Greatest Hits
Greatest Hits came out in 2001
Track Listing:
2. Them Bones (from Dirt)
3. Rooster (from Dirt)
4. Angry Chair (from Dirt)
5. Would? (from Dirt)
6. No Excuses (from Jar of Flies)
7. I Stay Away (from Jar of Flies)
8. Grind (from Alice in Chains)
9. Heaven Beside You (from Alice in Chains)
10. Again (from Alice in Chains)
Genre: Grunge
Its weird I have a 2nd compilation album already to review. I generally don't buy these since they're always going to be missing at least 1 song that I love from the band which is definitely the case here. We Die Young, Down in a Hole, Rain When I Die, Nutshell. All absent unfortunately.
I bought this album on a whim from Walmart. It was a great choice since I only knew a couple of Alice in Chains songs before this but it turned me into a full fledged fan. This came out about a year before Layne Staley died and is packed with the best songs of his tenure. Obviously as a greatest hits album this is going to be mostly good
Man in the Box - Man I love Jerry Cantrell. Just a master of thick-chuggy riffs. Man in the Box is an absolute classic and a showcase of his guitar work. One of my favorite Cantrell solos right here
Them Bones - Dirt is easily AIC's best albums so its no surprise that 40% of the songs here of off of Dirt. Them Bones is the opener on Dirt and is one of my favorites. Staleys vocals are incredible and really makes you feel his pain at becoming a big 'ol pile of bones
Rooster - My introduction to Alice in Chains. Apparently a Vietnam war song about Cantrell's dad. Showcases the bands range and ability to nail a slow burner like this.
Angry Chair - Check out that riff. So simple yet so intricate. Very effective in giving this song the dark, eerie feel that they're going for. The switch to a more open, bright sound in the chorus is jarring, but to good effect. Im not the biggest fan of the solo, I dont think it adds a whole lot to the song
Would? - Man, what a song. Just a showcase of Staleys vocal ability. Such an emotional song, written as a tribute to Andrew Wood of Mother Love Bone (get it. Wood->Would) who died of a heroin overdose. Extra messed up when consider the fact that Staley also died from heroin.
No Excuses - On to Jar of Flies. A little EP that came out between Dirt and Alice in Chains. No Excuses is one of my absolute favorite AIC songs. The chorus guitar is excellent, the solo fits excellently.
I Stay Away - Last one from Jar of File (and why they chose this over Nutshell will remain a mystery). The 3rd best song on Jar, is still excellent. Listen to that guitar behind the vocals during the verses. So unique.
Grind - First on the self titled and this is honestly more typical of AIC instead of a lot of the other songs on here. Similar in style to Them Bones. A chuggy, grimy song. They didnt add a lot of these to the album, probably because they limited it to 10 song. Good song, but one of the weaker ones here, which is understandable because Alice in Chains is the worst of the Staley albums.
Heaven Beside You - This is the song that made me an AIC fan. I bought this album for Them Bones and Rooster, but this song was so unique that I had to check out everything they've done. That verse riff is so cool. Cantrell's use of bends is unparalleled.
Again - A decent song, one of the better ones on the self titled. Similarly to Grind is definitely a grunge song. My least favorite on this album, but the solo is a lot of fun.
9 green and no reds, an incredible collection of songs. The only thing holding it back is that its missing some of Alice Im Chains best songs. But, you gotta call it at some point and I guess 10 is what they chose. Either way, a great end to the Staley era of Alice in Chains
4.9/5 (would be 5/5 if they didnt exclude Nutshell)
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