Nothing Safe: Best of the Box is the first greatest hits album by the American rock band Alice in Chains. It was released on June 29, 1999, on Columbia Records. The previously unreleased track "Get Born Again" was released as a single to promote the album[1] and peaked at No. 4 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart,[2] and at No. 12 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart.[3] "Get Born Again" was also nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance in 2000.[4]
| Nothing Safe: Best of the Box | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Greatest hits album by | ||||
| Released | June 29, 1999[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1989–1998 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 62:18 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| Alice in Chains chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Nothing Safe: Best of the Box | ||||
| ||||
Overview edit
The album is the first of Alice in Chains's best-of albums, and also served as a sampler for their Music Bank box set. Nothing Safe contains newly remastered tracks from previous albums Facelift, Sap, Dirt, Jar of Flies, Alice in Chains and Unplugged, as well as the previously unreleased track "Get Born Again", recorded between September and October 1998.[5][6]
Despite the "Best of the Box" album subtitle, this compilation includes several tracks not found on the Music Bank box set.
The demo version of "We Die Young" was previously unreleased and did not appear on Music Bank. This track remains exclusive to this collection.
The live version of "Rooster" found here was also previously unreleased, and similarly, did not appear on Music Bank. However, this track was re-released in 2000 on the compilation, Live.
The remastered, "unplugged" version of "Got Me Wrong" was also omitted from Music Bank.
The version of "What The Hell Have I" that appears here is the original version mixed by Andy Wallace, not the version remixed by Toby Wright that appears on Music Bank.
The newly remastered version of "Again" that is found on Nothing Safe was also left off of the Music Bank compilation in favor of a techno/electronic dance remix of the song called, "Again (Tattoo Of Pain Mix)".
Unlike the version found on Music Bank, "Iron Gland" is featured with the beginning drum found on the Dirt track "Dam That River".
Because of these differences, many fans consider Nothing Safe to be a companion piece to the Music Bank box set.
A "Best Buy Exclusive" issue of the CD included a bonus disc in a cardboard sleeve, with live versions of "Angry Chair" and "Man in the Box".
Release and reception edit
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [7] |
| Metal Hammer | 8/10[8] |
| Rolling Stone |  [9] |
| Sputnikmusic | [10] |
The album was certified platinum by the RIAA, and the revenue generated from the album was used to fund the Music Bank box set.[11]
The album has received mainly positive reviews, with critics praising the compilation's inclusion of rare material, along with the band's hits. AllMusic staff writer Steve Huey gave the album a four star rating writing "The package is not unattractive, since nearly all the hits are present in some form; also included are the new song "Get Born Again" and the better of the group's two contributions to the Last Action Hero soundtrack, "What the Hell Have I."[7]
Bill Adams of Ground Control Magazine, reviewing Alice in Chains Discography wrote "To its credit, Nothing Safe is a solid compilation of odds, ends, live tracks, studio cuts, soundtrack appearances and rarities, which serves its purpose for giving 'in-passing' fans a pretty enjoyable set".[11]
Track listing edit
All tracks written by Jerry Cantrell, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Get Born Again" (previously unreleased) |
| 5:26 |
| 2. | "We Die Young" (previously unreleased demo) | 2:28 | |
| 3. | "Man in the Box" (from Facelift) |
| 4:46 |
| 4. | "Them Bones" (from Dirt) | 2:30 | |
| 5. | "Iron Gland" (unlisted track from Dirt) | 0:43 | |
| 6. | "Angry Chair" (from Dirt) | Staley | 4:46 |
| 7. | "Down in a Hole" (from Dirt) | 5:37 | |
| 8. | "Rooster" (Live; previously unreleased in North America) | 6:46 | |
| 9. | "Got Me Wrong" (from MTV Unplugged) | 4:24 | |
| 10. | "No Excuses" (from Jar of Flies) | 4:15 | |
| 11. | "I Stay Away" (from Jar of Flies) |
| 4:14 |
| 12. | "What the Hell Have I" (Music from the Original Motion Picture – Last Action Hero) | 3:57 | |
| 13. | "Grind" (from Alice in Chains) | 4:44 | |
| 14. | "Again" (from Alice in Chains) |
| 4:04 |
| 15. | "Would?" (from Dirt) | 3:28 | |
| Total length: | 62:18 | ||
"Rooster" is not present on the iTunes edition.
Personnel edit
|
|
Chart positions edit
Album edit
| Chart (1999) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[12] | 20 |
| Top Internet Albums[13] | 17 |
Singles edit
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Bubbling [14] |
US Main [2] |
US Mod [3] | ||
| 1999 | "Get Born Again"[I] | 6 | 4 | 12 |
- I^ Peaked on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart, a 25-song extension to the original Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Certifications edit
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[15] | Silver | 60,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[16] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References edit
- ^ a b c "Columbia Records Online Programming Guide for the Week Of June 1, 1999". The Free Library. Business Wire. June 1, 1999. Archived from the original on July 8, 2018.
- ^ a b "Alice in Chains Chart History – Mainstream Rock Songs". Billboard. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
- ^ a b "Alice in Chains Chart History – Alternative Songs". Billboard. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
- ^ "42nd Annual Grammy Awards: List of nominations". CNN. January 4, 2000. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
- ^ Fischer, Blair R. (September 3, 1998). "Malice in Chains?". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 3, 2008. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
- ^ "Alice in Chains Timeline". SonyMusic.com. Archived from the original on October 7, 1999. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
- ^ a b Huey, Steve. "Nothing Safe: Best of the Box". Allmusic. Archived from the original on August 8, 2009. Retrieved 23 July 2009.
- ^ Potter, Valerie (August 1999). "Under the Hammer". Metal Hammer. No. 65. UK: Future plc. p. 78.
- ^ Hunter, James (1999-09-02). "Nothing Safe: Best of the Box". Album Reviews. Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 2, 2007. Retrieved 2008-10-05.
- ^ "Alice in Chains – Nothing Safe: Best of the Box (album review)". Sputnikmusic.com. 2006-09-21. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
- ^ a b Adams, Bill. (2011). Alice in Chains Discography Part 2 Archived 2015-01-20 at the Wayback Machine Ground Control Magazine. Retrieved 2012-09-21.
- ^ "Alice in Chains Chart History – Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
- ^ "Alice in Chains "Nothing Safe" Chart History – Internet Albums". Billboard. July 24, 1999. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
- ^ "Alice in Chains Chart History – Bubbling Under Hot 100". Billboard charts. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
- ^ "British album certifications – Alice In Chains – Nothing Safe". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
- ^ "American album certifications – Alice in Chains – Nothing's Safe". Recording Industry Association of America.
External links edit
- Nothing Safe: Best of the Box at Discogs (list of releases)
- Nothing Safe: Best of the Box at AllMusic