2021 and 2022 have marked the 30th anniversary of what many critics, historians, and fans have called the rock n roll renaissance and a popular culture shift, all pioneered by one city Seatlle, this renaissance was called grunge and would herald a group of highly talented musicians and tortured front men. These singers/front men included Kurt Cobain, Chris Cornell, and Layne Staley all of which lost their lives too early, but were key in spearheading a change in the rock music landscape.
So this month at Runout we have chosen Alice In Chains 2nd album Dirt as our curated album, we are presenting the 30th anniversary edition remastered from the original recordings which comes as a double yellow coloured vinyl to our subscribers. So what made Dirt so worthy of being our curated album ahead of albums like Nirvana’s Nevermind or Soundgarden’s Badmotorfinger, well let us tell you why.
Alice In Chains’ were formed in Seattle in 1987, named after Layne Staley's earlier glam metal group Alice N’ Chains, by Jerry Cantrell and Sean Kinney, who recruited bassist Mike Starr, and eventually vocalist Layne Staley. As with all bands the history leading to their formation is a labyrinth of tried and failed bands and groups, but thanks to previous band members permissions, local promoter support, and a demo that found itself into the hands of Soundgarden’s managers Kelly Curtis and Susan Silver who introduced Columbia Records to the band.
The group got a deal which would lead to them making their first album Facelift which was meet with minor appreciation peaking in the US charts at 42 and selling 40,000 copies, but this album heralded the song ‘Man In The Box’ which was picked up by MTV for regular rotation and it was this that propelled the band into the mainstream and the new burgeoning grunge and alternative rock scene a platform to reach not just the US but the world.
The breakout of Alice In Chains thanks to MTV led the band to achieving a good slice of commercial success and then heading out on tour to promote the album, and then picking up a slot on the Clash Of The Titans metal tour in 1991. After returning from touring they released the EP Sap at the peak of Nirvana's Nevermind popularity which further populairsed the newly monikered Seattle grunge scene.
So in 1992 the band headed into the studio to record their second album Dirt, armed with songs written during touring and with a much darker theme than their debut, the album featured 6 out of its 13 songs dealing with the issue of addiction, as well as an exiled generation, a surge in hard drug usage, and an ever growing disparate between those who had and those who did not.
The album reached number 6 in the US charts during its original release, but only enjoyed a variable success worldwide, however since its release it has since gone 5 times platinum and been heralded as a
“major artistic statement and the closest they ever came to recording a flat-out masterpiece. It's a primal, sickening howl from the depths of Layne Staley's heroin addiction, and one of the most harrowing concept albums ever recorded. Not every song on Dirt is explicitly about heroin, but Jerry Cantrell's solo-written contributions…effectively maintain the thematic coherence—nearly every song is imbued with the morbidity, self-disgust, and/or resignation of a self-aware yet powerless addict.”
Dirt has been classified as a forerunner to the sludge metal genre comprising punk and metal sensibilities, and thanks to the sound created by the band on Dirt they were able to be appreciated by not only the grunge, but also the metal fans alike.
The album saw 5 singles released from it including “Them Bones”, “Down in a Hole”, “Rooster”, “Angry Chair”, and “Would?”, each of these dealt with themes such as mortality on “Them Bones”, the repairing of family ties due to outside influences on ”Rooster’ ("the start of the healing process between my Dad and I from all that damage that Vietnam caused." Music Bank-Alice In Chains-Album Notes).
“Down In The Hole” was a love song to a long term lover and was written to show how difficult the rock and roll lifestyle can be while trying to maintain relationships, “Would” is a eulogy to Andrew Wood the lead singer of Mother Love Bone who was Cantrell’s friend and died of an overdose in 1990.
Alice in Chains Dirt is often praised as one of the best albums of the early 90s. It is a dark and heavy record, with themes and ideas of addiction, abuse, and despair. The album sound is defined by Layne Staley’s guttural vocals and Jerry Cantrell’s distorted guitar riffs.
The album’s production values are highly professional, resulting in a polished yet raw sound that perfectly captures a dark lyrical vision being created by the band. Alice in Chains Dirt is undoubtedly a classic album, it has originality, honesty, and self-awareness. The songs tackle big questions about life and death, while offering a unique perspective on the human condition.
The songs are heavy with a melodic edge and nearly every song is great and the album as a whole does not have a filler track.
Enjoy
Stu
RRC
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