The Essential Alice in Chains is a two-disc compilation album by Alice in Chains, and part of Sony BMG‘s The Essential series. Originally scheduled to be released on March 30, 2004, it was delayed until September 5, 2006.
The album was reissued in 2010 with different artwork. A DVD with the mockumentary The Nona Tapes came as a bonus disc with the compilation. The third greatest hits release from the band, it proved to be more a definitive collection than the 10 track Greatest Hits collection and the best of sampler collection, Nothing Safe: Best of the Box, featuring almost all of the band’s hits and singles (with the exception of Bleed the Freak, Down in a Hole, Fear the Voices and Don’t Follow) as well as fan favorites and also two Alice in Chains Unplugged tracks.
The songs What the Hell Have I and A Little Bitter which were featured on the Last Action Hero movie soundtrack are the Toby Wright remixed versions found on Music Bank. It is the band’s first release since the death of vocalist Layne Staley.
Disc one
- We Die Young (from Facelift)
- Man in the Box (from Facelift)
- Sea of Sorrow (from Facelift)
- Love, Hate, Love (from Facelift)
- Am I Inside (from Sap)
- Brother (from Sap (Alternate Mix without Ann Wilson’s backing vocals)
- Got Me Wrong (from Sap)
- Right Turn (from Sap)
- Rain When I Die (from Dirt)
- Them Bones (from Dirt)
- Angry Chair (from Dirt)
- Dam That River (from Dirt)
- Dirt (from Dirt)
- God Smack (from Dirt)
- Hate to Feel (from Dirt)
- Rooster (from Dirt)
Disc two
- No Excuses (from Jar of Flies)
- I Stay Away (from Jar of Flies)
- What the Hell Have I (remix, from Music Bank)
- A Little Bitter (remix, from Music Bank)
- Grind (from Alice in Chains)
- Heaven Beside You (from Alice in Chains)
- Again (from Alice in Chains)
- Over Now (live acoustic version, from Unplugged)
- Nutshell (live acoustic version, from Unplugged)
- Get Born Again (from Nothing Safe: Best of the Box)
- Died (from Music Bank)
- Would? (from Dirt)
Alice in Chains
Layne Staley: lead vocals, backing vocals on Grind, Heaven Beside You and Over Now, rhythm guitar on Angry Chair and Hate to Feel
Jerry Cantrell: lead guitar, backing and co lead vocals and sitar on What the Hell Have I
Mike Starr: bass (disc 1 and Would?), backing vocals (credited only on tracks 1, 4)
Mike Inez: bass (disc 2, except Would?), additional backing vocals (tracks 1, 4, 10,11), guitar (tracks 1, 7, 10, 11)
Sean Kinney: drums, percussion and piano on Sea of Sorrow, additional backing vocals (tracks 1,4 on disc 1)
Additional personnel
Alice Mudgarden (performs Right Turn)
Mark Arm: vocals on Right Turn
Chris Cornell: vocals on Right Turn
Ann Wilson: vocals on Am I Inside
April Acevez: viola on I Stay Away
Rebecca Clemons-Smith: violin on I Stay Away
Matthew Weiss: violin on I Stay Away
Justine Foy: cello on I Stay Away
Scott Olson: acoustic guitar on Nutshell and Over Now
Layne Staley ( August 22, 1967 – April 5, 2002).
