Thoughts on the new Alice In Chains?
Edved82
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I've been checking out some videos on Youtube of AIC with William Duvall on vocals - he's a good singer, but for me it just isnt Alice without Layne Staley at all. Layne always brought such a dark quality to the band, with Duvall its just him singing the songs whereas with Layne you could see he was in pain, and it really came from the heart.
I really dont like the way Jerry, Mike and Sean are touring again with this guy - its wrong, and an insult to the greatest rock vocalist of his generation. I suppose its nice to see the songs being brought to a new generation of listeners, but if they decide to record a new album under the Alice name with Duvall on vocals, I'll be very upset and angry.
Anyone else have any thoughts on it?
I really dont like the way Jerry, Mike and Sean are touring again with this guy - its wrong, and an insult to the greatest rock vocalist of his generation. I suppose its nice to see the songs being brought to a new generation of listeners, but if they decide to record a new album under the Alice name with Duvall on vocals, I'll be very upset and angry.
Anyone else have any thoughts on it?
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Think about it, does anyone doubt the credibility of Brian Johnson in AC/DC just because he replaced Bon Scott? Hell, Back in Black (Johnson's first album with the band) went on to become the second biggest selling album of all time - proving that a lot of people can move on. The whole Alice In Chains reunion is about celebrating the music, and bringing it back to a new generation of fans, and there is no other way of doing that than to get a new singer to sing those songs, and quite honestly, I can't think of another singer out there that could do a better job than DuVall.
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Fair point, but for me, along with a lot of people, Layne Staley was Alice In Chains. If they do a new album under a new name, great, but not under the Alice name. I just dont like seeing someone else singing those songs - its like Pearl Jam without Eddie to me. Just not right, it shouldnt be done.
Good, he doesn't deserve to be in AIC.
The One and Only
But if you feel it will ruin something for you seeing them then don't.
This is from the tour diary of one of AiC crew Baldy(http://www.aliceinchains.com/baldy/default.aspx)
"Layne
Now that things have wrapped up on the first leg of this tour, I want to say a few things about Layne Staley.
This has been a remarkable and emotional few months, starting with rehearsals back in February and continuing on with the shows in the States and this tour of Europe. It’s been a long road back for Mike, Jerry, and Sean, and there’s no road map or set of rules for how to proceed when you’re dealt the blow that they were.
This band became a multi-million seller and a seminal act of their generation because of each member’s talents and contributions to the group, and trying to go forward without one member is difficult to say the very least.
I think with the passing of time though, the guys felt that getting back together and playing these songs again wouldn’t be a disservice to Layne, but rather a way of honoring his memory. Layne was an amazingly talented artist and performer, and I know the guys feel that a big part of going out and playing these songs again is in tribute to him.
There have been countless numbers of goose bump moments over the last two months, and that’s due in large part to the indelible mark that Layne left on these songs. To look out in the crowd and see the fans, with their eyes closed and their heads thrown back, singing along with the same emotion that Layne poured into these songs in the first place is really moving.
I miss Layne every single day, and hearing these songs performed again is hard sometimes, but at the end of the day, seeing Mike Jerry and Sean get back out there and play again far outweighs the sadness, and if it didn’t, none of us would be here.
Layne left an incredible legacy of music and art and lyrics, and those things will be with us for as long as we’re all around. More importantly to those of us who were lucky enough to have known him, he was a great friend, an incredibly smart and funny guy, and just a really good person.
Being able to witness the response of the fans out there and seeing what Alice in Chains music continues to mean to so many people around the world has been a really rewarding experience, and to me at least it helps keep Layne alive, and that can’t be a bad thing..."
Damn man that is kind of rough. some folks act as if they own the band.
William is Jerry's good friend. they enjoy playing together and i'm sure all the guys in AIC enjoy playing the old songs.
Let them make a little cash and have fun.
i've persoanlly saw william with jerry years back 3 times when jerry was touring solo and they would always sprinkle in quite a few AIC songs. Generally the ones jerry wrote and jerry sings a lot on, but i thought they sounded fine. Yeah not the same as Layne, but the guy is dead.
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Thats a really nice post. I find it so sad that someone of Layne Staley's talents was lost in such a tragic and pointless way. The greatest rock vocalist ever. RIP
- Mitch Hedberg
Well to put it bluntly, and as it says in the above Baldy statement, you are wrong. Layne Staley was not Alice in chains all by himself - take a look at Dirt and see how many songs Cantrell wrote. True, Layne was a remarkable talent, but without the band writing that music for him, he would not have had a platform to show his talents. With Jerry sharing a fair amount of the vocal duties too, I don't think it's necessarily comparable to Pearl Jam performing without Eddie.
I know how hard it is to move on when someone dies, it hurts like hell, and it's a shame that you aren't in the same place as the band, the majority of fans, Layne's family etc in accepting what this tour has all been about. Too bad.
go to a show and you will be, too.
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I think this says pretty well how I feel.
I think this is a pretty ridiculous comment, even though I'm assuming you were mostly joking. Nirvana was Kurt Cobain, he wrote the music, the lyrics, and he sang, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden were also much more focused on one guy, none of them could even consider continuing without their lead singer.
Alice is a different situation. Jerry Cantrell wrote 50% of the lyrics, 85% of the music, and I'd give him 25% credit for the vocals too.(all estimates)
I look at it like this - Jerry and Mike and Sean knew Layne a hell of a lot better than any of us, so whatever they think on this situation has more credibility than what anyone else thinks. The fact that they think this is ok makes me believe it. They deserve to have the ability to decide what to do with their careers and lives.
Plus, they aren't making a new album as Alice in Chains, they are just playing some cool tunes, making a little money, and giving their fans a chance to remember Layne Staley. Getting a bunch of Alice in chains fans together in one place for the first time since 96 is invariably going to turn into a Layne tribute of some kind
From what I've heard of Duvall, I think he's great, I think people keep waiting for some groundbreaking singer to come in and take Layne's place, but Layne was a rare, rare talent, so Duvall is about as good as they are going to get, and he's pretty damn good.
I saw AIC when they played with DuVall in Denmark. I must admit, at first I didn't like the thought of it and actually decided not to go, because I saw it as some kind of blasphemy. My boyfriend, a long time AIC fan, refused to go as well. But then a friend of mine kind of talked me into going anyway. I heard a few mp3's of DuVall singing with AIC and it sounded ok to me. So I changed my mind and decided to go hunting for tickets (which were sold out by then). After all, I was thinking this might be my last and only chance to experience anything that gets close to being an AIC concert. Managed to get tickets and went to the concert on the day of my final exam (what an awesome way to celebrate finally getting my bachelor's degree!!).
I got a nice spot front row right side (right in front of Jerry). As soon as they hit the first note, I knew it was gonna be something special. I had Jerry standing right there in front of me playing all those beautiful melancholic guitar riffs that I've loved for so many years. Sure, DuVall is very different from Layne, but since I've never really seen any AIC concert footage, I didn't really have anything to compare with, and I think that was probably a good thing. DuVall really gave everything, and he sang the songs beautifully and with great respect for Layne. I personally would be scared to death if I had to do his job. That man's got balls! I realy admired his ability to keep the perfect balance between rocking out and keeping a good contact with the audience and still have great respect for the material and Layne. His voice also fit perfectly togehter with Jerry's. I almost started crying when they played Nutshell....
All in all this was an experience I wouldn't have missed for anything in the world, and I feel sorry for all of you guys who didn't go.
- Mitch Hedberg
whats the best way to keep his memory alive?
Let the awesome songs he and jerry wrote get buried ?
- Mitch Hedberg
if you think they can't go on without Staley, listen to the 3 legged dog album (their last). Cantrell does 75% of the singing on that album anyway, and he writes most of the lyrics and the music. AIC was Jerry Cantrell, not Layne Staley.
if would be great if Staley were still around, and he was a great singer. but at the end of the day, he did it to himself.
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i just need to say
Well, I have, but then again my comment was far from the most negative in this thread
This is disgusting. What happened to Layne is awful, however he was not Alice In Chains, neither was Jerry, AIC were a GROUP. Jerry wrote most of their material, so in what way does he not deserve to play the music he, for the most part, created? In what way is it not a fitting tribute to his dead friend by bringing the music he created with him to people? I am sick of this kind of talk. If anything, the way in which you are talking is wrong, and an insult to Layne.
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And who the fuck are you to make a comment like that?
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- Mitch Hedberg
Yea dude, I do think your ridiculous. Your looking at this with your own feelings, emotions and hangups , and expecting 3 guys to cater to what you feel about the situation, because you have memories of Layne Staley.
Your like one of these people who thinks he should be able to tell an athlete when to retire, or gets upset when someone leaves college early for the NBA.
It is their lives, and they have the right to earn some money with the music and band that they created.
I'll say it again, they knew Layne better than anyone, and I'm sure they are a lot more emotional about the situation and sensitive to Layne's memory than any of the fans have a right to be. So if they are ok with it, then you should be too if you were/are a real fan.
Actually they have spoke on occasion about doing that with Lanegan doing the vocals.
I see you live in charlotte. I used to live there about 3 years ago did you see Jerry play (with William) on his degradation trip tour at the free concert downtown? Or about 4 years ago when he played at the tremount and closed the show with Rain when i die?
both shows were awesome and william was there doing the AIC songs. give em a chance man it sounds good.
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- Mitch Hedberg
- Mitch Hedberg
I wasn't trying to attack anyone and my post wasn't directed at any person in particular. Just glad to hear that you seemed to enjoy the "new" AiC as much as I did. And you are so right about it being better that they tour with DuVall than not touring at all.
I'm finding it hard to understand your point, OF COURSE AiC touring with a new singer is a tribute!!!!
Jerry and co don't need to make any more money, they sold shit loads in the early-mid 90's. This is about celebrating the music and bringing it to a new audience, nothing more, nothing less.
when a band lost one their members especially their vocalist , stop playing as a band it´s the right desicion....... many bands had done that..
led zeppelin lost jason bonham- they stopped
nirvana lost kurt cobain- they stoped
joy division lost ian curtis- they stoped
Cantrell can do what dave grhol or joy division members did, formed a new band with a new name.....