Search - Alice in Chains :: Unplugged

One of the finest Unplugged Albums! [A highlight of the 90's

Sunshine the Werewolf | Canada | 04/12/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"ALICE IN CHAINS - Unplugged

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Emotion is something that is difficult to fake, (Even though 90% of the music industry attempts too...) but this CD was full of it. Everything about this album is so real, so sincere... From the beginning of Nutshell you know you are in for a treat... Cantrell's masterful guitar work, with the subtle yet still effective rhythm section of Mike Starr (bass) and Sean Kinney (drums), and then the crooning of the late Layne Staley....



This CD, to this day, still gives me chills when I listen to it... Everything about this CD is amazing... It was played with precision and beauty.



I have to say this CD is as good, if not better than Nirvana's Unplugged album and is up there with Clapton's Unplugged for the best Unplugged Album of the 90's.



If you have never heard this, I highly recommended. Or if you're like me and you've put it down for a few years put it in your CD Player, Now!, and remember this timeless classic...



Favorite Songs: Brother, Nutshell, Over Now, Would?, and Heaven Beside You,

-4.75 Stars



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Top 5 Unplugged

Luis C. Diaz | Mason, Ohio | 01/25/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Alice in Chains music is a dark but emotional experience and this unplugged setting instead of downplaying the music brings it to a new level. In fact this is one of the best unplugged albums from the 90's in terms of performance. Hard rock bands have a tendency to sound cheessy in an unplugged settings as the songs structure is most sensitive to the acustic instruments and bad songs sound even worst without the electric setting. In this case AIC's songs come through as powerful and hypnotic showing the excelent quality that they have. In a way, the overall feeling is that of deep delta blues band in an intimate concert. Every band members contributes to this recording with a flawless performance and the songs arregements are inventive and interesting."

Amazing Band, Amazing Performance

Justin Gaines | Northern Virginia | 04/04/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Unplugged acoustic series is one of the best concepts to emerge from MTV in recent years, and Alice in Chains' performance ranks among the best of the MTV Unplugged series.



Alice in Chains was one of the heaviest bands to emerge from the Seattle grunge scene in the early 1990's, and listening to albums like Dirt and especially Facelift it's hard to imagine the band in an acoustic setting, stripped of all of the pummeling heaviness of those two albums. But when you consider the more melodic direction the band took with their Sap and Jar of Flies EPs, you knew the idea had potential.



To sum up the band's Unplugged performance in one word - powerful. As much as I love the Alice in Chains studio albums, once you strip the songs down to the acoustic level it exposes just how good these songs really are, and showcases the incredible songwriting talents of Jerry Cantrell. Layne Staley's emotional vocals are another key element of this album's power. The late vocalist had the ability to channel so much of his self-destructive energy into his performances, and this is no exception. No matter what your opinions on addiction, it's hard not to be moved by Staley's singing, particularly on songs like "Down in a Hole" and "Would". Ultimately, I think this MTV Unplugged album is the best of what Alice in Chains had to offer. With few exceptions, I prefer the acoustic songs on this album to their studio counterparts. They just seem to resonate more in the acoustic setting.



In the end, Alice in Chains Unplugged serves as the band's crowning achievement as well as a testament to wasted potential and what might have been. All Alice in Chains fans should own this album, as should anyone who's into alternative rock, grunge, or hard rock in general.

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