ALICE IN CHAINS — MTV Unplugged (review)

ALICE IN CHAINS — MTV Unplugged album cover

Live album · 1996 · Non-Metal

4/5 · 2011-01-01
UMUR

"Unplugged" is, as the name suggests, an unplugged live album by US hard rock/metal act Alice in Chains recorded for MTV as part of the TV station´s unplugged series. The album was released in July 1996 by Columbia Records. Shortly after the release the band went into what was initially an indefinite hiatus. It ended in 2006. In the meantime lead vocalist Layne Staley had sadly passed away from an overdose of heroin and cocaine in April 2002. Layne Staley had used/abused drugs for years but by the mid-nineties his addiction had become a major problem. In the years following the release of "Unplugged", Layne Staley often told interviewers that he was living hell and that the drugs had turned on him. The 1996 MTV Unplugged session was one of the last live shows Layne Staley performed with the band. The show has also been released on VHS and DVD.

The unplugged show on the album contains 13 tracks picked from various studio releases. The song "Killer is Me" is a new song that´s exclusive to this release. Other than that track we´re treated to classic Alice in Chains tracks like "Down in a Hole", "Rooster", "No Excuses", "Would?" and "Angry Chair" in fully acoustic versions. Not surprisingly it´s generally the tracks, that were originally arranged with little distorted electric guitars, that works the best, but it´s interesting to hear some of the harder edged tracks given an acoustic treatment too. An example that works well is "Would?" while the acoustic version of "Angry Chair" leaves a bit to be desired.

The band are generally very well playing and have for this particular show added a second guitarist in Scott Olson to add more depth to the sound. Quite a successful decision I might add. While the instrumental part of the music is well arranged and performed, the vocal performance might divide the waters. Alice in Chains are famous for their well sounding vocal harmonies and usually lead vocalist Layne Staley and guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell are a strong team, who compliment each other well. That description is for the most part also true on "Unplugged". However when that is said I think it´s obvious that Layne Staley isn´t at his strongest here and there are some pitch problems and other minor glitches along the way that probably weren´t there in his early nineties heyday. Considering that the man at this point was probably already pretty marked by his drug addiction (the fragile nature of Layne Staley´s black shaded appearance in the video version of the release, only further fuels this assumption), his performance is actually decent and at times, like on "Down in a Hole" and "Rooster", his performance is strong enough to really move me.

The sound production courtesy of Toby Wright and Alice in Chains is warm, authentic and pleasant. A suiting sound for acoustic music.

"Unplugged" is a great testament to how intriguing the Layne Staley-era lineup of Alice in Chains actually were. The band´s music is for the most part easily transferable to an acoustic setting and that of course also helps on the listening experience, but let´s not forget that to succeed you still need to write great songs. Thankfully Alice in Chains are blessed with a songwriting skill extraordinaire and that´s what you get to hear when you strip away the distortion and strip the songs to the bone. All in all "Unplugged" is a strong live release deserving a 4 star (80%) rating.