Layne Staley is the lead singer. Him and Jerry Cantrelle (guitarist) do a lot of harmonizing together. Jerry also began singer more a little later on. Layne's vocals are insane and together they are incredible. Keep diving into more AIC, you wont regret it.
The day Layne was found dead was a sad one, but unfortunately expected. I remember it as it was yesterday. Alice in Chains were a big part of my youth and Layne has a special place in my heart. One of my favorite singers of all time.
They were part of the “grunge” movement. AIC, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots. There are more... but those were the core. My daughter is named Layne for a reason. 🤘💯 Check out Mad Season. It’s a collaboration of bands that met in rehab. It’s ridiculously awesome.
YES, Mad Season I somehow stumbled upon after watching Nutshell Mtv Unplugged and CAN'T believe that group existed! And I grew up in the Grunge Era! Thank God for TH-cam and reactors, cuz hearing mostly radio play growing up, I sure af missed most of the REALLY GREAT music!!! 🤘🏼
You my friend have just witnessed the best band from the grunge era♥ This song is my "deserted island" song. If I was stranded on a deserted island and could only listed to one song forever, "Would" by AIC is it. Rip Layne&Mike💔. Nice job on the reaction.
Somebody on TH-cam has a video of this song where they've isolated and only played the vocals with no music. You should listen... it truly shows how amazing of a singer he was.
One of my favorites! I remember buying this album in high school, and listened on repeat! Should do a playlist for them! Have to listen to more for sure! R.I.P. Layne
It was the start of the Grunge Era. The Big 4 (Alice in Chains, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden) ruled the 90s and heavily influenced rock and metal today. Unfortunately Alice with Layne didn't last too long as his drug use spiraled out of control. The main singer was Layne but Jerry (guitarist) did his fair share of backing vocals and sometimes sang lead in some songs. Now with Layne gone, Jerry shares vocal duties with William Duvall and sings way more than before. If you really want to hear how wonderful Jerry and Layne sound together, I recommend 'Down in a Hole' and 'Brother' Unplugged versions.
Yes sir, Alice In Chains was one of the greatest Grunge era bands of the 90’s. Up there with Soundgarden, Nirvana. Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell were such a powerhouse together, haunting and atmospheric harmonies and instrumentals. You may have heard “Man in the Box”and “Rooster”, those were probably there biggest and most rotated songs on radio. But, they honestly have much more to offer. “Dirt”, is the record “Would?” Is from. There best album in my humble opinion. Glad you discovered AIC and hope you react to some more of their unique sound.
Would? was actually made for the Singles soundtrack, but ended up being such a great song it got added to Dirt. Fun fact the money given to AiC to record Would also funded their Sap EP.
Layne Staley is the lead singer and Jerry Cantrell plays lead guitar/back-up vocals. If you loved Layne's voice trust me you need to react to "Love, Hate, Love" from the Moore. And you have just been introduced to the Grunge Era of music.
Layne Staley is the powerful voice you hear. Certified rock god RIP. I consider myself to be lucky to have see Alice In Chains live. You don't just hear Layne's voice, you feel it, like you feel him in your very soul. Might be one of the best concerts I've ever seen. Jerry Cantrel can't belt it out like Layne, let's be real very few can, but he's no slouch on vocals and he's so good on the guitar. Cantrell sang lead on a few of their songs while Layne sang back up if I'm not mistaken. Let's be real, Layne was so good that we didn't deserve him so my man took himself out the game. Anyone who ever understood his lyrics knew that he wasn't going to last in this world. That flame was burning way too bright. Fallen angel RIP. My man probably experienced too much pain and trauma that he couldn't handle life.
That song was tribute to Andrew Wood... The Godfather of grunge He is the lead singer of malfunkshun and Mother Love Bone!! Should check those bands out!!
They were the band that spearheaded the 'grunge' scene with their song 'Man in the box'. They're one of those artists that will just continue to grow on you the more you listen to them.
Layne Staley (blond guy) is the lead singer, Jerry Cantrell is the guitarist and secondary singer & backup vocals. Cantrell is the founder of the band, Staley died of heroine OD in 2002. Yes, a main band of the Seattle 90's grunge scene..was my FAVORITE band.
Layne was the lead singer, Jerry is the guitarist/other singer. Depending on the song, Jerry may actually be the lead singer on it. When Layne's heroin addiction became worse, Jerry basically became the lead singer while Layne sung on the chorus. When Layne passed away, Jerry really just asserted the role of lead singer and brought in someone new for the harmonies.
Alice in Chains were known for having great harmonies between Layne (lead) and Jerry (guitarist) React to Alice In Chains' "Down in a hole MTV Unplugged" for a great, great example of them harmonizing
Another reaction video to this said it perfectly...''this song is nearly 30 years old and could be released today and absolutely be a number 1 hit'' Staley and Cantrell...quite possibly the most perfectly harmonizing duo in music EVER.
AIC rocks🤘Layne Stayle has away of making you feel him not just hear him. Him and Jerry Cantrell harmonize so well. Love Hate Love from Live at The Moore also Man In A Box. Gotta check em out. Layne has such a powerful, well controlled and unique voice and these really showcase his vocal abilities. ✌❤🤘
FINALLY!! Welcome to AIC 🔥🔥🔥🔥 RIP LAYNE STALEY, he was the best vocalist of this genre and era… gone too soon for real. The backup vocalist is Jerry Cantrelle who also is lead guitar, this band is known heavily for the amazing harmonies between Layne and Jerry but Layne is the lead vocals 🙂
This song was written about Andrew Wood, a good friend of Jerry Cantrell (guitarist and the second singer you were hearing). Wood died of an overdose, and the song was written about people judging others for their decisions. As for the era, this was on the rise of peak grunge. This song was everywhere when it came out. It was on the Singles soundtrack, which was really popular when it came out, capitalizing on the Seattle grunge scene. Alice In Chains had already exploded on the scene with the album prior to this, Facelift, but this album, Dirt, just went to way higher levels. Nirvana was going big, Pearl Jam was just starting their ascension at this moment. I grew up in southeastern Washington, and this was middle school for me. I had friends that traveled to national events for school, and kids were dressing in flannels from all over the US. My friends laughed at the kids from Florida, imitating the Seattle grunge style, "why are you wearing flannel?" "That's what they wear in Seattle." "Yeah, but it's cold and rainy there, you're in Florida..."
My brothaaa.... This was THE PEAK of an era. Alice In chains-dirt is a top 10 album all time all genre. must own. It never gets old. It never stops working it always gives you goosebumps and it's a beautiful scar or the face of music. Get after it!!
They had 1 lead singer, but Layne Stayley saw the greatness that was Jerry Cantrell and not only encouraged, but pushed him to sing the songs he wrote.
So many legendary Grundge Bands came outta this Seattle Crew. Alice In Chains, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Temple of the Dog, etc. Early 90s redefined Rock Music! RIP Layne & Chris Cornell.
down in a hole (mtv unplugged) , layne in a bad state due to drugs, then jump into man in the box OR love hate love (live at the moore) you wont regret anything you pick though.,...
Alice In Chains along with Nirvana,Soundgarden and Pearl Jam gave birth to the mainstream grunge scene which led to bands like Bush,Candlebox, and Many other bands
Jerry Cantrell and Wayne Staley singing harmonies together is as good as any two people have ever sang together in the history of music. If you want proof you can watch isolated vocals for down in a hole on TH-cam and hear them with no music. And it'll blow your mind
If I could make a suggestion oh, my favorite vocalists of all time is Chris Cornell. Audioslave- show me how to live changed my life. Anything Chris Cornell does is top-notch. Best voice ever
Layne Staley was the lead singer as Jerry Cantrell says now they have no lead singer anymore they have William Duvall who sings done and Jerry Cantrell both switches up singing Jerry Cantrell is the lead guitarist and song writing ! Layne Staley died in 2002 !
Nice to see someone talk about Sean Kinney on drums and give him some love. He doesn't get a lot of love. Not because he isn't a good drummer, but because he doesn't do a lot of flashy stuff. Layne tends to get most of the focus, and rightly so, but Kinney on drums produces a mood with his style.
Jerry Cantrell is the founder, main writer and lead guitarist for Alice In Chains. He begins the song and Layne Staley takes over the chorus. AIC was known for their great harmonies and the way Staley and Cantrell blended their voices. While Cantrell wrote most of the music, there is no doubt that AIC would not have reached its status without Staley’s unique vocal sound and style.
The backstory with Would? ... guitarist Jerry Cantrell wrote the song for Andy Wood, singer of Mother Love Bone after Andy died of an overdose in 1990 just as Mother Love Bone was going to hit big. After Andy died, Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament dissolved Mother Love Bone and re-emerged as Pearl Jam. Would? as a title is a play on Andy Wood's name. Layne sang the hell out of Would? and Rooster on the album, official videos and concerts in 91-93. Would? appeared on the Singles soundtrack because Seattle, Washington as big as the town is, musically it's a small town. All the bands that came out of the Seattle scene knew each other and went to see each other play the club circuit. Cameron Crowe was married to Nancy Wilson of Heart and he wanted to make a movie about the Seattle music scene and made Singles where a fictional band, Citizen Dick opened for Alice In Chains. They used It Ain't Like That from the Facelift album and Cameron Crowe gave them money to demo songs... AIC took the money, they demoed the 6 acoustic songs that are on SAP EP and two songs Rooster and Would? that ended up on the Dirt album. Cameron Crowe picked through the songs and used Would? out of the bunch. Jerry thought the song was strong enough to be included on the Dirt album and that's how Would? ended up on the Singles soundtrack and the same version ended up on Dirt. Whenever you see Bad Animals Studios in the liner notes, at the time the album was recorded, Bad Animals Studios was owned by Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart. Nancy Wilson was married to Cameron Crowe between 1986 and 2010. Jerry was fine doing backing vocals on the early songs like the ones they played in their clubbing days and on Facelift like the Call and Return of the chorus on Man in the Box until one day when he was trying to write songs for the SAP EP and the Dirt album, Layne looked at the lyrics and encouraged Jerry to sing more because after all, they were Jerry's lyrics. He should sing them. When Layne and Jerry sang together they achieved the perfect pitch of two voices making one voice. Layne Staley's vocal range can run rings around any other grunge singer in my opinion. Layne could sing the phone book and never hit a wrong note. Even at the end of his life, with no teeth and a lisp, his voice, wit and humor were all still there. Layne's voice and vocal range was so powerful he did NOT need auto tune or pro-tools until he lost his teeth and had a lisp around 1998, and even then he still killed the vocals. Barrett Martin (who played with Layne in Mad Season) said that when he stood to the side of the stage, he could hear the sound of Layne’s vocal resonance come out of Layne's body LOUDER than it did coming out of the speakers, Layne's voice was that powerful. No one noticed he had died on April 5, 2002, because he never answered the phone nor opened the door. It took inactivity over the span of two weeks for his ACCOUNTANT to notice something was wrong and called Alice In Chains manager Susan Silver who called Layne's mother to alert her to the situation who then called 911 on April 19, 2002. And to pour salt in the wound, MTV (and the music industry) has more or less blackballed Layne (and yet, they laud over Kurt Cobain every April 5th, because Kurt was the "face of grunge", meanwhile Layne gets a "by the way"). The Grammys went so far as to invite Jerry, Mike and Sean to the Grammy show in 2003 and then refused to put Layne's picture up in the memorial of the musicians who died in 2002. (Or they "forgot" to) which pissed Jerry, Mike and Sean off and they walked out on the show. Though I do applaud MoPOP including Layne Staley and Mike Starr when they inducted Alice In Chains in the MoPOP Museum of Pop Culture. It's more recognition of Layne (and Mike) than the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (thanks to Rolling Stone's criticisms of Layne and his addiction) and the Grammys (who FORGOT him when he died) have EVER done. Layne's story is more tragic and haunting because you can actually watch and hear him deteriorate over the 12-year span: from the mild use of drugs in 1990 all the way through 1996 when he was deep into a heroin addiction to dropping to 90 pounds by 1998 to 86 pounds when he died in 2002. Layne kept his humor and wit even to the end of his life.
Wow.... I was aware of everything you said up until the MTV and Grammys part. That's just disgusting and your right, adding salt to the would. Adding insult to injury as my Grandmother use to say. I use to listen to AIC constantly around the time of his passing... On that particular morning of his passing I decided to eject the CD on my way to work and heard the DJ announce Layne's death. His co-host made a comment about how it was pathetic he was to have the talent and success and throw it all away. As soon as I got to work I wrote a scathing email to them and I was hoping for an apology or something but no. They read it and he stuck to his statement. I boycotted the station until long after those people were gone. I wasn't one at that time but I am now a recovering addict after 15 years of abuse and now over 4 years clean, I know the struggle. RIP Layne. Only ♥️ and respect here.
@@amysmithakabipolar.teddybe6047 Congrats on being 4 years clean. Layne wrote songs about his tumultuous relationship with Demri, his depression, and his own feelings about his drug addiction. He knew he had made a mistake by getting into drugs. He wanted his fans to LEARN FROM his mistakes, he never wanted them to follow in his footsteps. Having a fan come up and tell him they were high was the exact opposite of what he intended. Layne was so much more than his drug addiction. He was able to come up with lyrics, melodies, and harmonies off the top of his head. He knew that Jerry Cantrell was playing with the wrong people and gave him contact info for Sean Kinney and Mike Starr. He wrote the lyrics for the songs he sang on Mad Season's Above album and drew the cover art for that album. Layne was a genius in his own right. He was able to figure things out in a snap off the top of his head. Layne just had his demons. Layne was on this earth for 34 years. In that time he wrote songs that gave a normal person insight into the mind and journey of an addict. The pain and depression he endured to write the most brutally honest lyrics a musician could write concerning his feelings on his own addiction and the emotional and physical strength he had to perform those songs live when all he wanted to do was curl away and lose himself in the drug haze I can’t imagine what it was like for him. He was hounded by the press about his addiction. He was ridiculed for his addiction. The music industry blackballed him for his addiction. The Grammys forgot about him when he died. As far as MTV and Rolling Stone were concerned he’s just another addicted singer. They don’t want to acknowledge his contributions to music. I could say so much more, but in the end, it all boils down to: Layne Staley deserved better than what he received from the people around him who he thought mattered. He wrote about things with maturity and knowledge well beyond his years. He did NOT deserve to be turned into tabloid cannon fodder by the press.
This whole album, it's called dirt. Greatest grunge album ever made. Layne Staley is amazing on vocals. The guitarist/ vocalist Jerry Cantrell is amazing in his own right but Layne was the power behind the vocals
Some of the best music of all time came out of the Grunge era. Some of the best voices of all time came from the Grunge era. Layne Staley of Alice in Chains, Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam, Kurt Cobain of Nirvana, Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots and Chris Cornell of Soundgarden are all great voices.
Just came across your reviews. As a kid of the 80s / 90s... just wanna say thank you for keeping AIC and Layne Staley alive. Dirt is probably the heaviest / darkest, most raw / honest... and just flat out best albums of not just the grunge era... but all time. Music is pure energy that transcends politics, religion, race... and most importantly... time. This album can be hard to listen to for me at times b/c I've also struggled with mental darkness and I lost friends to drugs during that time... but I've learned to respect the darkness and embrace the light. Much love and respect my brother. @hvybalance
Love Hate Love Live at the Moore, Nutshell from MTV Unplugged, Long Gone Day and Wake Up both by Mad Season another band Layne fronted!! You won't be sorry! All AMAZING!!
That beard game is getting strong lol.....but I’m sure you’ve probably already seen the request, but you have to check out the song that put them on the map called, Rooster. You will not regret it.
This is the Grunge era after the glam rock of the 80s. Most grunge bands came from Seattle and is referred to as the Seattle Sound. Cantrelle found the band and after the front man, Layne Staley overdosed on heroine, they replaced him with another singer and still perform.
Late to the party so it's probably been said but anyway.... The lead singer is Layne Staley and he's backed by Jerry Cantrell who is lead guitarist and primary song writer though all contributed in song creation. Layne Staley sadly passed away in '02 from an overdose.
“ this dude can sing... like so good” biggest understatement ever?! Lmfao!!! That’s Layne F’n Staley brother!!! Best singer EVER.
Was*
Lol Jk, sorry, my sense of humor can get extremely dark at times...
@@FilthTribeFTP didn’t even grin
@@FilthTribeFTP if you’re gonna be a dick at least make it funny
Alice in laynes!!!!!
@@yousmell3782 chill down for fuck sake
Layne Staley is the lead singer. Him and Jerry Cantrelle (guitarist) do a lot of harmonizing together. Jerry also began singer more a little later on. Layne's vocals are insane and together they are incredible. Keep diving into more AIC, you wont regret it.
amen
Agreed. Such pain and yearning in his voice for resolution that never comes
@amandamceachern2199 You hit it on a nail head. But it was not harmonizing but heart racing. Love the video. Stay safe.
It wasn't the start of an era- it was the apex of one. This was the high water mark, and it was never as good as this again afterwards.
Your'e right, he was the voice of an era.
I'm 45 and still listen to Dirt all the time
Same
And me. Everything I listened to in the 90s I still can’t get enough. AIC, FNM, Suicidal Tendencies, Pearl Jam, Ministry, . Greatest period in music.
I’m 43 & listen to it once a week 👊
Me too
Better album than Nirvana Nevermind in my opinion
Dirt is a masterpiece of an album, easily my favorite album of all time.
All of their LPs and EPs were phenomenal!
Absolutely!
The day Layne was found dead was a sad one, but unfortunately expected. I remember it as it was yesterday.
Alice in Chains were a big part of my youth and Layne has a special place in my heart. One of my favorite singers of all time.
Lead singer is Layne Staley, unfortunately he passed away in '02. One of the best singers imo, i recommend Alice In Chains- Rooster.
They were part of the “grunge” movement. AIC, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots. There are more... but those were the core. My daughter is named Layne for a reason. 🤘💯
Check out Mad Season. It’s a collaboration of bands that met in rehab. It’s ridiculously awesome.
YES, Mad Season I somehow stumbled upon after watching Nutshell Mtv Unplugged and CAN'T believe that group existed! And I grew up in the Grunge Era! Thank God for TH-cam and reactors, cuz hearing mostly radio play growing up, I sure af missed most of the REALLY GREAT music!!! 🤘🏼
You my friend have just witnessed the best band from the grunge era♥ This song is my "deserted island" song. If I was stranded on a deserted island and could only listed to one song forever, "Would" by AIC is it. Rip Layne&Mike💔. Nice job on the reaction.
Somebody on TH-cam has a video of this song where they've isolated and only played the vocals with no music. You should listen... it truly shows how amazing of a singer he was.
Layne's voice was phenomenal! Chris Cornell's voice was amazing too! You should check out something by Soundgarden, Temple of the Dog, or Audioslave.
One of my favorites! I remember buying this album in high school, and listened on repeat! Should do a playlist for them! Have to listen to more for sure! R.I.P. Layne
It was the start of the Grunge Era. The Big 4 (Alice in Chains, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden) ruled the 90s and heavily influenced rock and metal today. Unfortunately Alice with Layne didn't last too long as his drug use spiraled out of control. The main singer was Layne but Jerry (guitarist) did his fair share of backing vocals and sometimes sang lead in some songs. Now with Layne gone, Jerry shares vocal duties with William Duvall and sings way more than before. If you really want to hear how wonderful Jerry and Layne sound together, I recommend 'Down in a Hole' and 'Brother' Unplugged versions.
The vocal harmonies between Layne and Jerry are the most beautiful, dark and haunting and unique melodies you will ever hear from any artist, period!
Watching Unplugged rips my heart out but I still love it. When Jerry looks over at Layne like “ you good?” I tear up.
Alice in Chains is my most favorite Band of all time!
Layne Staley is a Rock God!!
Best Male singer to grace the planet!
Yes sir, Alice In Chains was one of the greatest Grunge era bands of the 90’s. Up there with Soundgarden, Nirvana. Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell were such a powerhouse together, haunting and atmospheric harmonies and instrumentals. You may have heard “Man in the Box”and “Rooster”, those were probably there biggest and most rotated songs on radio. But, they honestly have much more to offer. “Dirt”, is the record “Would?” Is from. There best album in my humble opinion. Glad you discovered AIC and hope you react to some more of their unique sound.
Would? was actually made for the Singles soundtrack, but ended up being such a great song it got added to Dirt. Fun fact the money given to AiC to record Would also funded their Sap EP.
@@robr640 Dude, Sap is so good. But Dirt is hands down my favorite overall record of theirs.
Nice comment. Agree 100
"What's going on with the singers?"
Us: "Oh, just the best harmonies ever in rock and metal".
Layne Staley is the lead singer and Jerry Cantrell plays lead guitar/back-up vocals. If you loved Layne's voice trust me you need to react to "Love, Hate, Love" from the Moore. And you have just been introduced to the Grunge Era of music.
Huge fan of this song, really good
Layne Staley is the powerful voice you hear. Certified rock god RIP. I consider myself to be lucky to have see Alice In Chains live. You don't just hear Layne's voice, you feel it, like you feel him in your very soul. Might be one of the best concerts I've ever seen. Jerry Cantrel can't belt it out like Layne, let's be real very few can, but he's no slouch on vocals and he's so good on the guitar. Cantrell sang lead on a few of their songs while Layne sang back up if I'm not mistaken. Let's be real, Layne was so good that we didn't deserve him so my man took himself out the game. Anyone who ever understood his lyrics knew that he wasn't going to last in this world. That flame was burning way too bright. Fallen angel RIP. My man probably experienced too much pain and trauma that he couldn't handle life.
They don't have bad songs. Rain When I Die and I Stay Away are so good!
That song was tribute to Andrew Wood... The Godfather of grunge
He is the lead singer of malfunkshun and Mother Love Bone!! Should check those bands out!!
Dirt is my favorite album.
Alice In Chains will always be top 3 favorite bands. RIP Layne and Mike 🖤🖤🤘🏻🤘🏻
Alice in Chains (Layne era) will always be my favorite band. Got me through my own dark times as a teenager.
They were the band that spearheaded the 'grunge' scene with their song 'Man in the box'. They're one of those artists that will just continue to grow on you the more you listen to them.
Alice in chains "nutshell" unplugged is a must ....the lyrics are like Layne singing his own eulogy...r.i.p. Layne Staley
Their album Dirt was one of my first cd purchases. Pretty sure it was my second ever after Queen's greatest hits
Love Hate Love....Live at the Moore!! You'll really hear his voice....
Yeah he can sing. It’s Layne Staley. The most powerful voice of all time lol
AIC, keep falling down that wormhole man you WON'T be disappointed, one of the most ICONIC groups of all time.....
This was on the "Singles" soundtrack. Amazing film album for a film that was on the edge of the grunge era.
Layne Staley (blond guy) is the lead singer, Jerry Cantrell is the guitarist and secondary singer & backup vocals. Cantrell is the founder of the band, Staley died of heroine OD in 2002. Yes, a main band of the Seattle 90's grunge scene..was my FAVORITE band.
I didn’t realize how much Jerry sang til their first tour. Awe-mazing! Layne asked me if I thought they had what it took to make it! He’ll yes!!
Layne was the lead singer, Jerry is the guitarist/other singer. Depending on the song, Jerry may actually be the lead singer on it. When Layne's heroin addiction became worse, Jerry basically became the lead singer while Layne sung on the chorus. When Layne passed away, Jerry really just asserted the role of lead singer and brought in someone new for the harmonies.
He just shows that song who the BOSS is such talent RIP LAYNE
Alice in Chains were known for having great harmonies between Layne (lead) and Jerry (guitarist)
React to Alice In Chains' "Down in a hole MTV Unplugged" for a great, great example of them harmonizing
WOULD ...is a little word play.
The song is in memory of Andrew Wood from the band; Mother Love Bone.
Btw. The song is a blast to play on drums.
Layne was the best singer of that time. Hope you check out more of them!
Another reaction video to this said it perfectly...''this song is nearly 30 years old and could be released today and absolutely be a number 1 hit''
Staley and Cantrell...quite possibly the most perfectly harmonizing duo in music EVER.
AIC rocks🤘Layne Stayle has away of making you feel him not just hear him. Him and Jerry Cantrell harmonize so well. Love Hate Love from Live at The Moore also Man In A Box. Gotta check em out. Layne has such a powerful, well controlled and unique voice and these really showcase his vocal abilities. ✌❤🤘
FINALLY!! Welcome to AIC 🔥🔥🔥🔥
RIP LAYNE STALEY, he was the best vocalist of this genre and era… gone too soon for real. The backup vocalist is Jerry Cantrelle who also is lead guitar, this band is known heavily for the amazing harmonies between Layne and Jerry but Layne is the lead vocals 🙂
This song was written about Andrew Wood, a good friend of Jerry Cantrell (guitarist and the second singer you were hearing). Wood died of an overdose, and the song was written about people judging others for their decisions.
As for the era, this was on the rise of peak grunge. This song was everywhere when it came out. It was on the Singles soundtrack, which was really popular when it came out, capitalizing on the Seattle grunge scene. Alice In Chains had already exploded on the scene with the album prior to this, Facelift, but this album, Dirt, just went to way higher levels. Nirvana was going big, Pearl Jam was just starting their ascension at this moment. I grew up in southeastern Washington, and this was middle school for me. I had friends that traveled to national events for school, and kids were dressing in flannels from all over the US. My friends laughed at the kids from Florida, imitating the Seattle grunge style, "why are you wearing flannel?" "That's what they wear in Seattle." "Yeah, but it's cold and rainy there, you're in Florida..."
My brothaaa.... This was THE PEAK of an era. Alice In chains-dirt is a top 10 album all time all genre. must own. It never gets old. It never stops working it always gives you goosebumps and it's a beautiful scar or the face of music. Get after it!!
They had 1 lead singer, but Layne Stayley saw the greatness that was Jerry Cantrell and not only encouraged, but pushed him to sing the songs he wrote.
So many legendary Grundge Bands came outta this Seattle Crew. Alice In Chains, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Temple of the Dog, etc. Early 90s redefined Rock Music! RIP Layne & Chris Cornell.
The tone and melody of this song runs through to your bones everytime it's so haunting
YES ONE OF MY FAVORITE SONGS EVER! been waiting a long time for this reaction!
RIP LAYNE 🙏 absolute god in rock . 🤘🤘🤘🤘
Lane was an amazing voice that was gone to soon
Definitely gave up way too early!
I recommend reacting to Love, Hate, Love live at the Moore by them. It's one of the best live performances I've ever seen. 🖤🤘
Knowledge 👊
Check out Alice in Chains - Rain when I die is one of my favorites 💙
down in a hole (mtv unplugged) , layne in a bad state due to drugs, then jump into man in the box OR love hate love (live at the moore) you wont regret anything you pick though.,...
Nutshell unplugged by Alice In Chains
More AIC please!!!!!!!!
Alice In Chains along with Nirvana,Soundgarden and Pearl Jam gave birth to the mainstream grunge scene which led to bands like Bush,Candlebox, and Many other bands
Jerry Cantrell and Wayne Staley singing harmonies together is as good as any two people have ever sang together in the history of music. If you want proof you can watch isolated vocals for down in a hole on TH-cam and hear them with no music. And it'll blow your mind
Layne** and rip layne
If I could make a suggestion oh, my favorite vocalists of all time is Chris Cornell. Audioslave- show me how to live changed my life. Anything Chris Cornell does is top-notch. Best voice ever
Layne Staley was the lead singer as Jerry Cantrell says now they have no lead singer anymore they have William Duvall who sings done and Jerry Cantrell both switches up singing Jerry Cantrell is the lead guitarist and song writing ! Layne Staley died in 2002 !
Nice to see someone talk about Sean Kinney on drums and give him some love. He doesn't get a lot of love. Not because he isn't a good drummer, but because he doesn't do a lot of flashy stuff. Layne tends to get most of the focus, and rightly so, but Kinney on drums produces a mood with his style.
Jerry Cantrell is the founder, main writer and lead guitarist for Alice In Chains. He begins the song and Layne Staley takes over the chorus. AIC was known for their great harmonies and the way Staley and Cantrell blended their voices. While Cantrell wrote most of the music, there is no doubt that AIC would not have reached its status without Staley’s unique vocal sound and style.
Man in the Box ( live at the Moore ) Layne in his prime 🔥.. No one better for me 🤘
The guitarist (Jerry Cantrell) is the backup vocalist. The lead singer with the incredible voice is Layne Staley
"If I could, would you?"
ENJOY...
awesome band RIP Lane
would? was actually one of the first songs i ever learned to play on guitar
yes two singers, Jerry Cantrell doing most of the backup vocals also writing a lot of the lyricals and the music
The backstory with Would? ... guitarist Jerry Cantrell wrote the song for Andy Wood, singer of Mother Love Bone after Andy died of an overdose in 1990 just as Mother Love Bone was going to hit big. After Andy died, Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament dissolved Mother Love Bone and re-emerged as Pearl Jam. Would? as a title is a play on Andy Wood's name. Layne sang the hell out of Would? and Rooster on the album, official videos and concerts in 91-93.
Would? appeared on the Singles soundtrack because Seattle, Washington as big as the town is, musically it's a small town. All the bands that came out of the Seattle scene knew each other and went to see each other play the club circuit. Cameron Crowe was married to Nancy Wilson of Heart and he wanted to make a movie about the Seattle music scene and made Singles where a fictional band, Citizen Dick opened for Alice In Chains. They used It Ain't Like That from the Facelift album and Cameron Crowe gave them money to demo songs... AIC took the money, they demoed the 6 acoustic songs that are on SAP EP and two songs Rooster and Would? that ended up on the Dirt album. Cameron Crowe picked through the songs and used Would? out of the bunch. Jerry thought the song was strong enough to be included on the Dirt album and that's how Would? ended up on the Singles soundtrack and the same version ended up on Dirt.
Whenever you see Bad Animals Studios in the liner notes, at the time the album was recorded, Bad Animals Studios was owned by Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart. Nancy Wilson was married to Cameron Crowe between 1986 and 2010.
Jerry was fine doing backing vocals on the early songs like the ones they played in their clubbing days and on Facelift like the Call and Return of the chorus on Man in the Box until one day when he was trying to write songs for the SAP EP and the Dirt album, Layne looked at the lyrics and encouraged Jerry to sing more because after all, they were Jerry's lyrics. He should sing them. When Layne and Jerry sang together they achieved the perfect pitch of two voices making one voice.
Layne Staley's vocal range can run rings around any other grunge singer in my opinion. Layne could sing the phone book and never hit a wrong note. Even at the end of his life, with no teeth and a lisp, his voice, wit and humor were all still there. Layne's voice and vocal range was so powerful he did NOT need auto tune or pro-tools until he lost his teeth and had a lisp around 1998, and even then he still killed the vocals.
Barrett Martin (who played with Layne in Mad Season) said that when he stood to the side of the stage, he could hear the sound of Layne’s vocal resonance come out of Layne's body LOUDER than it did coming out of the speakers, Layne's voice was that powerful.
No one noticed he had died on April 5, 2002, because he never answered the phone nor opened the door. It took inactivity over the span of two weeks for his ACCOUNTANT to notice something was wrong and called Alice In Chains manager Susan Silver who called Layne's mother to alert her to the situation who then called 911 on April 19, 2002.
And to pour salt in the wound, MTV (and the music industry) has more or less blackballed Layne (and yet, they laud over Kurt Cobain every April 5th, because Kurt was the "face of grunge", meanwhile Layne gets a "by the way"). The Grammys went so far as to invite Jerry, Mike and Sean to the Grammy show in 2003 and then refused to put Layne's picture up in the memorial of the musicians who died in 2002. (Or they "forgot" to) which pissed Jerry, Mike and Sean off and they walked out on the show. Though I do applaud MoPOP including Layne Staley and Mike Starr when they inducted Alice In Chains in the MoPOP Museum of Pop Culture. It's more recognition of Layne (and Mike) than the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (thanks to Rolling Stone's criticisms of Layne and his addiction) and the Grammys (who FORGOT him when he died) have EVER done.
Layne's story is more tragic and haunting because you can actually watch and hear him deteriorate over the 12-year span: from the mild use of drugs in 1990 all the way through 1996 when he was deep into a heroin addiction to dropping to 90 pounds by 1998 to 86 pounds when he died in 2002. Layne kept his humor and wit even to the end of his life.
Wow.... I was aware of everything you said up until the MTV and Grammys part. That's just disgusting and your right, adding salt to the would. Adding insult to injury as my Grandmother use to say. I use to listen to AIC constantly around the time of his passing... On that particular morning of his passing I decided to eject the CD on my way to work and heard the DJ announce Layne's death. His co-host made a comment about how it was pathetic he was to have the talent and success and throw it all away. As soon as I got to work I wrote a scathing email to them and I was hoping for an apology or something but no. They read it and he stuck to his statement. I boycotted the station until long after those people were gone. I wasn't one at that time but I am now a recovering addict after 15 years of abuse and now over 4 years clean, I know the struggle. RIP Layne. Only ♥️ and respect here.
@@amysmithakabipolar.teddybe6047 Congrats on being 4 years clean.
Layne wrote songs about his tumultuous relationship with Demri, his depression, and his own feelings about his drug addiction. He knew he had made a mistake by getting into drugs. He wanted his fans to LEARN FROM his mistakes, he never wanted them to follow in his footsteps. Having a fan come up and tell him they were high was the exact opposite of what he intended.
Layne was so much more than his drug addiction. He was able to come up with lyrics, melodies, and harmonies off the top of his head. He knew that Jerry Cantrell was playing with the wrong people and gave him contact info for Sean Kinney and Mike Starr. He wrote the lyrics for the songs he sang on Mad Season's Above album and drew the cover art for that album. Layne was a genius in his own right. He was able to figure things out in a snap off the top of his head. Layne just had his demons.
Layne was on this earth for 34 years. In that time he wrote songs that gave a normal person insight into the mind and journey of an addict. The pain and depression he endured to write the most brutally honest lyrics a musician could write concerning his feelings on his own addiction and the emotional and physical strength he had to perform those songs live when all he wanted to do was curl away and lose himself in the drug haze I can’t imagine what it was like for him. He was hounded by the press about his addiction. He was ridiculed for his addiction. The music industry blackballed him for his addiction. The Grammys forgot about him when he died. As far as MTV and Rolling Stone were concerned he’s just another addicted singer. They don’t want to acknowledge his contributions to music.
I could say so much more, but in the end, it all boils down to: Layne Staley deserved better than what he received from the people around him who he thought mattered. He wrote about things with maturity and knowledge well beyond his years. He did NOT deserve to be turned into tabloid cannon fodder by the press.
Never thought I'd witness a Flavor Flav reference in an Alice in Chains reaction.😆
Best live performances are LOVE HATE LOVE (live at moore) and definitelly JUNKHEAD (singles party)
Love those songs ... Amazing
This is my fav song of Alice in Chains. Thank you. Greetings from the Netherlands. Love your videos.
im 59 and revere this track......at age 30ish i played this to some people in a bar in Pornic/France ......they mentally fell to bits....
Smashed it
This whole album, it's called dirt. Greatest grunge album ever made. Layne Staley is amazing on vocals. The guitarist/ vocalist Jerry Cantrell is amazing in his own right but Layne was the power behind the vocals
Some of the best music of all time came out of the Grunge era. Some of the best voices of all time came from the Grunge era. Layne Staley of Alice in Chains, Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam, Kurt Cobain of Nirvana, Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots and Chris Cornell of Soundgarden are all great voices.
You HAVE GOTS to check out Love Hate Love live at the Moore. Layne in his prime, BEST rock performance ever!!!
Just came across your reviews. As a kid of the 80s / 90s... just wanna say thank you for keeping AIC and Layne Staley alive. Dirt is probably the heaviest / darkest, most raw / honest... and just flat out best albums of not just the grunge era... but all time. Music is pure energy that transcends politics, religion, race... and most importantly... time. This album can be hard to listen to for me at times b/c I've also struggled with mental darkness and I lost friends to drugs during that time... but I've learned to respect the darkness and embrace the light. Much love and respect my brother. @hvybalance
Love Hate Love Live at the Moore,
Nutshell from MTV Unplugged, Long Gone Day and Wake Up both by Mad Season another band Layne fronted!! You won't be sorry! All AMAZING!!
Jerry hat flew off. This song is fire!
Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam and Van Halen were my gods. They still are.
Grunge came out with some of the best bands in my lifetime.
There still the best To this day.
That beard game is getting strong lol.....but I’m sure you’ve probably already seen the request, but you have to check out the song that put them on the map called, Rooster. You will not regret it.
This is the Grunge era after the glam rock of the 80s. Most grunge bands came from Seattle and is referred to as the Seattle Sound. Cantrelle found the band and after the front man, Layne Staley overdosed on heroine, they replaced him with another singer and still perform.
Great reaction!
I wore my older brothers Alice in Chains t-shirt in like 7th grade, it said: From the Band that gave you Would. I didn't get that for a while.
Great singer 😊🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶
Kurtis regards from Serbia!!!Layne was and stil is no1.
Late to the party so it's probably been said but anyway.... The lead singer is Layne Staley and he's backed by Jerry Cantrell who is lead guitarist and primary song writer though all contributed in song creation. Layne Staley sadly passed away in '02 from an overdose.
Definitely the Golden Age of the era
Layne Staley lead singer, Jerry Cantrell’ lead guitar man in the box by Alice and Chains
Rest In Peace Layne Staley.
Love the Falcons hat
It was a lost of a life RIP Andrew Wood
Great reaction!! Leaving this comment for the algorithm
Layne RIP GOAT
They usually sang together, but the lead guy was Layne Staley
You don’t even know what you just dove into…….I’m kinda jealous.
Also check out Mad Season at The Moore AMAZING!! Layne Staley lead singer!! 🤘❤️👍
Laynes a total legend
Kurtis react tp Alice in Chains "Love, Hate, Love" live.....you'll hear and see some serious vocals!!!!