Cantrell wrote " Sunshine" about his mother's death. [18] Facelift was dedicated to her memory. [19] Killing Yourself", recorded during the Facelift sessions, was featured as the B-side to the 1990 "We Die Young" vinyl single. It has never been issued on CD. Regarding the lyrical content, Cantrell said he wrote " We Die Young" after "riding the bus to rehearsal and [seeing] all these 9, 10, 11 year old kids with beepers dealing drugs. The sight of a 10 year old kid with a beeper and a cell phone dealing drugs equaled "We Die Young" to me." [14] In a recorded interview with MuchMusic USA, vocalist Layne Staley stated that the lyrics for "Man in the Box" are about censorship in the mass media, and "I was really stoned when I wrote it." [17] British album certifications – Alice in Chains – Facelift". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved November 12, 2022. Matrix / Runout (Side B, variant 1 - etched, 'MPO 20180002' stamped): 20-0479/19439783861-B CB MPO 20180002

Dirt is one of the most well-known Alice In Chains albums, and with good reason. This record was an important part of their career, as it’s the first release featuring guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell full-time. Facelift was released on August 28, 1990, peaking at number 42 in the summer of 1991 on the Billboard 200 chart. [27] It was the first album from the grunge movement to reach the top 50 in America on the Billboard 200, and the first to be certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on September 11, 1991, [6] [7] followed by Nirvana's Nevermind on November 27, 1991. [28] ALICE IN CHAINS regrouped in 2006 with William DuVall joining the band, and released its third LP with DuVall in the lineup, "Rainier Fog", in August 2018. Offiziellecharts.de – Alice In Chains – Facelift" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 25, 2021. In an interview with Video Metal Sheet in 1991, Jerry Cantrell said that the original idea for the album cover was "an embryonic-type thing" representing the birth of the band. But it ended up taking more of a scary overtone and fitting quite well with the music. [21]

Barcode and Other Identifiers

Cantrell also credited "I Can't Remember" for helping the band find its sound. [14] "It Ain't Like That" came out of a riff that Cantrell cited as a mistake, however he called it "a cool mistake." [14] American album certifications – Alice in Chains – Facelift". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved August 8, 2022. While its original release was on August 21st, 1990, via Columbia Records/Sony Music Entertainment Inc., the vinyl reissue was released on May 26th, 2018. The vinyl itself is gorgeous–it comes as a translucent red vinyl housed in a gatefold sleeve with printed inner sleeves featuring lyrics and credits. The album was released in 1992—a time when grunge was still going strong but had already started to shift from its early days of pure aggression towards something more melodic and less abrasive. The 30th-anniversary deluxe box set of ALICE IN CHAINS' debut album, "Facelift", will be made available on January 29, 2021.

Facelift (liner notes). Alice in Chains. Columbia. 1990. {{ cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) ( link)

Reviews

That said, Sap is not as well-known as Dirt or even some of their other albums—but it’s still one of the most unique records they ever made. Great box set here with a few minor quibbles: The clear plastic on the cover is quite flimsy. It's super thin, so you'll want to handle the box top (lid) with care. Speaking of, would it have killed them to make the lid cover the entire box? As is, it just seems awkward that the box rests on it when it's on it's side, but on the plus side, the lid is easier to get off otherwise. Also, the prints of the guys are on some of the cheapest paper ever. For the price, I would have expected they would've been printed on something more high quality. These look like someone ran them off their office printer. Cheap cheap cheap. And finally, the colored overlays are cool I guess, but after seeing them, they serve no purpose whatsoever. They could've cut the price (or printed the band member photos on better paper!) by just having one transparency instead or some other design. Annnnd...finally...would it have killed them to actually print the lyrics in some font in addition to the artsy-fartsy one that's actually readable in the book? The book is great and all, but it's content is spread out so much that it's like they were desperately trying to pad it out to make a decent sized book. On top of its iconic sound, Dirt has also gone quintuple platinum since its release in 1992—a testament to its staying power over time, both commercially and critically.

Facelift was not an instant success, selling under 40,000 copies in the first six months of release, until MTV added "Man in the Box" to regular daytime rotation. [29] Cantrell called "Love, Hate, Love" the "masterpiece of that record," adding about the song that Staley's vocals are "amazing" and that it features one of his favorite guitar solos he ever performed. [14] There are also moments where everything slows down into calmer territory; these usually come after intense verses or choruses full of shouting lyrics about death or addiction—which makes sense given the context behind them being written during Layne Staley’s struggle with drug addiction. Vinili – Classifica settimanale WK 3 (dal 15.01.2021 al 21.01.2021)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana . Retrieved January 22, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20130618050306/http://www.kerrang.com/wheretostartwith/artists/alice_in_chains linkMatrix / Runout (Side A, variant 3 - etched, 'MPO® 20 179211' stamped): 20-0479 / 19439783861-A CB MPO® 20 179211 Facelift is another iconic album from Alice in Chains that you should consider purchasing or hunting for on vinyl. Facelift was the album that introduced Alice In Chains to the world and contains their first hit single, “Man in the Box.” Nirvana (Nevermind) - Recording Industry Association of America". RIAA. Archived from the original on October 30, 2016 . Retrieved December 6, 2017.

When the band released Sap in 1993, they were already considered one of the most influential grunge bands. They had established themselves as the kings of the Seattle sound with their previous two albums, Facelift and Dirt. But when it came time to make Sap, they wanted to do something different—and they succeeded in making an album that was unlike anything else at the time. How To Find Vinyl Records This record features songs that show each member’s individual talent, including Layne Staley’s vocal range, which made him one of the most iconic singers of all time. Dirt by Alice in Chains is on vinyl, and it’s mass-produced. You can find a Dirt vinyl in most stores that sell records brand new, or even online, without breaking the bank.

The album opens up with “Rotten Apple” and flows into “Nutshell,” which really sets the tone for what’s to come: slow but powerful guitar riffs driven by Jerry Cantrell’s deep voice and some catchy drum beats by Sean Kinney bring together some pretty heavy moments throughout this song (and others).