Alice in Chains (album)

Alice in Chains
Studio album by
Alice in Chains
ReleasedNovember 7, 1995 (1995-11-07)[1]
RecordedApril–August 1995
StudioBad Animals, Seattle, Washington
Genre
Length64:47
LabelColumbia
Producer
Alice in Chains chronology
Jar of Flies
(1994) 		Alice in Chains
(1995) 		Unplugged
(1996)
Singles from Alice in Chains
  1. "Grind"
    Released: October 6, 1995
  2. "Heaven Beside You"
    Released: January 1996
  3. "Again"
    Released: February 1996

Alice in Chains (occasionally informally referred to as Three-Legged Dog or Tripod) is the third studio album by American rock band Alice in Chains. It was released on November 7, 1995, by Columbia Records, and was the follow-up to the highly successful Dirt (1992). This is the band's first full-length studio album to feature bassist Mike Inez, their last studio album to feature original lead vocalist Layne Staley, and their final studio album to be released through Columbia.

For a year and a half, Alice in Chains had not played any live shows, citing Staley's health issues. In the meantime, Staley joined the supergroup Mad Season recorded the album Above (1995), leaving the future of Alice in Chains in question. In addition, Staley's growing heroin addiction led to growing rumors of his death. Shortly after the release of Above, Alice in Chains set out to create their third album, with the intention of putting an end to the gossip surrounding the band. Recorded at Seattle's Bad Animals Studio, the album's songs focus on heavy emotional content and subject matter such as drug addiction, depression, religion, broken relationships, and the internal tensions within the band fueled by Staley's substance abuse. The album's music relies less on metallic riffs and more on melody and texturally varied arrangements, integrating some of the more delicate acoustic moods of their EPs.[4]

Although it was released in the twilight of the grunge era, Alice in Chains debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart with first week sales of 189,000 copies,[5] and stayed on the chart for 46 weeks.[6] The tracks "Grind", "Heaven Beside You" and "Again" were released as singles. "Grind" and "Again" were nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance. The album was certified double platinum by the RIAA and has sold over three million copies worldwide.[7] The album was the band's last for almost 14 years; Staley died from a drug overdose in 2002, and the band emerged with Black Gives Way to Blue in 2009 with new vocalist William DuVall.

  1. ^ "Alice In Chains Timeline". SonyMusic.com. Archived from the original on October 7, 1999. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  2. ^ Verna, Paul (November 18, 1995). "Reviews & Previews: Albums. Alice in Chains - Alice in Chains". Billboard. 46 (107): 99. ISSN 0006-2510.
  3. ^ Prato, Greg. "Layne Staley Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference allmusic was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. August 17, 1996.
  6. ^ "Alice In Chains Chart History – Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
  7. ^ Cornell, Jeff (November 7, 2019). "24 Years Ago: Alice in Chains Release Their Self-Titled Album". Loudwire.