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Music Bank

 
Album Review: Music Bank

  • Artist: Alice in Chains
  • Rating: StarStarStarStar
  • Release Date: October 26, 1999
  • Type: Compilation (best of), Enhanced CD-ROM, Box set
  • Genre: Rock

Review

Three studio albums, two EPs, one live album, and a few European B-sides seemingly is a scant body of work to provide the basis for a box set, but that proves not to be the case with Music Bank, a three-disc retrospective of Alice in Chains' decade-long career. In many ways, the very release of Music Bank and its single-disc distillation, Nothing Safe, is a roundabout admission that AIC is no longer an active proposition for any of its members. But even if the group makes a comeback sometime in the next century, the two compilations are good snapshots of an era when Alice in Chains was one of the best bands in metal. By its very nature, Music Bank is for the hardcore fan, since it spans three discs, but this is one box that gets it right. It does feature all the hits, but they're surrounded by so many rarities -- including an abundance of demos, 12 previously unreleased cuts, live tracks, and alternate mixes and takes -- that it never seems like a hits compilation. More impressively, Music Bank has a real narrative drive; it's easy to hear the band evolve, even if the set begins with the newly recorded "Get Born Again." True, the box set really isn't for casual fans -- they should stick with Nothing Safe or the band's masterpiece, Dirt -- but the dedicated will not be disappointed with this fine set, since it does deliver more rarities than expected. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Tracks



CD 1

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Get Born Again Jerry Cantrell, Layne Staley Alice in Chains (5:24)
I Can't Have You Blues [#][Demo Version] Jerry Cantrell Alice in Chains (4:00)
Whatcha Gonna Do [#][Demo Version] Jerry Cantrell, Layne Staley Alice in Chains (2:53)
Social Parasite [#][Demo Version] Jerry Cantrell Alice in Chains (4:21)
Queen of the Rodeo [Live][#] Layne Staley Alice in Chains (4:38)
Bleed the Freak [#][Demo Version] Jerry Cantrell Alice in Chains (3:31)
Killing Yourself [#][Demo Version] Jerry Cantrell, Layne Staley Alice in Chains (2:38)
We Die Young Jerry Cantrell Alice in Chains (2:32)
Man in the Box Jerry Cantrell, Sean Kinney, Layne Staley, Mike Starr Alice in Chains (4:47)
Sea of Sorrow [#][Demo Version] Jerry Cantrell Alice in Chains (5:21)
I Can't Remember Jerry Cantrell, Layne Staley Alice in Chains (3:43)
Love, Hate, Love Jerry Cantrell, Layne Staley Alice in Chains (6:29)
It Ain't Like That Jerry Cantrell, Sean Kinney, Mike Starr Alice in Chains (4:38)
Confusion Jerry Cantrell, Layne Staley, Mike Starr Alice in Chains (5:45)
Rooster [#][Demo Version] Jerry Cantrell Alice in Chains (5:46)
Right Turn Jerry Cantrell Alice in Chains (3:14)
Got Me Wrong Jerry Cantrell Alice in Chains (4:09)


CD 2

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Rain When I Die Jerry Cantrell, Sean Kinney, Layne Staley, Mike Starr Alice in Chains (6:03)
Fear the Voices [#] Jerry Cantrell, Layne Staley, Mike Starr Alice in Chains (4:57)
Them Bones Jerry Cantrell Alice in Chains (2:29)
Dam That River Jerry Cantrell Alice in Chains (3:09)
Sickman Jerry Cantrell, Layne Staley Alice in Chains (5:29)
Rooster Jerry Cantrell Alice in Chains (6:14)
Junkhead [#][Demo Version] Jerry Cantrell, Layne Staley Alice in Chains (5:10)
Dirt Jerry Cantrell, Layne Staley Alice in Chains (5:16)
God Smack Jerry Cantrell, Sean Kinney, Layne Staley, Mike Inez Alice in Chains (3:50)
Iron Gland Jerry Cantrell Alice in Chains (:43)
Angry Chair Layne Staley Alice in Chains (4:47)
Lying Season [#] Jerry Cantrell, Layne Staley Alice in Chains (3:19)
Would? Jerry Cantrell Alice in Chains (3:27)
Brother Jerry Cantrell Alice in Chains (4:27)
Am I Inside Jerry Cantrell, Layne Staley Alice in Chains (5:08)
I Stay Away Jerry Cantrell, Layne Staley, Mike Inez Alice in Chains (4:14)
No Excuses Jerry Cantrell Alice in Chains (4:17)


CD 3

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Down in a Hole Jerry Cantrell Alice in Chains (5:37)
Hate to Feel Layne Staley Alice in Chains (5:16)
What the Hell Have I [Remix][#][Mix] Jerry Cantrell Alice in Chains (3:54)
A Little Bitter [Remix][#][Mix] Jerry Cantrell, Sean Kinney, Layne Staley, Mike Inez Alice in Chains (3:48)
Grind Jerry Cantrell Alice in Chains (4:44)
Again [Tattoo of Pain Mix] Jerry Cantrell, Layne Staley Alice in Chains (4:01)
Head Creeps Layne Staley Alice in Chains (6:28)
God Am Jerry Cantrell, Sean Kinney, Layne Staley, Mike Inez Alice in Chains (4:11)
Frogs (Lyrics) Jerry Cantrell, Sean Kinney, Layne Staley, Mike Inez Alice in Chains (8:17)
Heaven Beside You Jerry Cantrell, Mike Inez Alice in Chains (5:30)
Nutshell [Unplugged Version] Jerry Cantrell, Sean Kinney, Layne Staley, Mike Inez Alice in Chains (4:28)
The Killer Is Me [Unplugged Version] Jerry Cantrell Alice in Chains (5:16)
Over Now [Unplugged Version] Jerry Cantrell, Sean Kinney Alice in Chains (5:55)
Died [#] Jerry Cantrell, Layne Staley Alice in Chains (5:57)


CD 4

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Get Born Again [Multimedia Track] Jerry Cantrell, Layne Staley Alice in Chains
Jar of Flies [CD Extra Multimedia][Multimedia Track] Alice in Chains
The Journey [Multimedia Track] Alice in Chains

Credits

Neil Zlozower (Photography), Sean Kinney (Supervisor), Mike Inez (?), Paul Hernandez (Photography), Mike Starr (?), Mary Maurer (Design), Michael Simpson (Package Supervision), Sean Kinney (Production Concept), Sean Kinney (Direction), Karen Moskowitz (Photography), Peter Fletcher (Compilation Producer), Peter Fletcher (Foreword), Doug Erb (Design), Jeffrey Mayer (Photography), Mary Maurer (Art Direction), Stephen Marcussen (Mastering), Steffan Chirazi (Liner Notes), Peter Cronin (Photography), Marty Temme (Photography), Sean Kinney (Liner Notes), Jeff Beck (Graphic Design), Chris Cuffaro (Photography), Jonathan Meyer (Graphic Assistant), Catherine Wessel (Photography), Layne Staley (?), Danny Clinch (Photography), Sean Kinney (Concept), Christopher Wray-McCann (Photography), Jerry Cantrell (?), Brandy Flower (Design), Dennis Keeley (Photography)
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Wikipedia: Music Bank
Top
Music Bank
Box set by Alice in Chains
Released October 26, 1999
Recorded 1989–1999
Genre Grunge
Length 3:40:10
Label Columbia
Producer Peter Fletcher
Professional reviews
Alice in Chains chronology
Nothing Safe: Best of the Box
(1999)
Music Bank
(1999)
Live
(2000)
Singles from Music Bank
  1. "Fear the Voices"
    Released: 1999

Music Bank is a box set by the grunge band Alice in Chains. It was released on October 26, 1999 on Columbia Records.

Contents

Overview

The set consists of 48 songs, including rarities, previously unreleased demos and mixes by the band, and previously released material from their albums Facelift, Sap, Dirt, Jar of Flies, Alice in Chains and Unplugged and a CD-ROM containing various multimedia. In 1998, vocalist Layne Staley reunited with Alice in Chains to record two new songs, "Get Born Again" and "Died". Originally written for Cantrell's solo album, the songs were released on Music Bank.[2]

Track listing

Disc one

# Title Length Writer(s) Notes
1 "Get Born Again" 5:24 Cantrell/Staley Taken from Nothing Safe: Best of the Box
2 "I Can't Have You Blues" 4:01 Cantrell 1988 demo, previously unreleased
3 "Whatcha Gonna Do" 2:54 Cantrell/Staley 1988 demo, previously unreleased
4 "Social Parasite" 4:22 Cantrell 1988 demo, previously unreleased
5 "Queen of the Rodeo" 4:39 Staley/J. Silver Live, previously unreleased
6 "Bleed the Freak" 3:32 Cantrell 1988 demo, previously unreleased
7 "Killing Yourself" 2:38 Cantrell/Staley 1988 demo, previously unreleased
8 "We Die Young" 2:32 Cantrell Taken from Facelift
9 "Man in the Box" 4:46 Cantrell/Staley Taken from Facelift
10 "Sea of Sorrow" 5:20 Cantrell 1988 demo, previously unreleased
11 "I Can't Remember" 3:43 Cantrell/Staley Taken from Facelift
12 "Love, Hate, Love" 6:26 Cantrell/Staley Taken from Facelift
13 "It Ain't Like That" 4:38 Cantrell/Kinney/Starr Taken from Facelift
14 "Confusion" 5:44 Cantrell/Staley/Starr Taken from Facelift
15 "Rooster" 5:47 Cantrell 1991 demo, previously unreleased
16 "Right Turn" 3:14 Cantrell Taken from Sap
17 "Got Me Wrong" 4:10 Cantrell Taken from Sap

Disc two

# Title Length Writer(s) Notes
1 "Rain When I Die" 6:02 Cantrell/Kinney/Staley/Starr Taken from Dirt
2 "Fear the Voices" 4:58 Cantrell/Staley/Starr Previously unreleased
3 "Them Bones" 2:29 Cantrell Taken from Dirt
4 "Dam That River" 3:09 Cantrell Taken from Dirt
5 "Sickman" 5:30 Cantrell/Staley Taken from Dirt
6 "Rooster" 6:14 Cantrell Taken from Dirt
7 "Junkhead" 5:11 Cantrell/Staley 1992 demo, previously unreleased
8 "Dirt" 5:17 Cantrell/Staley Taken from Dirt
9 "God Smack" 3:51 Cantrell/Staley Taken from Dirt
10 "Iron Gland" 0:44 Cantrell Taken from Dirt
11 "Angry Chair" 4:47 Staley Taken from Dirt
12 "Lying Season" 3:21 Cantrell/Staley Previously unreleased
13 "Would?" 3:28 Cantrell Taken from Dirt
14 "Brother" 4:27 Cantrell Taken from Sap (Alternate mix - this version does not contain Ann Wilson's vocals as heard on the Sap version)
15 "Am I Inside" 5:08 Cantrell/Staley Taken from Sap
16 "I Stay Away" 4:14 Cantrell/Inez/Staley Taken from Jar of Flies
17 "No Excuses" 4:16 Cantrell Taken from Jar of Flies

Disc three

# Title Length Writer(s) Notes
1 "Down in a Hole" 5:38 Cantrell Taken from Dirt
2 "Hate to Feel" 5:16 Staley Taken from Dirt
3 "What the Hell Have I" 3:57 Cantrell Remix, from Last Action Hero soundtrack
4 "A Little Bitter" 3:52 Cantrell/Kinney/Inez/Staley Remix, from Last Action Hero soundtrack
5 "Grind" 4:45 Cantrell Taken from Alice in Chains
6 "Again" (Tattoo of Pain Mix) 4:02 Cantrell/Kinney/Staley Remix; previously unreleased in the United States
7 "Head Creeps" 6:27 Staley Taken from Alice in Chains
8 "God Am" 4:07 Cantrell/Inez/Kinney/Staley Taken from Alice in Chains
9 "Frogs" 8:17 Cantrell/Inez/Kinney/Staley Taken from Alice in Chains
10 "Heaven Beside You" 5:29 Cantrell/Inez Taken from Alice in Chains
11 "Nutshell" 4:29 Cantrell/Inez/Kinney/Staley Unplugged, taken from Unplugged
12 "The Killer Is Me" 5:18 Cantrell Unplugged, taken from Unplugged
13 "Over Now" 5:53 Cantrell/Kinney Unplugged, taken from Unplugged
14 "Died" 6:06 Cantrell/Staley Previously unreleased

Personnel

  • Mark Arm - Assistant vocals on "Right Turn"
  • Jeff Beck - Graphic Design
  • Jerry Cantrell - guitar, vocals
  • Chris Cornell - Assistant guitar, lyrics, vocals on "Right Turn"
  • Peter Cronin - Photography
  • Paul Hernandez - Photography
  • Dennis Keeley - Photography
  • Sean Kinney - drums, Liner Notes, Concept, Supervisor, Direction, Production Concept
  • Stephen Marcussen - Mastering
  • Layne Staley - vocals, guitar
  • Mike Starr - bass
  • Jonathan Meyer - Graphic Assistant
  • Peter Fletcher - Compilation Producer, Foreword
  • Neil Zlozower - Photography
  • Jeffrey Mayer - Photography
  • Catherine Wessel - Photography
  • Karen Moskowitz - Photography
  • Mike Inez - bass
  • Michael Simpson - Package Supervision
  • Mary Maurer - Art Direction, Design
  • Chris Cuffaro - Photography
  • Doug Erb - Design
  • Danny Clinch - Photography
  • Steffan Chirazi - Liner Notes
  • Marty Temme - Photography
  • Brandy Flower - Design
  • Christopher Wray-McCann - Photography

Chart positions

Album

Chart (1999) Position
US Billboard 200[3] 123
Top Internet Albums[3] 12

Singles

Year Single US Main peak
chart position
[4]
1999 "Fear the Voices" 11

References


 
 

 

Copyrights:

Album Review. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Music Bank" Read more

 

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