Every Seattle Music Fan's Dream

Late last year, Alice in Chains released a four CD box set. The band had gotten together in September of 1998 and recorded two new songs. Since no one had heard from the band since their 1996 MTV Unplugged performance, quite understandably rumors began to fly about the band’s upcoming new album. Well, no new album was released. A greatest hits compilation was issued instead, followed by the box set.

You may ask yourself as I did why the band felt the need to release both a greatest hits package and a four CD box set. I don't know and won’t speculate. Since I’m an Alice in Chains fanatic I purchased both releases. But, you see the band only released three full-length albums, two EPs, and the MTV Unplugged CD. Essentially, you will find that most of the songs that the band released during their career is included on the box set in one form or another.

If you are one those insane music collectors like I am, or if you just have to have everything that Alice in Chains releases, than the box set is for you. If you all ready own a couple of their releases and are satisfied with that, then you probably won’t want to shell out the forty bucks. Finally, if you are a casual fan of the band and don’t really wish to make multiple purchases of the band’s albums, than I’d recommend that you buy the greatest hits package (titled Nothing Safe).

Music Bank contains four CDs. The first three CDs contain 48 songs between them. The fourth CD contains various Alice in Chains related multimedia. It is the fourth CD that really makes this box set worth the money, in my opinion. But I suppose I should go into more detail.

Band Members:
Layne Staley: vocals and guitar
Jerry Cantrell: guitar and vocals
Sean Kinney: drums
Mike Inez: guitar and bass
Mike Starr: bass and vocals

Disc 1
Song Selection:
1. Get Born Again (1998 studio, originally released on Nothing Safe)
2. I Can’t Have You Blues (1988 demo)
3. Whatcha Gonna Do (1988 demo)
4. Social Parasite (1988 demo)
5. Queen of the Rodeo (live)
6. Bleed the Freak (1988 demo, studio version found on Facelift)
7. Killing Yourself (1988 demo)
8. We Die Young (from Facelift)
9. Man in the Box (from Facelift)
10. Sea of Sorrow (1988 demo, studio version found on Facelift)
11. I Can’t Remember (from Facelift)
12. Love, Hate, Love (from Facelift)
13. It Ain’t Like That (from Facelift)
14. Confusion (from Facelift)
15. Rooster (demo, studio version found on Dirt)
16. Right Turn (from Sap)
17. Got Me Wrong (from Sap)

Top picks: I Can't Have You Blues, Social Parasite, Got Me Wrong, Confusion, It Ain't Like That

This is my favorite music CD in the set. The main reason is the previously unreleased tracks from the late 1980’s (tracks 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7). These songs were only previously available on the We Die Young EP, which is very rare, or on various imports. “Get Born Again” is the first of two of the songs that Alice in Chains recorded in 1998. It had a video and received massive amounts of radio airplay. The song is a continuation of where the band left off in 1995 on their final album Alice in Chains. The song has Layne Staley’s trademark slurred, hypnotic vocals supported by a haunting Jerry Cantrell guitar riff.

If you haven’t heard the songs “I Can’t Have You Blues”, “Whatcha Gonna Do”, “Social Parasite”, “Queen of the Rodeo”, and “Killing Yourself” then their inclusion will both surprise and amuse you. “Whatcha Gonna Do” and “Killing Yourself” are solid rockers that are very reminiscent of the songs included on the album Facelift. They have an almost Guns and Roses vibe, but with a darker mood and less “hair band” excesses.

“I Can’t Have You Blues” is one of the first songs that Jerry Cantrell ever wrote although it’s hard to picture the band ever doing a blues song. Well, it’s a blues song, but with an Alice in Chains edge. “Social Parasite” is a fun song about the dangers of peer pressure. “Queen of the Rodeo” showcases the band attempting to play a country song. It features the band’s sense of humor, and actually has a good beat. Fans of the band who run for cover when they hear country music may be interested to know of the band’s diverse influences.

“Confusion”, “It Ain’t Like That”, and “We Die Young” are some of my favorite songs by the band. “Got me Wrong” is one of the band’s most popular songs, and definitely one of their best. “Right Turn” features vocal contributions from Chris Cornell of Soundgarden and Mark Arm of Mudhoney. “Rooster” is a beautiful song about Jerry Cantrell’s Vietnam Veteran father, and the demo has a bit more attitude than the studio version.


Disc 2
Song Selection:
1. Rain When I Die (from Dirt)
2. Fear the Voices (previously unreleased)
3. Them Bones (from Dirt)
4. Dam that River (from Dirt)
5. Sickman (from Dirt)
6. Rooster (from Dirt)
7. Junkhead (demo, studio version found on Dirt)
8. Dirt (from Dirt)
9. God Smack (from Dirt)
10. Iron Gland (from Dirt)
11. Angry Chair (from Dirt)
12. Lying Season (previously unreleased)
13. Would? (from Dirt)
14. Brother (from Sap)
15. Am I Inside (from Sap)
16. I Stay Away (from Jar of Flies)
17. No Excuses (from Jar of Flies)

Top picks: Fear the Voices, Rooster, Angry Chair, Brother, I Stay Away

The second CD of the set is an example of why I wonder why the band would release a box set. There are only two previously unreleased songs and one demo. Most of the band’s album Dirt is included on this CD. In fact, the entire album is found on the box set in one form or another. This CD does contain two of my Alice in Chains songs from the Jar of Flies EP, “I Stay Away” and “No Excuses”. Incidentally, both of those songs’ videos are found on the fourth CD of the set.

The “Junkhead” demo is an interesting look at the beginnings of a song. In a way, I prefer this version to the one that found it’s way onto the Dirt album. This version features some spooky background vocals that speak the lyrics behind Layne Staley’s singing. I’ve heard some people think that the song sounds a little too busy, and that those background vocals are a little distracting. But, music is personal and always open to interpretation.

The two unreleased songs, “Lying Season” and “Fear the Voices” are two fine songs originally recorded for a demo for the Singles soundtrack. “Would?’ also came out of this session, so maybe that will give you a hint as to how good these songs are. Since “Would?” is one of the band’s most successful singles, and the vibe that they captured on the songs from this period of time is undeniably infectious.


Disc 3
Song Selection:

1. Down in a Hole (from Dirt)
2. Hate to Feel (from Dirt)
3. What Hell Have I (remix, original version found on Last Action Hero soundtrack)
4. A Little Bitter (remix, original version found on Last Action Hero soundtrack)
5. Grind (from Alice in Chains)
6. Again (remix, original version found on Alice in Chains)
7. Head Creeps (from Alice in Chains)
8. God Am (from Alice in Chains)
9. Frogs (from Alice in Chains)
10. Heaven Beside You (from Alice in Chains)
11. Nutshell (live, from Unplugged)
12. The Killer is Me (live, from Unplugged)
13. Over Now (live, from Unplugged)
14. Died (1998 studio, previously unreleased)

Top picks: Hate to Feel, Grind, Again (remix), Head Creeps, The Killer is Me (unplugged)

This CD helps chronicles the change in Alice in Chains sound in the years between 1992 and 1995. Their final full-length album was heavier than anything they’d ever recorded. It’s not necessarily any darker in mood, since the band had always had some brooding emotions. But musically speaking, tracks 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 show the band exploring some dark territory. That’s the purpose of a box set, though. It’s supposed to be a cross section of a band’s evolution.

The only new song on this CD is “Died”. It comes from the same studio sessions as “Get Born Again”. It is a little bit under produced, but that raw sound has always been an Alice in Chains standard. The remixes of the Last Action Hero tunes have a little more edge than the original versions. You should still buy that soundtrack, though. Besides the two Alice in Chains songs, it features Queensryche, Aerosmith, and Def Leppard to name a few…

“Down in a Hole” and “Heaven Beside You” are two fine examples of the lighter side of the band. They are both attempts by Jerry Cantrell to convey emotions to the woman he loves in a manner because he’d never be able to put them into words. That’s the power of music, dear readers. The unplugged version of “Over Now” is an incredible version of the song and one of my favorites on this CD.


Disc 4
This disc features “The Journey”, an interactive CD ROM game. The plot is basically some evil beings are trying to steal music from the world. They’ve also captured all of the members of Alice in Chains. You must travel through a strange world and free their souls. It’s a fun game, featuring some of the band’s best music and some surprisingly good graphics.

One of the coolest features of the entire box set is the Jar of Flies multimedia. This has just about everything you’d want to see of the band. It has a brief bio of the band and its members as well as a discography. There are several interview clips, both audio and video. A number of pictures of the band are included as well as several song clips. If that wasn’t enough, the videos to “No Excuses” and “I Stay Away” are included. Both have an eerie circus theme to them that I can’t fully interpret, but they are an enjoyable addition to the box set. The video to “Get Born Again” is also available.


Well, there you have it, folks. The box set features everything you could want from Alice in Chains. There are a few surprises, too. They are without a doubt one of the most influential bands of the 90s and one of the forerunners of the whole grunge thing. I highly recommend this box set personally, but it’s up to you whether or not to spend forty dollars on a band that didn’t actually release that many albums.

Phew, I hope I hit the hundred-word limit. Did anyone actually read this whole thing?