Alice in Chains β Unplugged
- intothewellsabyss
- Jul 30, 2023
- 4 min read
π πππ πππ ππππππ - πππππππππππ ππππ πππππ ππππππππ π’π§ ππ‘π πππππππ π¨πΒ ππππ ππππ & πππππ πππππβ¦
July 30, 1996 β Alice in Chains released their first live album, Unplugged via Columbia Records. (Apple Music or Spotify)
The MTV Unplugged was Alice In Chains' first concert in two and a half years, and contains live, acoustic versions of the band's biggest hits and lesser-known songs.
The acoustic version of Over Now (originally released on Alice In Chains' 1995 self-titled album) was released as a single.
The album debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart, and has been certified platinum by the the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
The performance was released on DVD on October 26, 1999, and re-released as a CD/DVD package featuring unaired footage on September 18, 2007.
The home video release has received gold certification by RIAA.
Background:
On April 10, 1996, Alice In Chains resurfaced to perform their first concert in two and a half years for MTV Unplugged, a program featuring all-acoustic set lists.
The band was offered to do the segment numerous times prior to the actual taping before finally accepting.
The show was recorded at the Brooklyn Academy of Music's Majestic Theatre and first aired on MTV on May 28, 1996. The show was directed by Joe PerotaΒ and first aired on MTVΒ on May 28, 1996.
It was Layne Staley's idea to have big candles decorating the stage to keep it dark and moody, as the band never liked bright lights on stage, so Staley himself bought the candles at Seattle's Pike Place Market.
The performance was one of Alice In Chains' final appearances with vocalist Layne Staley and featured some of the band's highest charting singles, including Rooster, Down in a Hole, Heaven Beside You, and Would?, and introduced a new song, The Killer Is Me. The show marked Alice in Chains' first appearance as a five-piece band, adding second guitarist Scott Olson.
Jerry Cantrell has attested to being fairly ill during the performance as a result of food poisoning from a hot dog consumed before the gig.
Mike Inez's bass had the phrase "π΅ππππππ π³ππβπ π»ππ π΅ππππππ πΆππ π΅ππππππ π·πππππππ..." written on it, directed at the members of Metallica who were in the audience and had recently cut their hair short.
Inez and drummer Sean Kinney did pay tribute to Metallica, however, playing the intro to their hit song Enter Sandman just before Sludge Factory.
Before Angry Chair, Jerry Cantrell paid further tribute by playing the intro to Battery going into the Hee Haw song, Gloom, Despair, and Agony on Me.
This was omitted from the CD but can be found on the VHS and DVD. On the CD version of the MTV Unplugged concert, as Staley says "πΎπππ’, ππππβπ ππβ" at the end of the song, booing can be heard (presumably due to the performance concluding). Staley responded to the heckler by shouting, "π·ππ’, ππππ π’ππ, πππ!" which was greeted by laughter from the audience.
Cantrell has stated that the band was considering playing the songs Love, Hate, Love and We Die Young for the set, but ultimately chose not to, chiefly as a result of limited time. Moreover, a few songs such as Got Me Wrong and Sludge Factory had to be replayed numerous times due to error.
Accordingly, the taping took approximately three hours to finish.
The songs Angry Chair, Frogs, and The Killer Is Me were cut from the original MTV broadcast but are included on both the CD and home video releases.
Cantrell said that one of his favorite things from the concert was when Staley said at the end of the show, "πΈ π πππ πΈ πππππ πππ π’ππ πππ, πππ πΈβπ πππ πππππ".
Critical Reception:
Unplugged debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200. The album has received platinum certification by the RIAA and the home video release has received gold certification by the RIAA. A full length DVD of the concert was also later released on October 26, 1999.
The album initially received mixed reviews from critics. AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote in his review of the album:
"πΈπ πππππβπ πππππ πππ’πππππ ππππ πππ ππππππ πππβπ πππππππ’. πππ ππππππππ ππππππππππππ ππ πππ ππππππ πππππ πππππ ππππ πππππππππ, πππ πππ ππππ πππππ ππππ ππππππππ ππ πππππ ππππππππ π πππ, ππππ’ π ππππππ ππππ ππππππ’."
Sandy Masuo of Rolling Stone wrote in her review;
"πππππππππ πππππππππ’ πππππππππ πππ πππππππππ πππππ πππ πππππππππ ππππ πππ ππ π°ππππ πΈπ π²πππππ. π±ππ ππ πππππ πππππππππππ’ ππ ππππ π ππ’π ππππ πππ. πππ ππππππππππππ πππππππππ ππ π°ππππ πΈπ π²πππππ' πππππ ππ πππππ ππππ πππππ π πππ πππ ππππ πππππππ ππ ππ π·π·."
Despite this, the album eventually gained more recognition and praise after the death of vocalist Layne Staley, mainly due to his powerful performance despite his condition, and is now considered an iconic live album.
Alice Pattillo of Metal Hammer considers Alice in Chains' MTV Unplugged as the best live album ever made.
Notice: Any reviews shared here are for historical reference. The views and opinions expressed within are not always supported (in full or in part) by Into the Wells. β E.N. Wells
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