Maps of Music

Facelift (1990)

Where the lyrics of Facelift take you, and where it was really made.

The cover photo was chosen from a shoot in a swimming pool, where the band swam under plastic so that their faces were distorted.

Key places

London Bridge Studio, Seattle (1990)

Recording site London Bridge — Facelift was recorded at London Bridge Studio in Seattle between December 1989 and April 1990, as the band's debut album sessions. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Capitol Studios, Hollywood (1990)

Recording site Capitol Studios — Facelift was also recorded at Capitol Studios in Hollywood during the same December 1989 to April 1990 sessions. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Pool shoot for the album cover (1990)

Album cover The Enterprise (Burbank) — The first day of the cover shoot took place at the swimming pool of the Oakwood Apartments in Burbank, California, where the band swam under plastic. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Facelift: debut studio album by the American rock band Alice in Chains
• Released by Columbia Records on August 21, 1990
• Singles: "We Die Young" and "Man in the Box"
• "Man in the Box" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance with Vocal in 1992
• Lineup on the album: Layne Staley (vocals), Jerry Cantrell (guitar), Mike Starr (bass), Sean Kinney (drums)
• Producer and engineer: Dave Jerden
• Dedicated to Cantrell's mother, who died

Background

• Local promoter Randy Hauser offered to pay for demo recordings after seeing the band at a concert
• The day before the band was due to record at the Music Bank studio in Washington, police shut the studio down during a large marijuana raid
• The final demo, The Treehouse Tapes, reached managers Kelly Curtis and Susan Silver, who also managed Soundgarden
• Columbia's A&R representative Nick Terzo set up a meeting with label president Don Ienner
• Ienner signed Alice in Chains to Columbia in 1989
• The band's first official recording for the label was the promotional EP We Die Young, released in July 1990
• After the EP's success, the label rushed the debut album into production with Dave Jerden

Recording

• Recorded at London Bridge Studio in Seattle and at Capitol Studios in Hollywood from December 1989 to April 1990
• Drummer Sean Kinney claims to have played on the album with a broken hand
• Cantrell said the album was meant to have a "moody aura" tied to the atmosphere of Seattle

Cover

• The first photo shoot took place on May 2, 1990, at the swimming pool of the Oakwood Apartments in Burbank, California
• The pool was covered with thin plastic so the band looked as if they were emerging from an eyeball
• A photo of bassist Mike Starr was chosen as the album cover
• After seeing the photo, the band decided to name the album Facelift

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

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

• Steve Huey of AllMusic called Facelift "one of the most important records" in building an audience for grunge and alternative rock among hard rock and heavy metal fans
• The album was not an instant success and sold under 40,000 copies in its first six months
• Sales rose after MTV added "Man in the Box" to regular daytime rotation
• Facelift sold 400,000 copies in the United States in six weeks
• The album peaked at No. 42 on the Billboard 200 in the summer of 1991

Reappraisal

• In June 2017, Ozzy Osbourne listed Facelift among his "10 Favorite Metal Albums"
• Kim Thayil of Soundgarden also picked Facelift as one of his favorite grunge albums
• In April 2019, Rolling Stone ranked the album No. 14 on its "50 Greatest Grunge Albums" list
• In 2020, Paste named Facelift the 13th best album of 1990

Records

• The album was certified gold by the RIAA on September 11, 1991, the first grunge album to receive that certification
• It has been certified triple-platinum by the RIAA for shipments of three million copies in the United States
• Facelift was the first grunge album to reach the top 50 of the Billboard 200
• "Man in the Box" was nominated for Best Hard Rock Performance with Vocal at the 1992 Grammy Awards, losing to Van Halen
• The music video for "Man in the Box" was nominated for Best Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Video at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards
• The album won Best Debut Album at the 1991 Foundations Forum

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• "Killing Yourself" is the B-side of the 1990 "We Die Young" vinyl single.
• Staley's "Sexual chocolate, baby!" scream at the end of "Real Thing" referenced the Eddie Murphy film Coming to America.
• Dave Jerden got the idea for the voice box on "Man in the Box" while driving to the studio when Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer" played on the radio.
• Cantrell wrote "Sunshine" about his mother's death, and the album was dedicated to her memory.
• The original cover concept was to superimpose all four members' faces into one expression, an idea that appeared years later on the Music Bank box set.
• Drummer Sean Kinney claims to have recorded the album with a broken hand.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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