Columbia 57628
Producer: Alice in Chains
Track listing: Rotten Apple / Nutshell / I Stay Away / No Excuses / Whale & Wasp / Don’t Follow / Swing on This
February 12, 1994
1 week
Alice In Chains made history when Jar of Flies became the first EP to top The Billboard 200 (for good measure, it also debuted at Number One). The accomplishment also made Alice in Chains the third act from the much-heralded “Seattle scene” to top the album chart — Pearl Jam accomplished the feat with Vs., while Nirvana hit Number One with Nevermind and In Utero.
Nirvana and Pearl Jam were the two bands that gained the most attention when the Seattle music scene began to garner headlines in the early ’90s, but Alice in Chains was also making plenty of noise. The foursome of singer Layne Staley, guitarist Jerry Cantrell, bassist Mike Starr, and drummer Sean Kinney, formed in early 1987. Two years later, the band was signed to Columbia. They made their recording debut on We Die Young, an EP released in June 1990, followed by the full album Facelift in August, which would eventually climb to number 42.
A second EP, SAP, was released in November 1991, as Alice’s following grew. The band was featured performing the song “Would?” in Cameron Crowe’s 1992 film Singles, which chronicled the love lives of a group of twentysomethings and used the Seattle music scene as a backdrop. The film’s soundtrack album also included the song, as well as tracks by other noted Seattle-ites like Pearl Jam and Soundgarden.
Dirt, the band’s second full-length album, climbed to number six in 1992. Added exposure on the Last Action Hero soundtrack, a hit despite the film’s disappointing showing, paved the way for Jar of Flies.
With new bassist Mike Inez now on board, the band decided to re-enter the studio on a whim following the completion of Lollapalooza ’93, the annual alternative-rock fest. “Right after Lollapalooza we just booked a week in the studio and we went in and fucked around,” says Cantrell. “We talked about doing an EP like SAP. At the end of two or three days we had four or five good song ideas.” In a mere seven days at Seattle’s London Bridge Studio, the seven-track Jar of Flies was written and recorded. Its primarily acoustic-based approach was a departure from the band’s usual hard-rocking sound.
“It was meant as something fun, and more for the fans,” Cantrell says. In keeping with that spirit, Columbia didn’t issue a single, but shipped radio stations the entire EP. The track “No Excuses” began picking up airplay on modern rock and album rock stations the week prior to the album’s January 25 release. Columbia also issued a special double 10-inch vinyl version of the EP, coupled with the previously released SAP.
Although Jar of Flies was a hit, temporarily knocking Mariah Carey’s Music Box from the top spot, initial reaction to Alice’s acoustic approach wasn’t all positive. The band performed some of songs at a benefit concert at the Hollywood Palladium, where the rest of the bands on the bill played electric sets. Says Cantrell, “We did four or five songs and we were pelted with ice.”
THE TOP FIVE
Week of February 12, 1994
1. Jar of Flies, Alice in Chains
2. Music Box, Mariah Carey
3. Kickin’ It Up, John Michael Montgomery
4. Doggystyle, Snoop Doggy Dogg
5. Greatest Hits, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers