Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell in E-flat was the perfect rock combo

[popinvasion]

Seriously the vibe is huge, the harmonies and phrasing is outrageously unique. I understand the addiction angle but man the guy had soul. His voice has range and power and is just a gift. This combination is incredible. Jerry always had this sense of drama and discord and found ways to make solos not showy but random. The random quality made it interesting and makes it still interesting to listen to. Just revisited the music bank and I am shocked.. Music can't keep up with this.

[A-Bone]

Seriously the vibe is huge, the harmonies and phrasing is outrageously unique. I understand the addiction angle but man the guy had soul. His voice has range and power and is just a gift. This combination is incredible. Jerry always had this sense of drama and discord and found ways to make solos not showy but random. The random quality made it interesting and makes it still interesting to listen to. Just revisited the music bank and I am shocked.. Music can't keep up with this.

No argument from me. I was pretty blown away from the first time I heard them, and only became more impressed the more I heard.

[Faraldi]

When Layne died, the magic went with him.


uAE6Il6OTcs

[GerryJ]

Neither pro war, anti-war, just the best rock song about Vietnam, hands down. Nothing comes close.

[rmj254]

They are one of my favorite bands. Really love "Facelift" and "Dirt".

[56Tweed]

I really liked their early stuff as well as their accoustic EPs. I would just playing 'Don't Follow' yesterday. Took me way too long (years) to learn how to play it fingerstyle.

[juicehead2072]

I agree completely, they are one of my favorite all time bands. Layne and Jerry harmonized better than anybody in rock and roll if u ask me. It's a shame Layne died so young with so much music left to give us. I still listen to their stuff and it makes the hair on my neck stand up it's so damn powerful.!

RIP Layne, you are missed.!

[RonH]

I love AIC and Layne was an incredible singer. The harmonies between him and Jerry really set things off. I never thought I would like AIC as much without Layne, but the latest album is my favorite from them. It just shows how good of a songwriter Jerry Cantrell is!

[riffraff7]

They did an MTV Unplugged back in the day. Mezmerising.

[Sid]

i can never forget the live man in the box performance

[semi-hollowbody]

music from the best period of my life, which followed the worst period of my life :)

One of my favorite bands of all time...Layne had a very unique, powerful, and compelling voice..

[Bobby D]

yep. the original band, with bassist MIKE STARR laying down the low end, LAYNE doing the vocals, and JERRY on the riffs and vocal harmonies was the BEST band from that era of Seattle.

RIP Mike & Layne......

[reo73]

Great, Great, Band. I always viewed them as more of a rock band than grunge. Layne was excellent and unique but I must also say that the new guy is great too and does justice to Layne's vocals without being a copycat.

[bxlxaxkxe]

No disrespect to Layne, but I am glad that they continued on after his death. It gave me a chance(well 4 actually) to see them and I hope to see them again sometime soon. Unplugged may be one of my favorite albums of all time

[GerryJ]

Know someone who saw the current version at some big Cali concert last year (with papa roach, tool, etc) , AIC still brings it, big time, 2nd to none.

[popinvasion]

A few of the new songs are cool, but I just have to say Layne was the soul in the band and its missing.

[Lost_Cause]

It may be missing something but the songs are pretty great. The playing is pretty great. What is missing cannot be helped now so I am glad that they did this.

[popinvasion]

I agree to an extent, and I am glad to hear a song like black gives way to blue or your decision. But overall, facelift and dirt and jar of flies and sap and tripod and unplugged and music bank and even the last song died just had the soul. Sad it has to change, I know their hands are tied. I would love to hear some real stories about layne, everything that is out there covering the man is just pure garbage. From adriana rubio and her crazy books to all the gossip sites. I would love to hear about layne and what the guy was like, what the studio sessions were like, how quickly he recorded the vocals, what kind of microphone and gear was used, hear about the writing. You know all the nitty gritty. I have to admit to being a fanboy as I was basically born musically into it. Facelift came out when I was a bit too young, but dirt came out right when I was understanding music and I learned would as one of my first songs on the guitar. I had a G&L and everything. Mad season was also amazing, it came out when I just got my drivers license, I skipped school bought the record and just drove around.

[Bobby D]

i wish i knew more about Layne too. i onl got to spend a few hours with him, and he really was NOT INTO talking about music or AIC stuff. i didn't want to piss him off, so i didn't push it.

from what i knew of him, he was a cool guy, but just really burnt out on the music biz, and didn't want much to do with it.

i agree, no one has really written a good definitive book on AIC. now with 2 or the 4 gone, it would be even harder to do right.

[popinvasion]

i wish i knew more about Layne too. i onl got to spend a few hours with him, and he really was NOT INTO talking about music or AIC stuff. i didn't want to piss him off, so i didn't push it.

from what i knew of him, he was a cool guy, but just really burnt out on the music biz, and didn't want much to do with it.

i agree, no one has really written a good definitive book on AIC. now with 2 or the 4 gone, it would be even harder to do right.

so true and rightfully or wrongfully jerry seems super tight lipped so the truth is slowly disappearing and it most likely will never be correctly put to words just lost in a memory.

When you hung with layne did you get to see any of his art? There was a girl on one of the aic boards that he was friends with that claims he was busy working on art and done with music. Then you hear dave jerden aic producer said the guy was 80lbs, white as a ghost, lifeless and barely functioning. I mean I know the guy had an addiction and it was bad, people claim he was bald, no teeth, covered in abscess, lost limbs or fingers, aids, hunched over and no longer the same height. I mean I know he was in bad shape as he was consumed. His mother stated that she has pictures and that he was looking pretty healthy before he died. Supposedly there is a picture of him from 2001 and he had long hair and a long beard, all of it grey but looking pretty healthy. Who knows.. There is some speculation that he found a way to get healthy again for a short while in 2001. I guess I want to know more about the process of their writing and recording and their thoughts on the music and the gear used but I also in some ways want to know about Laynes art and his life outside of music. Not so much about the addiction but just something better than adriana rubios last days book. Just imagine suboxone came out right in the early 2000's I think, this could have saved his life as apparently he was against methodone because of the process. I can't say I totally understand never having an opiate addiction but suboxone was just right around the corner. It would be neat to hear a healthy lane in 2011 and see what that would sound like.

[Jason UP]

Layne or bust for me. I can't get into the new stuff. Just pales in comparison. HUGE fan here. I put Love Hate Love in my top 5 favorite rock songs EVER. Just for me. And Zep and the Beatles pretty much cover the other 4, so yeah I like 'em haha.

[popinvasion]

Layne or bust for me. I can't get into the new stuff. Just pales in comparison. HUGE fan here. I put Love Hate Love in my top 5 favorite rock songs EVER. Just for me. And Zep and the Beatles pretty much cover the other 4, so yeah I like 'em haha.

love hate love, incredible.

[monty]

+1 Sunsetamps. I would love to read about Layne's creative process. I listen to Tripod on headphones and wonder how another human could possibly think of those vocal parts.

[silentbob]

Cantrell has been criminally underrated for a long time. Saw AIC twice in their prime. Once Layne just stood up there and twitched through the whole show, barely got through the night. The other time they were fantastic.

[Mr. Kite]

Mm7EVpVh94E

[popinvasion]

+1 Sunsetamps. I would love to read about Layne's creative process. I listen to Tripod on headphones and wonder how another human could possibly think of those vocal parts.

even earlier stuff like the way the vocals are layered on hate to feel are just outrageous. Which is credited to 100% staley.

[Bobby D]

so true and rightfully or wrongfully jerry seems super tight lipped so the truth is slowly disappearing and it most likely will never be correctly put to words just lost in a memory.

When you hung with layne did you get to see any of his art? There was a girl on one of the aic boards that he was friends with that claims he was busy working on art and done with music. Then you hear dave jerden aic producer said the guy was 80lbs, white as a ghost, lifeless and barely functioning. I mean I know the guy had an addiction and it was bad, people claim he was bald, no teeth, covered in abscess, lost limbs or fingers, aids, hunched over and no longer the same height. I mean I know he was in bad shape as he was consumed. His mother stated that she has pictures and that he was looking pretty healthy before he died. Supposedly there is a picture of him from 2001 and he had long hair and a long beard, all of it grey but looking pretty healthy. Who knows.. There is some speculation that he found a way to get healthy again for a short while in 2001. I guess I want to know more about the process of their writing and recording and their thoughts on the music and the gear used but I also in some ways want to know about Laynes art and his life outside of music. Not so much about the addiction but just something better than adriana rubios last days book. Just imagine suboxone came out right in the early 2000's I think, this could have saved his life as apparently he was against methodone because of the process. I can't say I totally understand never having an opiate addiction but suboxone was just right around the corner. It would be neat to hear a healthy lane in 2011 and see what that would sound like.


i will PM you some things i wanna keep private.....


but when i saw Layne, he was not 80 lbs, or near death, or any of that stuff....i don't know what Dave Jerden saw, or why he said the things he did....

and YES......if suboxone had been available back then, it might have helped Layne tremendously. -- i have seen some miracles happen for people using that for treatment!

[GarMan]

I was listening to AIC yesterday. With the exception of The Melvins, AIC was pretty much my favorite Washington based band.

Ohh, and Black gives way to Blue is a damn great album, and I am a huge Layne fan.

[pickslide]

Its true that the new album is not the same as the stuff with Layne, but it is what it is, which is some really good rock and roll. Now, is this more like a Cantrell solo band than AIC? Perhaps it is, but I like it just the same.

I will admit that there are some moments on BGWTB that to me sound exactly like the AIC of old and it is worth it just for that.

[3leggeddog]

Jerry Cantrell can do no wrong in my book, in or out of AIC...nothing but very tasteful songwriting. Same with everything Layne did...the Mad Season album is another one of the all-time greats. I've never had anything but respect for AIC. I think it is absolutely great that they decided to continue making music again, even sans-Layne they have something way too powerful to keep boxed up. I've come across very few people that can conjure up anything bad to say about AIC musically.

[Lution]

For me, AIC died with Layne. Having said that, the band using the name AIC is making some good music. I like the album, but it's not AIC.

What really struck a chord with me was not only Layne's incredible voice and melodies, but also his words. . . . and it seems I fall in love with a different AIC song every other month and listen to it non-stop.

Right now, it is Nutshell that's got me. Incredible words and music:
G2_hNCu4iak

[Larry Esposito]

Its true that the new album is not the same as the stuff with Layne, but it is what it is, which is some really good rock and roll. Now, is this more like a Cantrell solo band than AIC? Perhaps it is, but I like it just the same.

I will admit that there are some moments on BGWTB that to me sound exactly like the AIC of old and it is worth it just for that.

Well said. They are still very listenable, but AIC with Layne was one of the last GREAT bands...IMO.

[popinvasion]

i will PM you some things i wanna keep private.....


but when i saw Layne, he was not 80 lbs, or near death, or any of that stuff....i don't know what Dave Jerden saw, or why he said the things he did....

and YES......if suboxone had been available back then, it might have helped Layne tremendously. -- i have seen some miracles happen for people using that for treatment!

Thank you Bobby D

[popinvasion]

For me, AIC died with Layne. Having said that, the band using the name AIC is making some good music. I like the album, but it's not AIC.

What really struck a chord with me was not only Layne's incredible voice and melodies, but also his words. . . . and it seems I fall in love with a different AIC song every other month and listen to it non-stop.

Right now, it is Nutshell that's got me. Incredible words and music:
G2_hNCu4iak

Nutshell is just great

[popinvasion]

Pulling out the best of the box tonight. Love me some Layne.

[popinvasion]

love hate love X3 tonight with a few beers.

[popinvasion]

lets hear it for layne

[Babaji]

...I was watching Palladia one night a couple of months back and AIC came on(Sonic Festival?). I had never heard them before...It was the new line-up. I was blown away by the harmonies and dissonance! Great stuff! Still gathering all their CD's...
Bill

[tsar nicholas]

Neither pro war, anti-war, just the best rock song about Vietnam, hands down. Nothing comes close.

^ Totally agree. Also, "Would?" has one of the most dramatic climaxes ever recorded