10 Best Songs. NO Singles: Alice In Chains
Alice In Chains is one of my all time favorite bands. Out of the “Big 4” Seattle grunge bands of my early 20’s I could give them the slight edge as my favorite, but realistically it’s more of a tie with Pearl Jam. Either way they are responsible for some of my favorite albums and songs of all time and that includes with Layne Staley and Mike Starr AND with the “Mach II” lineup that includes Mike Inez (member of both eras) and William Duvall.
As with other entries in this series these are not ranked from 1 to 10 but they are the 10 best that were not released as singles. Let’s do this:
10 Best Songs. NO Singles: Alice In Chains
It Ain’t Like That (Facelift - 1990) Talk about one of the most evil riffs ever laid down….and it started as a mistake according to Jerry Cantrell in the liner notes of the Music Bank box set. That’s amazing… Alice In Chains has always been capable of the heaviest AND the most beautiful music you’ll find, and this one encapsulates everything that makes them great on the heavy side. Multi part minor key harmonies and Layne Staley showing his full vocal range and power - and he surely had plenty of it. Breathtaking.
Sunshine (Facelift - 1990) An iconic bassline with the bum ba-bum-bummmm part that is clearly familiar during the verses. Zeppelin’s When The Levee Breaks and Helmet’s Biscuits For Smut both have it and it works in both of these as it does in Sunshine which is the other track on this list from the debut full length Facelift. Jerry Cantrell has said the song was written as a tribute to his mother Gloria after she passed. The lyrics don’t seem to give a ton of insight into that relationship or what Jerry was feeling that I can figure out but suffice it to say it comes from an emotional place and that gives it weight.
Am I Inside (Sap - 1992) A dark masterpiece and while there are other acoustic/mellow and spooky ruminations such as When The Sun Rose Again (also on this list), to me this one is the bleakest but it’s also just so majestic. It’s rarified air for anyone who can create something like this, and it is a track without a ton of fanfare that deserves more, although Jerry Cantrell at the time said they released the Sap EP without any promotion on purpose to see if anyone would buy it and how the fanbase would word-of-mouth it. Not to mention that it has none other than Seattle icon Ann Wilson providing backing vocals. How cool is that?
Rain When I Die (Dirt - 1992) This is where things separate a little from what you might call the relatively conventional approach on Facelift to the twisted genius we start to see on Dirt. I don’t even know how to describe this one other than it’s the sound of decay, addiction, slow agony - and it’s incredible. I saw these guys open with this at St. Andrew’s Hall in Detroit in 2009 and what an opener… whoa - blew me away and I never would have thought of the considerable additional power that seeing it as an opener could give it for me. Forever changed it for me in the best way, and one of the best Layne Staley vocals recorded - he’s channeling from the depths on this one. And to be clear when I saw it it was William Duvall on the lead vocal and yes - he did it justice. I’m NOT saying he’s Layne or better than Layne on Layne’s song but he sang his ass off and I love him in this band even as I miss Layne terribly. Don’t @ me. As a side note the other time I saw Alice In Chains live was opening for KISS at Tiger Stadium in 1996 - what an amazing spectacle that was…
Dirt (Dirt - 1992) See Rain When I Die. Lol - okay this is different with the far Eastern flavor used to heavy and dark effect - this is pure hypnosis on a scale not easily pulled off in something this heavy. But it’s another towering achievement like Rain When I Die that feels a bit of a piece with that one. Both slow and agonizing once again and to describe how you’re feeling by saying you want someone to scrape you from the walls? You really almost have to make a decision mentally to listen to this LP - you know you’re going to a dark place, it’s not always easy even if it’s rewarding as it gets. A good title track in that it’s a perfect representative of this masterpiece of an LP.
Whale & Wasp (Jar Of Flies - 1994) The only Alice In Chains instrumental and I’d say they made it count. It’s one of the most beautiful pieces of music I’ve ever heard. Mellow and haunting with no drums, it’s really a stunner at only about two and a half minutes.
Sludge Factory (Alice In Chains - 1996) The heaviest of the heavy - just that three note riff that weighs a thousand tons. Not because it’s fast, noisy or loud but it just is. Dun dun, dunnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn….. “I say stay long enough to repay those who cause strife….” Whoa. Addiction, rage, sludddddddge, pain, and drawn out - with that falsetto over the top, the improvisation that goes on and on from Jerry Cantrell on guitar and Sean Kinney on drums to match, the “YOUR WEAPON IS GUILT” declaration, the uptempo coda that is longer than you think every time…. This is a masterpiece.
Frogs (Alice In Chains - 1996) The other epic on the self-titled album (AKA “Tripod”) that has a similar vibe to Sludge Factory if only not as heavy, but it makes up for it hypnotically. Does that make sense? It’s a spooky vibe that goes on and on kind of like Sludge Factory and Sean Kinney is the star of the show here musically on the drums with a rhythmic slow tribal burn with plenty of cool fills and improv along the way. And it’s not like these are jam band 20 minute opuses but at 8:18 and 7:12 respectively Sludge Factory and Frogs are the longest and third longest AIC songs respectively in the entire catalogue. I actually featured Frogs in another blog post here on the Snobbery for the 7 Awesome Non-Obvious Drumming Moments In Rock.
When The Sun Rose Again (Black Gives Way To Blue - 2009) Alice In Chains returned several years after Layne Staley’s tragic passing with the addition of William Duvall to handle some lead vocals and guitar. The Mach II phase of the band has been a success and the music has been phenomenal. Black Gives Way to Blue is the best of the three albums so far but all three are great, and When The Sun Rose Again is a fantastic vocal performance with the signature AIC vocal harmonies. It’s an acoustic piece and in the dark mysterious AIC vein that we all know and love. The cryptic lyric of “We all trade in never-befores selling out for the score” is haunting indeed and the tabla is really the only percussion here credited to guest Chris Armstrong. What a great song…
Phantom Limb (The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here - 2013) The idea of haunting someone like a phantom limb is creepy indeed and it’s great for this jam. A kick ass riff and ongoing evidence that this band isn’t losing any of its power. The music creeping and spiraling downward to the grim threat of “I’ll just haunt you like a phantom limb” and then there’s a moment around the 4 minute mark when William Duvall lets out a “YEAH YEAH” like a maniac before ripping into the first guitar solo he ever laid down on an AIC song. Hell yes.
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