Alice In Chains

Layne was 10% of the band, if that.

Eyesore wrote:

Layne was 10% of the band, if that.

Stop being emotional. He was at least 25%.

Layne wrote practically the second half of Dirt.....and i still think it's one of the most harrowing confessionals of addiction i've heard put to music.

I know Jerry was the main musical driving force behind the band...but it's one thing to play a good riff or come up with a nice melody but it takes something else to tear pieces from your heart so explicitly like Layne did through song and performance.

He layed it all out there, wires exposed. And that's one of the greatest aspects of music imo, something real.

rattpoison wrote:

Layne wrote practically the second half of Dirt.....and i still think it's one of the most harrowing confessionals of addiction i've heard put to music.

I know Jerry was the main musical driving force behind the band...but it's one thing to play a good riff or come up with a nice melody but it takes something else to tear pieces from your heart so explicitly like Layne did through song and performance.

He layed it all out there, wires exposed. And that's one of the greatest aspects of music imo, something real.

Out of all the Alice In Chains albums, Staley wrote like three songs.

Where'd you get that figure from....his name is attributed to more then half of Dirt as in composer.

You think Cantrell was writing all those Heroin songs?

Ok I sided with Eyesore when I stated that Cantrell does not get his
proper credit for the success of the band, but Staley was a big reason
for their success and he wrote more than 10% of their music and lyrics
on "Facelift" alone.

I think both Layne and Jerry were equally important to AIC. Laynes vocals can't be replaced.

Facelift and Dirt are two of the most awesome albums ever. After that I lost interest due to the heaviness being dimminished. I have Dirt again and am on the lookout for Facelift. Stanley was a great voice and Jerry is a shred master extrodanire. I can't imagine what they would sound like with out one of them.

Lyrics mean nothing. You take the greatest lyricist and worst band in the world and pair them together, you're going to get crap results. Take the greatest band and the worst lyricist in the world and you'll get gold.

Layne was great, but expendable.

Eyesore wrote:

Lyrics mean nothing. You take the greatest lyricist
and worst band in the world and pair them together, you're going to get
crap results. Take the greatest band and the worst lyricist in the
world and you'll get gold.

Layne was great, but expendable.

You are a writer, good lyrics are hard to write and even harder
to come by in rock music, as a writer Eyesore you know better than
anyone how hard it is write a good lyric that fits a melody. Layne was
not expendable, if only he himself had felt that way he would still be
here. Layne solo project Mad Season was ok, Jerry Cantrell solo albums
are hit or miss but together in Alice in Chains they were magic.

Don't like 'em

DallasBlack wrote:

Facelift and Dirt are two of the most awesome albums ever. After that I lost interest due to the heaviness being dimminished. I have Dirt again and am on the lookout for Facelift. Stanley was a great voice and Jerry is a shred master extrodanire. I can't imagine what they would sound like with out one of them.

You don't have to imagine just listen to Jerry's solo albums which are good but lack the Staley vocal prowess.

Eyesore wrote:

Lyrics mean nothing. You take the greatest lyricist and worst band in the world and pair them together, you're going to get crap results. Take the greatest band and the worst lyricist in the world and you'll get gold.

Layne was great, but expendable.

I totally disagree. Guitars are easier to replicate than a singer like Layne. Don't get me wrong Jerry is one of my favorite players but before Layne fell apart he was one of the most recognisable singers in rock.

Eyesore wrote:

Lyrics mean nothing. You take the greatest lyricist and worst band in the world and pair them together, you're going to get crap results. Take the greatest band and the worst lyricist in the world and you'll get gold.

Layne was great, but expendable.

Don't strip it down to those scenarios, they don't apply to Alice In Chains. They had the best of both worlds.

Btw i wouldn't listen to either scenario you illustrated.

Lyrics are everything and more, as important as the music that soundtracks and delivers them. They need each other....or it ain't worth listening.

Getting back to Layne....

Layne's whole demeanour, the way he inhabits his different characters while singing, his accents, lyrics, style etc. were so integral to the band. By no way is he expendable.

I think you'll realise how much you miss Layne once you hear this new Alice In Chains record.

I hear these guys are in the studio laying down a new album. Anything with JC on it should be worth the listen regardless of who is singing..

MetalRob331 wrote:

I hear these guys are in the studio laying down a new album. Anything with JC on it should be worth the listen regardless of who is singing..

That's how I feel. I loved Layne in the band, but I still maintain that Cantrell is the main ingredient. And I also think his solo albums are great. Maybe not as good as Facelift and Dirt--those are classics--but definitely better than the self-titled album, by a mile.

I am sure that Jerry Cantrell will release a solid album, he should have just taken over the lead vocal spot himself, since he is also very good singer.

Cantrell played some shows with Heart back in 2004 (or thereabouts)...now THAT is something I'd like to have seen.

manny wrote:

I am sure that Jerry Cantrell will release a solid album, he should have just taken over the lead vocal spot himself, since he is also very good singer.

And sounds somewhat similar-at leas in Degradation Trip.

I saw these guys open for Megadeth Anthrax and Slayer on tthe Clash of The Titans Tour back in 90 or 91. They were pretty dang good. I ended up getting most of their stuff over the years

They were one of my favorite bands in the early 90's.

troublezone wrote:

They were one of my favorite bands in the early 90's.

Same here, but only up to Dirt. After that the dark heaviness seemed to leave them and I lost interest.

That time period (1991-1994) was probably the worst of my entire life, so it's often a struggle to listen to anything from that era without lots of unwelcome feelings getting stirred up.

detuned wrote:

That time period (1991-1994) was probably the worst of my entire life, so it's often a struggle to listen to anything from that era without lots of unwelcome feelings getting stirred up.

Hated grunge that much huh?

MetalGuy71 wrote:

Being lumped in with the Seattle/grunge groups, these are the only guys from that era that I really like. I have all their stuff except for the Jar of Flies ep. The Unplugged cd is awesome. And I agree with whomever stated that Lanye was overrated. Not to dis the dead, but listen to Jerry's solo stuff and you'll see that he did more for their sound than Layne.

It wasn't Jar of Flies I was missing, it was Sap. And now that I have it, my AIC discography is complete. I can hear that collective sigh of relief from everyone here. You may now carry on with the remainder of your day.

Looking forward to hearing something new from these guys with that new cat at the mic.