Alice in Chains took over the grunge music scene in 1990 with the release of their first album, “Facelift,” which went triple platinum and sold over three million copies in the United States and landed at number 42 on the Billboard 200 chart in the same year. They would go on to release six more albums and two EP’s including “Sap,” released in 1992, and “Jar of Flies,” released in 1994. These two projects are considered their saddest works lyrically as a band and became the staple of lead frontman and singer Layne Staley’s musical career. 30 years after their release, we can see how they were made and the impact it had on the music world. These releases discuss the band’s series of drug problems, depression, and difficulties with fame. Being open with these topics continued to become more popular in the years following.
“Sap” is a product of demos recorded when the band was recording “Would” for the hit movie “Singles” that was released in 1992. The EP consists of only five songs and was released on Feb. 4, 1992. The album has three lead singers from other popular bands on it. The album comprises vocal tracks of five different singers including frontman Layne Staley, lead guitarist Jerry Cantrell, Chris Cornell (frontman of Soundgarden), Mark Arm (frontman of Mudhoney) and Ann Wilson (lead singer for Heart.) The stark contrast of voices, each from different genres of music, reflects the sound of the album: complex and irregular. The album speaks of many different topics. For example, the first song “Brother” is written by Cantrell in plea for Staley to quit his drug addiction. This becomes apparent in the lyrics “so I can barely see your face, wonder how that color tastes, you were always so far away.”
The name “Jar of Flies” stemmed from Cantrell and a science project he completed in grade school where he had two jars of flies; one was overfed, the other was underfed and he had to see which one would last longer. The band lived in the studio during the mere seven days it took to complete the album, yet they started recording with absolutely nothing prepared; they had not written any music or came up with any ideas. Despite this, the EP debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 charts and was the first EP to ever do so being released on Jan. 25, 1994.
“Jar of Flies” explores the misconceptions of fame and the toll popularity had taken on the band’s members and their drug addictions. The second track, “Nutshell,” explores this idea directly with lyrics such as “my privacy is raked, and yet I find, and yet I find, repeating in my head, if I can’t be my own, I’d feel better dead.” These lines are written byStaley and express his loneliness within his newfound fame, while “No Excuses” depicts his understanding of his drug addiction and how he has ‘no excuses’ to continue taking them. However, the lyrics are not the only thing that stands out about the EP. As portrayed in “Whale & Wasp,” which has no vocal track; only a guitar echo that can only be described as haunting. “Jar of Flies” marks the band’s last studio release before Staley passed away due to a drug overdose in 2002.
“Sap” and “Jar of Flies” have gone down as some of the saddest pieces of the grunge music era. Their significance has left a legacy for the band as these are their most popular works. Upon the dark topics discussed in the music, such a bright message is left behind. It leaves an impact on today’s generation as tons of fans all over the world still listen to these songs and sympathize with the messages the band wrote in them. 30 years later, the EP’s are still so popular that the band remixed them and published them on streaming platforms and also sold out of remixed vinyls within a day of their release, this shows that this music still resonates with people today.
