(Personal Vinyl Collection) Alice In Chains - Jar Of Flies (1994)

Alice In Chains - Jar of Flies/Sap

Side 1:
Rotten Apple
Nutshell
I Stay Away
No Excuses
Whale & Wasp

Side 2:
Don't Follow
Swing On This

Side 3:
Brother
Got Me Wrong
Right Turn
Am I Inside
Love Song

Side 4:
Unplayable - etching of band logo on entire side of record.


There came a time in the mid 1980's when any band worth their salt released an EP between every album. It served well to keep the fans satiated for new material and would give the band some space to spread out, share some of their favorite cover songs or delve into a side of their own sound that wasn't exactly their focus on their full lengths. There were some epically great EP's that were released in that time but it was a handful of hard rock, metal and hair bands who would release acoustic EP's that set the wave in full motion. Most notable were Tesla's "Five Man Acoustical Jam" and Guns N' Roses' groundbreaking - err... ground DESTROYING "Lies" EP. Though Alice In Chains were known for their involvement in the "grunge" scene - mostly due to their hometown more than their actual sound - it was fairly obvious to the discerning listener (and watcher) that their roots were in the tight pants, big hair, cowboy boots and leather jackets world of classic rock inspired metal. Their "Sap" EP and later "Jar of Flies" (the two released together as a double gatefold on vinyl when "Jar" hit the stores) solidified those roots, uncovering their Zep 3 and early Heart influences. These two EP's weren't specifically "unplugged" but bore prominent usage of acoustic guitar and a cleaner, more up front production. I have to admit that though I was a very early fan of the band I fell out of love with them midway through their career and well before vocalist Layne Staley's untimely demise as yet another casualty of "God Smack" (so named in their fantastic song about the depths of heroin addiction that would later become the name of one of the world's most terribly derivative and unoriginal bands). At the time of it's release this collection didn't leave my turntable for a loooong time. This was one of those rare records that I immediately dubbed to cassette so as to not wear out my vinyl copy (an act generally reserved for picture discs and expensive rarities). I even went as far as to record the sound of the needle skittering across the etching on the 4th side. Upon re-listening to this record for the first time in at least 10 years or more I found that I had forgotten about many of the songs that had once made such an impression on me. There are some real gems contained here. There are some real self derivative clunkers too and a sound production that makes the acoustic guitars sound a bit too much like an old Nuno Bettencourt, Washburn commercial (for those who don't know what I'm talking about here, that's not a good thing) but all in all this is a great little trip back to the time when classic rock invaded the alternative landscape and revived and revised the arena rock sound of bands like The Who, The Stones, Zeppelin, Sabbath and Bad Company of our parents' generation into something that spoke to our generation.

In light of my research to refresh my memory on this album, I've found that this original pressing is selling for a pretty good chunk of change (in the $40 to $80 ballpark). I would be more than willing to part with this particular piece of my collection (I still have the dubbed cassette of course). If anyone out there in internet land is looking for this piece to add to their own collection, e-mail me at coh666@aol.com and make an offer!