Alice In Chains

Call it what you want but I've never considered Alice In Chain grunge, to me it was more slowed down and a more sinister form of alternative rock or metal.  A more accessible Melvins per say?  Call it what you will but AIC was part of the Seattle music scene of the early 90s along with the tidal wave of Nirvana, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam.  Part of the charm if AIC was the stinging guitar riffs of Jerry Cantrell and the painful yelps of Layne Staley, who like Kurt Cobain not long for this world.

Their albums varied for me.  The landmark Facelift I didn't care much for, but Dirt turned out of the be the one of the best albums ever, a shockingly candid and perhaps a concept album of drugs and Layne probably took them all.  Somehow this record made more sense to me when I heard it in Phoenix a few years from its release.  It's not a pretty album to listen to but it's everything Alice In Chains was and more. From the end all to begin with Dem Bones to the crash endings to Would? just about everything is this album is horrid but perfect.  Welcome to the jungle folks, it's not pretty but it was rock and roll 1992.

The S/T album was harder to take.  Toby Wright's cold and lifeless mix and the total time of the album sucked all the air out of the room but still with the final Over Now, it remains a good listen.  Despite the fact that Over Now really was over for Alice In Chains, they would eventually break up but not before issuing an MTV unplugged album and posthumous live album, somehow the acoustic album was better than the live record.

I'm surprised that Sony Music never bothered to issue both Sap and Jar Of Flies as a 2 on 1 CD (there have been imports that have done this but Sony Music like any major label loves to stiff the consumer and both EPs are still stand alone with the 6.98 price tag).  Sap has some good mellow numbers (Got Me Wrong) and Jar Of Flies despite being 30 minutes long is considered a EP. This record remains my go to when I want to hear AIC, with the Rotten Apple and Nutshell my favorite AIC songs. Of course it also has No Excuses and remains the only decent production that Toby Wright gave this band. Make no mistake, even with original producer Dave Jerden candy coating the muck and dirt of Facelift and Dirt, kinda like putting sugar on turpentine. The morning after the night before so to speak.

There are countless of best ofs and greatest hits of AIC that all have their moments, Greatest Hits is misleading, The Essential Alice In Chains covers most of the bases and Nothing Safe adds demos and live versions just to be different. For myself, I rather have the original albums, they make more sense than any best ofs although The Essential does have key tracks from various EPs in one package.

Although the band broke up, Layne Staley moving on to do plenty more drugs before O'Ding in 2002, Jerry Cantrell made two solo albums.  Boggy Depot was the best of the two, mostly retaining Sean Kinney and Mike Inez and having plenty of guest stars along the way.  And of course keeping Toby Wright on to muck things up recording wise.  Nonetheless Boggy Depot has some cool tracks (Dickeye, Cut You In) and basically the hype about this album is what would have happened had Staley added his vocals on this album. Then it would be a Alice In Chains album right?  Right?? Would have been fun to hear Layne scream KILL ME at the end of Leave The Light On.  Degradation Trip came out in 2002 and reviews were better than Boggy Depot.

In 2009, William DuVall  replaced Layne Staley as AIC vocalist, DuVall  who came from Comes With The Fall and toured with Cantrell on his 2002 solo tour.   While purists of the band have claim to shy away from the new edition AIC, it really sounded no different than when Layne was alive, Jerry Cantrell is the main songwriter and riff maker. While some people were offended by Black Gives Way To Blue, I found myself enjoying the record.  I thought it was more fun than the S/T album.  Check My Brain got some decent airplay.  Layne Staley may be missed but as a tribute album BGWTB is underrated.  However the less said the better for The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here.  The 68 minute time of album and same sounding of songs goes on way too long.  Hollow is a good song, but Pretty Done the second song sums the whole thing up and you're stuck with an hour's worth of aimless guitars and droning vocals.  The wheels came off big time on this bloated effort.  Five years later Rainier Fog came out, a slight improvement, but the songs weren't memorable either.

With that said, Alice In Chains does have a place in rock history.  Their first four albums (Yes I count Jars Of Flies as a real album) are their legacy, the best ofs a decent sampler and the 2009 comeback album a tribute album.  I never count Jerry Cantrell out and whatever he decides to do next I'll be sure to hear.  But the big hole that Layne left after dying will never be filled, no matter how much William DuVall tries.  He doesn't have that ring side view of hell that Layne sang and sometimes wrote about.

Grades: (Both AIC and Jerry Cantrell)

Facelift (Columbia 1990) B-
Dirt (Columbia 1992) A
Sap EP (Columbia 1993) B
Jar Of Flies (Columbia 1994) A-
Alice In Chains (Columbia 1995) B+
MTV Unplugged (Columbia 1996) B+
Boggy Deport (Columbia 1998) B+
Degradation Trip (Roadrunner 2002) B+
Black Gives Way To Blue (Virgin 2009) B+
The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here (Capitol 2013) C
Rainier Fog (BMG 2018) B-