Yup, it pwns.

I had 'Dirt' for years & I agree I didnt see it as grunge at the time, more Metal as they once stated themselves.

I only came to really appreciate them when I got a lend of their MTV Unplugged dvd which I was blown away by when i watched it.
I have since went out and got the MTV album which I think is excellent.

I would rank, although technically not a 'proper' album, 'Jar Of Flies' as their best piece of work & the songs 'Nutshell' & 'No Excuses' as the single two best tracks they ever wrote (amongst many others).

But if you want me to name a 'proper' album, I would say 'Facelift' is a hell of a lot better than 'Dirt'.

For instance, I didnt like the songs 'Angry Chair', 'Rooster', 'Down In A Hole' until I heard the live versions on the unplugged album.
One song I do think is fantastic from 'Dirt' though is 'Rain When I Die'.

Another Ep worth checking out that some of you may not have heard of is 'Sap' (1992) which features the studio version of 'Brother' (2nd track on Unplugged), 'Got Me Wrong' (8th track on Unplugged), 'Right Turn' (which is a duet with Chris Cornell), an exclusive track called 'Am I Inside' & finally an extremely weird track titled 'Untitled' which can only be described as a combination of sniffing, farting & ghostly wails (lol) - totally unrepresentative of anything youve ever heard from them before.
I cant believe it but I've actually found a f&cking video on youtube for this. I am not alone! lol

I agree that Jar of Flies is by far their best album. The first two tracks, "Rotten Apple" and "Nutshell", are my favorite songs by them. I really wish they had made more slow, downcast songs like these because they did it really well and Layne Staley had a great voice for it. Unfortunately they insisted on trying to rock out more often than not and I don't think they did that very well.

Joking aside, I also rank the following as there best songs:

I start with what I think is the best studio recording they ever did.
Jerry Cantrell's guitar playing is immense & somehow he actually manages to create what I call a 'rotting apple' sound which relates to the songs title 'Rotten Apple'.


More timeless music from 'Jar Of Flies'. Never grow tired of it.







[youtube]











The last two tracks, sung by Jerry Cantrell, who i think has a very underrated Solo career, are two of my personal favourites- especially 'Over Now'.





As you can see, I have purposely left out their harder rock songs as (although I do like some of them) in comparison, I dont really care that much for them & think that they were much better with the more heartfelt, slow acoustic songs especially that of 'Nutshell', the 'Sap' Ep & the MTV Unplugged albums.

Definitely, I think their voices come to their peak on the MTV Unplugged album & studio speaking 'Jar of Flies'.
I dont think they were bad at doing the heavier stuff, just like you, it would have been good to have heard more acoustic based songs such as the ones from 'Jar Of Flies'.

I heard that 'Jar Of Flies' was not even originally intended for release.
They were just mucking about in a studio one day and it turned out the record company or whoever heard the songs & thought they were so good that they should be released.

I find it incredible that the best output comes from them when they are not even trying as opposed to them trying their hardest to make a great record.
This to me, shows the true natural talent that they both had.

AIC is the only band I can think of whose entire output I enjoy, except for one song (the untitled track on Sap). They offered a great blend of aggression and depression.

Some people might object to their depressing lyrics, but that's most likely why people would listen to them. Just as one wouldn't listen to Slayer expecting to relax, one should not listen to AIC expecting to feel upbeat.

My top 10 songs by AIC would go something like:

1. Grind
2. Angry Chair
3. Down In A Hole
4. Dirt
5. Again
6. We Die Young
7. Man In The Box
8. Get Born Again
9. Sludge Factory
10. Bleed The Freak

Whew! Mirrorball when you post you really post! ;)

Thanks for those videos, I had been neglecting this alt-metal/grunge/whatever group until I heard those again.

One of my favorite bands. I'm disappointed in not finding this thread sooner. Alice in Chains is straight up Nostalgia Lane for me, and I love lingering memories. I'd have to agree with you guys on Jar of Flies, but Facelift and Dirt were pretty epic, too. The song that touches me the most is "Brother". Never fails to surface a bump in my throat.

Was just watching their Unplugged dvd!!! Can't wait to hear the new stuff either, and I know you can't replace a talent such as Layne, but I'm still excited to hear it.

Yeah, I've scene AIC with William Duvall twice. One was unplugged. No, he won't replace Layne, but he's not trying to from what I saw. He's got his own vibe and brings a new energy to the band. To some, it will never be the same, but I think it's a positive thing. I, too, can't wait to hear new material.

I think Alice in Chains is A-frickin-#1. I have made coutless posts telling my love for Alice in Chains and I don't really feel like writing another one, so lets just say I'm a huge fan. Glad I looked at this thread. It inspired me to listen to their unplugged album. What an album.

I can't stop watching this video. I found it last night, and I've watched it a dozen times. For all you AIC lovers.

I know grunge catches a lot of flak here (and in many places) but I still think Alice in Chains was a great band and a cut above the rest... certainly more eclectic. Layne Staley was a fantastic vocalist (one of the best of the 90s) although I can understand if some find his accent hard to digest. But really, the whole band is superb. Jar of Flies and Dirt are my faves.


My favourite song of theirs:



My favourite verse is this one from Junkhead - Staley delivers it with unbelievable conviction:

You can't understand a user's mind
But try, with your books and degrees
If you let yourself go and opened your mind
I'll bet you'd be doing like me
And it ain't so bad

I saw them the last time they played here with William Duvall, and although they were really good and Duvall was excellent, the crowd were just not into it and the atmosphere was completely dead. I'd love to have seen them with Staley in their heyday.

^ Really? It was the complete opposite for me. The first time I saw them (which was with Duvall), the crowd was ****in' crazy, and we're talking about black-hole Myrtle Beach, SC here. Then, my second time seeing them unplugged, it was a little bit more dull. I'm sure acoustics had something to do with it, but both shows still emitted beautiful energy.

Ah, you would sir. Haha get it "Would"!! Gosh I'm so clever.

Yeah.. Im hardcore man :bringit:.. When I post I just kind of get carried away and cant leave out any song that pops into my head that I really like.
I had Dirt for ages but never appreciated them properly until i heard Mtv Unplugged & Jar Of Flies. The other albums are good as well but totally different from the Jar Of Flies like material.
Haha, how can you not like the Untitled track? Its the pinnacle of weirdness, suppose its not for anybody. I actually really like it for some reason (yes even with the snorting and the farting) , although everybody keeps telling me its ****e. Still cant listen to it without laughing though. Man, I can listen to full albums of this **** lol. Just check out King Missile.
Sorry but I feel compelled to post this song again. :D
"KISS THE MIDGET! KISS THE MIDGET!"

There awesome! As cliche as this sounds, I really love dirt :love:.

Its a good album.

I actually have come to think 'Facelift' is miles better than dirt. The track that stands out for me on 'Dirt' though is 'Rain When I Die'.

I personally like facelift alot better as well, but to deny that dirt isn't good is simply foolish.

Dirt is a good album, I never said it wasnt; just that Facelift is much better to me. For instance songs like Angry Chair & Rooster I didnt like until I heard the Unplugged versions & have sort of been able to go back and appreciate the heavier versions that way. 'Dirt' is basically they're 'biggest' & most hyped album & I find that nearly all of the artists im into, the 'biggest' albums are usually good but almost never turn out to be their best.

"Rain When I Die" is a hell of a song. I can't quite agree with you as far as Facelift being a better album, though. But Facelift is a great ****in' album. The track that gets me every time from Facelift would have to be "Sunshine". I would have to say that my favorite track from the Self-Titled disc might be "Frogs" or "Sludge Factory". They started getting pretty strange (really into dope) with that one.

I've been a huge Alice in Chains fan since I was eight years old. They've been a great inspiration for the music that I write. And although the Staley/Cantrell duo can never be duplicated, I still think that William Duvall is a great frontman and deserves the utmost respect for what he's doing. **** the Nay-Sayers.

of course!

This thread inspired me to go back and listen to Facelift, I completely forgot how awesome it is. Dirt is still their best album but not by alot, this album is just great for it's raw power from the very opening of 'We Die Young'. My favorite track has always been 'It Ain't Like That', that intro really gets to me. Other high-points include 'Bleed The Freak', 'Love, Hate, Love', 'Sunshine', and 'Put You Down'. I forgot how much I love this album and totally owe this thread for bringing it back in my mind.

Prolly my favorite band of all time apart from Nirvana...

Rooster gave me new insight on the Vietnam War

I've been listening to A.I.C. since I was in my single digits and in elementary school. I can't say that I knew what they were talking about at the time I was introduced to them, but their sound has been enormous in influencing my critique of other bands and in the music I write. They're absolutely an integral element in my musical roots.

Never a bad record, Jar of Flies EP is particularly excellent.

Hi i am a big alice in chains my favourite album is dirt iv e seen them twice they are fantastic to all the big alice in chains fans out there

keep rocking
from dan cooke

into the flood is an aweeessommeee song

just thought id say i love alice in chains,, :)

Nice one!, I feared after reading your username, you may not like them! The 'Jar Of Flies' EP is their best IMO. What stuff have you got by them?

Yeah, really great song, but its called "Would?". Just thought you might want to know for future reference ;)

Nice catch, people over look those tricky song names sometimes. They just asume the main part of the chorus is the name of the song. I've never understood this.

I have always loved AIC, Facelift has recently made a big comeback into my playlist. 'It Ain't Like That' is such a rockin' tune, it always reminds me of the club scene in the movie Singles.

hey wtf, my itunes called it into the flood :O

thanks guyzz :)

sludge factory & brother are good too - or dont tell me thats the wrong name for them too?? haha probably--i reckon that all those bands like soundgarden and alice in chains that were around at the time of nirvana are just as good,, ok maybe not so much but still really good!!

'sludge factory' is right, not sure about 'brother'.

you're right that soundgarden wasn't just as good as nirvana or alice in chains too, they were better

Screaming Trees own them all, if you're interested.

Alice In Chains WERE and ARE good. I especially love Soundgarden's Black Hole Sun. Ok so the film clip is a tad freaky but oh wells.

Compare them to Nirvana?? I dunno.....i also think we're forgetting pearl jam?? haha, but i dont think they weere as good..

Dirt has a few good tracks, Them Bones, God Smack and Would?, but overall a pretty blah album. I'm going to get their debut anyway though because I love Man In A Box.

:nono: Screaming Trees suck! Lanegan's alright on his own though:

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_k7JFnelOEJ...yDevilDirt.jpg

If you havent got/heard this Crash, I can upload it for you.

Facelift is a much better album. Heard Jar of Flies or MTV Unplugged yet?

He looks out of place, and like a knob so I dont really dig the new lineup. For me AIC was all about Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrells wonderful partnership, and without that its just not cricket.