unofficial import on black vinyl - Alice in Chains’ MTV Unplugged is an essential grunge album and a career-high point for the band. Before Unplugged, Alice in Chains had indeed been offstage for about two and a half years. The recording of their previous album—Alice in Chains, released in November 1995—was painful and prolonged. Due to his heroin addiction, Staley would frequently miss sessions, and the band, who had drifted apart, wrote much of the material in the studio, stretching the recording time to four months. (This would be the group’s last studio release to feature Staley; in a 2018 interview, Cantrell called it “the sound of a band falling apart”.) They did not tour in support of the album.
MTV had been after Alice in Chains to do an Unplugged taping for some time, and they finally agreed, rehearsing first in Seattle and then New York. Combining the long break with the band’s numerous personal obstacles during the actual show was a major risk, and the night could’ve easily gone south. By all accounts, Staley was high but just high enough so that he wasn’t actively in withdrawal and could function in public. Songwriter and guitarist Jerry Cantrell had eaten a bad hot dog and was barely staving off the effects of food poisoning (if you’re watching the show, you can spot a trash can next to him). Mike Inez was trolling the newly shorn members of Metallica, who were sitting right up front, with a message scrawled on the front of his bass: “FRIENDS DON’T LET FRIENDS GET FRIENDS HAIRCUTS…”. Studio execs would be forgiven for being more than a little concerned.
Starting with the first song, though, Alice in Chains don’t merely squeak out a show. They blow everyone’s expectations out of the water. The intimate venue shines a light on the reunited group’s dynamic, camaraderie, and sense of humor. The stripped-down format allows the songwriting and musicianship to take center stage, as it did on their largely acoustic EPs Sap, from 1992, and Jar of Flies. Unplugged is a natural fit. Staley and the band—Cantrell, Inez, and Kinney, plus Scott Olson, the rhythm guitarist for the evening—deliver one stellar song after another. The audience rewards them with cheers, whistles, and applause. Staley cracks jokes. If you didn’t know any better, you would think nothing was wrong.
| A1 | Nutshell |
| A2 | Brother |
| A3 | No Excuses |
| A4 | Sludge Factory |
| B1 | Down In A Hole |
| B2 | Angry Chair |
| B3 | Rooster |
| C1 | Got Me Wrong |
| C2 | Heaven Beside You |
| C3 | Would |
| D1 | Frogs |
| D2 | Over Now |
| D3 | Killer Is Me |
