| Alice in Chains- 'Dirt' |
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| Album Cover |
| Track Listing: |
| 1. Them Bones 2. Dam that River 3. Rain When I Die 4. Down in a Hole 5. Sickman 6. Rooster 7. Junkhead 8. Dirt 9. God Smack 10. (Untitled) 11. Hate to Feel 12. Angry Chair 13. Would? |
| Album Info: |
| Release Date: 1992 Length: 57 m 35 sec. Genre: Hard Rock/Alternative Band Members: Layne Staley (vocals, guitar) Jerry Cantrell (guitar, backing vocals) Mike Starr (bass guitar) Sean Kinney (drums) |
| My Review: *Scott Millman was the first to offer CD reviews on his page, go to my links section to go there. |
| This CD is considered by most to be Alice in Chains' best because it contins the band's biggest hits and came out at a time when the Seattle grunge rock scene was making headlines. 'Dirt' is not necessarily my favorite Alice in Chains CD but for people who are just wanting to get a good sample of the band's music, this would be the CD to buy. 'Dirt', the band's second full length studio album, starts off with the loud and heavy "Them Bones" which sets the tone for the album- dark, heavy, and bleak. Jerry Cantrell carries the band through the 13 songs with heavy, distorted chords that accompany Layne Staley's raspy and tortured voice perfectly. Staley commands the most attention on the album because of the subject of many of the songs (heroin) and his own drug problems. Heroin seems to be Staley's favorite subject in song writing and causes many of the band's songs to be very bleak. Cantrell is a talented songwriter as well, penning most of the band's big hits- "Rooster", "Would?", and "Man in the Box". Unlike other Seattle bands of the time (Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden), Alice in Chains seems to preferr a slow, often times sludgey and dark pace with their songs, avoiding long guitar solos and poppy choruses. They seem to combine the heavy aspect of some of Nirvana and Soundgarden's work with the pop appeal of Pearl Jam. They fall somewhere in between and 'Dirt' is the perfect album to highlight their very original sound. I would recommend 'Dirt' to anyone who is a fan of Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Godsmack, and the dark and substance-filled early 90s rock sound. If you're not looking to buy just yet, download "Rooster", "God Smack", "Angry Chair", and "Would" to get the best of 'Dirt'. If you like these songs then buy the CD or consider buying either the new 'Greatest Hits' CD or the box set 'Music Bank'. ***** 5 Stars (5 possible) Highly Recommended |