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Why review a collection, and a double one at that?
Simple, because after 10 years of inactivity, Uncle Jerry, the diabolical mind behind Alice in Chains, after the loss of one of the greatest singers of the '90s, a frontman of immense charisma such as Layne Staley, calls back the incredibly talented drummer Sean Kinney and bassist Mike Inez and recruits a new singer, one William DuVall, already with the Comes With The Fall, and decides to release a new album under the name Alice in Chains (bad taste or a brilliant idea?).
Before the reviews of "Black Gives Way To Blue" arrive, I'd like to remind the Debaserian people who Alice in Chains were and what they did before Layne's tragic disappearance, and I can only do that by reviewing this colossal album, 2 CDs, 28 tracks taken from every release of the band that best captured the "grunge" spirit of the golden years of Seattle.
Their activity began in far-off 1987 and (after an EP titled "We Die Young"), their "real" discographic debut, "Facelift", decidedly remarkable for a debut, is dated 1990, from which the irreverent and powerful "We Die Young", a somewhat prophetic title, the splendid and claustrophobic "Man in the Box", the epic "Sea of Sorrow", the dark monumental "Love Hate Love", where Layne was already showing off his great vocal abilities, and was foreshadowing the agony and suffering that would soon permeate all of Alice's subsequent production. With this calling card, the four boys presented themselves to the world, boarded a train that would take them to stages across half the planet on a journey that artistically lasted 6 years and for one of them was drastically and abruptly halted on April 5, 2002.
From "Sap", a splendid acoustic gem, an EP of only 5 tracks, are drawn the twilight "Am I Inside", the superb intertwining of voices in "Brother", the semi-electric "Got Me Wrong", these two also featured in the band's last release, the famous "Unplugged" of 1996, and a very rare pearl labeled Alice Mudgarden, that is the union of Mark Arm - Chris Cornell - Layne Staley, in "Right Turn". From this magnificent jewel, only the mad "Love Story" is missing, purposely left out I think. Alice in Chains surprises quite a bit with this small masterpiece, but they want to show that beyond sonic violence there is a more intimate side and they are certainly not afraid to show it.
We then arrive at the consecration album, the magnificent and unreachable "Dirt".
It is not exactly known what the term "Grunge" means, attributed to Seattle bands certainly by the press, the latter always with the nasty habit of labeling everything to make "fashion" and "trend" (brrrr..), but if we want to find the appropriate soundtrack for the genre, it can't be other than "Dirt": a sick, drugged, and distorted album to the limit.
From this milestone, the selected tracks are the psychedelic "Rain When I Die", the metallic "Them Bones", the dark, acidic "Angry Chair", the explosive "Dam That River", the endless lament of "Dirt", the twisted and charming "God Smack", the slow, cadenced, bluesy funeral procession of "Hate To Feel" and the splendid, I find no other words, electric ballad "Rooster". Inexplicably left out is the famous and poignant "Down In A Hole", it's unknown if this was on purpose or not.. While the power of "Would?" explodes only in the last track of the second disc (and luckily they included this one I say!).
After "Dirt", the success is global, but it also proves to be Alice's ruin: Staley becomes increasingly dependent on drugs and struggles to sing, he has to record more vocal parts to add depth to his studio performances, but the "luciferan" voice is still fully heard.. Alice takes some reflective pause with the album to which I am most attached and consider a true masterpiece, I am referring to the electro-acoustic "Jar Of Flies", where the band's "angelic" side emerges once again. The decadent pop of "No Excuses", with that peculiar Kinney riff, opens the second disc, followed by the gentle and symphonic "I Stay Away", four minutes of auditory delight. After these only two extracts (unjustly), we move on to two singles used for the "Last Action Hero" soundtrack, namely "What The Hell Have I" and "A Little Bitter".
From the last, self-titled (many like to call it "Tripod") studio album, a kind of "testament in grand style", the extracts are the biting "Grind", the reflective "Heaven Beside You" and "Again", where in the video you can notice Layne's significant physical decline. Honestly, I would have chosen others ("Brush Away" and "Sludge Factory" above all), but it is what it is.. We're content just the same.
To close the circle, we find two pieces from the band's last recorded performance, that "Unplugged" wonderfully sick and damnably fascinating dated 30/07/1996, the poignant farewell to the spotlight of a legendary voice that retired in silence and solitude, without disturbance, without the clamor of the media circus.. Let me go in peace seemed to say Layne sitting on that stool, as he modulated the last notes from his "sick" vocal cords. The last magnificent flight.. "Over Now" and the heartbreaking, poetic Nutshell, which I would have preferred in studio version, but it's right for a King/gladiator to receive his applause, it's right for the crowd to greet him with the greatest roar when he enters the scene for the last time.
The curtain definitively falls with the last two pieces composed by Alice in Chains before the silence: "Get Born Again" and "Died".
This collection can serve two purposes: introduce the new generation to who Alice in Chains were and their splendid music, in addition to avoiding the search for individual records as most of the material recorded by the band throughout their artistic parabola can be found here, hence an excellent idea of their proposal can be formed. The third hidden option is: to funnel more "grain" into the pockets of good Jerry Cantrell and company, but we won't mention that, come on..
Layne Staley was found dead in his home on April 19, 2002, but the death dates back to April 5, the same day as "another" who made much more "noise" leaving.. His venomous companion took care of finishing him: an overdose of speedball.
Layne went away alone, forgotten by everyone, his death almost went unnoticed..
His last public words are encapsulated in this interview.
Now, ten years later, the story continues; I don't know if it makes sense or not to come back under the same name, but I hope at least that Layne's memory is duly honored by this new venture because He, for better or worse, never betrayed Alice, behaving as a true Gentleman until the last performance.
R.I.P.
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