Friday, August 8, 2008
Live from Planet Earth Alice in Chains: The Real History
1987. The wonderful year marked with the birth of Alice in Chains. It all started in Seattle,
WA at a party. It just so happened that an extremely talented guitarist named Jerry Cantrell was attending this party along with the man that sings like a lark, Layne Staley. At that time, Layne was involved in a glam band which was growing stale. When he met and hit it off with Jerry that night, Jerry threw out the brilliant idea that they should start a band together. Layne agreed. Now there were two.
Jerry knew a man by the name of Mike Starr who agreed to play bass for the new band. Now all they needed was a drummer. (Layne could play of course, but as you know, he enjoys vocals) Luckily, Mike introduced the others to Sean Kinney, a crazy drummer who was dating Mike's sister. They decided to call their band Alice 'n Chains. (The name was supposedly spawed from a crazy idea about the group dressing in drag and playing). The monumental date of their first gig was on August 5, 1987.
After that, they were briefly known as Diamond Lie and played a few shows sparking the takeoff of their music. Of course they ended up calling themselves Alice In Chains. Later in 1987 they signed with Columbia Records. Their first EP titled "We Die Young" was released in 1990 and is currently a rare collectors item. A few months after that, they released their first full length album called "Facelift". The release of this album sent their debut song "We Die Young" to the top.
Westminister, CA was their first U.S. tour date which happened a few months after Facelift's release. In Seattle, the December 22 show sold out. It was, though, filmed and released as Live Facelift. Their first American Music Award nomination happened in January of 1991 when they were up for Favorite Heavy Metal Artist. Sadly, they lost.
Man In The Box" was their first single which they released. This was their first exposure on MTV. Alice In Chains made a movie debut in the film "Singles" where they played the song "Would?" in a bar. They then toured with Megadeth in Europe for the first time. They received a Grammy nomination for the "Best Heavy Metal Performance". Sadly, they lost again.
Next up for AIC was the "Clash of the Titans" tour with Slayer. They then had time to make their television debut with ABC for their "In Concert" show. After that they accompanied Van Halen on a 4 month tour. Facelift went gold around September of 1991. During their tour break in November, they recorded their second EP. The album was titled SAP, a name given to it by Sean Kinney. He had a dream about the group making an album and naming it SAP because it was "sappy".
Spring 1992 was some well deserved off-time for AIC. They soon began recording Dirt, though. It was released in September. "Would?" was the first single released. "Angry Chair" followed. At this point, Layne broke his foot, but completed the tour with Ozzy using a wheelchair or crutches. (He didn't miss a date!) A tour shirt had an X-ray of Layne's fractured foot on it.
The Hollywood Festival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil was the next show AIC would do, and the last for bassist Mike Starr. The pressures of constant touring finally got to him and he had to leave the band. AIC asked Mike Inez, who had played with Ozzy Osbourne, if he would be interested in finishing the tour with AIC. He agreed and later (thank goodness) became a permanent member of the band.
Lollapalooza was the main focus of the summer 1993. After this, they recorded their new EP- Jar Of Flies. They then began the Down In Your Hole tour- a six week speedy tour. At this point, "Down In A Hole" was released as a single. A video was shot for this song as well. Finally, "Them Bones" was released as single number four from "Dirt". The cool film "Last Action Hero" was in theatres along with two unreleased Alice in Chains songs- "What The Hell Have I?" and "A Little Bitter". A video was shot for "What The Hell Have I?"
Jar of Flies was released with SAP as a double in 1994, then later Jar of Flies was released individually. Jar of Flies was a monumental album- It was the very first EP ever to debut as number one on the Billboard chart! "No Excuses" was the first single and video released.
AIC recorded their third full length album in April of 1995. After nearly four months, the result was a harder heavier album originally named "Tripod". (third full length album, three legged dog and man) The dog on the cover was inspired from a dog that would chase Sean when he was delivering papers as a child. The album ended up self titled. It was released in November 1995 and debuted number one on the Billboard chart. They were nominated for a Grammy once again, and once again they lost.
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Top 200 90s Alternative Rock Songs
No. | Song | Artist | Album | Year | Last Rank |
1 | Karma Police | Radiohead | OK Computer | 1997 | 1 |
2 | No Excuses | Alice in Chains | Jar of Flies | 1994 | 2 |
3 | Smells Like Teen Spirit | Nirvana | Nevermind | 1991 | N/A |
4 | Bittersweet Symphony | The Verve | Urban Hymns | 1997 | 9 |
5 | Heaven Beside You | Alice in Chains | Alice in Chains | 1995 | 3 |
6 | One Headlight | The Wallflowers | Bringing Down the Horse | 1996 | 4 |
7 | Jesus Christ Pose | Soundgarden | Badmotorfinger | 1991 | N/A |
8 | Bullet With Butterfly Wings | Smashing Pumpkins | Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness | 1995 | N/A |
9 | Lithium | Nirvana | Nevermind | 1991 | N/A |
10 | 1979 | Smashing Pumpkins | Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness | 1995 | 5 |
11 | Paranoid Android | Radiohead | OK Computer | 1997 | 12 |
12 | Down in a Hole | Alice in Chains | Dirt | 1992 | 8 |
13 | Nutshell | Alice in Chains | Jar of Flies | 1994 | 7 |
14 | Otherside | Red Hot Chili Peppers | Californication | 1999 | 6 |
15 | Losing My Religion | REM | Out of Time | 1991 | 10 |
16 | Everlong | Foo Fighters | The Colour and the Shape | 1997 | N/A |
17 | Cherub Rock | Smashing Pumpkins | Siamese Dream | 1993 | N/A |
18 | Come As You Are | Nirvana | Nevermind | 1991 | N/A |
19 | Wonderwall | Oasis | (What's the Story) Morning Glory? | 1995 | 13 |
20 | The Way | Fastball | All the Pain Money Can Buy | 1998 | 14 |
21 | I Stay Away | Alice in Chains | Jar of Flies | 1994 | N/A |
22 | Brain Stew | Green Day | Insomniac | 1995 | N/A |
23 | Creep | Stone Temple Pilots | Core | 1992 | 15 |
24 | In Bloom | Nirvana | Nevermind | 1991 | N/A |
25 | Rotten Apple | Alice in Chains | Jar of Flies | 1994 | 16 |
26 | Heart Shaped Box | Nirvana | In Utero | 1993 | N/A |
27 | Plush | Stone Temple Pilots | Core | 1992 | N/A |
28 | The Man Who Sold The World (Cover) | Nirvana | MTV Unplugged in New York | 1994 | 17 |
29 | Californication | Red Hot Chili Peppers | Californication | 1999 | 24 |
30 | Ænima | Tool | Ænima | 1996 | N/A |
31 | Grind | Alice in Chains | Alice in Chains | 1995 | N/A |
32 | Mr. Jones | Counting Crows | August and Everything After | 1993 | 19 |
33 | Personal Jesus | Depeche Mode | Violator | 1990 | N/A |
34 | Under The Bridge | Red Hot Chili Peppers | Blood Sugar Sex Magik | 1991 | 18 |
35 | Bound for the Floor | Local H | As Good As Dead | 1996 | N/A |
36 | Touch, Peel and Stand | Days of the New | Days of the New | 1997 | N/A |
37 | Man In The Box | Alice in Chains | Facelift | 1990 | N/A |
38 | Your Woman | White Town | Women In Technology | 1997 | N/A |
39 | No Shelter | Rage Against the Machine | The Battle of Los Angeles | 1999 | N/A |
40 | All The Small Things | Blink-182 | Enema of the State | 1999 | N/A |
41 | Would? | Alice in Chains | Dirt | 1992 | N/A |
42 | In The Meantime | Spacehog | Resident Alien | 1995 | 20 |
43 | Dumb | Nirvana | In Utero | 1993 | 25 |
44 | You Ought to Know | Alanis Morissette | Jagged Little Pill | 1995 | N/A |
45 | All I Want | Toad the Wet Sprocket | Fear | 1991 | 21 |
46 | December | Collective Soul | Collective Soul | 1995 | 23 |
47 | Dirt | Alice in Chains | Dirt | 1992 | N/A |
48 | Mayonaise | Smashing Pumpkins | Siamese Dream | 1993 | N/A |
49 | Song 2 | Blur | Blur | 1997 | N/A |
50 | A Long December | Counting Crows | Recovering the Satellites | 1996 | 27 |
51 | Santa Monica | Everclear | Sparkle & Fade | 1995 | 30 |
52 | Rooster | Alice in Chains | Dirt | 1992 | N/A |
53 | Counting Blue Cars | Dishwalla | Pet Your Friends | 1995 | 29 |
54 | Buddy Holly | Weezer | Blue Album | 1994 | N/A |
55 | Burden In My Hand | Soundgarden | Down on the Upside | 1996 | 34 |
56 | Soma | Smashing Pumpkins | Siamese Dream | 1993 | 40 |
57 | Junkhead | Alice in Chains | Dirt | 1992 | N/A |
58 | Flagpole Sitta | Harvey Danger | Where Have All The Merrymakers Gone? | 1998 | N/A |
59 | Enter Sandman | Metallica | Metallica | 1991 | N/A |
60 | I Alone | Live | Throwing Copper | 1994 | 26 |
61 | Run | Collective Soul | Dosage | 1999 | 32 |
62 | Find The River | REM | Automatic for the People | 1992 | 47 |
63 | A Tout Le Monde | Megadeth | Youthanasia | 1994 | N/A |
64 | Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm | Crash Test Dummies | God Shuffled his Feet | 1993 | 31 |
65 | Unglued | Stone Temple Pilots | Purple | 1994 | N/A |
66 | Low | Cracker | Kerosene Hat | 1993 | 33 |
67 | Streets of Philadelphia | Bruce Springsteen | Soundtrack: Philadelphia | 1993 | 35 |
68 | Interstate Love Song | Stone Temple Pilots | Purple | 1994 | 41 |
69 | Self Esteem | The Offspring | Smash | 1994 | N/A |
70 | Sex and Candy | Marcy Playground | Marcy Playground | 1997 | 36 |
71 | Lucky Man | The Verve | Urban Hymns | 1997 | 37 |
72 | Semi Charmed Life | Third Eye Blind | Third Eye Blind | 1997 | 39 |
73 | Thief | Our Lady Peace | Happiness... Is Not A Fish That You Can Catch | 1999 | 28 |
74 | Possum Kingdom | Toadies | Rubberneck | 1994 | N/A |
75 | Rape Me | Nirvana | In Utero | 1993 | N/A |
76 | Zero | Smashing Pumpkins | Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness | 1995 | N/A |
77 | Tyler | Toadies | Rubberneck | 1994 | N/A |
78 | Lucky | Radiohead | OK Computer | 1997 | 46 |
79 | Blow up the Outside World | Soundgarden | Down on the Upside | 1996 | N/A |
80 | Drive | REM | Automatic for the People | 1992 | 49 |
81 | Iris | Goo Goo Dolls | Dizzy Up the Girl | 1998 | 38 |
82 | Today | Smashing Pumpkins | Siamese Dream | 1993 | N/A |
83 | Big Empty | Stone Temple Pilots | Purple | 1994 | 54 |
84 | Hate To Feel | Alice in Chains | Dirt | 1992 | N/A |
85 | Mary Jane's Last Dance | Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers | Greatest Hits | 1993 | 43 |
86 | Why I'm Here | Oleander | February Son | 1999 | N/A |
87 | Sour Girl | Stone Temple Pilots | No. 4 | 1999 | 45 |
88 | Closing Time | Semisonic | Feeling Strangely Fine | 1998 | 62 |
89 | Nearly Lost You | Screaming Trees | Sweet Oblivion | 1992 | N/A |
90 | Say It Ain't So | Weezer | Blue Album | 1994 | N/A |
91 | What's The Frequency, Kenneth? | REM | Monster | 1994 | 51 |
92 | Carnival | Natalie Merchant | Tigerlily | 1995 | 87 |
93 | Crazy Life | Toad the Wet Sprocket | Coil | 1997 | 71 |
94 | Never Let You Go | Third Eye Blind | Blue | 1999 | 63 |
95 | Linger | The Cranberries | Everybody Else is Doing It | 1993 | 91 |
96 | Losing A Whole Year | Third Eye Blind | Third Eye Blind | 1997 | N/A |
97 | You Learn | Alanis Morissette | Jagged Little Pill | 1995 | 76 |
98 | Runaway Train | Soul Asylum | Grave Dancer's Union | 1992 | 68 |
99 | All My Friends | Counting Crows | This Desert Life | 1999 | 67 |
100 | Don't Look Back In Anger | Oasis | (What's the Story) Morning Glory? | 1995 | 44 |
101 | Rhinoceros | Smashing Pumpkins | Gish | 1991 | 52 |
102 | Hand In My Pocket | Alanis Morissette | Jagged Little Pill | 1995 | 55 |
103 | Ava Adore | Smashing Pumpkins | Adore | 1998 | N/A |
104 | Rain When I Die | Alice in Chains | Dirt | 1992 | N/A |
105 | Tighter & Tighter | Soundgarden | Down on the Upside | 1996 | 58 |
106 | Only in Dreams | Weezer | Blue Album | 1994 | N/A |
107 | Killing in the Name of | Rage Against the Machine | Rage Against the Machine | 1992 | N/A |
108 | Outshined | Soundgarden | Badmotorfinger | 1991 | N/A |
109 | One of Us | Joan Osborne | Relish | 1995 | 90 |
110 | Tonight, Tonight | Smashing Pumpkins | Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness | 1995 | 69 |
111 | Zombie | The Cranberries | No Need To Argue | 1994 | 85 |
112 | Saint Joe on the School Bus | Marcy Playground | Marcy Playground | 1997 | N/A |
113 | Bittersweet Me | REM | New Adventures in Hi-Fi | 1996 | 74 |
114 | Good Morning Baby | Bic Runga and Dan Wilson | Soundtrack: American Pie | 1999 | N/A |
115 | Good | Better than Ezra | Deluxe | 1995 | 78 |
116 | Take a Picture | Filter | Title of Record | 1999 | 95 |
117 | The Chemicals Between Us | Bush | The Science of Things | 1999 | N/A |
118 | The Good Life | Weezer | Pinkerton | 1996 | N/A |
119 | We Are | Vertical Horizon | Everything You Want | 1999 | 70 |
120 | Whats My Age Again? | Blink-182 | Enema of the State | 1999 | N/A |
121 | Don't Follow | Alice in Chains | Jar of Flies | 1994 | 81 |
122 | Selling The Drama | Live | Throwing Copper | 1994 | 80 |
123 | On a Plain | Nirvana | Nevermind | 1991 | N/A |
124 | Bulls on Parade | Rage Against the Machine | Evil Empire | 1996 | N/A |
125 | Ironic | Alanis Morissette | Jagged Little Pill | 1995 | N/A |
126 | Drive | Incubus | Make Yourself | 1999 | N/A |
127 | Stranger By the Day | Shades Apart | Eyewitness | 1999 | N/A |
128 | Love Spreads | Stone Roses | Second Coming | 1994 | 83 |
129 | Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth | Primitive Radio Gods | Rocket | 1996 | 77 |
130 | Cuts You Up | Peter Murphy | Deep | 1990 | N/A |
131 | Enjoy The Silence | Depeche Mode | Violator | 1990 | N/A |
132 | Fake Plastic Trees | Radiohead | The Bends | 1995 | N/A |
133 | Weapon and the Wound | Days of the New | Days of the New | 1997 | N/A |
134 | Over Now | Alice in Chains | Alice in Chains | 1995 | N/A |
135 | Prophecy | Remy Zero | Villa Elaine | 1998 | 59 |
136 | Fell On Black Days | Soundgarden | Superunknown | 1994 | 84 |
137 | Headache | Frank Black | Teenager of the Year | 1994 | N/A |
138 | High | Feeder | Polythene | 1998 | N/A |
139 | Compliment | Collective Soul | Dosage | 1999 | N/A |
140 | Woodburning | Toad the Wet Sprocket | Dulcinea | 1994 | 96 |
141 | About A Girl (Live) | Nirvana | MTV Unplugged in New York | 1994 | N/A |
142 | Creep | Radiohead | Pablo Honey | 1993 | 72 |
143 | In the Garage | Weezer | Blue Album | 1994 | N/A |
144 | Gotta Get Away | The Offspring | Smash | 1994 | N/A |
145 | Nothing Else Matters | Metallica | Metallica | 1991 | N/A |
146 | Shine | Collective Soul | Hints, Allegations, and Things Left Unsaid | 1993 | N/A |
147 | Breed | Nirvana | Nevermind | 1991 | N/A |
148 | Casual Affair | Tonic | Lemon Parade | 1996 | N/A |
149 | Fade Into You | Mazzy Star | So Tonight That I Might See | 1993 | 93 |
150 | My Friends | Red Hot Chili Peppers | One Hot Minute | 1995 | 54 |
151 | Black Hole Sun | Soundgarden | Superunknown | 1994 | 48 |
152 | My Name is Jonas | Weezer | Blue Album | 1994 | N/A |
153 | Out of My Head | Fastball | All the Pain Money Can Buy | 1998 | N/A |
154 | Beautiful Disaster | 311 | Transistor | 1997 | N/A |
155 | Champagne Supernova | Oasis | (What's the Story) Morning Glory? | 1995 | 94 |
156 | All I Know | Screaming Trees | Dust | 1996 | N/A |
157 | Gone Away | The Offspring | Ixnay on the Hombre | 1997 | N/A |
158 | Santeria | Sublime | Sublime | 1996 | N/A |
159 | Columbia | Oasis | Definitely Maybe | 1994 | N/A |
160 | The Freshman | Verve Pipe | Villains | 1996 | 42 |
161 | All Over You | Live | Throwing Copper | 1994 | 65 |
162 | The Unforgiven | Metallica | Metallica | 1991 | N/A |
163 | Jeremy | Pearl Jam | Ten | 1991 | N/A |
164 | Hold Her Down | Toad the Wet Sprocket | Fear | 1991 | N/A |
165 | Piece Of Pie | Stone Temple Pilots | Core | 1992 | N/A |
166 | Silvergun Superman | Stone Temple Pilots | Purple | 1994 | N/A |
167 | Black | Pearl Jam | Ten | 1991 | 50 |
168 | Warm Machine | Bush | The Science of Things | 1999 | N/A |
169 | Rocket | Smashing Pumpkins | Siamese Dream | 1993 | N/A |
170 | Whiskey In The Jar (Cover) | Metallica | Garage Inc. | 1998 | N/A |
171 | Closer | Nine Inch Nails | Downward Spiral | 1994 | N/A |
172 | Just | Radiohead | The Bends | 1995 | 89 |
173 | Hows It Gonna Be | Third Eye Blind | Third Eye Blind | 1997 | N/A |
174 | Jumper | Third Eye Blind | Third Eye Blind | 1997 | N/A |
175 | Mysterious Ways | U2 | Achtung Baby | 1991 | N/A |
176 | Army Ants | Stone Temple Pilots | Purple | 1994 | N/A |
177 | Uno | Muse | Showbiz | 1999 | N/A |
178 | Everything You Want | Vertical Horizon | Everything You Want | 1999 | N/A |
179 | My Iron Lung | Radiohead | The Bends | 1995 | 64 |
180 | Desperately Wanting | Better than Ezra | Friction, Baby | 1996 | N/A |
181 | What The Hell Have I? | Alice in Chains | Nothing Safe | 1999 | N/A |
182 | Hello Kitty Kat | Smashing Pumpkins | Pisces Iscariot | 1994 | N/A |
183 | Walk On The Ocean | Toad the Wet Sprocket | Fear | 1991 | N/A |
184 | Break It Down Again | Tears for Fears | Elemental | 1993 | N/A |
185 | Laid | James | Laid | 1993 | N/A |
186 | Morning Glory | Oasis | (What's the Story) Morning Glory? | 1995 | 86 |
187 | Head Over Feet | Alanis Morissette | Jagged Little Pill | 1995 | N/A |
188 | Quiet | Smashing Pumpkins | Siamese Dream | 1993 | N/A |
189 | The Day I Tried to Live | Soundgarden | Superunknown | 1994 | N/A |
190 | Far Behind | Candlebox | Candlebox | 1993 | 100 |
191 | King Nothing | Metallica | Load | 1996 | N/A |
192 | Lake Of Fire (Cover) | Nirvana | MTV Unplugged in New York | 1994 | N/A |
193 | Scar Tissue | Red Hot Chili Peppers | Californication | 1999 | N/A |
194 | The Difference | The Wallflowers | Bringing Down the Horse | 1996 | 92 |
195 | Muscle Museum (Live) | Muse | Showbiz | 1999 | N/A |
196 | The Bends | Radiohead | The Bends | 1995 | 66 |
197 | Sweet 69 | Babes In Toyland | Nemesisters | 1995 | N/A |
198 | Pepper | Butthole Surfers | Electriclarryland | 1996 | 73 |
199 | Underneath the Sky | Oasis | The Masterplan | 1998 | N/A |
200 | Disarm | Smashing Pumpkins | Siamese Dream | 1993 | N/A |
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