Alice in Chains - Live
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Free Music Notes for Live
Free Music Review: Layne and the boys at their best!
Hit: 5 Stars
One of my favorite albums from Alice. Layne is so raw and completely emotional. Just an awesome album to sit up late at night and jam to!Free Music Review: Good Live offering; wish there were more songs
Hit: 4 Stars
Don't get me wrong. Alice in Chains "Live" is a great album. But I wish there were more songs on it.There are fourteen, so it's well worth the price; I certainly didn't get cheated. But AIC had so many great songs, more than enough for two such albums. Wonder if Columbia will try to put out another album sooner or later?
The album starts off with "Bleed the Freak," from the album Facelift. Very good rendition; showed Layne Staley in top, energetic form and showcased the emotional power of AIC to perfection.
Next was "Queen of the Rodeo," a sort of updated version of Johnny Cash's "A Boy Named Sue" for the 90s and beyond. Staley's "Queen" is more than a bit confused; his idea of fighting is to "scratch and bite," he wears nylons and makeup because his mother didn't know how to raise a boy, but . . . don't think he's a woman just because he's a transvestite, as Staley growls, "Last night I met your mother . . . I hope you understand, 'cause she did!" (profanity omitted because I don't want to get the review banned)
Very funny song. Showed AIC's humorous side to perfection.
Many other great songs are here, including "Angry Chair, "Man in the Box," "Love, Hate, Love," "Rooster," and "Would?" "Man in the Box" is done at a slightly faster tempo, with Staley ever-so-slightly emphasizing different words in the delivery. Cantrell harmonized with Staley flawlessly, once again adding a different dimension than just about any other rock band could claim. Staley effortlessly hit the high notes in this song, something that was more troublesome later in his career; in a way, it encapsulates the message even more firmly, putting this song into historical perspective.
Simply put; as every other reviewer has touched on, Staley had a drug problem. Died from them. Even here, he knew it, and wasn't happy about it; "Man in the Box" is a lamentation about his own situation, people in similar situations, and also points out the danger of trying to put _everyone_ in the same box. The sarcasm evident in this song often goes unnoticed; too bad, because Staley, Cantrell and the others were smart men, and very artistic. Hopefully one of these years the rock community will wake up to it, and they'll get voted into the Rock Hall of Fame, or something.
(Granted, too late for Staley. But better than nothing for the rest of 'em.)
My personal favorite, though, is "A Little Bitter." This, like "Get Born Again" from "Nothing Safe," would have been great to hear in a studio performance, on a new album. Staley's raw, tortured voice works very well here, showing a man who's more than a bit upset with how his life has went. From the instrumental intro, which almost seems to be crying, "Remember me! Remember me!" to Staley's haunting, evocative vocals about how his mind "shouts out for rest," and how he wonders if his life is a test sent from the Almighty, and asks aloud, "Oh, Lord, is this a test? Was it fun creating me? My God's a little sick . . . ", it's a superlative song about a tremendously unhappy man, reaching out to others who also were unhappy, trying to show *them* the way while he couldn't find his own.
To me, that encapsulates Staley's life. I read the Rolling Stone interview he did; seems to me that songs like this, "Don't Follow" from "Jar of Flies," and many others, were Staley's way of saying, "I'm messed up and I know it. Please do not do this; find another way, for this does not work."
Because Staley was able to articulate his pain, and the rest of AIC was able to help him give it beauty, meaning and purpose, he may have done more than just be a great rock singer. He might have given many people the idea that there were more people than usually believed that were depressed, and helped them realize they were not abnormal.
If so, Staley's death in 2002 is even more of a shame and a waste, because he had great gifts. Even more so than seen here.
Rest in peace, Layne Staley.
Oh, and for the rest of you, buy this album. It's definitely well worth the price, gives the idea of what a live AIC concert was like, and is a well-balanced collection.
If only Columbia will put out another album from the vault, preferably with Cantrell, Kinney and Inez's input, I'll be satisfied.
Free Music Review: One of my favorite live collections
Hit: 4 Stars
A couple of things come to mind right away while listening to this cd, the first of which is this: Layne Staley deserves any and all credit given to him for being an amazing vocalist. From the raw power he unleashes on tracks like Bleed the Freak and Love, Hate, Love, to the slower, softer Layne we hear on songs such as Rooster and A Little Bitter, Staley throws a five star performance at us.
The second thing I noticed was that Layne's voice does lose some of its power and range on the later recordings, no doubt a result of his ongoing drug addiction. If you listen to Bleed the Freak and then skip ahead to something recorded post '95 like God Am, he still sounds good, but at the same time he sounds very frail. The full capacity of his voice is rarely unleashed on these songs.
The last thing I thought after I stuck this in my cd player for the first time was that the song selection is top notch. Granted, I would have loved to hear more of their early recordings, and maybe one or two songs off of Jar of Flies, but this is as perfect as it gets on a live album. You get classics that everyone knows like Rooster, Man in the Box, and Would?, then you get some of the "sleeper" tracks you wouldn't necessarily expect to see on a live album like Junkhead, Dirt, and Dam That River, but you also get some rarities like Queen of the Rodeo and A Little Bitter (Neither track was ever released on a studio album).
There really aren't too many negatives to throw around with AIC Live. Jerry Cantrell does have a few minor screw ups on guitar, but nothing big enough to take away from the rest of the music. Kinney's drumming seems a little drowned out at times, but at the same time I realize Alice in Chains' sound was built around Jerry's riffs, not Sean's drumming. One final thing I noticed: on God Am, Again, and Them Bones, I don't know if it was because he was high or just having an off night, but Layne seemed to take some time to settle into the songs and struggled at first.
Some last thoughts on the album: I thought Cantrell handled his backing vocals very well, and I loved how clearly all the songs come through your speakers. Unlike a lot of live albums, on this one you can pick out any of the instruments at any time and listen to exactly what's being played. Also, I usually don't like when an artist releases a live cd with performances spanning a wide range of dates, but it works fine here.
This is a must have for any Alice in Chains fan, and it's also a nice addition to any rock or grunge fan's collection.
Free Music Review: Good, but not great...
Hit: 4 Stars
So this is what it has come to? A band releasing a collection of live tracks just to foot the bill and make ends meet? That's the way it would seem, although this album has a much better feel then other "We really need money" albums. After all, it's a possibility that this is not one of those CDs. You'd think it is though...Alice In Chains was the least commercially successful of the "Seattle Four" (the others being Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Pearl Jam), but probably retained the most integrity of the group at the same time. For all intents and purposes, AIC was the band that broke up and forgot to tell anyone (yeah, a six year hiatus) in 1995. Both Jerry Cantrell (guitars) and Layne Staley (vocals) have worked on side projects, making the end all the more apparent.
"Live" is just what the title implies. It's a collection of famous AIC tracks recorded live between (if memory serves correctly) 1992 and 94. The disc starts off with the band performing together as a cohesive unit, but by the end, the performances have deteriorated to cases of all hell breaking loose on stage. You sometimes wonder if each member is performing the same material. It's easy to tell that by that time, relations within the band were extremely strained, and lead singer Layne Staley was losing his personal battles against heroin.
For the most part though, the album shows those who may not have ever been able to see AIC live what they were like. For the most part, there is no jamming, just straight versions of studio tracks-famous songs like "Them Bones," "Dirt," "Rooster," and my personal fave "Man in The Box."There is, however a little interaction with the crowd, although not much.
At it's worst, Live shows us the horrors of drug addiction, and at it's best, lyrical and creative genius. Some portions are strained, but at it's brightest points, Live provides insight into the live performances of America's greatest grunge band.... If you're looking for something akin to a greatest hits cd, or are a die hard AIC fan, Live is for you. If you are just a casual fan, I'd stay away from it until you are ready...
Free Music Review: Reminiscences of an Inspirational Band
Hit: 4 Stars
Unfortunately, this is a CD and not a good, quality DVD release. I never had the opportunity to see Alice in Chains live, and listening to how true the guys are to the studio recordings for the tracks on "Live" suggests that I missed a great band put on a quality show.
The MTV Unplugged DVD is fair, but energy and the song selection were definitely...let's just say fit for an unplugged DVD.
This disk, "Live", has a great song selection. 8 of 14 tracks on this live disk are from Alice in Chains' 5 Star release "Dirt"....And that's a very good thing. This track list captures more of their heavier offerings mostly from their 3 full lengths. You get:
1. Bleed The Freak
2. Queen Of The Rodeo
3. Angry Chair
4. Man In The Box
5. Love Hate Love
6. Rooster
7. Would?
8. Junkhead
9. Dirt - (Drunk And Disorderly version)
10. Them Bones
11. God Am
12. Again
13. Little Bitter, A
14. Dam That River
Original AiC frontman Layne Staley died of a drug overdose four years ago. According to a 4-7-2006 story at aliceinchains.com, AIC guitarist Jerry Cantrell, drummer Sean Kinney and bassist Mike Inez plan to announce a 2006 summer tour in the next week or so. No word on who will be singing. Amazingly, Jerry Cantrell's backing vocals were often indistinguishable from Layne, so maybe he'll be doing the duties himself.
It's great to be able to hear the 2000 performance on this disk done so well, but being unable to see the true magic that was Layne Staley with Alice in Chains do a totally plugged-in live show will never be anything but just a tribute to what was.
AiC was truly an inspiration for a lot of today's heavy music, and their influence can clearly be heard across the rock radio dial.
Buy this CD for a terrific reminisce.