2007, sono passati cinque lunghi anni dalla morte di Layne Staley... L'eroina aveva deciso di portarci via un altro eroe degli Anni 90, dopo che Kurt Cobain e Jeff Buckley (anche se per motivi diversi!) ci avevano lasciati "orfani" e senza punti di riferimento. Layne era tormentato da lungo tempo dallo spettro della tossicodipendenza, tanto da fare di "Dirt" quasi un concept sul'argomento..
1999, esce uno dei best of degli Alice In Chains, "Nothing Safe", i fan sperano, invano, in un nuovo inizio perchè dopo l'omonimo del 1995 la band non era più entrata in studio: le ultime uscite erano state l'"MTV Unplugged" (1996), con un Layne magro, tormentato e con tanto di occhiali da sole, ma ancora capace di stregare con la sua voce peculiare, ed un buon esordio solista per Cantrell, "Boggy Depot" (1998).
Sono passati quasi vent'anni ed eccoci a guardare con nostalgia i tempi di "Facelift", quando la notte prima della registrazione, la band dorme fuori dallo studio sulle custodie degli strumenti per paura di odiosi furti... Una tra le band più osteggiate dai puristi di quello che era stato definito "grunge", accusata di essere troppo lontana dal punk e troppo attenta agli introiti economici, dimostra, in realtà, una coerenza artistica e tematica invidiabile, oltre ad una perizia tecnica rara tra i gruppi di Seattle che le regalano legioni di fan devoti al verbo dell'angelo caduto Layne.
La raccolta spazia tra tutti gli album pubblicati, offrendo hit conoscuiutissime alternate da demo e live: "We Die Young" resa più cattiva di quella "metallicheggiante" dell'album e i live di "Rooster", registrata nel 1996 con una melodrammaticità ed una carica da far impallidire la pur eccellente versione di "Dirt", e "Got Me Wrong", tratta dal celeberrimo live acustico con le voci di Layne e Jerry che si rincorrono e si sostengono. L'unico vero inedito è "Get born Again", ipnotica e massiccia, ma priva di quell'incisività che caratterizza altre perle della band. Per la gioia dei fan vengono inanellate anche la splendida "Down In A Hole", ballata di innegabile melodia e lirismo "dedicata" allo sprofondamento sempre più evidente tra le brame della droga, la monumentale "Man In The Box", black-sabbathiana cavalcata con ritornello a due voci di grande impatto melodico il cui acuto sulla parola "Jesus Christ" fa emozionare e sobbalzare il cuore in petto, e la celeberrima "Would?", forse la loro composizione più nota grazie al ritornello estremamente orecchiabile. L'assolo ironmaideniano di "Them Bones", storica first track di "Dirt", colpisce come una rasoiata e accompagna l'ipnotica, trascinante e deliziosa "Angry Chair". Compaiono poi "Grind", "Again" e "What The Hell Have I", ma il fulcro vero e proprio dell'opera è rappresentato dalle tracce iniziali che ci permettono di carpire qualcosa dell'anima della band e che permettono anche ai ritardatari di apprezzare la bellezza dell' impatto tra la chitarra di Cantrell e la voce guerriera di Layne. Manca la bellissima "Heaven Beside You", che da sola sarebbe valsa l'acquisto, ma l'album è senza dubbio consigliabile e quasi fondamentale per chi non possiede almeno "Dirt".
Layne quanto ci manchi anche tu...
Elenco tracce testi e video
03 Man in the Box (04:46)
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, oh
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, oh
I'm the man in the box
Buried in my shit
Won't you come and save me, save me
Feed my eyes, can you sew them shut?
Jesus Christ, deny your maker
He who tries, will be wasted
Feed my eyes now you've sewn them shut
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, oh
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, oh
I'm the dog who gets beat
Shove my nose in shit
Won't you come and save me, save me
Feed my eyes, can you sew them shut?
Jesus Christ, deny your maker
He who tries, will be wasted
Feed my eyes now you've sewn them shut
Feed my eyes, can you sew them shut?
Jesus Christ, deny your maker
He who tries, will be wasted
Feed my eyes now you've sewn them shut
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, oh
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, oh
04 Them Bones (02:29)
I believe, them bones are me
Some say, we're born into the grave
I feel so alone, gon' end up a
Big ole pile a them bones
Dust rise, right on over my time
Empty, fossil of the new scene
I feel so alone, gon' end up a
Big ole pile a them bones
Toll due, bad dream come true
I lie, dead gone under red sky
I feel so alone, gon' end up a
Big ole pile a them -
I feel so alone, gon' end up a
Big ole pile a them -
I feel so alone, gon' end up a
Big ole pile a them bones
06 Angry Chair (04:46)
Sitting on an angry chair
Angry walls that steal the air
Stomach hurts and I don't care
What do I see across the way, hey
See myself molded in clay, oh
Stares at me, yeah I'm afraid, hey
Changing the shape of his face, aw yeah
Candles red I have a pair
Shadows dancing everywhere
Burning on the angry chair
Little boy made a mistake, hey
Pink cloud has now turned to gray, oh
All that I want is to play, hey
Get on your knees, time to pray, boy
I don't mind, yeah
I don't mind, I-I-I
I don't mind, yeah
I don't mind, I-I-I
Lost my mind, yeah
But I don't mind, I-I-I
Can't find it anywhere
I don't mind
Corporate prison, we stay, hey
I'm a dull boy, work all day, oh
So I'm strung out anyway, hey
Loneliness is not a phase
Field of pain is where I graze
Serenity is far away
Saw my reflection and cried, hey
So little hope that I died, oh
Feed me your lies, open wide, hey
Weight of my heart, not the size, oh
I don't mind, yeah
I don't mind, I-I-I
I don't mind, yeah
I don't mind, I-I-I
Lost my mind, yeah
But I don't mind, I-I-I
Can't find it anywhere
I don't mind, I-I-I
Pink cloud has now turned to gray
All that I want is to play
Get on your knees time to pray, boy
07 Down in a Hole (05:37)
Bury me softly in this womb
I give this part of me for you
Sand rains down and here I sit
Holding rare flowers
In a tomb... in bloom
Down in a hole and
I don't know if I can be saved
See my heart I decorate it like a grave
You don't understand who they
Thought I was supposed to be
Look at me now a man
Who won't let himself be
Down in a hole, feelin' so small
Down in a hole, losin' my soul
I'd like to fly
But my wings have been so denied
Down in a hole and they've put all
The stones in their place
I've eaten the sun so my tongue
Has been burned of the taste
I have been guilty
Of kicking myself in the teeth
I will speak no more
of my feelings beneath
Down in a hole, feelin' so small
Down in a hole, losin' my soul
I'd like to fly
But my wings have been so denied
Bury me softly in this womb
Oh I want to be inside of you
I give this part of me for you
Oh I want to be inside of you
Sand rains down and here I sit
Holding rare flowers
(Oh I want to be inside of you)
In a tomb...in bloom
Oh I want to be inside...
Down in a hole, feelin' so small
Down in a hole, losin' my soul
Down in a hole, feelin' so small
Down in a hole, outta control
I'd like to fly
But my wings have been so denied
09 Got Me Wrong (04:24)
Yeah, it goes away
All of this and more of nothing in my life
No colored clay
Individuality not safe
As of now I bet you got me wrong
So unsure you run from something strong
I can't let go
Threadbare tapestry unwinding slow
Feel a tortured brain
Show your belly like you want me to
As of now I bet you got me wrong
So unsure you run from something strong
I haven't felt like this in so long
Wrong, in a sense too far gone from love
That don't last forever
Somethings gotta turn out right
You sugar taste
Sweetness doesn't often touch my face
Stay if you please
You may not be here when I leave
As of now I bet you got me wrong
So unsure we run for something strong
I haven't felt like this in so long
Wrong, in a sense too far gone from love
Strong, I haven't felt like this in so long
Wrong, in a sense too far gone from love
That don't last forever
Somethings gotta turn out right
10 No Excuses (04:15)
It's all right
There comes a time
Got no patience
To search for peace of mind
Layin' low
Wanna take it slow
No more hiding
Or disguising truths I've sold
Everyday
Something hits me all so cold
Ya find me sittin' by myself
No excuses that I know
It's okay
Had a bad day
Hands are bruised from
Breakin' rocks all day
Drained and blue
I bleed for you
Ya think it's funny
Well you're drownin' in it too
Everyday
Something hits me all so cold
Find me sittin' by myself
No excuses that I know
Yeah, it's fine
Walk down the line
Leave our rain
A cold trade for warm sunshine
You my friend
I will defend
And if we change
Well I love you anyway
Everyday
Something hits me all so cold
Ya find me sittin' by myself
No excuses that I know
11 I Stay Away (04:14)
Yeah, hey yeah
I want to travel south this year
Won't prevent safe passage here
Why you act crazy, not an act maybe
So close a lady, shifty eyes shady
Yeah, hey yeah
Tears that soak a callous heart
Why you act frightened, I am enlightened
Your weakness builds me, so someday you'll see
I stay away!
Why you act crazy, not an act maybe
So close a lady, shifty eyes shady
I stay away!
I stay away!
I stay away!
I stay away!
12 What the Hell Have I (03:58)
The face before me flies
Laughs at me inside
Masks are made to hide the glow, shining eyes
Distance 'tween us grows, feeding lies
It's hard to start things over
You can feel the fire around us
All the time, yeah
Something I should say
It takes you every day
What you give is not alive, today
Your soul served on a plate, thrown away
It's hard to start things over
You can feel the fire around us
All the time, yeah
It's hard to start things over, oh yeah
You can feel the fire around us
All the time, yeah
It's hard to start things over, oh yeah
You can feel the fire around us
All the time, yeah
All the time
What the hell have I?
Little pride
13 Grind (04:46)
In the darkest hole, you'd be well advised
Not to plan my funeral before the body dies, yeah
Come the morning light, it's a see through show
What you may have heard and what you think you know, yeah
Let the sun never blind your eyes
Let me sleep so my teeth won't grind
Hear a sound from a voice inside
Sure to play a part, so you love the game
And in truth your lies become one and same, yeah
I could set you free, rather hear the sound
Of your body breaking as I take you down, yeah
Let the sun never blind your eyes
Let me sleep so my teeth won't grind
Hear a sound from a voice inside
In the darkest hole, you'd be well advised
Not to plan my funeral before the body dies, yeah
Let the sun never blind your eyes
Let me sleep so my teeth won't grind
Hear a sound from a voice inside
14 Again (04:06)
Hey, let them do it again, yeah
Hey, you said you were my friend
Hey, turn me upside down, Oh
Hey, feelin' so down
Hey, hey...hey...hey...
You made a fool of me again
Again
Hey, I know I made the same mistake, yeah
I, I won't do it again, no
Why, Why you slap me in the face, oww
I, I didn't say it was OK, no
No, No...
You violate a part of me again
Again
Ah, ooo
Whoo whoo, yeah
Hey, you had time to think it out, yeah
Hey, Your weak will won't help her heal her heart
Hey, I'll bet it really eats you up
Extending part of me again
Again
Ooo
Whoo whoo, yeah
Carico i commenti... con calma
