Metal Wiki

- Hello. Welcome to the Metal Wiki please read the Rules and login if you want to contribute to this wiki!

READ MORE

Metal Wiki
Don't have an account?
Register
Advertisement
Register
in: Pages using ISBN magic links, Bands, American bands,
and 2 more

Alice in Chains

Revision as of 01:24, 14 August 2017 by Shaneymike (Message Wall | contribs)
 Sign in to edit
AliceinChains2013
Alice in Chains
Band Info
OriginSeattle, Washington, United States
Years-Active1987-2002, 2005-present
Genre(s)Heavy metal, Alternative metal, grunge
Label(s)Columbia Records, Virgin Records
Associated ActsAlice N' Chains, Class of '99, Comes with the Fall, Mad Season, Black Label Society, Spys4Darwin
Homepage'
Last.fm{{{9}}}

Alice in Chains is an American metal/rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist and songwriter Jerry Cantrell and original lead vocalist Layne Staley. The initial lineup was rounded out by drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Starr (who was replaced in 1993 by Mike Inez).

Although widely associated with grunge music, the band's sound incorporates heavy metal and acoustic elements. Since its formation, Alice in Chains has released five studio albums, three EPs, two live albums, four compilations, and two DVDs. The band is known for its distinct vocal style which often included the harmonized vocals of Staley and Cantrell.

Alice in Chains rose to international fame as part of the grunge movement of the early 1990s, along with other Seattle bands such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden. The band was one of the most successful music acts of the 1990s, selling over 25 million albums worldwide,[1] and over 14 million in the US alone.[2] In 1992, the band released their album Dirt, which was critically acclaimed and has been certified quadruple platinum. The band has had two consecutive No. 1 Billboard 200 releases; Jar of Flies and Alice in Chains. They have also had 16 top ten songs on theMainstream Rock Tracks chart and nine Grammy Award nominations.

Although never officially disbanding, Alice in Chains was plagued by extended inactivity from 1996 onwards due to Staley's substance abuse, which resulted in his death in 2002. The band reunited in 2005 with new lead vocalist William DuVall, and released their fourth studio album, Black Gives Way to Blue, in 2009. The album was a success, being certified gold by the RIAA in 2010. Alice in Chains released their fifth studio album, The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here, on May 28, 2013.[3] Alice in Chains is currently working on their sixth studio album, tentatively set for release in early 2018.[4]

History

Formation and early years (1984–1989)

Before the formation of Alice in Chains, then-drummer[5] Layne Staley landed his first gig as a vocalist when he auditioned to sing for a local glam metal band known as Sleze after receiving some encouragement from his stepbrother Ken Elmer.[5] Other members of this group at that time were guitarists Johnny Bacolas and Zoli Semanate, drummer James Bergstrom, and bassist Byron Hansen.[5] This band went through several lineup changes culminating with Nick Pollock as their sole guitarist and Bacolas switching to bass before discussions arose about changing their name to Alice in Chains.[6] This was prompted by a conversation that Bacolas had with a singer from another band about backstage passes.[6] Due to concerns over the reference to female bondage], the group ultimately chose to spell it differently as Alice N' Chains to allay any parental concerns, though Staley's mother Nancy McCallum has said she was still not happy with this name at first.[6]

Staley met guitarist Jerry Cantrell at a party in Seattle around August 1987.[7][8] A few months before that, Cantrell had watched a concert of Staley's then-band, Alice N' Chains, in his hometown at the Tacoma Little Theatre and was impressed by his voice.[9] Cantrell was homeless after being kicked out of his family's house, so Staley invited Cantrell to live with him at the rehearsal studio Music Bank, and the two struggling musicians became roommates.[7][10] Alice N' Chains soon disbanded, and Staley joined a funk band. Cantrell's band, Diamond Lie, broke up and he wanted to form a new band, so Staley gave him the phone number of Melinda Starr, the girlfriend of drummer Sean Kinney, so that Cantrell could talk to him.[10] Cantrell called the number and set up a meeting with Kinney.[10] Kinney and his girlfriend went to the Music Bank and listened to Cantrell's demos, who mentioned that they needed a bass player to jam with them, and he had someone in mind: Mike Starr, with whom Cantrell had played in a band in Burien called Gypsy Rose.[10] Kinney then mentioned that his girlfriend was actually Mike Starr's sister, and that he had been playing in bands together with Starr since they were kids.[10] Kinney called Starr and a few days later he started jamming with him and Cantrell at the Music Bank, but they didn't have a singer.[10] Staley's funk band also required a guitarist at the time, and Staley asked Cantrell to join as a sideman.[7][10] Cantrell agreed on condition that Staley join his band, because Cantrell, Starr and Kinney wanted Staley to be their lead singer, so they started auditioning terrible lead singers in front of Staley to send a hint.[7][10] The last straw for Staley was when they auditioned a male stripper – he decided to join the band after that.[10] Eventually, the funk project broke up, and in 1987 Staley joined Cantrell's band on a full-time basis.

The band played a couple of gigs in clubs around the Pacific Northwest, calling themselves different monikers, including Diamond Lie,[11] the name of Cantrell's previous band,[12] and "Fuck",[10] before eventually adopting the name that Staley's previous band had initially flirted with, Alice in Chains.[10]

Facelift and Sap (1990–1992)

In 1990, Columbia Records released Alice in Chains' first official recording, a promotional EP titled We Die Young. The EP's lead single, "We Die Young", became a hit on metal radio. After its success, the label rushed Alice in Chains' debut album into production with producer Dave Jerden.[13]

The resulting album, Facelift, was released on August 21, 1990, peaking at number 42 in the summer of 1991 on the Billboard 200 chart.[14] Facelift was not an instant success, selling under 40,000 copies in the first six months of release, until MTV added "Man in the Box" to regular daytime rotation.[15] The single hit number 18 on the Mainstream rock charts, with the album's follow up single, "Sea of Sorrow", reaching number 27,[16] and in six weeks Facelift sold 400,000 copies in the US.[15] The album was a critical success, with Steve Huey of AllMusic citing Facelift as "one of the most important records in establishing an audience for grunge and alternative rock among hard rock and heavy metal listeners."[17]

Facelift was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) by the end of 1990, while the band continued to hone its audience, opening for such artists as Iggy Pop,[18] Van Halen, Poison, and Extreme.[15] In early 1991, Alice in Chains landed the opening slot for the Clash of the Titans tour with Anthrax, Megadeth, and Slayer, exposing the band to a wide metal audience but receiving mainly poor reception.[19] Alice in Chains was nominated for a Best Hard Rock Performance Grammy Award in 1992 for "Man in the Box" but lost to Van Halen for their 1991 album For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge.[20]

Following the tour, Alice in Chains entered the studio to record demos for its next album, but ended up recording five acoustic songs instead.[15] While in the studio, drummer Sean Kinney had a dream about "making an EP called Sap".[18] The band decided "not to mess with fate", and on March 21, 1992, Alice in Chains released their second EP, Sap, which was certified gold within two weeks. The EP features guest vocals by Ann Wilson from the band Heart, who joined Staley and Cantrell for the choruses of "Brother", "Am I Inside", and "Love Song". The EP also features Mark Arm of Mudhoney and Chris Cornell of Soundgarden, who appeared together on the song "Right Turn", credited to "Alice Mudgarden" in the liner notes.

In 1992, Alice in Chains appeared in the Cameron Crowe film Singles, performing as a "bar band".[21] The band also contributed the song "Would?" to the film's soundtrack, whose video received an award for Best Video from a Film at the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards.[22]

Dirt (1992–1993)

On September 29, 1992, Alice in Chains released its second album, Dirt. The album peaked at number six on the Billboard 200 and since its release has been certified quadruple platinum by the RIAA, making Dirt the band's highest selling album to date. The album was a critical success, with Steve Huey of Allmusic praising the album as a "major artistic statement, and the closest they ever came to recording a flat-out masterpiece".[23] Chris Gill of Guitar World called Dirt "huge and foreboding, yet eerie and intimate", and "sublimely dark and brutally honest".[15] Dirt spawned five top 30 singles, "Would?", "Rooster", "Them Bones", "Angry Chair", and "Down in a Hole",[16] and remained on the charts for nearly two years.[24] Alice in Chains was added as openers to Ozzy Osbourne's No More Tours tour. Days before the tour began, Layne Staley broke his foot in an ATV accident, forcing him to use crutches on stage.[15]

Starr left the band shortly after the Hollywood Rock concert in Rio de Janeiro in January 1993,[25] stating that he wanted to spend more time with his family.[26] Staley told Rolling Stone in 1994 about Starr leaving the band, "It was just a difference in priorities. We wanted to continue intense touring and press. Mike was ready to go home."[27] Years later, Starr claimed that he was fired due to his drug addiction.[27][28] Starr was replaced by former Ozzy Osbourne bassist Mike Inez.[29]

In 1993, the band recorded two songs with Inez, "What the Hell Have I" and "A Little Bitter", for the Last Action Hero soundtrack.[30] During the summer of 1993, Alice in Chains toured with the alternative music festival Lollapalooza, their last major tour with Staley.[31]


Personnel

Current members
  • Jerry Cantrell – lead guitar, lead and backing vocals (1987–2002, 2005–present)
  • Sean Kinney – drums, percussion, piano (1987–2002, 2005–present)
  • Mike Inez – bass, backing vocals (1993–2002, 2005–present)
  • William DuVall – backing and lead vocals, rhythm guitar (2006–present)
Former members
  • Layne Staley – lead and backing vocals, occasional rhythm guitar (1987–2002; died 2002)
  • Mike Starr – bass, backing vocals (1987–1993; died 2011)

Discography

Studio albums
  • Facelift (1990)
  • Dirt (1992)
  • Alice in Chains (1995)
  • Black Gives Way to Blue (2009)
  • The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here (2013)

References

  1. ↑ ALICE IN CHAINS Interviewed By VOICE OF AMERICA. Blabbermouth.net (May 28, 2010). Archived from the original on May 30, 2010. Retrieved on 2010-06-15.
  2. ↑ Recording Industry Association of America. RIAA. Retrieved on 2011-07-14.
  3. ↑ Alice in Chains Is Working On New Music, Says HEART's Ann Wilson. Blabbermouth.net (July 20, 2011). Retrieved on 2011-07-20.
  4. ↑ Alice in Chains To Re-Team With Producer Nick Raskulinecz For New Album. Blabbermouth (6 June 2017). Retrieved on 25 July 2017.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 de Sola, David (April 5, 2012). How Alice in Chains Found the Most Memorable Voice in Grunge. The Atlantic. Retrieved on 2012-04-16.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Prato, Greg (2009). pp. 211-212.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Layne Staley Interview Alice in Chains 1996 part 1 of 2. Retrieved on 14 July 2017.
  8. ↑ Alice in Chains: The Untold Story by David de Sola. Retrieved on 14 July 2017.
  9. ↑ Intimate interview with Alice in Chains. Retrieved on 6 August 2017.
  10. ↑ 10.00 10.01 10.02 10.03 10.04 10.05 10.06 10.07 10.08 10.09 10.10 Interview Alice In Chains - Jerry Cantrell and Sean Kinney about Layne Staley. YouTube (12 January 2010). Retrieved on 14 July 2017.
  11. ↑ Diamond Lie Press Kit. Retrieved on 14 July 2017.
  12. ↑ Template:YouTube.
  13. ↑ Discography – Dirt. Aliceinchains.com. Archived from the original on July 3, 2006. Retrieved on 2008-02-09.
  14. ↑ Alice in Chains – Awards : Allmusic (Billboard Albums). AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved on 2013-05-29.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 Gill, Chris (September 1999). Dirt. Guitar World. Archived from the original on November 30, 2011. Retrieved on 2012-09-26.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Alice in Chains - Awards: Allmusic (Billboard Singles). Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved on 2013-05-29.
  17. ↑ Huey, Steve. Facelift. Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved on 2008-01-01.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Glickman, Simon. Enotes – Alice in Chains. Enotes.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
  19. ↑ Alice in Chains Guitarist Discusses 1990 Clash of the Titans tour, Touring With Ozzy. Blabbermouth.net (October 7, 2007). Archived from the original on January 8, 2009. Retrieved on 2008-02-09.
  20. ↑ 34th Grammy Awards – 1992. Rockonthenet.com. Archived from the original on January 5, 2008. Retrieved on 2007-12-08.
  21. ↑ Singles – Soundtracks and music scores. Aliceinchains.com. Archived from the original on November 25, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
  22. ↑ 1993 MTV Video Music Awards. Rockonthenet.com. Archived from the original on December 7, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-12-08.
  23. ↑ Huey, Steve. Dirt. Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved on 2008-01-01.
  24. ↑ Wiederhorn, Jon (April 6, 2004). Remembering Layne Staley: The Other Great Seattle Musician To Die On April 5. VH1. Retrieved on 2007-12-22.
  25. ↑ 20 Years Later: Looking Back At Alice In Chains’ 1993 European Tour And Mike Inez Replacing Mike Starr (January 22, 2013). Retrieved on August 6, 2017.
  26. ↑ Especial MTV+ Alice in Chains (2007). Retrieved on August 6, 2017.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Alice In Chains Bassist Mike Starr Dies At 44. Rolling Stone (March 9, 2011). Retrieved on August 6, 2017.
  28. ↑ (August 4, 2015) Alice in Chains: The Untold Story. Thomas Dunne Books, 191–194. ISBN 1250048079. 
  29. ↑ 2006 band bio – Aliceinchains.com. Aliceinchains.com. Archived from the original on July 19, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-12-14.
  30. ↑ Last Action Hero – Soundtracks and music scores. Aliceinchains.com. Archived from the original on March 8, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-11-24.
  31. ↑ 20 years of Lollapalooza. Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved on 2012-11-19.

External links

Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.
Advertisement

Fan Feed

More Metal Wiki