Alice in Chains were one of the finest bands of their kind- and when I say kind, it's difficult to qualify the statement simply because I have no wish to lump them in with the Seattle Grunge movement which they somehow became part of. That's not because I have anything against the whole grunge ... Read review
Hal Leonard Alice In Chains Acoustic: guitar Tab edition with chords and lyrics; Songs: ... more
Would, Over Now, Killers Is Me, Nutshell, Brother, No Excuses, Sludge Factory, Down In A Hole, Angry Chair, Rooster, Got Me Wrong, Heaven Beside You, Frogs and more
Postage & Packaging:refer to website Availability:in stock
Advantages: Complex, textured, demanding Disadvantages: Not easy to listen to that often
Alice in Chains were one of the finest bands of their kind- and when I say kind, it's difficult to qualify the statement simply because I have no wish to lump them in with the Seattle Grunge movement which they somehow became part of. That's not because I have anything against the whole grunge scene- I like most of the bands of that type, and the whole movement occurred precisely at the time when the music industry was drifting nowhere and needed ... ...Alice in Chains sounded nothing like their "peers" and produced albums of varying type and approach throughout their career. This really isn't the same kind of band as, say, Nirvana (who had a far "punkier" approach) or Pearl Jam (who were really a melodic mainstream rock band, albeit a very good one). Alice in Chains moved from glam through to mainstream (and somewhat accessible) grunge through to this- their final album, and ... more
Alice in Chains were one of the finest bands of their kind- and when I say kind, it's difficult to qualify the statement simply because I have no wish to lump them in with the Seattle Grunge movement which they somehow became part of. That's not because I have anything against the whole grunge scene- I like most of the bands of that type, and the whole movement occurred precisely at the time when the music industry was drifting nowhere and needed an injection of something. But I digress!
Alice in Chains sounded nothing like their "peers" and produced albums of varying type and approach throughout their career. This really isn't the same kind of band as, say, Nirvana (who had a far "punkier" approach) or Pearl Jam (who were really a melodic mainstream rock band, albeit a very good one). Alice in Chains moved from glam through to mainstream (and somewhat accessible) grunge through to this- their final album, and one of the darkest pieces of work ever created.
Alice in Chains' final, self-titled album is possibly one mainly for afficianados of this kind of bleak, nihilistic American heavy rock music, and probably not the first Alice in Chains album you should hear (that would probably be "Dirt", their biggest-selling and most accessible album).
This is a bleak, grinding dirge of an album, the sonic equivalent almost of drowning in mud and despair, but throughout this endless night runs a thread of complexity, clever musical arrangement and the kind of production that suits the music perfectly, enhancing the mood that it strives to create. The opening track "Grind" sets the mood for the album with mid-paced, heavy riffing, produced and textured to a finer degree than on their previous albums. In other words, this album is a "grower" and requires patience- even for those such as I who was a fan of the band before I heard this.
For those who don't know Alice in Chains very well (or indeed for those of you who've never heard of them) their lead singer Layne Staley was a heroin addict, and shortly after this record was eleased, the addiction would finally destroy him. Never a band to avoid difficult and personal issues in their music, Alice in Chains have more than a few drug-related themes running through this album- or more pertinently, the issues and crises of the mind that can be caused by them.
Occasionally there are tracks that lift their heads out of the mire for a brief glimpse of outright melody, for example "Heaven Beside You" is a simple but beautiful ballad-like track, the type of stripped-down basic guitar workout that they did exceptionally well.
The full track listing (which I'm placing here to give you some idea of the despondency and bleakness of the album) is:
1. Grind 2. Brush Away 3. Sludge Factory 4. Heaven Beside You 5. Head Creeps 6. Again 7. Shame in You 8. God Am 9. So Close 10. Nothin' Song 11. Frogs 12. Over Now
Generally, however, this album feels more like a mood piece than a collection of individual songs- something that a lot of "grower" albums have in common. Whereas "Dirt" was full of instantly catchy, melodic tunes (despite a darkness lurking at the centre of it- check out "Down In a Hole"), "Alice in Chains" is layer upon layer of textured sound twisted into various shapes to make songs. Around the fourth or fifth listen it probably occurred to me just how original it was- and I couldn't help but smile at the fact that it hadn't quiute occurred to me before- although I knew there was "something there to discover". It's always a good feeling when a piece of music does that to you- a little like the sun coming up in the morning- despite the subject matter and nihiistic approach of the lyrics.
The album bears no real resemblance to their previous release, the "Jar of Flies / Sap" double EP, which showcased a more gentle, acoustic side to the band.
As you will have gathered by now, it doesn't make for particularly immediate or particularly easy listening, but this was never really the point of this band, and this album appears to change in texture and form as you listen to it a few more times and pick out some of the many subtlties and depths to the songs. All the best albums are voyages, but sometimes you have to cross the ocean back and forth a few times before you can see it for what it truly is.
One last note: there is little escaping the irony of the last track (an epitaph if ever there was one), entitled "Over Now". Not long after this record hit the stores, it *was* all over. Summary: It's like diving through mud to find a forgotten, beautiful ship, preserved in the dark.
Advantages: Technically superb group of musicians Disadvantages: Sometimes difficult to get into
Alice in Chains are one of my favourite bands, I discovered them midway through the nineties, after they had actually stopped releasing new material and split. A friend of mine handed me a copy of the Jar of Flies/Sap double mini album.
I was absolutely blown away. While I was later to discover that this album ws not exactly typical Alice, it shot the band to one of my all time favourites. Just listen to the quality of opener Rotten Apple, or Nutshell. ... ...main albums, Facelift, Dirt and Alice in Chains.
This is a much more accurate sample of the Alice sound, featuring softer songs such as Heaven Beside You and Rooster, but also heavier, darker songs such as Them Bones and Angry Chair. I would recommend this album as a good starting point. If you prefer the softer songs, then buy Jar of Flies/Sap and MTV Unplugged. If the heavier, darker songs are more your style, then I would recommend you buy Dirt, ...
RoryM 23.10.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Alice In Chains - Alice In Chains
Advantages: Alice in Chains! Disadvantages: They are no more!
...pray that a band of Alice in chains quality will come along and give me another decade of unadulterated happiness and fulfilment, and as I prise this c.d from its case to write a review on it I am once again hit by the feeling of emptiness about the fact that I haven’t bought a c.d in 18 months and the last one I bought was a replacement of an old scratched one. I used to buy albums because a) I wanted to listen to the music, obviously and b) I was ... ...Layne Staley. This new Alice in Chains album was slow, dirty and sombre. An element of the guitaring had been taken away in favour of a more explicit display of vocal tending. Many said it was a regressive streak and that the band had hit the self-destruct button. Inadvertently, they were right but this album does nothing to prove that.
In my opinion, its horses for courses. Whatever suits you in particular go with it. Personally, I don’t listen ...
dolf77 19.02.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Alice In Chains - Alice In Chains
Advantages: sounds like no-one else Disadvantages: none
...anyone who only knows of alice in chains through references from other bands and reviews of bands that apparently sound like them, these were the real deal.
Blessed with one of the greatest singers in Layne Staley and classic guitar god Jerry Cantrell they were the darkest of the Seattle bands of the early 90's. Theirs was a soud that truly sounded like Grunge.
This album was the follow up to their break through album Dirt and was unjustly panned ... ...second was about the downside.
Alice in Chains the album however had no upside - from the doom laden opener Grind where Layne warns not to write him off before he is actually dead - to Sludge Factory and Head Creeps.
There are more melodic songs such as Heaven Beside You and Over Now - the latter being one of their greatest songs in my opinion.
The closest thing to this album in terms of subject matter and tone is Nirvanas In Utero - it is a last ...
tilly77 05.01.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Alice In Chains - Alice In Chains
Advantages: Last chance to hear Layne, Heaven Beside You Disadvantages: Some songs are stretched rather thin
...is enough evidence here that Alice in Chains could have continued to scale the heights only if Layne could have fought off the demon. Songs such as 'Grind' and 'Heaven Beside You' are amongst the strongest the band have ever recorded (the latter being one of the bands most successful single releases) The almost industrial 'Again' is the hardest thing the band ever recorded, chopping riffs back up with a solid wall of drums, Laynes wail covering everything ...
navidson 11.02.2009
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Advantages: Excelent example of 90's grunge Disadvantages: to much for some
Formed in the early 90's Alice in Chains were an excelent example of the 'grunge' scene that dominated youth culture during this period.
Although they are no longer producing music, there could possibly be new found interest in the band due to the recent tragic death of the frontman Layne Staley.
Stylisticaly they are typical grunge combination of punk, metal and glam rock. Dirgy distorted guitars and harmonized southern fried vocals create a heavy ... ...point towards
the late singer's strugle with heroin addiction.
In their some of their lighter moments however, they produced some excelent acoustic style songs, particularly with the albums 'jar of flies', and 'sap'.
Listening to these two albums evokes images of driving down a dusty desert road in America, sipping Jack Daniels with a Marlboro red.
If your a fan of heavy rock I would recomend some of their later work such as their album 'Alice ...
6ftunder 30.06.2002
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Advantages: Reconisably part of the modern rock scene, but with enough of it's own identity to stave off the accusations of being generic. Disadvantages: It's variety may be it's downfall. Not a lot for "The Kids" to jump up and down to.
Not what I expected. I got this album after hearing the rather excellent song Power Struggle. It’s AliceInChains-style harmonies and White Zombie Riff & Electro Beat sucked me in.
The album, whilst good, has no other track remotely like this. As a Club DJ, this was initially disappointing, but, not wanting to give up on an album straight away, I gave it another couple of listens.
One Minute Sience, as a whole, mines a vein of melancholic rock, flavoured with electronic elements. The AliceInChains comparison wasn’t far off, but try to think of AliceInChains being produced by Tricky or Trent Reznor. Lyrically, it’s a fairly introspective beast, not a lot to jump around to, but nice music to sit down with in a dark room.
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Advantages: Great live songs Disadvantages: Nothing new for veterans of the band
As AliceInChains lead singer Layne Staley screams "I want you to kill me and dig me under , I wanna live no more" you realise AliceInChains: Live isn't exactly the feel good holiday album of the year. Then again AliceInChains certainly wasn't the feel good band of the decade.
AliceInChains: Live feels like a last ditch effort by Columbia records to squeeze a few final dollars out of band that has been inactive for the past four years due to drug addiction and turmoil among band members.
fans who remain interested in the band will certainly enjoy the 14 powerful live electric tracks provided on this album designed to show their live heavy side, not the soft live side we saw on Unplugged.
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Advantages: One of the defining musical moments of a lifetime Disadvantages: Other grunge bands often get overlooked
, worth novelty value, but not much more.
If you like this: Try AliceinChains, I would recommend starting with the Greatest Hits or Dirt. Everyone seems to forget that Nirvana weren't the only grunge band, Soundgarden and AliceinChains are two awesome bands who seem to get overlooked. Give them a try, you never know, you might like them. ...
Product Information for "Alice In Chains - Alice In Chains" »
Product details
Title
Alice In Chains
Performer
Alice In Chains
Genre
Rock & Pop
Sub Genre
Grunge
Release Date
01/01/2001, 11/1995
Recomended Retail Price
8.99 GBP
Original Release Year
1995
Label / Distributor
Columbia / Sony Music/Arvato Services
Engineer
Toby Wright; Tom Nellen
Producer
Toby Wright; Alice In Chains
Pieces in Set
1
Studio / Live
Studio
Stereo
Stereo
Format
Performer
EAN
5099748111425, 5099748111494
Catalogue Number
4811142, 4811149
Additional notes
Album Notes
Alice In Chains: Layne Staley, Jerry Cantrell (vocals, guitar); Mike Inez (bass); Sean Kinney (drums). Recorded at Bad Animals, Seattle, Washington. "Grind" was nominated for a 1996 Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance. "Again" was nominated for a 1997 Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance. Much like the overcast and murky weather that Seattle is known for, Alice In Chains' music is dour, plumbing the darker side of life that's cluttered with dashed hopes and inner turmoil. The group's self-titled third album continues along this path, peppered by Layne Staley's nihilistic lyrics and guitarist Jerry Cantrell's weighty playing. The three-legged dog on the cover guarantees that no warm and fuzzy feelings will get aroused. When Staley states "How proud are you being able/To gather faith from fable?" on "God Am," he reflects the feelings of the displaced generation AIC sing to. Elsewhere, imagery of drug addiction floats through "Sludge Factory," as Cantrell's plodding riffs and the sound of a disjointed conversation paint an aural picture of nodding out. The darkened hues coloring the sound of ALICE IN CHAINS make it a perfect rainy-day record.
Album Reviews
Rolling Stone (11/30/95, p.63) - 4 Stars (out of 10) - "...On the band's fourth album, the lyrics deal with drugs, danger and death--and the songs achieve a startling, staggering and palpable impact..." Musician (2/96, p.91) - "...Alice In Chain's sullen music is like stomach acid climbing up your throat. But once 'Grind' satisfies your senses in its queasy way, another listen feels all but inevitable..." Q (1/96, p.17) - 3 Stars (out of 5) - "...another distinctive album...grinding guitars rub up against dense, late-'60s style vocal harmonies..."
Titles on disc 1
1.
Grind
2.
Brush Away
3.
Sludge Factory
4.
Heaven Beside You
5.
Head Creeps
6.
Again
7.
Shame In You
8.
God Am
9.
So Close
10.
Nothin' Song
11.
Frogs
12.
Over Now
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Listed on Ciao since
19/02/2004
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