Customer Reviews

Facelift

5 star:		(102)
4 star:		(34)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

When FACELIFT was released, the metal scene had started to become stale. Everywhere you looked, hair bands where the dominating scene so when this rocking, sometimes dark and dreary album was released, music become good again. This album is full of classic songs that to this day continue to get a good amount of airplay on various radio stations. WE DIE YOUNG, MAN IN THE BOX, SEA OF SORROW, BLEED THE FREAK, LOVE HATE LOVE, I CANT REMEMBER, IT AINT LIKE THAT are some heavy songs that rock and suck the listener right in. When I came back from the Gulf War in '91, MAN IN THE BOX was a huge hit, being played all over the radio and MTV. Remember this album was released before NEVERMIND and TEN the success of this album helped to pave the way for the future success of Nirvana and Pearl Jam. I have always thought that AIC blew those two bands away with only SOUNDGARDEN coming close to them. I highly recommend this album to serious hard rock fans. AIC is more metal than grunge and this album shows the future promise this band had and prepared us for the future great albums they made. RIP Layne. Every track rocks

Facelift(1990). Alice In Chains' First Album.

In 1990, when Hair Metal such as Nelson and Slaughter still dominated the charts, a drastic change was about to happen. In Seattle, Washington, four bands(Soundgarden, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Alice In Chains) were about to change the face of music forever, giving a slap in the face to the happy-party attitude of previous music, and dishing out depressing songs that appealed to teen rebels(sort of like myself!). Alice In Chains, after the release of their debut album, 'Facelift', became the first band to achieve minor success, scoring the minor rock radio hits "Man In The Box" and "Sea of Sorrow". Although the album and the hits later became legendary, fans, including myself, typically overlook 'Facelift', instead buying a compilation or 'Dirt'. Is it a mistake that many fans overlook 'Facelift' or not? Read on to find out!

Track Ratings-

We Die Young- 'Facelift' starts off with "We Die Young", a psychotic rocker that resembles early Soundgarden and Black Sabbath, but even heavier and darker. Layne Staley's emotion, as always, leaves me breathless. Great start!

Man In The Box- What hasn't been said before? Along with "Rooster", "Man In The Box" is Alice In Chains biggest hit, and it's no surprise. Cantrell's pounding, sinister power chords, combined with Layne Staley's eerie, yet catchy harmonies raises eyebrows everywhere. Not to be missed.

Sea of Sorrow- Basically a classic metal song, "Sea of Sorrow" brings back the sound of classic bands like The Scorpions and Aerosmith. Cantrell's riff is reminiscent of retro-Scorpions, while putting in influences from Joe Perry. Layne Staley sings the twisted morals of the song quite well, and it's obvious this is a fan favorite.

Bleed The Freak- Starting off like a classic Alice In Chains ballad, "Bleed The Freak" is a dark twisted song that has some religious undertones, and seems to be a purging of Layne Staley's faith. Cantrell is brilliant on this song... he reminds me a lot of Zakk Wylde on this song, with a ripping solo and awesome riffs. Brilliant... spooky.

I Can't Remember- "I Can't Remember" begins with a doomy acoustic passage and builds-up to a doomed rocker about amnesia. Staley is the perfect voice... his doomed tale is perfectly sung. Jerry Cantrell shines with his guitarmanship. An oddly beautiful song.

Love, Hate, Love- Oddly, this sounds like a mix of The Scorpions and Metallica, kind of a spooky, slow, battle between Layne Staley and his mind. Cantrell plays classically influenced riffs, and they fit perfect... once again, oddly beautiful... there are no words.

It Ain't Like That- After a few slower songs, Alice In Chains takes it up a notch with "I Ain't Like That", a headbanging affair of killer power chords and vocals that demand your attention. Maybe your typical Alice In Chains song, but, does it ever get old?

Sunshine- Kind of a bluesy song, "Sunshine" is not as gloomy as Alice In Chains' usually is, combining Cantrell's bluesy(and punk) influenced melodies with Layne Staley's punkish vocals. Good.

Put You Down- Cantrell starts off "Put You Down" with his hopelessly addictive blues-metal riff, which, along with Layne Staley's heartbroken vocals, suck you into the song and you can't get away. Just plain cool...

Confusion- "Confusion" is another gloomy, dark, and downright depressing song courtesy Alice In Chains. Layne Staley is front and center, spilling his secrets in a gloomy whisper. Cantrell, as usual, impresses.

I Know Somthin(Bout You)- "I Know Somethin(Bout You)" is a funky song, featuring awesome blues and funk riffs from Cantrell(in fact, this sounds a lot like The Red Hot Chili Peppers) and Staley is more upbeat, just singing this song sarcastically. Impossibly cool, and a different song for Alice In Chains.

Real Thing- "Real Thing" begins a lot like "Sea of Sorrow", building up slowly, and finding Layne Staley at a whisper discussing the truth about addiction. This song is actually quite resounding, and Staley's cries are quite memorable. Cool song... Cantrell shines here.

Overall, 'Facelift' is a great offering from Alice In Chains, and hooked me from beginning to end. Every song on here is a winner, even though many sound like another Alice In Chains song you've heard before, they don't sound overdone or rehashed. While 'Facelift' isn't as good as 'Dirt', this is a damn good album from Alice In Chains, and any fan that passed this up would surely regret that decision.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO FANS OF ALICE IN CHAINS, METAL, GRUNGE, AND ROCK MUSIC! DON'T OVERLOOK THIS ALBUM, AND IGNORE THE NEGATIVE REVIEWS!

Killer Cuts- 'We Die Young', 'Man In The Box', 'Sea of Sorrow', 'Bleed The Freak', and 'I Know Somethin(Bout You)'.

Also Recommended-

Dirt- Alice In Chains

Taken By Force- The Scorpions

Ride The Lightning- Metallica

Thanks For Reading!

Along with Soundgarden, Alice in Chains was the heaviest of Seattle's grunge scene, and their music was simply the best of the genre. The opener, which is the haunting, stripped-down "We Die Young", is surprisingly fast for grunge music, while remaining very heavy and showcasing the best of Jerry's guitar work. "Man In The Box", the second track, is a bouncy, slow song about a guy with a seriously bleak outlook. The rest of the album is typical Alice, with elements that composed Dirt, their next and best release. This is, in a nutshell, the foundation that made Dirt great. It you know Alice, get this one and you'll love it. Otherwise, get Dirt.

If you were to ask most people on the street what genre Alice In Chains were part of, they'd probably respond by saying "grunge." While Alice In Chains could be described as grunge; with their Sabbath-like sludgy guitars and growling vocals, they could just as accurately be labeled hard-rock or metal. While Nirvana and Soundgarden were influenced by Iggy and the Stooges and Black Flag, Alice in Chains paid just as much homage to Van Halen, albeit with heavier, more grinding riffs. Alice in Chains debut album "Facelift" makes this abundantly clear.

Released in 1990, "Facelift" has an 80s feel to it. Like many other rock albums released in the late 80s/early 90s, "Facelift" is heavy on melody and sing-along-choruses. That is not to say that "Facelift" doesn't have the classic AIC sound; it's just that "Facelift" has some of the staples of the time in which it was released.

"Facelift" pays equal homage to both Black Sabbath and Van Halen. It has the slow, grinding riffs and downbeat, nihilistic themes of Sabbath, but also the screeching solos and urgency of early VH. It's no small wonder why AIC opened up for Van Halen in the early 90s.

While "Facelift" isn't the strongest album in the AIC catalogue, it is still a fine album. It contains some of the bands best songs, and ultimately some of the best rock singles of the 1990s. And even the songs that aren't quite up-to-par are still pretty good.

The first half of "Facelift" is quite strong with the intense "We Die Young," and "Man in a Box." Both songs, which are usually played back-to-back on the radio, are two of the band's best, most memorable singles. The highly underrated mid-tempo "Sea of Sorrow" and "Bleed the Freak" slow the album down a bit, without causing it to loose momentum. The drudging "I Can't Remember" and "Love Hate Love," are quite good, if not a tad overlong.

The first half of "Facelift" is so strong, the mid-section seems to pale in comparison. Much of the second half of the album, "It ain't like that," "Sunshine" "Put You Down," and "Confusion" are good enough, but not great. Fortunately, the album ends on a high note with the sinister "I know something about you" and the brooding, but catchy "Real Thing."

While "Facelift" isn't Alice In Chains best work, it is more than a respectable debut. While the band would continue to improve with subsequent releases, "Facelift" was a good foundation from which a great band was built. It also serves as a sort of midpoint, between 80s and 90s American hard rock.

If you are an Alice in Chains fan, this album is a must. Facelift is the initial commercial release, and in many respects, it is the best. I think that AIC is at their best when they are absolutely rocking and Layne Staley is matching the intensity of the song with his unique voice. I would say that he has the coolest voice in modern rock. He sings lead in all of the songs, which is nice becasue Cantrell has a decent voice, but Staley is the man who makes Alice in Chains who they are. It is much heavier than Jar of Flies and obviously Unplugged, and it just has a better sound than the self titled album. I would recommend Facelift, Dirt, Sap, and Jar of Flies in that order, and everything else is not essential. Of course the Music Bank would be nice if you are willing to spend 40 bucks. Facelift rocks big time. I would recommend it.

Whoa! After a listen or two through this little diamond in the rough, it is not hard to fathom why Alice in Chains etched such a tangible place for themselves in the rock industry. While this is clearly not their best work, it shows a great deal of promise for what would their sound would become on later albums. While listening to gems like "Man in the Box", "We Die Young", "Sea of Sorrow" and "It Ain't Like That" you catch a glimpse at the band that would one day cultivate enormous songs like "Them Bones", "Dam the River", "Grind", "Heaven Beside You", "No Excuses" "Down in a Hole" "Got Me Wrong" and numerous others. For a debut album from a then obscure, little known band from Seattle way back in 1990, this album is worth its weight in gold if not as a testament to what the band would one day become but rather as a testament as to the kind of wallop the band packed from day one. If you're a fan of music, this highly influential band and album should be in your collection.

Facelift was the start to alice in chains with their more hair metal start over their grungey end(Tripod). all of the songs are magnificent but nothing about torture yet and this is really good with the variety but personally their music is better with the torture of layne.

We Die Young 9.5/10 Great start with a heavy riff by jerry and then some awesome lyrics by layne lead to one of their best songs sadly though i heard the remastered version first and when i first got this album i thought it was crap and they messed it up etc.

Man in the Box 9.3/10 One of their most popular songs and the emotion is great. this song is great however the start is easy to do on a guitar which is un-alice in chainsistic. but overall a good song

Sea of Sorrow 9.4/10 A less heavy song but is a very good song with great lyrics too bad this got no radio time

Bleed the Freak 9.1/10 While i didnt like this song until the live version its still really good and sadly has yet no radio airtime

I Can't Remember 6.1/10 Too much of a filler and competly ruins the great beggining to the album

Love Hate Love 9.9/10 One of my favorite on the album and the live version is one of the best ever all the emotion and probably their only love song even though its a hating type of love song its great

It Aint Like That 9.5/10 See this is one of the best songs but love hate love makes it look bad

Sunshine 6.7/10 Dang it its of course a filler and not too many will tell you that they like it.

Put You Down 8.7/10 Brings back some heavy but not enough

Confusion 9.8/10 When i saw it said that mike starr is only the backing vocals i thought well it must be really good in all. i was not surprised at all. the song is great and i dont see why many dont like it.

I Know Somethin (bout you) 10/10 Awesome in short the chorus is awesome and the bass thump made the career of mike starr before inez came

Real Thing 9.1/10 I think that it is good however it's long as h*ll but its deinetly about his past

As you can see this is great.

I'll lead off by saying I'm still hit hard by the tragic and untimely death of Alice In Chains vocalist Layne Staley.
In case you're playing catch-up, in April 2002, his body was found dead in his apartment, apparently from a heroin overdose. Some have said "His death is more stupid than tragic". But I must completely disagree, unlike many I have a human side to me, which shows mourn. Also he was hooked on a substance that is very addictive. I point to the many other casualties as a testament to this. Most of the blamers wouldn't know how being strung out feels if their life depended on it, so how dare they try and weigh in with credibility. R.I.P Layne, we still miss you, you'll never be forgotten.

Before Starbucks, Microsoft and Grunge, the region of Seattle, Washington housed many Quality Rock acts, among one of them was Queensryche. While that band achieved their first taste of success, another local band was doing the rounds, Alice In Chains.

I've seen older pictures of the band, and it's clear their origins were in Glam-Metal (Which, as a fan of that genre, is fine by me.) In 1990 an E.P of the band impressed many Record Executives and made them sought after, hot property.
The EP included the song "We die Young". After signing with CBS/Sony Columbia records, they quickly headed back in to the studio to record more tracks for their full-fledged debut. I'm of the impression that what transpired during those sessions were magic.

Never again would Layne Staley sing with this much power and emotion, and the band's playing in such an energetic manner that remains unmatched. Consider this: On "Facelift" they churned out blistering metal, On later efforts like "Dirt" the band adopted a more sludgy sound to fit in with the Alternative scene, you could argue they hopped on the trendy bandwagon.

All the time I get into arguments with friends over which Alice album reigns supreme, they of course say "Dirt". I think two things: A.They've never listened to Facelift in it's entirety. And B.They've simply been brainwashed by MTV.

The album cover is a personal favorite, The face of a headbanger slightly morphed, and vibrantly colored.
The liner notes fold out in uncoventional fashion, and there's lyrics, info on who wrote what lyrics and music, plus a plethora of thank-you's. They really put effort into it.

The album opens with the afforementioned "We Die Young", which boasts a distorted crunch, crank it up and you'll hear what I mean - HELL YEAH! The thoughtful lyrics explin the Rough life of living in the 'hood.

When debating why I believe "Facelift" is this band's best album I use the Next track "Man in the Box" to anchor my argument. It's their most well-known known song, no question. The tempo has a semi-plod to it, and guitarist Jerry Cantrell chimes in on the background vocals, and for the solo he cuts loose. "Sea of Sorrow" gets off to a Southern-fried boogie start with a piano, and proceeds to rock relentlessly, the chorus is catchy. The use of toms by Drummer Sean Kinney is noteworthy.

A fluid riff backs the verses of "Bleed the Freak" followed by a great high-pitched solo. "I can't remember" is built around a twin section of acoustic and electric guitars, and Layne Staley's vocals go from, laid-back to yelling, showcasing how verstaile he was. Michael Starr plays a good bass line on "Love Hate Love". The opening lick is similar to it's preceding song, but it's different as well, because it's much creepier. The mainframe moves along at a crawling baby's pace, and the chorus is totally engaging.

On "It ain't like that" Jerry Cantrell plays a nice effect that doesn't lets up 'til the song ends. Want Vocal Harmonies in the vein of "Rooster"? You got 'em, take one listen to "Sunshine". There's a tough-sounding build up to the chorus, which is "happy sounding" by Alice In Chains standards, And "Put You Down" has a superb groove. A moody, atmospheric trip lies in "Confusion", Michael Starr sings the backing vocals, and I've always thought he was a better, more skilled bassist than his replacement Mike Inez.

"I know somethin About You" has a funk feel to it, and closer "Real Thing" boasts hair-metal attitude, the lyrics are about what else? Heroin but it's likable nonetheless.

This album is a masterpiece through and through, one of the best debuts ever. And most Twelve track albums have a dud track or two, but none here, which is a rarity. I've always wondered why do the masses prefer follow-up albums? You can't call yourself an Alice In Chains fan and not own a copy of "Facelift". Newcomers be told it's a great deal heavier than "Dirt" and "Tripod".

This was the first grunge album I ever bought (on cassette, no less). While Alice in Chains is not my favorite grunge band (Soungarden is), this album is still worthwhile for any metal fan. It may lack the grand sweep of sweep of Dirt, but remember-this is only a debut album.
Jerry Cantrell succeeds in creating a menacing metallic crunch in every guitar riff, while Layne Staley spews out smooth, atmospheric, and haunting vocal patterns.
The first half of the album, which contains classics like We Die Young, Man in the Box, Bleed the Freak, and Sea of Sorrow, definitely outdoes the second half. However, the strength of these songs alone constitutes buying the album, especially if you're a fan of the grunge scene.
So if you're even mildly interested in Alice in Chains, pick up the album-you won't be disappointed.

Alice in Chains's 1990 debut album "Facelift" is no doubt one of my favorite albums of all time, and it was also my very first Alice in Chains album I ever bought. I bought this album 5 years ago, and it quickly changed my life forever, and I became a huge fan instantly. Even though I do enjoy other grunge bands such as Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, etc, but Alice in Chains are way better in my book. Layne Staley's vocals are just amazing on here ranging from powerful melodic singing to aggressive snarls. Jerry Cantrell is a very talented guitarist and also one of my all time favorite guitarists as well. His hard hitting riffs and dazzling solos are guaranteed to make you smile in delight, and he also delivers great backing vocals too (listen to him trade off vocals with Layne on "Sea of Sorrow"). Michael Starr's bass lines are audible, jazzy, and dark. Sean Kinney's drumming is very good as well going from emotionally slow to fast and hard hitting. Every song on "Facelift" is a classic, from the aggressive opener "We Die Young" with it's aggressive razor sharp riffs from Jerry and rocking drum beat as well as Layne's snarling vocals, to "Man in a Box" which is no doubt one of the band's all time best songs with it's hard hitting opening main riff. This was also the first Alice in Chains song I ever heard prior to getting this album. We also got an addicting mid tempo rocker "Sea of Sorrow" which I mentioned earlier that Layne and Jerry trade off vocals during the chorus which is very catchy and fun to sing along to, as well as the ballad "Bleed The Freak" in which Layne does some nice singing. Other favorites include "Love, Hate, Love", "Put You Down", "I Know Somethin (Bout You) (which features some nice opening guitar licks and nice jazzy bass lines), and "Real Thing". Each song on here has it's great moments believe me. Please read for my song ratings.

Jeremy's song ratings:

1. We Die Young (2:32) - 5/5

2. Man in the Box (4:46) - 5/5

3. Sea of Sorrow (5:49) - 5/5

4. Bleed the Freak (4:01) - 5/5

5. I Can't Remember (3:42) - 5/5

6. Love, Hate, Love (6:27) - 5/5

7. It Ain't Like That (4:37) - 5/5

8. Sunshine (4:44) - 5/5

9. Put You Down (3:16) - 5/5

10. Confusion (5:44) - 5/5

11. I Know Somethin (Bout You) (4:21) - 5/5

12. Real Thing (4:03) - 5/5

Every song gets a 5 out of 5.

If you're a fan of Alice in Chains, grunge, rock, metal, or just good music in general, I strongly suggest you go out and buy this classic album ASAP. I guarantee you it will change your life forever like it did mine, well enjoy!!

REST IN PEACE LAYNE STAYLEY!!