Alice In Chains "Live (USA, Columbia Records, 501139 2)"

Live is a live album by the American rock band Alice in Chains. It was released on December 5, 2000, through Columbia Records. The live version of "Man in the Box" featured in the album was released as a single.

Live was the band's only live album other than the acoustic album Unplugged. While most of the songs on Live had been released on previous albums, "Queen of the Rodeo" had not; although, the same live performance had been released on the Music Bank box set. Live includes five songs ("Them Bones", "God Am", "Again", "A Little Bitter" and "Dam That River") from the band's final two shows with vocalist Layne Staley.

The album received generally positive reviews from most critics, with Greg Prato of AllMusic writing in his review of the album "Their detuned sound and tales from the darkside are even more sinister and gripping on the concert stage, as evidenced by this 14-track set."

Track listing

1. "Bleed the Freak" (December 22, 1990, Moore Theatre, Seattle) Jerry Cantrell 4:33
2. "Queen of the Rodeo" (November 5, 1990, Dallas) Jett Silver, Layne Staley 4:39
3. "Angry Chair" (March 2, 1993, Glasgow Barrowland, Glasgow, UK) Staley 4:22
4. "Man in the Box" (March 2, 1993, Glasgow Barrowland, Glasgow, UK) Cantrell, Staley 4:59/4:48 unmarked reissue
5. "Love, Hate, Love" (March 2, 1993, Glasgow Barrowland, Glasgow, UK) Cantrell, Staley 7:47
6. "Rooster" (March 2, 1993, Glasgow Barrowland, Glasgow, UK) Cantrell 6:54
7. "Would?" (March 2, 1993, Glasgow Barrowland, Glasgow, UK) Cantrell 3:51
8. "Junkhead" (March 2, 1993, Glasgow Barrowland, Glasgow, UK) Cantrell, Staley 5:21
9. "Dirt (Drunk and Disorderly version)" (October 24, 1993, Nagoya, Japan) Cantrell, Staley 5:24
10. "Them Bones" (July 2, 1996, Kiel Center, St. Louis, Missouri) Cantrell 2:39
11. "God Am" (July 2, 1996, Kiel Center, St. Louis, Missouri) Cantrell, Mike Inez, Sean Kinney, Staley 3:59
12. "Again" (July 3, 1996, Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri) Cantrell, Staley 4:24
13. "A Little Bitter" (July 3, 1996, Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri) Cantrell, Inez, Kinney, Staley 3:52
14. "Dam That River" (July 3, 1996, Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri) Cantrell 3:33

Total length: 66:09

Recording information:

Compilation producer – Peter Fletcher

Tracks 1 and 10–14 mix engineered by Elliot Bailey and mixed by Toby Wright

Tracks 2 and 9 recorded and mixed by Mark Naficy

Tracks 3–8 engineered by Mike Walter

Tracks 3–8 BBC producer – Tony Wilson

Mastered by Stephen Marcussen

Art direction – Mary Maurer

Design – Mary Maurer and Brandy Flower/Happenstance

Photography by Marty Temme

Packaging concepts by Sean Kinney

Management – Susan Silver

Alice In Chains "MTV Unplugged (USA, Columbia Records, 484300 2)"

Unplugged is a live album by the American rock band Alice in Chains, released on July 30, 1996, by Columbia Records. It was recorded on April 10, 1996, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music's Majestic Theatre for the television series MTV Unplugged. The show was directed by Joe Perota and first aired on MTV on May 28, 1996. Home video releases of the MTV broadcast were released on VHS in October 1996, and on DVD in October 1999. The MTV Unplugged was Alice in Chains' first concert in two and a half years, and contains live, acoustic versions of the band's biggest hits and lesser-known songs.

A new song, "The Killer Is Me", was performed for the first time during the concert. The acoustic version of "Over Now" (originally released on Alice in Chains' 1995 self-titled album) was released as a single. The album debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart, and has been certified platinum by the RIAA. The performance was released on DVD on October 26, 1999, and re-released as a CD/DVD package featuring unaired footage on September 18, 2007. The home video release has received gold certification by RIAA.

On April 10, 1996, Alice in Chains resurfaced to perform their first concert in two and a half years for MTV Unplugged, a program featuring all-acoustic set lists. The band was offered to do the segment numerous times prior to the actual taping before finally accepting. The show was recorded at the Brooklyn Academy of Music's Majestic Theatre and first aired on MTV on May 28, 1996. It was Layne Staley's idea to have big candles decorating the stage to keep it dark and moody, as the band never liked bright lights on stage, so Staley himself bought the candles at Seattle's Pike Place Market.

The performance was one of Alice in Chains' final appearances with vocalist Layne Staley and featured some of the band's highest charting singles, including "Rooster", "Down in a Hole", "Heaven Beside You", and "Would?", and introduced a new song, "The Killer Is Me". The show marked Alice in Chains' first appearance as a five-piece band, adding second guitarist Scott Olson.

Jerry Cantrell has attested to being fairly ill during the performance as a result of food poisoning from a hot dog consumed before the gig. Mike Inez's bass had the phrase "Friends Don't Let Friends Get Friends Haircuts..." written on it, directed at the members of Metallica who were in the audience and had recently cut their hair short. Inez and drummer Sean Kinney did pay tribute to Metallica, however, playing the intro to their hit song "Enter Sandman" just before "Sludge Factory". Before "Angry Chair," Jerry Cantrell paid further tribute by playing the intro to "Battery" going into the Hee Haw song, "Gloom, Despair, and Agony on Me". This was omitted from the CD but can be found on the VHS and DVD. On the CD version of the MTV Unplugged concert, as Staley says "Okay, that's it," at the end of the song, booing can be heard (presumably due to the performance concluding). Staley responded to the heckler by shouting, "Hey, fuck you, man!" which was greeted by laughter from the audience.

Cantrell has stated that the band was considering playing the songs "Love, Hate, Love" and "We Die Young" for the set, but ultimately chose not to, chiefly as a result of limited time. Moreover, a few songs such as "Got Me Wrong" and "Sludge Factory" had to be replayed numerous times due to error. Accordingly, the taping took approximately three hours to finish.

Cantrell said that one of his favorite things from the concert was when Staley said at the end of the show, "I wish I could hug you all, but I'm not gonna".

A live album of the performance was released in July 1996, which debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, and was accompanied by a home video release. The album has received platinum certification by the RIAA and the home video release has received gold certification by the RIAA. A full length DVD of the concert was also later released on October 26, 1999. The songs "Angry Chair", "Frogs", and "The Killer Is Me" were cut from the original MTV broadcast but are included on both the CD and home video releases. The album was re-released as a CD/DVD package on September 18, 2007.

The album initially received mixed reviews from critics. AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote in his review of the album: "It doesn't offer anything that the albums don't already. The acoustic arrangements of the harder songs sound like novelties, and the rest sound like rehashes of their previous work, only without much energy." Sandy Masuo of Rolling Stone wrote in her review "Unplugged certainly reaffirms the emotional range and technical prowess of Alice in Chains. But it lacks electricity in more ways than one. The concentrated catharsis in Alice in Chains' music is still best heard with the amps cranked up to 11." Despite this, the album eventually gained more recognition and praise after the death of vocalist Layne Staley, mainly due to his powerful performance despite his condition, and is now considered an iconic live album. Alice Pattillo of Metal Hammer considers Alice in Chains' MTV Unplugged as the best live album ever made.

Track listing

1. "Nutshell" Layne Staley/Jerry Cantrell/Mike Inez/Sean Kinney Jar of Flies 4:57
2. "Brother" Cantrell Sap 5:27
3. "No Excuses" Cantrell Jar of Flies 4:57
4. "Sludge Factory" Staley/Cantrell/Kinney Alice in Chains 4:36
5. "Down in a Hole" Cantrell Dirt 5:46
6. "Angry Chair" Staley Dirt 4:36
7. "Rooster" Cantrell Dirt 6:41
8. "Got Me Wrong" Cantrell Sap 4:59
9. "Heaven Beside You" Cantrell/Inez Alice in Chains 5:38
10. "Would?" Cantrell Dirt 3:43
11. "Frogs" Staley/Cantrell/Kinney/Inez Alice in Chains 7:30
12. "Over Now" Cantrell/Kinney Alice in Chains 7:12
13. "Killer Is Me" Cantrell 5:23

Total length: 71:26

• "Angry Chair", "Frogs" and "The Killer Is Me" were removed from the original broadcast, but are included in rereleases.

Recording information:

Produced by Toby Wright and Alice in Chains

Produced for MTV by Alex Coletti

Recorded by Toby Wright and John Harris, assisted by Brian Kingman, John Bates, and Rich Lamb

Mixed by Toby Wright, assisted by John Bleich and John Seymour

Digitally edited by Don C. Tyler

Mastered by Stephen Marcussen

DVD audio by John Alberts, Toby Wright, and Mike Fisher

Directed by Joe Perota

Line producer – Audrey Morrissey

Art direction – Mary Maurer

Design – Doug Erb

Photography – Danny Clinch

Management – Susan Silver

Alice In Chains "What The Hell Have I (Single & Video)"

 "What the Hell Have I" is a song by the American rock band Alice in Chains. It was originally featured on the soundtrack to the 1993 John McTiernan film Last Action Hero starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. The song was released as a single and peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. It was included on the compilation album Nothing Safe: Best of the Box (1999). A remixed version of the song was included on the compilation albums Music Bank (1999) and The Essential Alice in Chains (2006).

The song was originally written for their breakthrough album Dirt, but was shelved at the time and used later for the Last Action Hero soundtrack. Contrary to popular belief, Jerry Cantrell did not use a traditional sitar during the recording session although he did attempt to play one but was unsure how. While experimenting with sounds, he adopted a guitar-sitar into the session to achieve the sound of the opening riff.

In the liner notes of 1999's Music Bank box set collection, guitarist Jerry Cantrell said of the song:

This and "A Little Bitter" were mixed by Andy Wallace because Toby [Wright] had a previous commitment, and they always bothered me because they were too "tinny" compared to our other stuff. So I was happy to see Toby finish his work off with the remixes [on Music Bank]. That's not to disrespect Andy, it's just that he wasn't there when they were being created. Toby's like a brother, he knows all our shit, all our personalities and we don't trust anybody unless we've got something on them.

"What the Hell Have I" was released to radio stations on June 7, 1993 in support of Alice in Chains' appearance on the 1993 Lollapalooza tour. The single peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.

The music video for "What the Hell Have I" was released in 1993 and was directed by Rocky Schenck, who had previously directed the "We Die Young" and "Them Bones" music videos for the band, and who would later direct the music video for "Grind". In the music video, singer Layne Staley's face is projected on him with different expressions, while guitarist Jerry Cantrell is seen with the same contact lenses with a smiley face that was worn by Mr. Benedict (played by Charles Dance) in Last Action Hero. The video is available on the home video release Music Bank: The Videos.

Track listing

1. "What the Hell Have I"
2. "A Little Bitter"

Alice In Chains "Man In The Box (Single & Video)"

"Man in the Box" is a song by the American rock band Alice in Chains. It was released as a single in January 1991 after being featured on the group's debut studio album Facelift (1990). It peaked at No. 18 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance in 1992. The song was included on the compilation albums Nothing Safe: Best of the Box (1999), Music Bank (1999), Greatest Hits (2001), and The Essential Alice in Chains (2006). "Man in the Box" was the second most-played song of the decade on mainstream rock radio between 2010 and 2019.

In the liner notes of 1999's Music Bank box set collection, guitarist Jerry Cantrell said of the song; "That whole beat and grind of that is when we started to find ourselves; it helped Alice become what it was."

The song makes use of a talk box to create the guitar effect. The idea of using a talk box came from producer Dave Jerden, who was driving to the studio one day when Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer" started playing on the radio.

The original Facelift track listing credited only vocalist Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell with writing the song. All post-Facelift compilations credited the entire band. It is unclear as to why the songwriter credits were changed.

"Man in the Box" is widely recognized for its distinctive "wordless opening melody, where Layne Staley's peculiar, tensed-throat vocals are matched in unison with an effects-laden guitar" followed by "portentous lines like: 'Feed my eyes, can you sew them shut?', 'Jesus Christ, deny your maker' and 'He who tries, will be wasted' with Cantrell's drier, less-urgent voice," along with harmonies provided by both Staley and Cantrell in the lines 'Won't you come and save me'.

In a 1992 interview with Rolling Stone, Layne Staley explained the origins of the song's lyrics:

I started writing about censorship. Around the same time, we went out for dinner with some Columbia Records people who were vegetarians. They told me how veal was made from calves raised in these small boxes, and that image stuck in my head. So I went home and wrote about government censorship and eating meat as seen through the eyes of a doomed calf.

Jerry Cantrell said of the song:

But what it's basically about is, is how government and media control the public's perception of events in the world or whatever, and they build you into a box by feeding it to you in your home, ya know. And it's just about breaking out of that box and looking outside of that box that has been built for you.

In a recorded interview with MuchMusic in 1991, Staley stated that the lyrics are loosely based on media censorship, and "I was really really stoned when I wrote it, so it meant something different then", he said laughing.

"Man in the Box" was released as a single in 1991. "Man in the Box" is widely considered to be one of the band's signature songs, reaching number 18 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart at the time of its release. According to Nielsen Music's year-end report for 2019, "Man in the Box" was the second most-played song of the decade on mainstream rock radio with 142,000 spins.

The song was number 19 on VH1's "40 Greatest Metal Songs", and its solo was rated the 77th greatest guitar solo by Guitar World in 2008. It was number 50 on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of the 90s" in 2007. The song was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance in 1992.

The MTV music video for the track was released in 1991 and was directed by Paul Rachman, who later directed the first version of the "Sea of Sorrow" music video for the band and the 2006 feature documentary American Hardcore. The music video was nominated for Best Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Video at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards. The video is available on the home video releases Live Facelift and Music Bank: The Videos. The video shows the band performing in what is supposedly a barn, where throughout the video, a mysterious man wearing a black hooded cloak is shown roaming around the barn. Then, after the unknown hooded figure is shown, he is shown again looking around inside a stable where many animals live where he suddenly discovers and shines his flashlight on a man (Layne Staley) that he finds sitting in the corner of the barnhouse. At the end of the video, the hooded man finally pulls his hood down off of his head, only to reveal that his eyelids were sewn together with stitches the whole time. This part of the video depicts on the line of the song, "Feed my eyes, now you've sewn them shut". The man with his eyes sewn shut was played by a friend of director Paul Rachman, Rezin, who worked in a bar parking lot in Los Angeles called Small's.

The music video was shot on 16mm film and transferred to tape using a FDL 60 telecine. At the time this was the only device that could sync sound to picture at film rates as low as 6FPS. This is how the surreal motion was obtained. The sepia look was done by Claudius Neal using a daVinci color corrector.

Layne Staley tattooed on his back the Jesus character depicted in the video with his eyes sewn shut.

At Alice in Chains' last concert with Staley on July 3, 1996, they closed with "Man in the Box". Live performances of "Man in the Box" can be found on the "Heaven Beside You" and "Get Born Again" singles and the live album Live. A performance of the song is also included on the home video release Live Facelift and is a staple of the band's live show due to the song's popularity.

Alice In Chains "Nothing Safe: Best of the Box"

Nothing Safe: Best of the Box is the first greatest hits album by the American rock band Alice in Chains. It was released on June 29, 1999 on Columbia Records. The previously unreleased track "Get Born Again" was released as a single to promote the album and peaked at No. 4 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, and at No. 12 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. "Get Born Again" was also nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance in 2000.

The album is the first of Alice in Chains's best-of albums, and also served as a sampler for their Music Bank box set. Nothing Safe contains songs from previous albums Facelift, Sap, Dirt, Jar of Flies, Alice in Chains and Unplugged, as well as the previously unreleased track "Get Born Again", recorded between September and October 1998.

Despite the "Best of the Box" album title, the demo version of "We Die Young" that appears here is not included on Music Bank and is therefore exclusive to this collection. In addition, "Iron Gland" is featured with the beginning drum found on the Dirt track "Dam That River". A "Best Buy Exclusive" issue of the CD included a bonus disc in a cardboard sleeve, with live versions of "Angry Chair" and "Man in the Box". The version of "What The Hell Have I" that appears here is the original version, not the remixed version that appears on Music Bank.

The album was certified platinum by the RIAA, and the revenue generated from the album was used to fund the Music Bank box set.

The album has received mainly positive reviews, with critics praising the compilation's inclusion of rare material, along with the band's hits. Allmusic staff writer Steve Huey gave the album a four star rating writing "The package is not unattractive, since nearly all the hits are present in some form; also included are the new song "Get Born Again" and the better of the group's two contributions to the Last Action Hero soundtrack, "What the Hell Have I."

Bill Adams of Ground Control Magazine, reviewing Alice in Chains Discography wrote "To its credit, Nothing Safe is a solid compilation of odds, ends, live tracks, studio cuts, soundtrack appearances and rarities, which serves its purpose for giving 'in-passing' fans a pretty enjoyable set".

Track listing

1. "Get Born Again" (previously unreleased) Layne Staley, Jerry Cantrell 5:26
2. "We Die Young" (previously unreleased demo) Cantrell 2:28
3. "Man in the Box" (from Facelift) Staley, Cantrell 4:46
4. "Them Bones" (from Dirt) Cantrell 2:30
5. "Iron Gland" (unlisted track from Dirt) Cantrell 0:43
6. "Angry Chair" (from Dirt) Staley 4:46
7. "Down in a Hole" (from Dirt) Cantrell 5:37
8. "Rooster" (Live; previously unreleased in North America) Cantrell 6:46
9. "Got Me Wrong" (from MTV Unplugged) Cantrell 4:24
10. "No Excuses" (from Jar of Flies) Cantrell 4:15
11. "I Stay Away" (from Jar of Flies) Staley, Michael Inez, Cantrell 4:14
12. "What the Hell Have I" (Music from the Original Motion Picture – Last Action Hero) Cantrell 3:57
13. "Grind" (from Alice in Chains) Cantrell 4:44
14. "Again" (from Alice in Chains) Staley, Cantrell 4:04
15. "Would?" (from Dirt) Cantrell 3:28

Total length: 62:18

Issued in a clear orange jewelcase.

"Get Born Again" is a new song and "We Die Young" is the demo version.

A video for "Get Born Again" was made to promote this compilation.

Recording information:

Track 1 recorded in October, 1998. Previously unreleased.

Track 2 is a previously unreleased demo version.

Track 3 taken from the album Facelift.

Tracks 4, 6, 7, 15 taken from the album Dirt.

Track 5 is an unlisted track taken from the album Dirt . Tom Araya appears courtesy of American Recordings

Track 8 released by arrangement with BBC Music. First transmission date: 16th April, 1993. Previously unreleased in North America.

Track 9 taken from the live album MTV Unplugged.

Tracks 10 & 11 taken from the EP Jar of Flies.

Track 12 taken from Music from the Original Motion Picture - Last Action Hero.

Tracks 13 & 14 taken from the album Alice in Chains.

Mastered at A & M Mastering in Hollywood, California.

Various Artists "Music From Original Motion Picture: Last Action Hero"

The film was scored by composer Michael Kamen, and peaked at No. 7 on The Billboard 200 chart. The album, which was positively received by active rock radio outlets, was certified platinum on August 24, 1993.

Track listing

1. "Big Gun" AC/DC 4:24
2. "What the Hell Have I" Alice in Chains 3:58
3. "Angry Again" Megadeth 3:47
4. "Real World" Queensrÿche and Michael Kamen 4:21
5. "Two Steps Behind" Def Leppard 4:19
6. "Poison My Eyes" Anthrax 7:04
7. "Dream On" (Live) Aerosmith 5:42
8. "A Little Bitter" Alice in Chains 3:53
9. "Cock the Hammer" Cypress Hill 4:11
10. "Swim" Fishbone 4:13
11. "Last Action Hero" Tesla 5:44
12. "Jack and the Ripper" Buckethead, Los Angeles Rock and Roll Ensemble, and Michael Kamen 3:43

Total length: 54:19

Alice In Chains "The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here"

The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here is the fifth studio album by the American rock band Alice in Chains, released on May 28, 2013 through Capitol Records (and the band's final album released by the label). It is the band's second reunion album. Following a worldwide tour in support of its previous album, Black Gives Way to Blue (2009), Alice in Chains began work on a new album. The making of The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here lasted for more than a year and the release of the album was delayed numerous times. The band entered the studio in July 2011 to start work on their fifth album. During the writing and recording sessions, guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell underwent shoulder surgery, which resulted in the delay of the album. The recording sessions of The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here were completed in December 2012.

Peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart and at No. 1 on the Top Rock Albums chart, the album was well received by music critics, and "Hollow", "Stone", "Voices" were released as singles to promote the album. "Hollow" and "Stone" reached No. 1 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks, while "Voices" reached No. 3, and each one of the three songs stayed on the chart for 20 weeks.

The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here also reached the top ten in the national albums charts of Australia, Finland and Norway. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical in 2013.

The mockumentary AIC 23 was released via Funny or Die on April 3, 2013 to promote the album.

The cover artwork features the skull of a Triceratops with a second skull image steganographically hidden on a red background. The two skulls, when revealed, combine to form the image of the devil. The album title refers to a belief held by some religious individuals that to confuse the masses of humanity, Satan himself planted dinosaur bones deep into the Earth to dissuade the faithful.


The inner artwork includes images of other dinosaur skulls steganographically overlapped in a similar manner to the front cover, including two pachycephalosaurs and Ankylosaurus. Additional imagery is also revealed when the CD tray is removed from the jewel case.