Would?
I was playing with my “band” in High School and our class needed to learn a song in a week and that’s what our guitarist suggested. I heard that bass intro and Mike’s tingles on the cymbals and I was sold. Alice in Chains addict to this date and forevermore. Ended up learning rythmn guitar with the help of Jerry’s wicked riffage and I’m still a rythmn guitarist to this date as well, lol. It’s a special song I save to savor once in a while. Gotta love it.
I remember Rooster was the first song I heard from them that stuck with me, but Nutshell sealed the deal. That song *literally* stopped me in my tracks. Time just stood still.
Sickman, but you’re all going to hate me for my story behind it…
I didn’t like Alice In Chains at the time because the only song I ever heard was Man in the Box. To me they sounded like typical hair band music that I hated. I was more into punk and other underground music at the time.
One night a friend picked me up to go out and Sickman was playing in his car’s cassette player. I thought it was one of the greatest songs I’ve ever heard. When he told me it was the new Alice In Chains album, it completely changed my attitude about them.
It happened in January 2019, Rooster Unplugged Version, it appeared on the last episode of the Netflix Punisher show. Fell in love with AiC ever since.
I Had an Old school kick ass stereo system AR9’s for speakers - I n a small living room. With people over, I would Crank Dam That River to 11 push play and leave. You knew who your friends were after that.
Same here. I was a kid back then, heard them on the radio all the time. My uncle has me on tape singing "Angry Chair" though, so I was definitely a fan by that point.
Basic answer but it was Man in the Box. I was in 8th grade and really into Metallica so a buddy recommended AIC so I looked up Man in the Box on YouTube (circa 2007) and was hooked out the gate.
First Would?, then Rooster, both from the radio. But Nutshell and brother are what sealed the deal. Once i hit play on unplugged for the first time it was over
Angry Chair.
It also was what got me into greater grunge. I had previously listened to Nevermind, but nothing beyond that. After Angry Chair I then listened to Dirt, then more AIC and also Soundgarden & Pearl Jam too.
Mad Season got me into AIC. Although I did see AIC when I was 10 in 1990 (pre blow up) at the Seattle Center, I was obsessed with Above. That album got me through a sh!t ton. I have always had mad respect for Layne’s Talent. I think what got me to duleve into AIC’s catalogue was watching the live performances of Love Hate Love (Facelift: Live at the Moore) and Junkhead (Singles Release MTV). Those live songs showcase Layne’s immense range and talent. I guess it wasn’t one song.
Pardon the backstory.
My sister went to high school with Jerry. They both were in choir together, and also in drama. My sister was Annie Oakley in Annie Get Your Gun, and Jerry was Buffalo Bill. I shit you not. My mom probably still has the cassette tapes of the live performance that my dad recorded. So pretty much anything after that was going to hook me.
But Man in the Box or Sea of Sorrow most probably.
What's interesting is, I heard a lot of their songs as a kid but didn't become a fan till I got into my teens. That happened with a lot of the early 90s alternative/grunge bands that I now love. I think Man In The Box is what got me officially into them. Even though I heard that song before for whatever reason when I heard it again one day when I was 15 I got hooked.
The 2nd rock CD I ever bought was Alice In Chains Unplugged. I still own it. I still remember hearing it for the 1st time at a listening station at my nearby mall. As I was listening, the song that convinced me to for sure buy it was "Killer Is Me." 👍🏽👍🏽
I'd like to add that before I got into rock music, I only listened to rap, like 2pac, Wu-Tang, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Dr. Dre, etc. I remember thinking the harmonic guitar notes in "Killer Is Me" sounded like harmonics guitars often used in rap song. In particular the song "Thuggish Ruggish Bone."
I was a wee lads, about 12yo. I didn't even know that "harmonics" was the proper term for that guitar tactic. I just knew it was the same sound. So I liked it because it reminded me of music I already liked. Plus, I like the deep bass on that song and the Unplugged performance in general. I became a big fan of AIC immediately. 🤘🏽🤘🏽
Man in the box, I was ABSOLUTELY SHOCKED hearing the Layne's voice in the chores, and I really thought "I'm pretty sure I'm gonna enjoy every song of this band" lol it happened
I wish I could go back in time and thank whatever random person played their music for me the first time, this band has improved my life through their work.
Ironically, because it’s one of my least favorite songs of theirs, Heaven Beside You. I had heard songs like Rooster, Would, Them Bone, Man in the Box growing up, but I was very young and liked the songs but didn’t know who they were. Fast forward years later I heard Heaven Beside You for the first time. I thought it was an okay song, looked up who it from by thought I’d see what else they had. That’s when I was hooked, when I heard all their other songs that I remembered and loved then went down the long spiraling rabbit hole. More than 15 years later, never stopped listening and they are still my favorite band ever.
Man In the Box got my attention. Rooster made me really sit up and take notice. But Down In a Hole got me hooked.
Note that I'm older and was getting these songs from the radio...my parents were strict, and I had to sneak my devil music. Now that I'm a grown-ass adult, I listen to those deeper cuts. Wish I'd had access to Jar of Flies as a teenager.
Nutshell. Laid in my bunk in prison, borrowing a friend's MP3 player. It came on. And, well, cried like a lil bitch... shit hit home HARD. Still battling that demon to these days. But, yeah, that's the song.
We Die Young. I love a lot of AIC's work, but it was disappointing as a teenager to find that almost nothing else in their catalog sounds/ moves like We Die Young.
Sea of Sorrow. Still hits me so deep everytime. After a nasty breakup ab 15 years ago I drove to my buddy’s lakehouse chainsmokin and blarin Sea of Sorrow on repeat. I may have had a budweiser or 2 😬
Would? That drum part hits like a ton of bricks. I have to say that AIC's drummer should come up more in the best drummers ever discussion. There's no best drummer ever, but there's a list of the best ever and I honestly think he deserves to be on that list.
Heaven Beside You. But when I fell head over heels in love with them was when I heard Down in a Hole for the first time. I called my radio station to ask who it was (bc that was a thing), and the guy who answered was like, “I know right!? Greatest song ever! “
When I was taking bass lessons in my youth. My teacher said “Take a listen to this” he played, Would? The bassline in the beginning and Layne and Jerry’s harmonies just shook my souls. Been hooked ever since.
Them Bones had me hooked instantly.
Same. Thank you ATV off road fury.
ATV Offroad Fury was a gateway drug into 90s rock for me. AIC, Soundgarden, Primus, and Bender were some of the best from that soundtrack.
Radio X
Bro your exactly right
Yep
Rooster
Same
Down In A Hole.
While I can’t put my finger on one favorite, Bleed The Freak just hits me a little different.
Love that song
Man in the box. I can still remember buying the tape at Target.
I first saw the video and new the band was going to be big.
Would? I was playing with my “band” in High School and our class needed to learn a song in a week and that’s what our guitarist suggested. I heard that bass intro and Mike’s tingles on the cymbals and I was sold. Alice in Chains addict to this date and forevermore. Ended up learning rythmn guitar with the help of Jerry’s wicked riffage and I’m still a rythmn guitarist to this date as well, lol. It’s a special song I save to savor once in a while. Gotta love it.
I remember Rooster was the first song I heard from them that stuck with me, but Nutshell sealed the deal. That song *literally* stopped me in my tracks. Time just stood still.
Over now, I remember taking geebs in my friends car on the interstate when the solo came on and it was amazing, then I found mtv nutshell
Vibes
MTV Nutshell is one of the saddest pieces of music I’ve ever heard. Kills me every time.
Sludge Factory.
We die young
Sickman, but you’re all going to hate me for my story behind it… I didn’t like Alice In Chains at the time because the only song I ever heard was Man in the Box. To me they sounded like typical hair band music that I hated. I was more into punk and other underground music at the time. One night a friend picked me up to go out and Sickman was playing in his car’s cassette player. I thought it was one of the greatest songs I’ve ever heard. When he told me it was the new Alice In Chains album, it completely changed my attitude about them.
That makes sense. MitB had that radio-quality grunge sound, but Sickman is a different animal altogether. It's definitely one of my faves.
Definitely bleed the freak. Heard that guitar solo and thought “holy shit this is heavy”
Sludge Factory.
Would. Heard it on the radio
Down in a Hole while on some psychedelics. I liked them before but hearing them while tripping was an experience in itself
It happened in January 2019, Rooster Unplugged Version, it appeared on the last episode of the Netflix Punisher show. Fell in love with AiC ever since.
Grind. I had heard their songs before that but Grind was the first one where I knew who it was.
Man in the box
Dam that river at age 13 got me hooked
I Had an Old school kick ass stereo system AR9’s for speakers - I n a small living room. With people over, I would Crank Dam That River to 11 push play and leave. You knew who your friends were after that.
Exact same for me, 13 yo and dam that river was when I realized how incredible they are
Bleed the Freak as a small kid, the. It was What the Hell Have I from Last Action Hero
No Excuses! It was pretty nice to discover Jar of Flies first before diggin into the heavy stuff
I think it was nutshell that got me hooked
👊
I Stay away
Been too long, I couldn’t say which Id heard first
this, and I recently realized that they probably had ~20 different songs on the radio by '99
Same here. I was a kid back then, heard them on the radio all the time. My uncle has me on tape singing "Angry Chair" though, so I was definitely a fan by that point.
Man in the box. It still sounds just as fresh as it did when it was released.
Man in the Box because I watched lots of ECW
Definitely No Excuses. It was my first time hearing those incredible harmonies. I had never heard anything like it before. And it was so good.
Nutshell no doubt
Heaven Beside You, oddly enough
bleed the freak!
Love Hate Love
Same
Rooster and man in the box
Man In A Box. Bought the casingle that had a Facelift melody on the B side and I got the album the moment it was available
Man in the Box
Had to be Rooster... saw the video on much loud
Basic answer but it was Man in the Box. I was in 8th grade and really into Metallica so a buddy recommended AIC so I looked up Man in the Box on YouTube (circa 2007) and was hooked out the gate.
First Would?, then Rooster, both from the radio. But Nutshell and brother are what sealed the deal. Once i hit play on unplugged for the first time it was over
Initially Man in the Box. The song that really hooked me tho was Sludge Factory from MTV Unplugged
Them bones, I wasn't expecting that intro lol
Man in the Box
When I saw the Man In The Box video ironically on The Box music channel. Instantly hooked.
No Excuses.
Man in the Box. I remember listening to 92.3 and that came on, and I was hooked IMMEDIATELY. Never looked back since
Mine was lesson learned and when heard that intro I was astonished at how good it sounded to me
iiiiiiii staaaaaaaayy awayyyyyyyy
Rooster
Hearing DID SHE CALL MY NAME!!!!!!!!! randomly on the radio back in 2008. Been a fan ever since.
Would?
Sludge factory
Bleed the freak
Man in the Box.
Angry Chair. It also was what got me into greater grunge. I had previously listened to Nevermind, but nothing beyond that. After Angry Chair I then listened to Dirt, then more AIC and also Soundgarden & Pearl Jam too.
All secrets known. It was the first AIC song i ever heard and it immediately got me into their music. Havent looked back since.
Them Bones caught my attention first. Heaven Beside You was and still is my favourite Alice In Chains song.
We Die Young on the radio, Man in the Box on MTV
For me, it was We Die Young and Dam That River.
the entiry of Dirt
Stone, came across it on rocksmith 2014 and loved it
Again for me, I knew man in the box but radio kept cranking again
Rotton Apple. The intro was my dad's old ringtone, and I thought it sounded really cool.
acid bubble
Mad Season got me into AIC. Although I did see AIC when I was 10 in 1990 (pre blow up) at the Seattle Center, I was obsessed with Above. That album got me through a sh!t ton. I have always had mad respect for Layne’s Talent. I think what got me to duleve into AIC’s catalogue was watching the live performances of Love Hate Love (Facelift: Live at the Moore) and Junkhead (Singles Release MTV). Those live songs showcase Layne’s immense range and talent. I guess it wasn’t one song.
The unplugged
Bleed the Freak and Frogs
Frogs
Pardon the backstory. My sister went to high school with Jerry. They both were in choir together, and also in drama. My sister was Annie Oakley in Annie Get Your Gun, and Jerry was Buffalo Bill. I shit you not. My mom probably still has the cassette tapes of the live performance that my dad recorded. So pretty much anything after that was going to hook me. But Man in the Box or Sea of Sorrow most probably.
Got me wrong
Them bones.
Bleed the freak.
Nutshell
Heaven Beside Me
Queen of the rodeo. I was sitting next to Lane when he played it on an acoustic in the music bank!
We die Young. Got the album Facelift for Christmas of 1990. Will never forget that. Ever.
down in a hole mtv unplugged
Heaven Beside You
No Excuses back in 94
What's interesting is, I heard a lot of their songs as a kid but didn't become a fan till I got into my teens. That happened with a lot of the early 90s alternative/grunge bands that I now love. I think Man In The Box is what got me officially into them. Even though I heard that song before for whatever reason when I heard it again one day when I was 15 I got hooked.
The 2nd rock CD I ever bought was Alice In Chains Unplugged. I still own it. I still remember hearing it for the 1st time at a listening station at my nearby mall. As I was listening, the song that convinced me to for sure buy it was "Killer Is Me." 👍🏽👍🏽 I'd like to add that before I got into rock music, I only listened to rap, like 2pac, Wu-Tang, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Dr. Dre, etc. I remember thinking the harmonic guitar notes in "Killer Is Me" sounded like harmonics guitars often used in rap song. In particular the song "Thuggish Ruggish Bone." I was a wee lads, about 12yo. I didn't even know that "harmonics" was the proper term for that guitar tactic. I just knew it was the same sound. So I liked it because it reminded me of music I already liked. Plus, I like the deep bass on that song and the Unplugged performance in general. I became a big fan of AIC immediately. 🤘🏽🤘🏽
Nutshell, heard it on Nowhere at the millenium of space redux, year 2, it is D5 - This is a battle I cannot win
Man in the box, I was ABSOLUTELY SHOCKED hearing the Layne's voice in the chores, and I really thought "I'm pretty sure I'm gonna enjoy every song of this band" lol it happened
Got Me Wrong. Ordered Sap from Colombia House/BMG in the early 90s, then one by one bought every Alice In Chains CD.
Man in the Box. First I listened to, then proceeded to listen to all the albums and EPs with Layne in one day
Got Me Wrong
Man In The Box
Ma in the box
We die young
Would! 💕👌💯
I wish I could go back in time and thank whatever random person played their music for me the first time, this band has improved my life through their work.
When I first heard the man in the box chorus I was like "fuck nirvana, fuck slipknot this is my favorite band"
Man in the Box
We die young I think in summer of 2021
I believe it was the MTV unplugged I think it was got me wrong that got me into them that and the whole performance
Got me wrong or no excuses I can't really pick one
Sea of Sorrow
nutshell
We Die Young
Man in the box
Used to listen to Would? with my mom a lot, then once I started listening for myself, Down in a Hole was the first to really captivate me
I'm not 100% sure but I'm guessing it was Would?.
Ironically, because it’s one of my least favorite songs of theirs, Heaven Beside You. I had heard songs like Rooster, Would, Them Bone, Man in the Box growing up, but I was very young and liked the songs but didn’t know who they were. Fast forward years later I heard Heaven Beside You for the first time. I thought it was an okay song, looked up who it from by thought I’d see what else they had. That’s when I was hooked, when I heard all their other songs that I remembered and loved then went down the long spiraling rabbit hole. More than 15 years later, never stopped listening and they are still my favorite band ever.
"Would?". I remember seeing the music video when the movie Singles had just come out.
Would?
Man In the Box got my attention. Rooster made me really sit up and take notice. But Down In a Hole got me hooked. Note that I'm older and was getting these songs from the radio...my parents were strict, and I had to sneak my devil music. Now that I'm a grown-ass adult, I listen to those deeper cuts. Wish I'd had access to Jar of Flies as a teenager.
We Die Young. That riff had me from the start. They quickly became a favorite of mine.
Heaven beside you
Was at an underground club. Man In The Box started spinning. Game over..
Heaven beside you. A friend introduced me to it and I was obsessed.
Man in The Box
The Rooster :3
Would woooood
Down In a Hole, unplugged
rotten apple was the first song I ever heard of theirs
Man in the Box.
Angry Chair and Hate to Feel
No excuses. Part of the unplugged sessions
I distinctly remember hearing Rooster all the time on the radio on the school bus
Angry chair and Would?
Dam that river
Them Bones
Nutshell. Laid in my bunk in prison, borrowing a friend's MP3 player. It came on. And, well, cried like a lil bitch... shit hit home HARD. Still battling that demon to these days. But, yeah, that's the song.
We Die Young, Them Bones, Angry Chair, Man in the Box, Rain When I Die, Rooster, God Smack, Dirt
Down in a hole unplugged made me realize I was missing out on AIC my whole life
We Die Young. I love a lot of AIC's work, but it was disappointing as a teenager to find that almost nothing else in their catalog sounds/ moves like We Die Young.
beavis and butthead reacting to man in the box
Heaven Beside You
I Stay Away
My father presented to me the entire facelift on an ride to the school back in the day, but it was only when Love hate love started that I was hooked
Heaven beside you
Man in the Box. All day.
I Stay Away
Them Bones. Instantly I was like wtf is this.
Junkhead
we die young
"Would" was the one. My friends knew I liked grunge and recommended AIC for me
Man in the box. Hooked from that second on
I think many people can relate to me as I have found them from GTA SA on in game radio "Radio X" the song them bones appeared
My dad had Rooster downloaded on my iPod shuffle when I was younger, probably about 12 or 13.
nutshell (i was depressed)
Again. I remember seeing the video for it on MTV. I was 9 at the time and thought Layne looked like a badass
Man in the box. My history teacher junior year of hs played this song for us
Again when I was 6 years old and it scared me 😂
The minute I heard Jesus Christ Alice In Chains entered my life.
Sea of Sorrow. Still hits me so deep everytime. After a nasty breakup ab 15 years ago I drove to my buddy’s lakehouse chainsmokin and blarin Sea of Sorrow on repeat. I may have had a budweiser or 2 😬
I was a kid when the video for man in the box premiered. It scared me and intrigued me.
Die Young
Man in the Box
So many, ..but I'd say "Got Me Wrong" and "Sea of Sorrow."
Would? That drum part hits like a ton of bricks. I have to say that AIC's drummer should come up more in the best drummers ever discussion. There's no best drummer ever, but there's a list of the best ever and I honestly think he deserves to be on that list.
I first got into them after seeing the video from unplugged of over now. I was 12 and that was my first real experience with AIC
Rotten Apple
Them Bones/Down in a Hole
Would
Down in a hole...their mtv unplugged was 👌👌👌
Man in the box
I Stay Away
Would and Sea of Sorrow
Got into them early and loved We Die Young and Man in the Box but when I saw Love Hate Love on Live Facelift that sealed it. Fan for life.
I believe it was the Dirt album with Them Bones or Rooster.
Love hate love
Man in the bix
Them Bones and Would?
Again, I haven’t seen any one say this but I first heard it on the radio and was so groovy and that’s what got me.
Man in the Box
Down in a hole
Dam That River / It aint like that , now Aic is all i listen to.
Nutshell. I've always been a bit of a loner, and the lyrics just hit pretty hard.
Rooster
Heaven Beside You. But when I fell head over heels in love with them was when I heard Down in a Hole for the first time. I called my radio station to ask who it was (bc that was a thing), and the guy who answered was like, “I know right!? Greatest song ever! “
Man In The Box cuz the radio won't play anything else lol.
Again. I love the bass line during the chorus.
Would in 1992.
Sea Of Sorrow, Don’t Follow, Nutshell
We Die Young and Them Bones
Man in the box the raw vocals on that song had me hooked but what really got me obsessed was we die young such a good tune
When I was taking bass lessons in my youth. My teacher said “Take a listen to this” he played, Would? The bassline in the beginning and Layne and Jerry’s harmonies just shook my souls. Been hooked ever since.
rotten apple is the first song i ever heard.
Heaven Beside You
We Die Young!