Behind The Album: Alice In Chains (1995 Self-Titled)

[@bradenscott2]

A lot of people will say Dirt is the best album, but this one just hit different for me. I loved this one. So dark and gloomy.

[@alexmason6191]

Exactly

[@killyrboss]

same fr

[@melany5506]

Agreed. Though admittedly a few of my least favorite AIC songs are on Self Titled; Grind, Heaven Beside You, and Over Now

[@insomosisytmusicandsports4393]

Disagree. Facelift is my favorite

[@xxseethexx8002]

Completely agreed my friend, this is my fav AIC record

[@RockTV11]

Awesome AIC album. Sludge Factory, Head Creeps, Again, God Am, Frogs...awesome songs, awesome sounding album.

[@grungegods]

Dudeman Im a subscriber & I think all ur vids are knarley! Please do more Nirvana, AIC, & Blind Melon, Velvet Revolver, Mother Love Bone, Soundgarden! Love you man

[@exdemocrat9038]

Shame in you is a very underrated song & my favorite AIC song.

[@andyschwarz87]

@@grungegods 555555555t55

[@grungegods]

@Andy Schwartz ...... Huh?

[@grungegods]

@@andyschwarz87 huh?

[@philipmichel215]

Anything Alice In Chains is epic in and of itself. They were in the high end of their band creatively and musically when this album was cut.

[@scarykurapika100yago2]

I think the 3 legged dog symbolizes the fate and the members of the band with the dog missing one limb that would be Layne.

[@stereostigma5794]

I think it symbolized something else. The dog has three legs on the front, and a man has three legs on the back. They both got three legs but its too few for the dog, and too many for the man. It's all ways too much or too little.

[@brianpaulin3300]

Literally just a dog that would chase the drummer around whenever he delivered newspapers y’all look too deep into things

[@stereostigma5794]

@@brianpaulin3300 that's where they got the Idea from, that doesn't mean it doesn't have symbolism to it also, jeez. How do you even enjoy art with that mind set? 😆 most art is packed with metaphor and symbolism. I suppose that you think in a song like outshined by soundgarden when chris says "I'm looking california and feeling Minnesota" that he literally feels like the state of Minnesota? It's symbolism for looking good but feeling cold. Or like AICs acoustic album sap... It's got a bucket of sap on the cover because kinney felt like an acoustic album would seem sappy to fans. Its a play on words. Symbolism

[@brianpaulin3300]

Stereo Stigma I don’t think the band intended it to be interpreted that way

[@stereostigma5794]

@@brianpaulin3300 why? A man with three legs has too many, a dog with three has too few. There's definitely symbolism there. It was done on purpose

[@mez6323]

No one ever mentions how good the nothin' song is, the chorus feels like my brain is being twisted (in a good way). Every song is awesome. Alice at their most experimental, I just wish there was more stuff from that era, as most of us do. AiC forever!!!!

[@ihavenolegs1731]

Head creeps is the ultimate ULTIMATE

[@tennisfan599]

It's ok

[@risboturbide9396]

Tripod became my favorite studio album from AIC... It took some time, but it really hits home for me. Amazing record.

[@joshplays878]

I listened to this album off and on for an entire year, the CD stayed in my car for a year. Shame in You, Brush Away, Over Now, Sludge Factory, Heaven Beside You, Head Creeps are all great songs.

[@Oamiano]

I think God Am is just my favourite song in general. Everything about it is so raw. The hit of crack in the beginning. The guitar almost symbolizing your ears ringing (people ears ring when then smoke/shoot crack/cocaine powder) then the hard core riff that comes after with the lyrics about questioning God. Damn that song is just so good it gives me chills from start to finish

[@nickcaps8764]

A song that does not get enough recognition is Shame In You, great song, although it can be a depressing song, something happens near the end of that song where the guitars play in what is my opinion a very uplifting/beautiful piece of music and to me it is an absolutely a highlight on the record. BEST PART OF THE ALBUM IMO

[@cowboixxxl]

Love this one too!

[@jeremycremer9265]

I love that one. Always been one of my favorites. When that bridge kicks in with Layne's harmonies it took me off guard the first time I heard it and gave me goose bumps. I'm so proud to have been alive to hear such magic

[@jibrilgoodwin3328]

I get extremely emotional when i hear shame in you , especially at the end , because of the Ambience that go along with it , it's because i was where layne was. That and God am are my favorite tracks on this record

[@vaevictis_]

It’s a great song that gives you mixed emotions, hard to describe the feeling

[@jamesriver3745]

Agreed. Really, the entire second half of the album (save Over Now) is underappreciated and never talked about. Many of the songs are never played live either. Shame In You, God Am, So Close, Nothin' Song, and Frogs.

[@educkieperfume]

My favorite two songs by AIC are Bleed The Freak and Sludge Factory.

[@danialmr5960]

Great video. Alice in chains was the best band of 90s

[@gonzaloNMF]

Facelift: Their funkiest album with Layne Dirt: Their darkest album with Layne AiC: Their heaviest album with Layne

[@remelynsamson4363]

Jar of flies : am i joke to u?

[@gonzaloNMF]

@@remelynsamson4363 Lol. I meant LPs, not EPs. Jar of Flies is such a masterpiece though.

[@poopydoody7618]

Dirt and Aic are switched

[@jamesriver3745]

if each could be described in a single word Facelift: raw Dirt: heroin Tripod: nightmarish

[@tennisfan599]

Jar of Flies is their best work.

[@DaveMacDonald-if6sm]

I can't think of any other album that sounds like Tripod. There's not any fillers, it really is one of a kind!!! AiC forever 🤘

[@SadisticSavage7982]

Facelift was a masterpiece .

[@debby631]

❤Facelift every trac is boss RIP❤LAYNE&MIKE❤

[@SadisticSavage7982]

@john cash definitely. Up there with Sea of Sorrow.

[@spizun]

What an amazing cover for an album. No parental advisory, no album or band name or words at all, just pure imagery that truly describes the album so well

[@SPI-fr3tg]

It definitely feels more sludgier and more melancholy than their first 2 albums. It doesn't hit as hard as dirt and face-lift, but it makes up in heaviness for a very moody and distorted album.

[@sheatree8520]

I love all of the AIC albums !

[@coryedwards1525]

This album, this band, and the king him self Layne inspired me more than anyone to write the music I used to play and still play from time to time to this day

[@settledthrone74]

Nice covers man. You have a talented voice

[@jamiehovis7722]

Even though Jerry wrote all the music of Alice it was always about Layne for me too. What a voice:

[@maxpalmer3212]

I was born in 1999 but thanks to my dad he showed me bands like Soundgarden & Alice In Chains and godsmsck etc. layne inspires me everyday when ever I write songs of my own Then when I was in college I got into nirvana RIP layne Staley

[@iLuseMy1v1s]

The different vibe grows on you honestly. When i 1st heard it, it wasn't my fav, but when you realize it's a different vibe, it makes sense and you appreciate it more.

[@Rocket2The80s]

Thank you for making this. I really enjoyed it.

[@RockTV11]

Awesome, thanks!

[@laurawatters914]

It soo haunting to hear Layne's voice I love it though ,we miss Layne so dearly R.I.P. LAYNE STALEY AND MIKE STAR!! 😇😇♥️♥️♥️🤘🤘🤘🤘

[@SadisticSavage7982]

I'm simple , I see a thumbnail with Layne 😎 or Jerry 😒 . I click .

[@LTH.DLM.]

jerry 💤

[@nickmerino9440]

I'm proud to have live 7 or 8 years of my life IN THE SAME TIME PERIOD as Layne Staley. I lived while he lived. and that's huge in itself. Legend

[@saltpeter7429]

Was a 90's metal head for the most part. When this came out it didnt appeal to me as much as the others. Here it is quite a long time later and I am over the moon for this old release, It is a piece of art when taken as a whole. This and MAD SEASON were something of a look into Layne before he left this world, what the hell do I know about it right? I dont. But it is the interpretation that I take from those two great pieces. I'm proud of Jerry, Shawn and Mike for carrying on the best they could. Great music from a special time. Thank you Chains.

[@xx7secondsxx]

Dude... this LP triumphs Dirt in my eyes. How!?!?!? Like Nevermind... InUtero did that. How can u beat a perfect LP? A few years and being under the influence of life.... can make it sooo much deeper.

[@M.C.R.SYNTRN]

The thing I don't like about it compared to the two previous albums is Layne's vocals. It's not the same powerful voice

[@tamibrandt]

My absolute favorite is AGAIN because of the one lyric "Why -- Why'd you slap me in the face? OW! / I didn't say it was okay" something about that lyric just strikes me as funny because Layne had a sense of humor and wit that I loved, but behind that I love Brush Away and Grind, Sludge Factory has a place in my heart because Layne screwed up the 2nd verse like 8 times on Unplugged. Frogs because of the awesome ending and God Am. Let's face it, Layne's vocal range can run rings around any other grunge singer (including Chris Cornell) in my opinion. Layne could sing the phone book and never hit a wrong note. Even at the end of his life, with no teeth and a lisp, his voice, wit and humor were all still there. Layne's voice and vocal range was so powerful he did NOT need auto tune or pro-tools until he lost his teeth and had a lisp around 1998, and even then he still killed the vocals.

[@Cairo98_]

Solid album. Jerry and Layne when they sing together make the hairs on my arms stand up.

[@quhwack]

this is their best album to me. I think this album gives me a similar feeling of Nirvana's In Utero, where it feels like a final goodbye of the band, or at least that era of the band. it's a dark, gloomy album that hits you to the bone right at the start of the album. without a doubt, most of my favorites songs are on this album, and I'll always recommend this album more than their others

[@williamberry8895]

Head Creeps is by far the best song on this album. Laynes voice is haunting. He also wrote the drum line and lyrics. TIME TO CALL THE DOGGIES OFF

[@amyconway9923]

Love love voice of layne staley. Theres nothing nothing like it

[@axrip1]

AIC and Jerry pretty much said it right out back then through the album covers and the songs but I never thought of it that it was their last album. Tripod, 3 leg dog, 3 leg human = three band members and final song its over now. I never understood a thing about that symbolism back then.

[@sanzen1234]

An album that takes a few listens then it becomes absolutly clear why its ao great

[@Carak_Oshama44th]

You didn’t mention that people thought that was the dog tripod that chased Sean but it wasn’t . It was an actual paid actor dog for the album shoot. I forget what the name was of the dog on the album but I remember Sean or Layne saying how nice that dog was lol.

[@crazyjimheath]

sweet vid !! all AIC albums are awesome !! But when this came out and now it feels like their best work!! 4 of the tracks sound like they could be on DIRT , sound quality was up overall !! lot of harmonizing that sounds great , and Sean Kinney really shined , his playing is always good , the better sound quality brought out the drums i think .. tracks like So Close!! good variety of songs . Both Cantrell and Layne took some steps, writing songs in the heavy direction we wanted ( God Am , Head creeps ) ..hearing the lead single Grind and their voices melting into each other over a heavy riff was a sign to BUY that album ..quite a line of singles and i remember 2 buddies even liking the song "Again" that weren't avid fans of Chains or anything , but they too got drawn in by this record and the airplay they were getting from late 95 to late 96 !!! ☠☠👽👽😸😸🐱‍👤🐱‍👤🖤🖤 COOL VIDEO !!

[@agentjackstone3543]

this has become my favorite album

[@dohmsdek463]

One thing about Heaven beside you: Cantrell talks about the writing process in a interview with Marshall (released I think in 2020) -> he an Inze wrote the intro riff for the track. One thing about the dog: Kinney designed a cover with the dog you see in the picture with the whole band, but the band got a fax with a tree-legged-dog and they decided the fax-dog looks better then the kinney-dog, so they went with the fax-picture. One thing about the lyrics: most of them were written in the studio by layne (there was also a story about a producing-staff which birthday was while they recorded the album. they bought him a big cake looking like a women and it layed there for weeks. One alternative lyirc-line from layne was about that, but they never used it becaus it wasnt the best obviously)

[@amyconway9923]

Thank you for this video 😎✌

[@baloothepibble8421]

Brush Away is my favorite AIC song of AAALLLL TIIIIME!

[@TheAlexLamberty]

Mike Inez first worked with them on the two songs that were on the Last Action Hero soundtrack. Also, Mike Starr played on Facelift which came out in 1990. Then, Dirt in 1992.

[@scottricci5063]

This self-titled album sounds closest to Facelift than Dirt. More diverse and exploratory like their debut with the heavier tunes nodding toward their sophomore effort, and some of their lighter songs leaning toward their acoustic ep stuff. Killer piece of art all the way around!!! AIC Rules!!! RIP Layne, Demri and Mike Starr!!!

[@josephmaag7293]

My favorite song on the dog album is most likely brush away

[@maxbustamante4047]

Fuckin' love this band. Great video!

[@melvinfz0301]

My favorite Alice In Chains album. I bought the cassette when I was at high school but then sold it in order to buy the cd. Nowdays that tapes have gained a lot of value, it was a big mistake. I think this is their closest metal record, many songs here sound like sludge Metal, specially Grind, Sludge Factory, Head Creeps & God Am.

[@marioa.cedeno9379]

newly introduced2 ure content dude. Loved da video &da images u put (da original cover art from da Singles for example). & my way of describing thizz self-titled album: a trip.

[@MiKeMiDNiTe-77]

Excellent and diverse album some parts ugly some parts beautiful and some parts mighty love the album cover too.

[@zoe1l]

Since i can remember 🤘🏼

[@djtforever1414]

Australian band The Cruel Sea released an album called Three Legged Dog a few months earlier. It had a similar cover.

[@TheDeedeeFiles]

Awesome album

[@Kinnakeeter]

Absolutely incredible album but all of their albums are awesome. Here's my ranking for Alice in Chains' albums: 1. Dirt 2. Face-lift 3. Tripod 4. Jar of Flies EP 5. Sap EP 6. Black Gives Way To Blue 7. Rainer Fog 8. The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here

[@Deplorable_Me_UK]

I would not argue with you. I do love Tripod, but it feels over polished.

[@MRSludgedude]

@@Deplorable_Me_UK it's the least polished. It's just how it was produced. They took all the reverb out and layne sang softer and used weird effects on his Mic. They spent way more $ on the production of dirt and facelift. This one just kind of threw out the echo and most layne and jerrys harmonies and opted for a,completely different vocal style with layne doing his vocals alone minus grind and heaven beside you and over now.

[@jb9794]

I love anything to do with Alice In Chains 😎 rip Layne Staley

[@Kardaszpm]

And Brush Away loose ground... Brush Away

[@Baloothepibble]

My favorite AIC song besides Rain When I die.

[@amyconway9923]

Cool vibes , like that!!!

[@shanecarner3813]

My favorite album and if you think it’s not admired try finding a good copy of the vinyl.....it’s a great album.

[@laurawatters914]

I love the song Grind the video is awesome!!

[@mrclover-ev7vg]

God Am is my favorite AIC song

[@mr.noride7226]

My favorite song on this album is Shame In You.

[@averageaustralian7488]

Frogs is so underrated bruh

[@66677737]

This album is beautiful. Some of the songs lyrically towards the end did feel forced. To me it felt like Layne wasn’t into it anymore. But it’s authentic and real emotion. I could go on and on about it, but man I wish we got one more record with layne

[@matt.plays.guitar]

What's the song you used in the intro? Love how it sounds.

[@petarkil]

let's see who's the first to comment just to get heart from dudeman wait

[@williamberry8895]

Head Creeps is my fave

[@thewhitewolf7886]

Shame in you is my favorite AIC song.

[@achildr1]

Probably mine too...next to Frogs

[@Dan-vc3gk]

"Sludge Factory" and "Shame in You" are the two best songs. I never understood why they distorted Layne's voice in every song, though. One of the best rock vocalists to ever live, and you overproduce his voice as if he can't hold a tune? I wish they would address this question.

[@baloothepibble8421]

We call it 3 Legged Dog

[@pearcefitzpatrickodonovan480]

Imo this record could of been a lot better if the band had come together and got over the drugs and issues

[@josecano9210]

Fun fact Alice In Chains self titled album was released the exact same day as Liquid Swords by GZA. The 2 best albums of 1995 released on the same day 🎸🤟👐🏿

[@chattingesque372]

What about Blind Melon's Soup, Mr. Bungle's Disco Violante and Urge Overkill's Exit the Dragon?

[@rickypasketofficial]

🐶 Tripod

[@jamesriver3745]

If there is one word to describe the sound of the album, it would be: nightmarish.

[@sjin8896]

I thought it was called tripod.

[@nickmullensbestfriend3999]

Think that was the dogs name

[@benjaminscisly4560]

love em to death but should of toured

[@opiethebadcat7903]

Head creeps

[@jamesherbert9017]

Sludge Factory js

[@Pray-4-Me]

The best Alice in Chains album...

[@ssherrierable]

Im sorry man but, kurt cobain. Nirvana. Thats all i gotta say. Its an aic video so someone gotta make kurt cobain comments, might as well be me.

[@kevinsthair6947]

Shut it

[@tennisfan599]

Of the 5 albums of the staley era (this includs noth ep s) tripod is by far the weakest.

[@willd4731]

Lane Staley, what a waste. Would have been interesting to see what he could have done with the rest of the band had he remained alive and off the drugs. Duvall is nice and everything, but it's just not the same..... The albums lack personality

[@leslieclark7463]

They lack that connection Layne and Jerry had when writing together

[@laurashepherd8190]

Payne Staley is my peace. I was an addict to and the I peace I received while struggling that battle was listen to his lyrics the band's musin. When Payne passed I could listen to them at all I two years cuz I missed his words of advice but that when I got clean after What happened to him. I loved him so much knowing I wasn't alone in that world n I missed him dearly. They touched my life in so many ways, then reading the needle and the damage it causes I decided to quit. He saved my life. He certainly want a waste in that aspect he was my hero. I live sic to this day n I miss Payne so incredibly much. He had so much to others us and yes I was hope for more music to not only to express himself but to help each other as well. My favorite band has been n will always be Payne Staley what ever he did. He was my life line in my depressed wanting to give up my addiction n he help me to do that. He's my idil. I just wish he could beat his addiction and he was still here!

[@laurashepherd8190]

Sic is my favorite ban of all time

[@dontcaresaveit1862]

@@laurashepherd8190 Layne not Payne like wtf??

[@allsystemsgo8678]

It's my least favorite. Facelift and Dirt are incredible. This album I skipped songs. So close, Nuthin song are throwaways. Frogs is ok.

[@opiethebadcat7903]

Head creeps