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“When your fondest memories and the blackest ones coincide, there's only one soundtrack: Alice In Chains. Period.” This is the definition of the band here on the site by the user “casamorta” (I don't even know if they're still around on the site), and for me, it is the most beautiful definition of all those present here on Debaser! How many times have I written under various definitions and works of Alice that they are the greatest band to come out of Seattle? Many and perhaps too many times (and I've surely annoyed someone with it :D), but truly, having listened to a good number of bands from that musical scene, I have not been able to find anyone better than them, although I greatly appreciate bands like Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and especially Screaming Trees.
A few months ago, I stumbled upon this mega collection by chance on Wikipedia. A mega box set of three discs with lots of unreleased tracks, demos, etc... I thought I must absolutely make it mine. Searches and more searches led me to the conclusion that the disc is unfindable. Even finding it in digital format was a daunting task, but after hours of searching, I managed to make this “best of” mine (even if in mp3 format).
The opening is entrusted to “Get Born Again”, a track already featured on the best of “Nothing Safe: Best of the Box” and thus a track already known at the time of the release of “Music Bank”. A song in perfect Alice style (hypnotic is the right word), that wouldn't have clashed in an album like “Alice In Chains”. It then moves on to the first demo dating back to 1988, “I Can’t Have You Blues,” and it's the first surprise. After an initial riff in perfect Black Sabbath style, the song changes skin, transforming into a Hard/Punk track, more similar to Nirvana. With a really perfect Staley, the track gets into your head and won’t leave, truly wonderful, and I won't deny it's my favorite piece from the collection. “Whatcha Ya Gonna Do,” another demo from 1988, is supported by a riff that recalls the early Guns N Roses, and here too Staley's performance, but the entire band's, is commendable! “Social Parasite” is another track in the Guns N Roses style, but it's also one of the best tracks of the batch, if not the very best of all the demos present. “Queen Of the Rodeo” is the only piece of the previously unreleased tracks present in a live version. A semi-ballad that literally explodes in the middle section, with the band playing the piece at an inhuman speed. The demo of “Bleed The Freak” (1988) finds a place in the collection, which differs from the original version for its shorter length and execution speed. A quite good version all in all. The versions of “Sea of Sorrow” and “Junkhead” are the ones most similar to the originals, while a separate discussion is needed for “Rooster.” The demo of one of the group’s most famous tracks changes a lot, both for the length and for Layne's singing, less dark and tormented, but more open, just listen to the initial “uh uh” to realize it. Naturally, the version we all know is superior, but this one is enjoyable. A different discourse for “Again.” With a Hip Hop style mix, the track loses a lot. The worst track of the collection! “Killing Yourself” if I'm not mistaken, already appeared in the first EP of the band “We Die Young.” A good track but nothing special. “Fear The Voices” sounds 100% Alice in Chains and should be noted because it’s the last single with the immense Staley on vocals. “Lying Season” is a track that would have rocked in an album like “Facelift.” Amazing riff, and Layne, well, superb as always. “What The Hell Have I” and “A Little Bitter” are two tracks that the group wrote for the soundtrack of the film “Last Action Hero,” so better known to most. Surely good. “Died” closes this mega collection and is also the track that convinces me the least.
Attached, I add this video, dating back to 1988 where the band plays “I Can’t Have You Blues” and “Queen Of The Rodeo.” It's nice to see the band young and carefree.
“If I can't be my own
I'd feel better dead”
Tracklist and Lyrics
08 We Die Young (02:32)
Scary's on the wall
Scary's on his way
Watch where you spit
I'd advise you wait until it's over
Then you got hit
And you shoulda known better
And we die young
Faster we run
Down, down, down you're rollin'
Watch the blood float in the muddy sewer
Take another hit
And bury your brother
[CHORUS]
Scary's on the wall
Scary's on his way
Another alley trip
Bullet seeks the place to bend you over
Then you got hit
And you shoulda known better
Faster we run
and we die young
09 Man in the Box (04:47)
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, oh
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, oh
I'm the man in the box
Buried in my shit
Won't you come and save me, save me
Feed my eyes, can you sew them shut?
Jesus Christ, deny your maker
He who tries, will be wasted
Feed my eyes now you've sewn them shut
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, oh
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, oh
I'm the dog who gets beat
Shove my nose in shit
Won't you come and save me, save me
Feed my eyes, can you sew them shut?
Jesus Christ, deny your maker
He who tries, will be wasted
Feed my eyes now you've sewn them shut
Feed my eyes, can you sew them shut?
Jesus Christ, deny your maker
He who tries, will be wasted
Feed my eyes now you've sewn them shut
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, oh
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, oh
14 Confusion (05:45)
There's no time to give at all
I cause you grief and blow my hatred
Further in your mind
You reach, I run, you fall
On skinned knees you crawl
[CHORUS]
I want to set you free, recognize my disease
Love, sex, pain, confusion, suffering
You're there crying, I feel not a thing
Drilling my way deeper in your head
Sinking, draining, drowning, bleeding, dead
So you sit and think of love
I wait, hate all the more, I fall
On skinned knees I crawl
[CHORUS]
Now there's time to give it all
I put my fears behind again
On skinned knees we'll crawl
[CHORUS]
16 Right Turn (03:14)
Inside always trying to get back inside
But it's so hard to penetrate pig-thick skin
I'm 'bout as low as I can get
I'd leave but I can't forget
Still I wonder why it ain't right, mmm it ain't right, oooh
Ain't right, mmm it ain't right, yeah
'Bout as low as she can get
She'll leave me but she won't forget
And she wonders why she ain't right, she ain't right
Ain't right, she ain't right
Now we're as low as we can get
Can't leave and can't forget
We ain't right, we ain't right
Not right, we ain't right
Well it's hard to believe that somebody tricked you
when you can see you were only high
It's all up to you so you gamble
flat on your face and into the fire
17 Got Me Wrong (04:09)
Yeah, it goes away
All of this and more of nothing in my life
No colored clay
Individuality not safe
As of now I bet you got me wrong
So unsure you run from something strong
I can't let go
Threadbare tapestry unwinding slow
Feel a tortured brain
Show your belly like you want me to
As of now I bet you got me wrong
So unsure you run from something strong
I haven't felt like this in so long
Wrong, in a sense too far gone from love
That don't last forever
Somethings gotta turn out right
You sugar taste
Sweetness doesn't often touch my face
Stay if you please
You may not be here when I leave
As of now I bet you got me wrong
So unsure we run for something strong
I haven't felt like this in so long
Wrong, in a sense too far gone from love
Strong, I haven't felt like this in so long
Wrong, in a sense too far gone from love
That don't last forever
Somethings gotta turn out right
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