Sing Like Layne the G.O.A.T. PART 2 | An Alice in Chains Vocal Analysis and Reaction

[@davidstrainsandlego]

Alice in chains unplugged will forever be my favorite live performance of all time. What I wouldn't give to time travel

[@TaylorJohnHardin]

for real!!

[@Nexushuggah]

Glad I got to watch this as it aired. Historical moment in music.

[@taratardiff7378]

Again, I could not get through this without the comments. Thank you TJH. I am so moved by this performance, and yes, it is the most beautiful of all the MTV Unplugged shows.

[@colettecassar2850]

I also watched this as it aired and it was incredible, it gets better everytime I watch/listen because I notice something new each time. Rest easy Layne. You will always be the GOAT! 🖤

[@Someone22332]

My favorite performance from this concert. It's perfect

[@TaylorJohnHardin]

It sure is!

[@nightgoblin29]

Such a sad story... I miss Layne still!!! Thank you for this amazing reaction

[@MariaSilcox-ok9sb]

HE HAD HIS TEETH! He didn’t start losing them till later. They were starting to deteriorate, but he had them. Jesus Christ people this pisses me off. Who gives a shit. Respect Laynes gift we were given and let him Rest In Peace without continuing the smear crap the media put him through when he didn’t deserve it. ✌️

[@TaylorJohnHardin]

Well said!

[@twovee2v]

Honor to be early, keep it up! HOORAH FOR LAYNE STALEY!!!!!!!!!!!

[@phnigra111]

Mad props to AIC producer Toby Wright. Without him re editing the video of MTV unplugged we may not have this iconic show to enjoy.. Apparently Layne was not happy and was going to pull out of the show as the original MTV footage was not to his liking. (Layne said it made him look high) Toby Wright being an audio producer and not a video editor stepped in and killed it. Layne was happy with the re edited performance and the rest is history.. or so the story goes. 😊

[@TaylorJohnHardin]

Wow thanks for sharing!

[@voiceofreason4399]

One of the most beautifully tragic performances ever.

[@laurawatters914]

MY ALL TIME FAVORITE MTV UNPLUGGEDS ARE ALICE IN CHAINS AND PEARL JAM!! PEARL JAM ROCKS!! I LOVE LAYNE, JERRY, MIKE, SCOTT AND SEAN!! BEAUTIFUL REACTION TAYLOR! THANK YOU FOR YOUR AWESOME COMMENTARY!! 😊💓🔥🤘✌️ RIP LAYNE, LOVE AND MISS HIM DEARLY. BIG MAD SEASON'S FAN HERE!!

[@TaylorJohnHardin]

Thank you! Agreed :)

[@80sMeavyHetal]

Oh man.. one of my absolute favorites. I believe Layne dropped out cause he loved to hear Jerry sing it in that moment. Can never get enough of analysing AiC, especially unplugged.

[@TaylorJohnHardin]

Love that!

[@LadySlippers]

I love hearing how supportive Layne was of Jerry singing. That's a truly selfless thing to do.

[@8301TheJMan]

He also by that time was have some pretty bad liver and gastro-intestinal plains as a result of his addiction, so could've been the reason as well. There were points in the performance where can actually see him grimace a bit when hitting notes, at the end of the the first "Ooh" in Nutshell for example, (though the emotional weight of the lyrics could've added to that too). So that added pain could have also played a roll, especially when he had the big finish at the end so he may just have wanted to save up for that. But like you said, Layne had publicly said he was a huge proponent for Jerry to sing more often, so that very well may have been the reason!

[@iLuseMy1v1s]

Probably my favorite reaction video besides love hate love live at the moore.

[@TaylorJohnHardin]

That one made me fan for life!

[@iLuseMy1v1s]

@@TaylorJohnHardin Love hate love gets all the attention but I would argue that bleed the freak from the same show It's just as good.

[@TaylorJohnHardin]

@@iLuseMy1v1s I’d agree with that!

[@Steveo3332]

Rock in power brother Layne. Alice In Chains easily has the number one unplugged show.

[@ShaneH5150]

you've got a great voice m8 just found your channel and i'm now subbed. found you because of this band... i'm a 90's kid so this is what i grew up with and because of this i hope you do more of them and other grunge and 90's rock

[@TaylorJohnHardin]

Thanks! Will do!

[@gravewaxxsupercoven1980]

He had all his teeth and his health in 96. He had fixed before the show..he was just high and thats why he looks the way he did.

[@Snoopdog333333]

Amazing how tight they were considering they barely practiced and were not playing together on the regular. Jerry really stepped up on this and it shows. The Layne missteps throughout this are what makes this the most endearing and beautiful AIC performance. Please do the unplugged versions of "Brother" if you haven't already. Really love your analysis!

[@TaylorJohnHardin]

I have done that one on this page. Thanks :)

[@Snoopdog333333]

@@TaylorJohnHardin will watch TY!!!

[@jasonbryan9332]

React to Alice in chain rooster live Tilburg Netherlands 1993. It’s got descent sound quality, Jerry says in the beginning of the performance that they are all kind of sick. This is probably the rawest I’ve ever heard laynes voice

[@TaylorJohnHardin]

Will do! Thanks

[@jasonbryan9332]

@@TaylorJohnHardin They have the full Tilburg Netherlands 93 show on KZbin. Bleed the Freak is really good from this Layne sounds evil and he even hits the high falsetto notes in the bridge which was rare at this time.

[@JimZook1]

Alice In Chains!!!!! My fav ! The message on the bass guitar is because members of Metallica are in the crowd. They had just cut their hair short for the first time. So that message is in reference to the haircuts

[@TaylorJohnHardin]

Oh what? I didn’t know they were in the audience. Thanks for that explanation 👍

[@shane6448]

“Friends don’t let friends give friends haircuts “😂

[@casey10bb]

They haven't performed together in awhile (almost 3 yrs) and heard Layne was looking at lyrics because I don't think they sung this song live before but someone please correct if that's wrong. Also Jerry wrote this song for ex-girlfriend. Sean also made mention that he was a little nervous doing this show since not many rehearsals with them showing up for them.

[@TaylorJohnHardin]

So epic

[@purplelove3121]

Actually, you can see during the performance that it's not lyrics Layne is reading. He had the set list for the Unplugged taping.

[@casey10bb]

@@purplelove3121 both, but not for all of them & that's not to say he needed much help- flipping thru a time or 2 - no big deal. This is not a put down whatsoever -- only takes a brief look to check out the set list.

[@LadySlippers]

Jerry had food poisoning (bad hot dog). So it wasn’t just Layne not feeling well - obviously vastly different reasons.

[@TaylorJohnHardin]

Wow thats tough! I wonder how Mike and Sean were feeling! haha

[@LadySlippers]

@@TaylorJohnHardin They all were fighting addiction issues so who knows?

[@jakehodder2173]

Jerry also had a bucket down on the floor beside him not sure you can catch a glimpse of it though I think they probably tried to hide it

[@LadySlippers]

@@jakehodder2173Wow. I knew he was sick but didn’t know it was that bad. Yikes.

[@TheAlam0]

Alice in chains definitely one of my top bands all-time!! But there's one band up and coming called the "The Warning" and they are amazing and i recommend you check them out.🤟🏼

[@TaylorJohnHardin]

Will do thanks

[@TheAlam0]

@TaylorJohnHardin For sure, and you won't regret it, their great.

[@LouiseCantwell]

He hadn't lost his teeth yet, that wasn't until he became reclusive a few years later, though this myth does get told alot when it comes to the unplugged. They were not in a great condition and i think he was self-conscious about them but he definitely still had them all. If you check out mad season at the moore only about a year before you could see them really well, though i think they had gone downhill a lot since then. In the Nona files documentary you can see how bad they had gotten when he smiles and you could yell he was trying to hide them, i think that was after unplugged though but around the same time. I just wish i could have given him a hug.

[@TaylorJohnHardin]

Facts.

[@BobHerle]

Less nasal with your voice and you'll kill it. That soft palate balance is tricky as hell

[@LadySlippers]

He has teeth, they are in rough shape. So you’re correct. But I’m so impressed with Layne’s breath support. He’s not been performing and still has the ability to hit high notes and sustain the notes - that’s hard as a vocalist.

[@TaylorJohnHardin]

so true! He knew how to do it!

[@LadySlippers]

@@TaylorJohnHardin It shows how much he worked with his vocal coach and knew the fundamentals well. I’m impressed. Your vocal cords are a muscle and if they’re not getting worked, they can get weak. Singing softer, everything thinks is easier, except it’s not, it’s way harder. Huge kudos to Layne for being able to sing as well as he did with how sick he was.

[@TaylorJohnHardin]

@@LadySlippers absolutely!

[@casey10bb]

@@TaylorJohnHardin Layne didn't work with a vocal coach. He couldn't afford it. Not all videos are accurate. According to someone back then, who was there, said that Layne only heard a tape recording by the same coach that trained Cornell. Jerry and Layne did go thru a 6 week course together from another lady coach to preserve their voices just before they went out on the road. They thanked her on Facelift.

[@macadelic2492]

He wouldn’t be able to make the “s” sound without them

[@Bluedreamflying]

Have you heard Ann Wilson cover Layne’s vocals in Rooster?

[@TaylorJohnHardin]

Not sure. I think I’ll have to check it out

[@laurawatters914]

HAIR CUT DEAL IS BECAUSE METALLICA IN THE AUDIENCE AT THE TIME METALLICA CUT THEIR HAIR SHORT. AND JERRY HAD FOOD POSIONING AND HAD A SMALL TRASH CAN NEXT TO HIM ALSO. LAYNE STILL HAD SOME TEETH. ❤

[@TaylorJohnHardin]

Ahh yes

[@jakehodder2173]

Need to react to love hate love live!

[@jacedaniel]

Friends don’t let friends get Friends haircuts. As in Chandler and Joey.

[@steves.6519]

No, as in Metallica. This was taped right around the time that Metallica released their "Load" album. It was a lighthearted jab at them who got haircuts and who were in the audience when this was taped.

[@jacedaniel]

Have you ever even heard of the show called Friends? Google it.

[@ronsuper100]

"Friends don't let friends get friends' haircuts" was a reference from an episode of the TV show 'Friends' (that had aired earlier that year) making fun of Metallica for getting their haircut short. Metallica was in the front row of this AiC MTV Unplugged performance.

[@phnigra111]

The original tagline was “friends don’t let friends drive drunk” from back in the early 90s- So AIC took that same anti drug message but put their own humorous spin on it to make fun of Metallica (who were in the audience) for their new look as all 4 of them had just cut their hair for the ‘Load’ album. It has absolutely nothing to do with the show Friends.

[@jacedaniel]

It had everything to do with the show Friends, as “Friends” was used as a qualifier for “haircuts”. It’s ok if you didn’t get the joke, but maybe just leave it at that.

[@johnphillipsjr7238]

The guitar saying was for Metallic who were in the audience. They had just all cut their hair short.

[@JimZook1]

Check out the email I sent you earlier with a couple Layne Staley pictures I painted. Keep up the awesome reviews and explanations!

[@AnthonyMartin-v6g]

He lost his teeth after this performance.

[@puppetmaster8551]

Layne still had teeth you can get glimpses of them throughout this show they just were in bad shape so he was doing his best to hide them, it’s a total myth that he was missing all or most of his teeth here and basically just false fun fact people spam online. Anyway he was still great here even if diminished and Jerry is the GOAT, their harmonizing was the best