Alice In Chains Jar of Flies Full Album Reaction First Listen 

Rotten Apple is AIC most slept on song. Its an everyday listen for me

AIC is goated.

Obviously their album dirt is all time legendary, but Layne Stayley's lyrics on the Mad Season album hits the hardest. River of deceit and wake up cut deep.

Jerry Cantrell isn't just the guitarist, he's also a main song writer/lyricist & co-vocalist with Layne. For this EP he wrote No Excuses & Don't Follow & sings lead on both songs. Jerry usually sings on most AIC songs, Jerry & Layne harmonize alot. Layne's life was sad, he became a recluse the last 6 years of his life just doing drugs until he OD'd & he was so alone it took 2 weeks for someone to find his body. The band went on hiatus alot during the 90s because of Layne's drug addiction, they only played a few shows from 93-96. After their Self-Titled album they made MTV Unplugged in 1996 & then went on tour to open for KISS but it only lasted a few shows before Layne OD'd after a show & that was it for Layne touring ever again, then his ex fiance died & that's when he became a recluse. Though in 1998 Layne recorded 2 new AIC songs(Get Born Again & Died) for their box set which became Layne's last 2 AIC songs ever. Layne's last ever recording was a cover of Another Brick in The Wall for the Faculty soundtrack(1999). If you listen to it you can hear how bad Layne was physically, he developed a lisp from his teeth falling out & apparently weighed like 80 pounds. Jerry has 3 Solo Albums, Boggy Depot(98), Degradation Trip(2002) & Brighten(2021). Layne joined a side project/supergroup called Mad Season with Pearl Jam's guitarist in 1995 & released the Album Above. AIC reunited in 2006 after Layne's death & William Duvall joined the band to sing Layne's parts in concerts. They're made 3 albums since 2009. Jerry has basically took over lead vocals in new AIC while William has taken Jerry's old spot(Mostly co-vocals/harmonizing). All the albums i've mentioned are pretty good.

If the studio recording of Nutshell hits you hard in the feels, AIC’s MTV: Unplugged performance of it will destroy you - given how far Layne had descended into his addiction, it was as though he was singing at his own funeral. Thank you, John, for reacting to Jar of Flies.

On this album, Jerry wrote the lyrics to No Excuses and Don't Follow. Layne wrote the lyrics to the rest. On Don't Follow, Jerry sang the first part, Layne sings the bridge and then Jerry sings the closing line. Great reaction to an incredible band and album. 🤙🏼

Jar of Flies tracklisting, in my mind: 1:That great song they never play on the radio 2:That other great song they never play on the radio 3:That great song they do play on the radio 4:That other great song they play on the radio 5:Yet another great song they don’t play on the radio. Wtf?? 6:Best song on the album!! Why the heck don’t they play this one on the radio??? Seriously!! 7:That song I always skip 😜

Just had this video suggested because I watch a lot of AIC reactions. Absolutely love your reaction and I’m subbing up. I remember first hearing this album. I stole it out of my dad’s car one day in the summer to put something on while I was laying out by my parents pool. I was probably 13. I remember thinking it was the best thing I had ever heard. I had a cool dad. He went to Berkeley Boston for classical piano and he listened to everything. I got into a lot of music because of my father.

I played this CD in the car a lot when it came out. My kids would shout out their favorite tracks. "Whale and Wasp" would put them to sleep. In a good way. 🤘👽

For me, Jar of Flies is EASILY their best album, so great.

Probably my favorite from them along with 1995's self titled. I love Dirt but these last two are CRIMINALLY overlooked these days.

Gotta say, from the first time I started listening to AIC, especially listening to the Dirt album, I almost felt embarrassed that I loved it so much, because Layne's & Jerry's lyrics were so depressing. How can you "like" depression & hopelessness? But their vocal harmonies were so beautiful singing all of those depressing words & Layne's control of his voice could give you chills...& Jerry's musicianship & ear for melody was stunningly good. Their musicianship as a band put them the top of Grunge bands, IMO. Alice In Chains: the band I've loved in spite of all the sad places they'd take you to...

Mike Inez co-wrote the music for Rotten Apple and I Stay Away. Kinney and Inez co-wrote Nutshell and Swing On This

Play Station used to have a laser light show feature. I used to jam on this album, using that. Hours on hours.

Nutshell is one of my favourite songs of ALL TIME !!! Sooooo haunting... Heroine addiction and withdraw was killing him and he knew it. That was his struggle in a NUTSHELL.

I grew up with this, so i grew up in the era that it was made & it definitely encapsulated the 90s.i cannot tell you the joy it brings me to witness you & your generation experiencing this music & giving it life. Thank you for keeping music from all eras, which represented the energy of that time when they were made alive and breathing new life into it. Thank you to you & all of the people listening. It means the world to this Gen X'er. Oh, and Layne, theres simply no other for me. He sang from the deepest part of his gut, so powerful & authentic. Love you still, Layne! AIC❤ oh & the fact that you have a classic Queen poster behind you 🥰

If you haven’t yet… give a listen to MadSeason’s album it’s a side project by Layne 🤘🏼😎

This album helped me cope through my trauma in high school and college. It’s very cathartic and ethereal. Simply the best EP ever recorded

James Hatfield finally understood. He was young & didnt get it, but with time comes wisdom. I know he was reactionary back in the day, but i feel strongly that he fully appreciates Layne's honesty & his struggle now. He just wasn't ready for it back then.

Everything on this EP was about struggling with addiction.

No other band sounds like Alice in Chains and all other bands wish they could sound like Alice in Chains.

I love that you realize NOBODY can harmonize like this.

The battle he is singing about is drugs

Excellent take on Nutshell, it's both melancholic and uplifting and while people constantly label AiC as haunting, I find their somberness is almost always balanced with hopefulness. There are some songs that are bleaker than others, with less hope, but I never considered their music hopeless, quite the opposite.

It’s about fame. But mostly it’s about wanting to be invisible, like every addict wants when they’re deep into it. But he was in one of the most successful bands of his time. It’s impossible to reconcile that for most people: fame and exposure does not work with addiction. It’s a bad relationship with heroin. That’s what you’re looking for when trying to decipher what’s up with this song

awesome album!!!

This was their Opus. One of the best albums ever

AiC been hooked on this band since 1990 at that time AiC fans really were the stoners junkies and freaks--we were a small cult like fan base🤘

Nutshell is a heroin confession. They had made the big time. He was far gone at this point. Downward spiral. Written while in rehab.

I think their self titled album, aka 'Tripod', is ultimately my favorite. I wouldn't argue it's their best, that probably belongs to Dirt, but the depth in Tripod.. I just haven't found it from any other album. Shame in You is my favorite from that album but for personal reasons. The Jerry vocal led tracks in Heaven Beside You and Over Now are brilliant. Frogs and Sludge Factory are dark, weird, slow and grimey. They invoke unease and disquieting uncertainty. Grind, Brush Away, and Again have killer riffs. It marked the end of an era for the group, I still enjoy them post-Layne because Jerry was and is the heart and soul of Alice in Chains, but that last album they made together is just a culmination of a lot of different experiences that makes for something very different yet familiar. As a life long fan of the band, I'd recommend listening to all their other stuff first, including the newer albums, then listening to Tripod. There's something captured on that album that just doesn't exist in the rest of their discography.

don't follow is my favorite. I will have this played at my funeral

You're such an empath🙏

Jerry wrote about 90% of their music fyi

Nutshell is about how the press treated him in the news. His addiction did hurt the bands ability to perform live. He had his demons and without them we wouldnt have this beautiful music.

I like Jar of flyes but you should have started with the Dirt Album. Should do that in the next month, it will give you a better picture of what shot them to popularity!!!!!!!!!

this is very acoustic for AiC

You should hear love hate love by them

You should react to Alice in Chains DIRT, Self tititled alblum aka Tripod, SAP, & Facelift! All great! Plus Mad Season Riber of Deceit. Great analysis and reaction! Subbed!😊🔥🤘🏻🔥

NiN "the Fragile" double album is another banger.

To me, rotten apple is commentary on the idea of original sin applied to (maybe) Layne’s experience…

💫wHaT i SeE iS uNrEaL💫

Jerry Cantrell writes great riffs.

A bad relationship with drugs!!

You underestimate Jerry Cantrell.

Nutshell. Bad relationship with heroin.

It's a talk box. Think Joe Walsh.

Are you Johnny jetson

AIC was more hard rock with a touch of glam when they started out.

Best AIC album!!

Dirt

Sorry I didn’t make it past 17 minutes of babble . And does it really take an hour and 33 minutes to review a ep ?

Jerry Cantrell is the GOAT, one of the best songwriters ever. God tier lyricist and riff writer and has never written a bad song in his career whether with AIC or solo. As long as that man is/was around writing the music you knew AIC would deliver. Layne was an all time vocalist too Layne and Jerry together vocally was magical. Jar of flies is pretty widely considered the best EP of all time and was the first to ever debut at #1 on the billboard charts something it very much deserved

I remember the anticipation waiting for this album to be released I was so excited it’s a lifetime ago now 🫣