Jar of Flies
| Jar of Flies | ||||
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| EP by Alice in Chains | ||||
| Released | January 25, 1994 | |||
| Recorded | September 7–14, 1993 at London Bridge Studio in Seattle, Washington | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock, grunge | |||
| Length | 30:49 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | Alice in Chains | |||
| Alice in Chains chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Jar of Flies | ||||
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Jar of Flies is the third studio EP by the American rock band Alice in Chains, released on January 25, 1994 through Columbia Records. It is the first EP in music history to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 Chart and was well received by critics. The EP has since been certified triple-platinum by the RIAA and has gone on to sell 4 million copies worldwide. Jar of Flies is one of the biggest sellers in Alice in Chains' catalogue.
Background and recording
Following Alice in Chains' extensive 1993 world tour for Dirt and appearance at Lollapalooza, the band members returned home to Seattle to find themselves evicted from their residence after failing to pay the rent. The band then moved into London Bridge Studio feeling lonely and depressed.[1] Vocalist Layne Staley said the band "just wanted to go into the studio for a few days with our acoustic guitars and see what happened. We never really planned on the music we made at that time to be released. But the record label heard it and they really liked it. For us, it was just the experience of four guys getting together in the studio and making some music."[2]
Written and recorded in one week in September 1993,[3]Jar of Flies was produced by the band members themselves with Toby Wright, and marks the first major studio recording with bassist Mike Inez "(the band recorded two songs with Inez, "What the Hell Have I" and "A Little Bitter", for the Summer 1993 Last Action Hero soundtrack earlier in the year)".[4] Guitarist Jerry Cantrell said, "That was the first time we'd written with Mike Inez...The whole Jar of Flies EP proved to both us and the fans what a talented and valid part of the band Mike was. He plays the nastiest, darkest shit but he's got the sweetest heart in the world."[5]
According to Staley, the title for the album came from a science experiment Cantrell conducted in third grade: "They gave him two jars full of flies. One of the jars they overfed, the other jar they underfed. The one they overfed flourished for a while, then all the flies died from overpopulation. The one they underfed had most of the flies survive all year. I guess there's a message in there somewhere. Evidently that experiment had a big impact on Jerry."[6]
Music and lyrics
Jar of Flies well demonstrates Alice in Chains' broad musical scope and features a variety of predominantly acoustic songs ranging from dark, depressed passages like "Rotten Apple" and "Nutshell" to the more upbeat anthems like "No Excuses". It also boasts various instrumentation not otherwise common in the Alice in Chains catalog; the opening track, "Rotten Apple", features a talk box effect, and "Don't Follow" includes both harmonica and soul-driven vocals. However, Cantrell's signature electric guitar style still plays a prominent role in correspondence with the acoustic rhythms. "Whale & Wasp" also offers another Alice in Chains rarity in its purely instrumental nature, as does the blues/country-inspired "Swing On This", the closing track of the album.
Release and reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [7] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B−[8] |
| Rolling Stone | [9] |
| Q | [10] |
While it was never originally intended for a public release, Columbia Records released Jar of Flies on January 25, 1994. Jar of Flies debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, becoming the first ever EP—and first Alice in Chains release—to top the charts.[11] It was the only EP ever to gain this distinction until 2004, when a mashup EP by Jay-Z and Linkin Park titled Collision Course also achieved the number one spot ten years later. Jar of Flies has since been certified triple platinum. Paul Evans of Rolling Stone called the EP "darkly gorgeous,"[9] and Steve Huey stated "Jar of Flies is a low-key stunner, achingly gorgeous and harrowingly sorrowful all at once."[7]
Jar of Flies included the singles "No Excuses" and "I Stay Away", both of which had accompanying music videos. "No Excuses", which was a number one single on the Mainstream Rock charts, was Alice in Chains' most successful radio song until 2009. The second single, "I Stay Away", reached number ten on the Mainstream Rock charts, while the final single "Don't Follow", reached number 25.[11] The final single released from the EP was a bold offering for a grunge-oriented band; a promo of the string instrumental "Whale & Wasp" was released as a promo-only single in January 1995. "I Stay Away" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance in 1995.[12]
In November 2011, Jar of Flies was ranked number four on Guitar World magazine's top ten list of guitar albums of 1994.[13]
Track listing
All music composed by Jerry Cantrell except where noted. All lyrics by Layne Staley, except where noted..
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Rotten Apple" | Cantrell, Mike Inez | 6:58 | ||
| 2. | "Nutshell" | Cantrell, Inez, Sean Kinney | 4:19 | ||
| 3. | "I Stay Away" | Cantrell, Inez | 4:14 | ||
| 4. | "No Excuses" | Cantrell | 4:15 | ||
| 5. | "Whale & Wasp" | [instrumental] | 2:37 | ||
| 6. | "Don't Follow" | Cantrell | 4:22 | ||
| 7. | "Swing on This" | Cantrell, Inez, Kinney | 4:04 | ||
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Total length:
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30:49 | ||||
Personnel
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Chart positions
Album
| Chart (1994) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Charts[14] | 2 |
| Austrian Albums Chart[15] | 22 |
| German Albums Chart[16] | 25 |
| Netherlands Albums Chart[17] | 17 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart[18] | 1 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart[19] | 7 |
| Swedish Albums Chart[20] | 6 |
| Swiss Albums Chart[21] | 31 |
| UK Albums Chart[22] | 4 |
| US Billboard 200[11] | 1 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [23] |
US Main [24] |
US Mod [24] |
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| 1994 | "No Excuses"[I] | 48 | 1 | 3 |
| "I Stay Away" | — | 10 | — | |
| "Don't Follow" | — | 25 | — | |
| 1995 | "Whale & Wasp | — | — | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | ||||
- I^ Did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100; peak chart position represents Billboard Hot 100 Airplay data.
References
- ^ "Alice in Chains: Biography". aliceinchains.com.
- ^ Andrews, Rob (August 1994). A Step Beyond Layne's World. Hit Parader.
- ^ "Jar of Flies - Discography". Aliceinchains.com. Archived from the original on 2006-12-08. Retrieved 2007-12-28.
- ^ "Last Action Hero – Soundtracks and music scores". Aliceinchains.com. Archived from the original on 2007-03-08. Retrieved 2007-11-24.
- ^ Liner notes, Music Bank box set. 1999.
- ^ Alice In Chains- Interview
- ^ a b Huey, Steve. "Jar of Flies". Allmusic. Retrieved 2008-01-01.
- ^ Sinclair, Tom (1994-01-28). "Jar of Flies Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2012-05-05.
- ^ a b EVANS, PAUL (1994-03-24). "Jar of Flies". Album Reviews. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2008-10-05.
- ^ http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=1087902&style=music
- ^ a b c "Alice in Chains - Artist chart History". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2007-11-09.
- ^ "37th Grammy Awards - 1995". Rockonthenet.com. Retrieved 2007-12-08.
- ^ Grassi, Tony. "Photo Gallery: The Top 10 Guitar Albums of 1994". GuitarWorld.com. Retrieved 2011-11-08.
- ^ "Discography Alice in Chains". Australian-charts.com. Retrieved 2009-07-19.
- ^ "Discography Alice in Chains" (in German). Austriancharts.at. Retrieved 2008-02-14.
- ^ "Discography Alice in Chains". musicline.de. Retrieved 2009-07-19.
- ^ "Discografie Alice in Chains" (in Dutch). Dutchchars.nl. Retrieved 2008-02-14.
- ^ "Discography Alice in Chains". Charts.org.nz. Retrieved 2008-02-14.
- ^ "Discography Alice in Chains" (in Norwegian). Norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 2008-02-14.
- ^ "Discography Alice in Chains" (in Swedish). Swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 2008-02-14.
- ^ "Discography Alice in Chains" (in German). Hitparade.ch. Retrieved 2008-02-14.
- ^ Roberts, David, ed. (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). HIT Entertainment. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ "Hot 100 Airplay - Alice in Chains". Billboard charts. Retrieved 2008-05-13.[dead link]
- ^ a b "Artist Chart History – Alice in Chains". Billboard charts. Retrieved 2008-02-14.
| Preceded by Music Box by Mariah Carey |
Billboard 200 number-one album February 12–18, 1994 |
Succeeded by Kickin' It Up by John Michael Montgomery |
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