Alice In Chains New Studio Album

cottoncrwn

FartsMakeMeGiggle wrote:

I have ZERO problems with AIC putting out a new album. Jerry wrote just about all of their great songs, anyway, he just let Layne sing a lot of them.

Their songwriting (speaking of lyrics only) are about 50/50 with Layne writing just a few more than Jerry. Jerry "let" Layne sing on them? So Layne was ust some pick-up singer? Yeah, try letting Jerry sing some of his songs, and you would get his not-so-good solo records. Alice's great songs were not only the ones by Jerry. Jerry could not have written a God Smack or a Sludge Factory or a Nutshell. He's also said in past interviews that he would come up with instrumentals sometimes based on Layne's vocal melodies. So some of these great guitar parts everyone would give Jerry credit for was inspired by how Layne would sing. Layne deserves alot more credit in his creative input than people give him.

Redmosquito26000

As a colossal AIC fan, I'm ok with them doing it with the remaining members as JC wrote and sang a huge amount of the bands material...but I think it would be wrong to try to replace Layne with a new singer.
If they release a new album...i will buy it regardless, but my expectations will be low.

Redmosquito26000

And if one is to say that Layne Staley could not "make" a band. My best example is the Mad Season disc. Take Layne's vocals out of most of those songs and they end up being pretty mediocre. But thats just one man's opinion.

RIP Layne...you were a genius.

lalalalaaaaaaaa

Them-Bones wrote:

The band is gonna start working on an album after the holidays, I'm really excited to see how it sounds, and if it's any good, but New Album=Tour so even a shitty album won't be a bad situation.

And please if your just gonna post
"Layne was alice in chains"
Save it, I've heard it enough.

Cool, I hope they can put something together.

And I agree, Layne was not AIC. AIC was a very democratic band like Pearl Jam. He was a significant loss for sure, but not an irrecoverable one.

intodeep

Let's face it people some folks are for whatever reason not going to be cool with this but other bands have done it and it is not that big of a deal.

Take Black Sabbath. For me black sabbath ended when Ozzy left. I don't like anything after that. for some people AIC will be the same and that is cool.

Now there are people out there ( i personally think they are strange people ) who actually like the Dio era sabbath stuff a lot. good for them just not my cup of tea.

anyway that aside i'm really excited to hear the new stuff. Jerry's last album degradation trip was pretty rockin. He must have some bad ass riffs saved up from over the past 5 years or so that he has not put out orginal material.

Redmosquito26000

I love it

gibbits

I've said it before on this board and I'll say it again - the only people whom have a problem with this are the ones who haven't seen this band perform

pjl44

gibbits wrote:

I've said it before on this board and I'll say it again - the only people whom have a problem with this are the ones who haven't seen this band perform

Apparently all music debate should cease when a war is going on, but anyway...

I saw the new incarnation live and it just didn't work for me. DuVall was grinning and preening around the stage while singing someone else's intensely bleak and personal lyrics. Just didn't sit right.

Layne Staley was a frontman who transcended the band. In modern terms, I also couldn't accept Pearl Jam without Eddie or Tool without Maynard. Pink Floyd is a bad example because Syd was only on 1+ album. Not much into AC/DC, so I'll leave it to those fans to debate the merits of Brian Johnson. As for Sabbath...I'm an Ozzy guy all the way.

If I hear a decent song with DuVall, I guess I'll try to support it in a Dio-era Sabbath kinda way, but I don't have high hopes (based on the live show I witnessed). The guys can do whatever they want, but it's just not Alice In Chains to me.

Just one man's opinion...

FnCircus

pjl44 wrote:

Layne Staley was a frontman who transcended the band....

Forgive me, but I have a hard time swallowing this statement. Layne was great, his voice was awesome. But to say he took the band beyond limits they didn't even know they had, well, I am not sure.

This is my opinion, but Layne's struggles hindered the band. Imagine what they would be if Layne turned everything around and became sober? They would be bigger Rock Gods than they already are.

I watched a DVD the other day of a show (can't remember which one) where Layne was completely out of his mind. It was painful to watch.

William is not Layne, I will give everyone that. And AIC's first go around (06 shows) with Will was okay, not stellar (seemed Will was uncomfortable). I saw them in Sept at the Gorge, and they fucking rocked.

cause frankly, the music hasn't changed for me.

EDIT: oh, and Bon Scott was way better than Brian Johnson.

pjl44

F'n_Circus wrote:

Forgive me, but I have a hard time swallowing this statement. Layne was great, his voice was awesome. But to say he took the band beyond limits they didn't even know they had, well, I am not sure.

This is my opinion, but Layne's struggles hindered the band. Imagine what they would be if Layne turned everything around and became sober? They would be bigger Rock Gods than they already are.

I watched a DVD the other day of a show (can't remember which one) where Layne was completely out of his mind. It was painful to watch.

William is not Layne, I will give everyone that. And AIC's first go around (06 shows) with Will was okay, not stellar (seemed Will was uncomfortable). I saw them in Sept at the Gorge, and they fucking rocked.

cause frankly, the music hasn't changed for me.

EDIT: oh, and Bon Scott was way better than Brian Johnson.

Could they have been more prolific if Layne had cleaned up? Absolutely. But when I think of Alice In Chains, it's Layne's vocals and presence that immediately jump to mind. I feel comfortable saying that this is the case for a great number of fans.

I base my "transcendant" comment on this and also by comparing AIC with Layne and his work in Mad Season vs. Jerry's solo material, Jerry's solo live shows, and current AIC live shows.

JamnPearl

I saw AIC on tour last year and they put on one hell of a show. They couldn't find a better replacement for Layne than William Duvall.

inmytree1380

None of you have a clue about what you're fully talking about. First off, Jerry is Alice in Chains much like Eddie is Pearl Jam. However, as you can't have a Mick without Keith, a Pete without Roger, and John without Paul, you can't have a AIC without Layne. His voice says it all, even though Jerry wrote a vast majority of the songs.

However, those guys fucked Layne. Rolling Stone was going to interview them for a cover story and Layne told the rest of the band that all the magazine was going to do was call him a junkie and expose him for his habits and only his habits. In other words, they were going to focus more on his addictions other than their music. They ignored Layne and you know what happened, the article was on how much of a junkie Layne was. So Layne told them to fuck off and didn't play with them for three years...which is when the Unplugged happened. First song of the Unplugged set..."Nutshell," one of the only songs Layne wrote. What is the song about...

"We chase misprinted lies
We face the path of time
And yet I fight
And yet I fight
This battle all alone
No one to cry to
No place to call home

Oooh...Oooh...
Oooh...Oooh...

My gift of self is raped
My privacy is raked
And yet I find
And yet I find
Repeating in my head
If I can't be my own
I'd feel better dead

Oooh...Oooh...
Oooh...Oooh..."

how the band fuckin' exposed him even when he told them not too. So you can say that Jerry was AIC, which to an extent he was, but he was greedy then just like he is now.

allforcarrie

i would buy it.

MLC2006

inmytree1380 wrote:

However, those guys fucked Layne. Rolling Stone was going to interview them for a cover story and Layne told the rest of the band that all the magazine was going to do was call him a junkie and expose him for his habits and only his habits. In other words, they were going to focus more on his addictions other than their music. They ignored Layne and you know what happened, the article was on how much of a junkie Layne was. So Layne told them to fuck off and didn't play with them for three years...which is when the Unplugged happened. First song of the Unplugged set..."Nutshell," one of the only songs Layne wrote. What is the song about...

there was not 3 years between the Rolling Stone story and the Unplugged show. in fact, I don't even think there was 1 year in between. he didn't play with them because he was mad, he didn't play with them because he was too fucked up. the band fucked Layne? bullshit. Layne fucked the band. they gave him the room to do whatever he needed to do. and when he died, they waited years out of respect to do something else. he ruined the best musical years of their lives. and as far as I've always heard, Jerry too had a major heroin and/or cocaine addiction, so it's not really like he could've fixed Layne's problems for him.

iamica

What I don't understand is, why are all of these early 90s bands getting back together all of a sudden? Rage Against The Machine, Smashing Pumpkins, now AIC...what gives?

Anon

i'll wait for new songs before i totally bash them for carring on under the name Alice In Chains.

pjl44

iamica wrote:

What I don't understand is, why are all of these early 90s bands getting back together all of a sudden? Rage Against The Machine, Smashing Pumpkins, now AIC...what gives?

$$$$

Can you blame them?

iamrockmusic

gibbits wrote:

I've said it before on this board and I'll say it again - the only people whom have a problem with this are the ones who haven't seen this band perform

this is a good point. i respect everyone's opinion on this and can see both sides, honestly. but having been to see AIC 4 times in the past year, I can tell you that i have not heard or spoken to a single person that was not blown away by how good the band sounds with william. he is a great performer, stays true to layne's delivery, but still doesn't come off as a copycat at all. his persona and sound fit this band perfectly.

i, for one, would buy anything that AIC chooses to release. and i'd call it Alice In Chains without hesitation. like others have said, Sabbath, Floyd, AC/DC, and plenty of other bands (including the Rolling Stones, when Brian Jones died) have gone on to continued success and relevancy, even after a founding member has left the band or passed away.

darthvedder88

I think it's great that the boys are back into making music!!! Even though Layne was the man IMO, Jerry had a pretty hefty portion in the career of AIC, and still does.

Them-Bones

pjl44 wrote:

$$$$

Can you blame them?

Sean Kinney said that the band is set for money, they don't need money anymore.

I know this is a strange thought but maybe they love the songs they wrote and they wanted to play of them for there fans again.

And if they were really doing it for the money don't you think they would've done it sooner, and don't you think they wouldn't even bother to make a new record, If they just wanted to make a lot of money they could do that by just touring.