Alice in Chains is a well-known American grunge band. Their second studio album was called Alice in Chains Dirt. Here is more about both the group and the album.
Before Alice in Chains Dirt the group had to get their start. They began in Seattle, Washington in 1987. It was considered a grunge band but also incorporated heavy metal elements. They rose to fame in the early 1990s with the grunge movement. They sold over 14 million albums in the US in the 1990s. They were number one on the Billboard 200 twice. They had 11 top singles. They were also nominated six times for a Grammy award.
Before producing Alice in Chains Dirt the group was quite prolific. They signed with Columbia records in 1989 and became a top priority for that label. Their first album was rushed into production after an early hit single. Facelift, that album, was released on August 21, 1990. It reached number 42 on the Billboard 200. It sold a measly 40,000 copies in six months. After MTV featured a single from the album, it took only six weeks to sell 400,000 copies. It became both a critical and retail success.
Alice in Chains Dirt deals a great deal with drug abuse and depression. One of the band members had been heavily addicted to various drugs. He had been in rehab. Once out of rehab he got right back onto the drugs. There are also claims that some of the band members were high on heroin and marijuana while recording this album.
Much of Alice in Chains Dirt album was written while the band was on the road touring. If you’ve ever been involved in a long road tour, you know how difficult that can be. Thus this album was much darker than the previous one. The band members say they would expel their demons while performing.
The album cover for Alice in Chains Dirt was developed by one of the band members. It included his girlfriend on the cover. It was a hit with all the band members. The album was completed in June of 1992. It made it as far as number six on the Billboard’s top 200. It vaulted the group to fame. It was certified four times platinum in the United States, platinum in Canada, and gold in the UK.
Alice in Chains Dirt has become part of the history of music. Many people consider it a masterpiece.