Greatest Hits

In the 1990's, American music was changing. The genre that was changing the most was that of rock and heavy metal. Out was the makeup, big hair, pyro, and other theatrics. In it's place came grunge, a softer form of metal, however none of these bands really had that metal vibe. Except for Alice in Chains.

Throughout the 1990's, Alice in Chains would release several albums, most famously the Dirt album (Facelift was released in late 1989), as it featured a track on the film Singles. While the band was classified as grunge, they were more of a metal band, as they were the heaviest sounding via instruments and lyrics, of all of the grunge bands. However, like almost all bands from this era, there would be tragedy. The main problem was drug abuse, most prominently with guitarist Jerry Cantrell, bassist Mike Starr, and vocalist Layne Staley. Out of those three, two would die, Staley, and Starr. Even with these tragedies, the bands legacy is known very well as they helped pioneer grunge, and brought something different to the metal genre.

This greatest hits album, features some of their most famous tracks from the 1990's. Songs worth mentioning are Man in the Box, Them Bones, Rooster, Your Decision, Stay Away, Again, and my personal favorite, Would?. The quality of the album is the same as the songs' previous releases, each with the haunting melodies of Staley and Cantrell, as well as Cantrell's notable guitar riffs. As far as the music itself goes, it's what AIC is basically, heavy riffs from beats with melodic harmonies. You'll be able to hear all of the instruments, but the vocals are one of the main attractions. And I'm sorry Seattle fans, but Layne Staley is better then Chris Cornell, and Kurt Cobain.

For any new fan of Alice in Chains, or for a long time fan who wants to own the material that made the band well known, and not have to buy every album those songs are on, the greatest hits album is a must have. And while there are other compilation releases (the best being the Essential Alice in Chains), this is a good one to get yo started, as it features the key songs (without different versions), that will stay with you. May good things continue to come for Alice in Chains.

Tsk Tsk, when will people learn that there is such a thing as a pointless compilation? I challenge anyone to look for a single song on this release that either didn't enjoy a healthy amount of overplay on either MTV or the various Alternative Rock radio stations. Many have said that this release is nothing more than a cash grab, and to that I can not only agree, but perhaps clue people in on the motivation behind making money by releasing inferior products.

The conventional wisdom amongst recording companies who dominate the mainstream today is that the masses are a collection of tone deaf morons. All you need to do is bang a contrived song with one good hook repeated over and over upon the ears of the unsuspecting worker bee and he will like it, no matter what the song itself says or stands for. This can further be observed by the rather ridiculous and utterly unfunny album cover. And of course, in keeping with the expectations of the pragmatic salesman, the masses come running for the classic songs that they saw on MTV when they were a teen.

The only reason why my score was so forgiving is because many of the songs on here are quite good, a few even exceptional. I've always saw Alice in Chains as hold overs from better days in music, while I would come to see others of their time such as Pearl Jam and Nirvana as a collection of rat feces, which is an accurate description when you listen to the horrid vocals, 5th rate punk inspired guitar lines, and utterly incoherent lyrics. "Man in the Box" and "Grind" in particular showcase Jerry Cantrell's unapologetic tendency to solo more like an expert than a halfwit.

In conclusion, if you must get an Alice in Chains compilation, get one of the other 2. A best of compilation is defined not in what it includes, but in what it leaves out, and this rather small collection of sounds does an injustice to what was a decent metal influenced band in a time when it was no longer fashionable to play guitar with an ayota of skill. If this album had been a DVD collection of their music videos, I could excuse this short and insufficient collection of songs, but alas, Alice in Chains are not cut from an era that holds what ought to be in a very high regard.