even if the set begins with the newly recorded "Get Born Again." True, the box set really isnt for casual fans -- they should stick with Nothing Safe or the bands masterpiece, Dirt -- but the dedicated will not be disappointed with this fine set, since it does deliver more rarities than expected. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 17 Title: Greatest Hits Released: 2001-07-24 Tracks: 10 Duration: 44:35 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Man in the Box (04:46) 2 Them Bones (02:30) 3 Rooster (06:15) 4 Angry Chair (04:47) 5 Would? (03:28) 6 No Excuses (04:16) 7 I Stay Away (04:14) 8 Grind (04:45) 9 Heaven Beside You (05:27) 10 Again (04:05) |
| Greatest Hits : Allmusic album Review : Greatest Hits is not, alas, the antidote to the botched Nothing Safe: Best of the Box compilation, but rather a lower-priced, ten-track sampler of Alice in Chains career. The songs are mostly excellent and well-chosen, but unfortunately, there are simply too few of them. Greatest Hits will serve the needs of casual fans who just want ten of Alice in Chains best songs on one disc without shelling out too much money, but there are too many other good moments in the groups back catalog to make this a good buy for anyone else. | ||
 | Album: 9 of 17 Title: Jar of Flies/Facelift/Dirt Released: 2001-09-17 Tracks: 32 Duration: 2:23:00 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Rotten Apple (06:59) 2 Nutshell (04:19) 3 I Stay Away (04:14) 4 No Excuses (04:16) 5 Whale & Wasp (02:37) 6 Don’t Follow (04:22) 7 Swing on This (04:05) 1 We Die Young (02:32) 2 Man in the Box (04:46) 3 Sea of Sorrow (05:49) 4 Bleed the Freak (04:01) 5 I Can’t Remember (03:42) 6 Love, Hate, Love (06:27) 7 It Ain’t Like That (04:37) 8 Sunshine (04:44) 9 Put You Down (03:16) 10 Confusion (05:44) 11 I Know Somethin (Bout You) (04:21) 12 Real Thing (04:03) 1 Them Bones (02:32) 2 Dam That River (03:11) 3 Rain When I Die (06:03) 4 Down In A Hole (05:40) 5 Sickman (05:31) 6 Rooster (06:17) 7 Junkhead (05:11) 8 Dirt (05:18) 9 God Smack (03:52) 10 Intro (Dream Sequence) (00:45) 11 Hate To Feel (05:18) 12 Angry Chair (04:49) 13 Would? (03:27) |
| Jar of Flies/Facelift/Dirt : Allmusic album Review : This three-disc set combines Alice in Chains debut album, 1990s Facelift, which introduced the groups sinister, brooding, caught-in-cough-syrup sound to the world, with 1992s bleak, fascinating ode to heroin addiction, Dirt, and the calmer (but no less bleak) 1994 EP Jar of Flies in a single package. Its a dark, dark collection where joy and sunshine are in extremely short supply, and for listeners who dont already have all three of these releases, its a quick and easy way to get them all at once. | ||
 | Album: 10 of 17 Title: Facelit/Dirt/Alice in Chains Released: 2003-12-01 Tracks: 37 Duration: 2:56:35 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 We Die Young (02:32) 2 Man in the Box (04:46) 3 Sea of Sorrow (Reshoot) (05:49) 4 Bleed the Freak (04:01) 5 I Can’t Remember (03:42) 6 Love, Hate, Love (06:27) 7 It Ain’t Like That (04:37) 8 Sunshine (04:44) 9 Put You Down (03:16) 10 Confusion (05:44) 11 I Know Somethin (Bout You) (04:21) 12 Real Thing (04:03) 1 Them Bones (02:30) 2 Dam That River (03:09) 3 Rain When I Die (06:01) 4 Sickman (05:29) 5 Rooster (06:15) 6 Junkhead (05:09) 7 Dirt (05:16) 8 God Smack (03:50) 9 Iron Gland (00:43) 10 Hate to Feel (05:16) 11 Angry Chair (04:47) 12 Down in a Hole (05:38) 13 Would? (03:28) 1 Grind (04:45) 2 Brush Away (03:22) 3 Sludge Factory (07:12) 4 Heaven Beside You (05:27) 5 Head Creeps (06:28) 6 Again (04:05) 7 Shame in You (05:35) 8 God Am (04:07) 9 So Close (02:45) 10 Nothin’ Song (05:40) 11 Frogs (08:18) 12 Over Now (07:03) |
 | Album: 11 of 17 Title: Dirt/Unplugged Released: 2006-04-02 Tracks: 26 Duration: 2:09:00 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Them Bones (02:30) 2 Dam That River (03:09) 3 Rain When I Die (06:01) 4 Sickman (05:29) 5 Rooster (06:15) 6 Junkhead (05:09) 7 Dirt (05:16) 8 God Smack (03:50) 9 Iron Gland (00:43) 10 Hate to Feel (05:16) 11 Angry Chair (04:47) 12 Down in a Hole (05:38) 13 Would? (03:28) 1 Nutshell (04:57) 2 Brother (05:27) 3 No Excuses (04:57) 4 Sludge Factory (04:36) 5 Down in a Hole (05:46) 6 Angry Chair (04:36) 7 Rooster (06:41) 8 Got Me Wrong (04:59) 9 Heaven Beside You (05:38) 10 Would? (03:43) 11 Frogs (07:30) 12 Over Now (07:12) 13 Killer Is Me (05:23) |
| Dirt/Unplugged : Allmusic album Review : This reissue from Sony features a pair of LPs by Alice in Chains, Dirt and MTV Unplugged, originally issued in 1992 and 1996. Highlights among the 26 tracks include "Dam That River," "God Smack," and "Frogs." Casual listeners should pick up The Essential Alice in Chains on Columbia before delving into these recordings. | ||
 | Album: 12 of 17 Title: The Essential Alice in Chains Released: 2006-09-05 Tracks: 28 Duration: 2:09:39 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 We Die Young (02:32) 2 Man in the Box (04:46) 3 Sea of Sorrow (05:49) 4 Love, Hate, Love (06:27) 5 Am I Inside (05:09) 6 Brother (04:27) 7 Got Me Wrong (04:12) 8 Right Turn (03:17) 9 Rain When I Die (06:01) 10 Them Bones (02:30) 11 Angry Chair (04:47) 12 Dam That River (03:09) 13 Dirt (05:16) 14 God Smack (03:50) 15 Hate to Feel (05:16) 16 Rooster (06:15) 1 No Excuses (04:16) 2 I Stay Away (04:14) 3 What the Hell Have I (remix) (03:54) 4 A Little Bitter (remix) (03:48) 5 Grind (04:45) 6 Heaven Beside You (05:27) 7 Again (04:05) 8 Over Now (unplugged) (05:56) 9 Nutshell (unplugged) (04:32) 10 Get Born Again (05:26) 11 Died (05:57) 12 Would? (03:28) |
| The Essential Alice in Chains : Allmusic album Review : Depending on how you keep count, The Essential Alice in Chains is the third or fourth attempt at an Alice in Chains compilation -- 1999 saw the box set Music Bank and Nothing Safe, a single disc of highlights from the three-disc retrospective, and 2001 brought the release of the slightly too skimpy Greatest Hits. At two discs and 28 tracks, The Essential falls somewhere between the fan-oriented excess of Music Bank and the just-the-basics Greatest Hits, offering all of the groups biggest songs -- not just singles like "Man in the Box," "Angry Chair," "Rooster," "No Excuses," and "Would?" but also album tracks like "Sea of Sorrow," "God Smack," "Hate to Feel," and "Dam That River" -- in a comprehensive overview of their career. While this may be a little bit too long for those listeners who only want AICs grunge staples -- conversely, there are certainly a handful of songs that diehards might miss -- this is nevertheless the best-executed Alice in Chains compilation yet, functioning well as an effective summary and introduction to their too-brief, complicated career. | ||
 | Album: 13 of 17 Title: ×2: Facelift / Alice in Chains Released: 2007-09-28 Tracks: 24 Duration: 1:59:00 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 We Die Young (02:32) 2 Man in the Box (04:46) 3 Sea of Sorrow (05:49) 4 Bleed the Freak (04:01) 5 I Can’t Remember (03:42) 6 Love, Hate, Love (06:27) 7 It Ain’t Like That (04:37) 8 Sunshine (04:44) 9 Put You Down (03:16) 10 Confusion (05:44) 11 I Know Somethin (Bout You) (04:21) 12 Real Thing (04:03) 1 Grind (04:45) 2 Brush Away (03:22) 3 Sludge Factory (07:12) 4 Heaven Beside You (05:27) 5 Head Creeps (06:28) 6 Again (04:05) 7 Shame in You (05:35) 8 God Am (04:07) 9 So Close (02:45) 10 Nothin’ Song (05:40) 11 Frogs (08:18) 12 Over Now (07:03) |
 | Album: 14 of 17 Title: Black Gives Way to Blue Released: 2009-09-25 Tracks: 11 Duration: 54:10 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 All Secrets Known (04:42) 2 Check My Brain (03:57) 3 Last of My Kind (05:52) 4 Your Decision (04:43) 5 A Looking in View (07:05) 6 When the Sun Rose Again (04:00) 7 Acid Bubble (06:55) 8 Lesson Learned (04:16) 9 Take Her Out (03:59) 10 Private Hell (05:38) 11 Black Gives Way to Blue (03:03) |
| Black Gives Way to Blue : Allmusic album Review : Its hard not to feel for Alice in Chains -- all the guys in the band were lifers, all except lead singer Layne Staley, who never managed to exorcise his demons, succumbing to drug addiction in 2002. Alice in Chains stopped being a going concern long before that, all due to Staleys addictions, and it took guitarist Jerry Cantrell, bassist Mike Inez, and drummer Sean Kinney a long time to decide to regroup, finally hiring William DuVall as Staleys replacement and delivering Black Gives Way to Blue a full 14 years after the bands last album. To everybodys credit, Black Gives Way to Blue sounds like it could have been delivered a year after Alice in Chains: its unconcerned with fashion; its true to their dark, churning gloom rock; and if youre not paying attention too closely, its easy to mistake DuVall for his predecessor. Theres a difference between desperately attempting to recapture past glories and reconnecting with their roots, and Alice in Chains fall into the latter category. While theyll never be mistaken for a feel-good band, there is a palpable sense of relief that they get to play together again as a band, and whats remarkable is that they still sound like themselves, capturing that weird murk halfway between 80s metal and 90s northwestern sludge, reminding us that we were missing something in their absence. | ||
 | Album: 15 of 17 Title: Original Album Classics Released: 2011-09-26 Tracks: 25 Duration: 2:03:08 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Rotten Apple (06:59) 2 Nutshell (04:19) 3 I Stay Away (04:14) 4 No Excuses (04:16) 5 Whale & Wasp (02:37) 6 Don’t Follow (04:22) 7 Swing on This (04:05) 1 Brother (04:27) 2 Got Me Wrong (04:12) 3 Right Turn (03:17) 4 Am I Inside (05:09) 5 Love Song (03:44) 1 Nutshell (04:57) 2 Brother (05:27) 3 No Excuses (04:57) 4 Sludge Factory (04:36) 5 Down in a Hole (05:46) 6 Angry Chair (04:36) 7 Rooster (06:41) 8 Got Me Wrong (04:59) 9 Heaven Beside You (05:38) 10 Would? (03:43) 11 Frogs (07:30) 12 Over Now (07:12) 13 Killer Is Me (05:23) |
| Original Album Classics : Allmusic album Review : The 2011 box set Original Album Classics rounds up the softer side of Alice in Chains: Jar of Flies, Sap, and MTV Unplugged. All three albums are packaged as mini-LPs in paper sleeves and the set is available at an affordable price, making it a nice bargain even if it misses such big AIC titles as Dirt. | ||
 | Album: 16 of 17 Title: The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here Released: 2013-05-24 Tracks: 12 Duration: 1:07:18 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Hollow (05:43) 2 Pretty Done (04:35) 3 Stone (04:22) 4 Voices (05:42) 5 The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here (06:38) 6 Lab Monkey (05:58) 7 Low Ceiling (05:15) 8 Breath on a Window (05:19) 9 Scalpel (05:21) 10 Phantom Limb (07:07) 11 Hung on a Hook (05:34) 12 Choke (05:44) |
| The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here : Allmusic album Review : The big task for Alice in Chains on their 2009 comeback Black Gives Way to Blue was to prove they could carry on battered and bruised, missing Layne Staley but still in touch with their core. They had to demonstrate the band had a reason to exist, and Black Gives Way to Blue achieved this goal, paving the way for another record just like it. Enter The Devil Put the Dinosaurs Here, a record that is pretty close to identical to Black Gives Way to Blue in its sound, attack, and feel. Where it differs is in the latter, as the overall album feels lighter and, at times, the individual songs do, too. "Scalpel" flirts with the acoustic bones of Jar of Flies and also has perhaps the richest melody here, working as a song, not a grind. That said, there is an appeal to that monochromatic churn, the kind AIC created on Dirt and havent let go of since. The lightness comes not from the songs -- the tempos still drag their feet, the guitars mine a minor key, the harmonies are in fifths so they sound like power chords -- but rather from the precision of the bands attack and, especially, the production. This has a digital sheen that was missing even from Black Gives Way to Blue, and it gives the album an expansive feel, so the patented churn doesnt seem quite so claustrophobic as before. Then again, perhaps that expansiveness is just a sign of age: Alice in Chains are now firmly entrenched in their middle age and settling into what they do best: retaining their signature without pandering and, tellingly, without succumbing to the darkness that otherwise defines them. | ||
 | Album: 17 of 17 Title: Rainier Fog Released: 2018-08-24 Tracks: 10 Duration: 53:55 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The One You Know (04:49) 2 Rainier Fog (05:02) 3 Red Giant (05:26) 4 Fly (05:18) 5 Drone (06:30) 6 Deaf Ears Blind Eyes (04:44) 7 Maybe (05:37) 1 So Far Under (04:33) 2 Never Fade (04:40) 3 All I Am (07:16) |
| Rainier Fog : Allmusic album Review : Consider Rainier Fog as something as a homecoming for Alice in Chains. Named after the heavy mist that comes rolling down from nearby Mount Rainier, the album finds Alice in Chains recording in Seattle for the first time since the group reunited in 2008 with William DuVall replacing the late Layne Staley as lead vocalist. Alice in Chains are aware of the significance of their return to Seattle, the place where they formed and rose to fame, so they wrote a tribute to all of their compatriots in the grunge scene, but that title track obscures how the album as a whole feels as if this incarnation of the band is exceedingly comfortable in its own skin. By this point, this latter-day version of Alice in Chains has recorded as many albums as the original lineup and has been together nearly twice as long, which means theres an easy, evident chemistry to these ten songs. Alice in Chains smartly decide to lean into this coziness, never attempting something new -- the closest to a new wrinkle would be the ballad "Maybe," which has a bit of an 80s AOR bent -- and focusing on their interplay and craft instead. Its a gambit that pays off. Rainier Fog is, from front to back, a strong and lean record, one that benefits from its familiarity because the standard tricks -- the grinding guitars and droning harmonies -- now seem to carry not a whit of angst. This is music made from a band that has been through the wringer and is happy to settle down and play, and theres an undeniable appeal to that open heart, particularly when its camouflaged underneath such nominally heavy music. | ||