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Message
Discuss...AIC best studio album/EP under Staley/Cantrell
Posted on 10/23/18 at 11:42 am
Posted on 10/23/18 at 11:42 am
Facelift was raw and hard and contained elements of pure late 80's metal. Darkness and a lil bit of light.
Sap was 4 songs but each so good and well-fitting. This EP still struggles to find meaning though.
Dirt was uncanny. Nothing like it in 1992. Totally dark and hard with zero room for acoustic ballads. Unforgiving and blistering.
Jar of Flies was in a category of own...an EP that managed to chart but for real reasons. The very start...God
help you.
The self-titled (or Tripod album) does not immediately hit you like aformentioned first 2 LPs did. Theres a new element to it...bluesier...still dark and still heavy.
One album only. What you taking of theirs to the deserted Island.
Vegas odds on your predictions:
1. Dirt
2. Facelift
3. Jar of Flies
4. Self-titled
5. Sap
Sap was 4 songs but each so good and well-fitting. This EP still struggles to find meaning though.
Dirt was uncanny. Nothing like it in 1992. Totally dark and hard with zero room for acoustic ballads. Unforgiving and blistering.
Jar of Flies was in a category of own...an EP that managed to chart but for real reasons. The very start...God
help you.
The self-titled (or Tripod album) does not immediately hit you like aformentioned first 2 LPs did. Theres a new element to it...bluesier...still dark and still heavy.
One album only. What you taking of theirs to the deserted Island.
Vegas odds on your predictions:
1. Dirt
2. Facelift
3. Jar of Flies
4. Self-titled
5. Sap
This post was edited on 10/23/18 at 11:44 am
Posted on 10/23/18 at 11:58 am to PiscesTiger
Facelift appeals to me the most start to finish. But I lean 80's metal a lot.
Depending on mood, I could pick any of the others to listen to though except that I think the self titled album is clearly their worst.
Depending on mood, I could pick any of the others to listen to though except that I think the self titled album is clearly their worst.
Posted on 10/23/18 at 12:10 pm to PiscesTiger
Jar Of Flies is a masterpiece. The others are great, but this is the runaway winner.
Posted on 10/23/18 at 12:33 pm to PiscesTiger
quote:
1. Dirt
Amazing, brutal, bleak, trippy, heavy, sludgey. Was their masterpiece.
Posted on 10/23/18 at 12:36 pm to PiscesTiger
Dirt and it isn't even close
Posted on 10/23/18 at 12:37 pm to tigermeat
Jar of Flies is their best start-to-finish, but far too depressing for me to listen to over and over. Dirt would be next up.
Posted on 10/23/18 at 12:39 pm to Marciano1
Dirt, no question, no hesitation. Desert island album.
Posted on 10/23/18 at 2:21 pm to PiscesTiger
Dirt is the heaviest, darkest, most depressing album I can imagine
Posted on 10/23/18 at 2:28 pm to PiscesTiger
In terms of adhering to a unifying theme, the lyrical tone of death, depression, and drug addiction on Dirt is as powerful as any record from its time.
The first half of Facelift is nearly flawless, but the tailend of the album falters a bit. As far as grunge debuts go, only Pearl Jam's Ten can compete.
As mentioned by other posters, the only album that really comes close to rivaling Dirt is the occasionally forgotten Jar of Flies. I mean...who the hell manages to put out an EP of such high-quality?
Jar of Flies is such a stripped down and polarizing direction for the band when compared to earlier releases. It has a softer and more gentler touch. Alice in Chains toed the line of being "metal" more than any other grunge or alternative act from Seattle. However, Jar of Flies almost single-handedly discarded such a genre label from the band's reputation.
The acoustic work on "Nutshell", "No Excuses", and "Don't Follow are some of Cantrell's best of his entire career. The vocal harmonies are haunting and melodic. The strings on "I Stay Away" are hypnotic and showcase more musical experimentation than just about any other band from Seattle could envision. Outside of his performance on Mad Season's Above, this is perhaps the best showcase of Staley's vocal abilities. It's just a beautiful frickin record.
The first half of Facelift is nearly flawless, but the tailend of the album falters a bit. As far as grunge debuts go, only Pearl Jam's Ten can compete.
As mentioned by other posters, the only album that really comes close to rivaling Dirt is the occasionally forgotten Jar of Flies. I mean...who the hell manages to put out an EP of such high-quality?
Jar of Flies is such a stripped down and polarizing direction for the band when compared to earlier releases. It has a softer and more gentler touch. Alice in Chains toed the line of being "metal" more than any other grunge or alternative act from Seattle. However, Jar of Flies almost single-handedly discarded such a genre label from the band's reputation.
The acoustic work on "Nutshell", "No Excuses", and "Don't Follow are some of Cantrell's best of his entire career. The vocal harmonies are haunting and melodic. The strings on "I Stay Away" are hypnotic and showcase more musical experimentation than just about any other band from Seattle could envision. Outside of his performance on Mad Season's Above, this is perhaps the best showcase of Staley's vocal abilities. It's just a beautiful frickin record.
This post was edited on 10/23/18 at 9:48 pm
Posted on 10/23/18 at 2:59 pm to PiscesTiger
quote:
One album only. What you taking of theirs to the deserted Island.
Jar of Flies is my personal favorite but I could never take it on a deserted island. Suicidal thought after the first few hundred spins. I like the self titled album as well. I had to listen to the cassette over and over commuting from NOLA to BR. It still holds up well.
Posted on 10/23/18 at 4:03 pm to PiscesTiger
Dirt and jar of flies are far and away the best 2.
Posted on 10/23/18 at 9:23 pm to PiscesTiger
I'm ready for Ace Midnight to throw his hat in this ring.
Posted on 10/23/18 at 9:25 pm to metalfacedterrorist
quote:
The acoustic work on "Nutshell", "No Excuses", and "Don't Follow are some of Cantrell's best of his entire career. The vocal harmonies are haunting and melodic. The strings on "I Stay Away" are hypnotic and showcase more musical experimentation then just about any other band from Seattle could envision. Outside of his performance on Mad Season's Above, this is perhaps the best showcase of Staley's vocal abilities. It's just a beautiful frickin record.
This is spot on.
Posted on 10/24/18 at 4:39 pm to Honest Tune
How underrated is the song "right turn"? Haunting and beautiful. Cornell and the AIC leads blended so well.
Posted on 10/24/18 at 9:03 pm to PiscesTiger
That song resonates with me on multiple levels. It's criminally underrated. No one could sing that Howl like Chris Cornell does at the end.
Posted on 10/25/18 at 7:14 am to PiscesTiger
The band had an incredible body of work with a functioning Layne Staley. I agree Sap kind of falls the "shortest" of band standard, but excusable with the collaborations on there.
I do really enjoy Jar of Flies - that is sort of my perfect AIC vibe and obviously the unplugged album is next.
Even so, I routinely listen to Facelift and Dirt as complete albums - maybe not as often as I do Pink Floyd or Tool albums, but probably as much as Beatles or Zeppelin albums.
I do really enjoy Jar of Flies - that is sort of my perfect AIC vibe and obviously the unplugged album is next.
Even so, I routinely listen to Facelift and Dirt as complete albums - maybe not as often as I do Pink Floyd or Tool albums, but probably as much as Beatles or Zeppelin albums.
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