Album · Compilation · 20 years old this year
The Essential Alice in Chains
The Essential Alice in Chains is a two-disc compilation from the Seattle band, released by Columbia on 5 September 2006 as part of Sony BMG's Essential series. It was first pencilled in for March 2004, but the release was held back more than two years. A 2010 reissue arrived with different artwork.
For anyone coming to the band through their studio run, from Facelift in 1990 through Dirt in 1992 to the self-titled album of 1995, this gives a broad overview of their grunge-meets-heavy-metal sound in one package. The set also came with a bonus DVD featuring The Nona Tapes, a mockumentary, which adds a lighter extra for fans who want more than the music.
The Essential Alice in Chains: tracklist and credits
28 tracks · 2:09:30Tracklist
- Disc 1
- 1We Die YoungJerry Cantrell2:32
- 2Man in the BoxJerry Cantrell and Layne Staley4:46
- 3Sea of SorrowJerry Cantrell5:50
- 4Love, Hate, LoveJerry Cantrell and Layne Staley6:28
- 5Am I InsideJerry Cantrell and Layne Staley5:08
- 6BrotherJerry Cantrell4:28
- 7Got Me WrongJerry Cantrell4:09
- 8Right TurnJerry Cantrell3:14
- 9Rain When I DieCantrell, Kinney, Staley, Starr6:02
- 10Them BonesJerry Cantrell2:29
- 11Angry ChairLayne Staley4:48
- 12Dam That RiverJerry Cantrell3:09
- 13DirtJerry Cantrell and Layne Staley5:16
- 14God SmackJerry Cantrell and Layne Staley3:50
- 15Hate to FeelLayne Staley5:16
- 16RoosterJerry Cantrell and Danny Elfman6:16
- Disc 2
- 1No ExcusesJerry Cantrell4:15
- 2I Stay AwayCantrell, Inez, Staley4:14
- 3What the Hell Have I (remix)Jerry Cantrell3:54
- 4A Little Bitter (remix)Cantrell, Inez, Kinney, Staley3:48
- 5GrindJerry Cantrell4:46
- 6Heaven Beside YouJerry Cantrell and Mike Inez5:29
- 7AgainJerry Cantrell and Layne Staley4:05
- 8Over Now (unplugged)Jerry Cantrell and Sean Kinney5:56
- 9Nutshell (unplugged)Cantrell, Inez, Kinney, Staley4:32
- 10Get Born AgainJerry Cantrell and Layne Staley5:24
- 11DiedJerry Cantrell and Layne Staley5:57
- 12Would?Jerry Cantrell3:27
- Produced by
- Dave Jerden, Alice in Chains, Rick Parashar, Alice in Chains, Rick Parashar, Dave Jerden, Tony Wilson, Toby Wright, Alex Coletti, Alice in Chains and various producers
- Recorded at
- Capitol Studios, London Bridge Studios, Bad Animals Studio
- Recorded
- 1989–1998
- Mixed by
- Dave Jerden, Rick Parashar, Toby Wright, Andy Wallace
- Mixed at
- Soundcastle, Electric Lady Studios
- Engineered by
- Ron Champagne, Dave Jerden, Rick Parashar, Bryan Carlstrom, Mike Walter, Toby Wright, Tom Nellen, John Harris, Scott Olson
- Label
- Columbia
- Length
- 2:09:30
Line-up
- Jerry Cantrell · electric guitar, background vocals, guitar, vocals, lead vocals
- Sean Kinney · percussion, drums (drum set), background vocals
- Mike Starr · electric bass guitar, background vocals, bass, bass guitar
- Kevin Shuss · background vocals · guest
- Layne Staley · lead vocals, guitar, background vocals
- Ann Wilson · background vocals · guest
- Alice Mudgarden · guest
- Mark Arm · guest
- Chris Cornell · guest
- Mike Inez · bass · guest
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| United States · 2022 | Gold |
From MusicBrainz, Wikidata and Wikipedia. Only what the sources record is shown.
30.9
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
5
ListenBrainz listeners
25k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
14k
Deezer fans (all editions)
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A Momentary Lapse of Reason
Pink Floyd · 1987
Dirt
Alice in Chains · 1992
Black Ice
AC/DC · 2008
Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains · 1995
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AC/DC · 2020
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p·u·l·s·e
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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz + wikidata
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 5 September 2006 | ignored lone early release dated 2006-07-24 |
| Wikipedia infobox | 5 September 2006 | |
| Wikidata | 5 September 2006 | |
| US release | 5 September 2006 | earliest US date |
3 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 July 2006 | — | Columbia | 884977840698 | original |
| 5 September 2006 | US | Columbia | 827969209028 | other |
| 2010 | XE | — | 886978298225 | other |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · native: native 1500x1500
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 1500×1500 | native: native 1500x1500 |
| itunes | 1418×1418 | upscaled |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |