Maps of Music

Alice in Chains (1995)

Where the lyrics of Alice in Chains take you, and where it was really made.

Kinney proposed the title Tripod, but the band chose a plain self-title, and fans called the album Tripod anyway.

Key places

Where the album was recorded (1995)

Recording site Bad Animals Studio — The album was recorded here from April to August 1995 with producer Toby Wright. The band chose the studio for its size and closeness to Staley's home. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Cover photo shoot near downtown Los Angeles (1995)

Album cover Motown Recording Studios — Rocky Schenck photographed the three-legged dog for the cover on 23 August 1995 at a playground near downtown Los Angeles. The marker sits at city-center level, not at the exact playground. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Alice in Chains: third studio album by the American rock band Alice in Chains
• Vinyl LP released 31 October 1995 on Columbia Records; other formats followed on 7 November
• Follow-up to Dirt (1992), the group's commercial breakthrough
• Final album featuring lead vocalist Layne Staley, who died in 2002
• First album with bassist Mike Inez, who replaced Mike Starr in 1993
• Also called Tripod, Dog Album, or Dog Record

Background

• Band had not played live for a year and a half due to Staley's heroin addiction
• During the hiatus Staley joined Mad Season and sang on its album Above (1995)
• Shortly after Above's release, work began on the third album, meant to end break-up speculation
• Staley's addiction kept the band from touring; they performed only at televised events and while opening for Kiss

Recording

• Recorded April to August 1995 at Bad Animals Studio in Seattle with producer Toby Wright
• Band wrote over 25 songs during the sessions; twelve were chosen for the 65-minute tracklist
• Tracks were sent to Electric Lady Studios in New York for mixing
• Columbia demanded Staley finish his vocals in nine days, under threat of halting production

Cover

• Concept by drummer Sean Kinney; front cover shows a three-legged dog
• Band photographer Rocky Schenck cast three-legged dogs, but the band chose a faxed image instead

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Disc 1

Disc 2

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Formed in Seattle in 1987; the original lineup was Jerry Cantrell, Sean Kinney, Layne Staley, and Mike Starr.
• The name came from Staley's earlier band, Alice N' Chains.
• Signed to Columbia Records in 1989 after The Treehouse Tapes demo.

Members

• Current lineup since 2006: Jerry Cantrell (vocals/guitar), William DuVall (vocals/guitar), Mike Inez (bass), Sean Kinney (drums).
• Original vocalist Layne Staley died in 2002; former bassist Mike Starr left in 1993 and died in 2011.

Career

• Rose to fame in the early 1990s grunge movement with Facelift (1990) and Dirt (1992).
• Jar of Flies (1994) and Alice in Chains (1995) both topped the US Billboard 200.
• Hiatus from 1996 due to Staley's substance abuse; reunited in 2005.
• Released Black Gives Way to Blue (2009), The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here (2013), and Rainier Fog (2018).
• Has sold over 30 million certified records in the US and received eleven Grammy nominations.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Rolling Stone (Jon Wiederhorn): noted strong influence from Jar of Flies, praised the lyrical honesty, and called the album a 'musical rebirth' for the band
• Billboard (Paul Verna): said the album returns to the band's well-known grunge sound and would be a hit with core fans, likening its acoustic arrangements to Jar of Flies and R.E.M.
• The New York Times (Jon Pareles): said the album distances itself from raw grunge distortion, sounding 'cleanly delineated and meticulously layered'
• AllMusic (Steve Huey): called it the band's best-produced record, though some parts were judged undercrafted and forgettable
• Kerrang! (Jason Arnopp): praised the first half but said the 'brave, non-conformist album' was not what fans hoped to hear
• Metal Hammer (Andy Stout): said the album is 'certainly guilty of being an indifferent one'
• Entertainment Weekly (Nisid Hajari): called it a 'sludgy stew of cookie-cutter riffs' but highlighted Head Creeps
• Los Angeles Times (Cheo H. Coker): described the album as formulaic and praised Heaven Beside You as a high point
• Spin (Gina Arnold): said the album fails to stand out from the band's previous work

Records

• Billboard 200: debuted at number one, moved 189,000 copies in its first week, stayed on the chart for 46 weeks
• RIAA: certified double platinum, signifying two million shipped copies
• Sold over three million copies worldwide
• Grammy nominations for 'Grind' and 'Again' in Best Hard Rock Performance
• 'Grind' peaked at number seven on Mainstream Rock Tracks; 'Heaven Beside You' peaked at number three

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · pt.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The band reportedly spent a long time choosing the cover, and the faxed three-legged dog image replaced the photographer's version.
• Columbia first disliked the mockumentary The Nona Tapes and considered it a waste of money.
• The Japanese distributor objected to the cover art, so the Japanese release used a blank white cover.
• Kinney suggested the title Tripod after the dog that chased him as a child; the others rejected it.
• Two remixes of 'Again' appear as bonus tracks on the Japanese edition.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · pt.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org

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