Would Alice in Chains Be a Success?
Alice In Chains formed in 1987 according to a site on the web. If true that means it took about five years for the band to hit it big. While they got good press, their first album didn’t go anywhere. They tried to be a hair-metal band, but it wasn’t them. Actually the popular sound was changing. This worked to Alice and Chains’ benefit. They had a hard rock sound that was gritty. Their first single was “We Die Young.” That should tell you how they didn’t fit on radio with Poison.
The next album had “Man in the Box.” The guitars were different from anything on radio. Layne Stanley’s gravely voice cut through the biting noise with a singing growl. Yeah this was rock!
At the same time, Sonic Youth released “Goo” and brought Nirvana on tour. Soundgarden released an album and brought Seattle rock into the spotlight. Pearl Jam formed. Cameron Crowe made a movie in Seattle called “Singles.” All the stars aligned.
Alice In Chains released a new album that is clearly one of the best grunge albums ever. Their song on the movie soundtrack to “Singles” “Would” was excellent.
“Would” starts with this rush of whooo. There is a slow build of drum and airy guitar. Then there is the howl chorus and back to the eerie rush. “Rooster “was the epitome of grunge. It wasn’t a ballad but it wasn’t a fast rocker. More singles kept the album alive through the year.
Not only did they have this distinctive lead singer, the guitarist Jerry Cantrell could sing and write.
The two big years of grunge were 1992 and 1993 and Alice In Chains rode the wave on one album. They could’ve kept the wave going, but in 1994 they changed their sound. “Jar of Flies” was a four song album that had acoustic guitars and almost country sound. No Excuses changed everything. It wasn’t grunge. This showed range and more talent than critics thought was possible.
Another year and a new album meant Alice In Chains changed again. The new self titled album had the hard rocking “Grind” and the acoustic “Heaven Beside You.”
This was the band of the 1990s. They had range, they had multiple singers, and they had drive. Fans loved this band. They weren’t photogenic enough to be mainstream America’s band, but they were the band of the average person; the forgotten person.
$*&*$* drugs.
Layne Stanley died from an overdose. He wrote about drugs. People saw it in interviews. Fans still didn’t expect it. Kurt Cobain’s death was supposed to be the warning. It was supposed to be one that made grunge grow up. Instead Alice In Chains became that cliche. They hit big and blew up in an instant.
They saw highs and growth. In 10 years it all ended.
There is an Alice In Chains band touring today. It’s a travesty to Jerry Cantrell that they couldn’t continue to succeed at those heights. The man is super talented and gifted.