The Essential Alice in Chains is a two-disc compilation album

Compilation album

A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...

 by the grunge

Grunge

Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...

 band Alice in Chains

Alice in Chains

Alice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist and songwriter Jerry Cantrell and original lead vocalist Layne Staley. The initial lineup was rounded out by drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Starr...

, 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.

Overview

The third and final greatest hits

Greatest hits

A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...

 release from the band, it proved to be more a definitive collection than the 10-track Greatest Hits

Greatest Hits (Alice in Chains album)

Greatest Hits is a greatest hits collection by the grunge band Alice in Chains. It was released on July 24, 2001 on Columbia Records.-Overview:...

collection and the best of/sampler collection, Nothing Safe: Best of the Box

Nothing Safe: Best of the Box

-Personnel:*Jerry Cantrell - Guitar, backing vocals and lead vocals on "Grind"*Layne Staley - Lead vocals and guitar on "Angry Chair" and "Grind"*Mike Starr - Bass *Mike Inez - Bass *Sean Kinney - Drums*Alice in Chains - Producer...

, featuring almost all of the band's hits and singles (with the exception of "Bleed the Freak

Bleed the Freak

"Bleed the Freak" is a song by the grunge group Alice in Chains and the third single from their first album Facelift . A demo version of the song was included on the box set Music Bank .-Lyrics:...

", "Down in a Hole

Down in a Hole

"Down in a Hole" is a single from Alice in Chains' album Dirt . It is the fourth song on most pressings of the album and twelfth on others...

" "Fear the Voices

Fear the Voices

"Fear the Voices" is the last single that Alice in Chains released with vocalist Layne Staley and the only one co-written by founding bassist Mike Starr. The song was included on the box set Music Bank .-Origin and recording:...

" and "Don't Follow

Don't Follow

"Don't Follow" is a song by American rock band Alice in Chains; it is the 3rd single on the studio EP Jar of Flies released on January 25, 1994 through Columbia Records.-Composition:...

") as well as fan favorites and also two Unplugged tracks. The songs "What the Hell Have I

What the Hell Have I

"What the Hell Have I" is a track by grunge band Alice in Chains. It was first featured on the soundtrack to the 1993 John McTiernan film Last Action Hero starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. The song was included on the compilation album Nothing Safe: Best of the Box...

" and "A Little Bitter" which were featured on the Last Action Hero movie soundtrack are the Toby Wright

Toby Wright

Toby Wright is a record producer and mixing engineer who has worked with artists such as Alice in Chains, Metallica, Sevendust and Korn. He is currently in Nashville, Tennessee working on Kara Clark's latest Ep.-Producer:...

 remixed versions found on Music Bank

Music Bank

- Disc two :-Disc three :-Personnel:*Mark Arm - Assistant vocals on "Right Turn"*Jeff Beck - Graphic Design*Jerry Cantrell - guitar, vocals*Chris Cornell - Assistant guitar, lyrics, vocals on "Right Turn"*Peter Cronin - Photography...

.

Disc 1

1. "We Die Young
   We Die Young
   -Personnel:*Layne Staley – vocals*Jerry Cantrell – guitar, backing vocals*Mike Starr – bass*Sean Kinney – drums, percussion-External links:*[ Review of "We Die Young"] at Allmusic...
   
   " – 2:33
2. "Man in the Box
   Man in the Box
   "Man in the Box" is a single by the rock group Alice in Chains. It was released as a single in 1991 after being featured on the group's debut full-length album Facelift...
   
   " – 4:47
3. "Sea of Sorrow
   Sea of Sorrow
   "Sea of Sorrow" is the fourth single by the rock band Alice in Chains. It was released in 1991 and featured on their debut full-length album Facelift . The song was included on the compilation album The Essential Alice in Chains...
   
   " – 5:51
4. "Love, Hate, Love" – 6:29
5. "Am I Inside" – 5:09
6. "Brother" – 4:29
7. "Got Me Wrong
   Got Me Wrong
   "Got Me Wrong" was a largely acoustic single by American grunge band Alice in Chains. The studio version was first featured on the band's EP Sap...
   
   " – 4:12
8. "Right Turn" – 3:15
9. "Rain When I Die" – 6:03
10. "Them Bones
    Them Bones
    "Them Bones" is a song by the American rock band Alice in Chains. The song was released as the second single from their second album, Dirt . The song was also included on the compilation albums Nothing Safe: Best of the Box , Music Bank , Greatest Hits , The Essential Alice in Chains...
    
    " – 2:31
11. "Angry Chair
    Angry Chair
    "Angry Chair" is a song by the American rock band Alice in Chains. It was the third single from their album Dirt . It is the twelfth or eleventh song on the album, depending on the edition...
    
    " – 4:49
12. "Dam That River" – 3:11
13. "Dirt" – 5:17
14. "God Smack" – 3:51
15. "Hate to Feel
    Hate to Feel
    "Hate to Feel" is a track from Alice in Chains' album Dirt . The song was included on the compilation albums Music Bank and The Essential Alice in Chains .-Origin and recording:...
    
    " – 5:17
16. "Rooster
    Rooster (song)
    "Rooster" is a grunge song by the band Alice in Chains. The song was released as a single in 1993 and is featured on the band's second studio album, Dirt . The song was included on the compilation albums Unplugged , Music Bank , Greatest Hits , and The Essential Alice in Chains...
    
    " – 6:16

Disc 2

1. "No Excuses
   No Excuses
   "No Excuses" is the lead single off American grunge band Alice in Chains's third EP, Jar of Flies . The song was included on the compilation albums Nothing Safe: Best of the Box , Music Bank , Greatest Hits , and The Essential Alice in Chains .-Composition:The song's sound is a departure from some...
   
   " – 4:16
2. "I Stay Away
   I Stay Away
   "I Stay Away" is the second single from Alice in Chains' EP Jar of Flies . The song was included on the compilation albums Nothing Safe: Best of the Box , Music Bank , Greatest Hits , and The Essential Alice in Chains .-Origin and recording:In the liner notes of 1999's Music Bank box set...
   
   " – 4:14
3. "What the Hell Have I
   What the Hell Have I
   "What the Hell Have I" is a track by grunge band Alice in Chains. It was first featured on the soundtrack to the 1993 John McTiernan film Last Action Hero starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. The song was included on the compilation album Nothing Safe: Best of the Box...
   
   " [Remix] – 3:54
4. "A Little Bitter" [Remix] – 3:48
5. "Grind
   Grind (song)
   "Grind" is a song by American grunge band Alice in Chains and the lead single from their album Alice in Chains . It serves as the opening track to the album but, despite being its first single, did not experience the radio longevity of some of its contemporaries...
   
   " – 4:46
6. "Heaven Beside You
   Heaven Beside You
   "Heaven Beside You" is a song by Alice in Chains, from their album Alice in Chains . The song was included on the compilation albums Music Bank , Greatest Hits , and The Essential Alice in Chains .-Composition:...
   
   " – 5:30
7. "Again
   Again (Alice in Chains song)
   "Again" is a song by Alice in Chains, released on their album Alice in Chains . The song was included on the compilation albums Nothing Safe: Best of the Box , Greatest Hits , and The Essential Alice in Chains...
   
   " – 4:05
8. "Over Now
   Over Now
   "Over Now" is a song by the Seattle grunge band Alice in Chains, released on their album Alice in Chains . It was a single from the band's MTV Unplugged performance, and was used to close the televised broadcast...
   
   " [Unplugged Version] – 5:57
9. "Nutshell" [Unplugged Version] – 4:32
10. "Get Born Again
    Get Born Again
    "Get Born Again" is a song by Alice in Chains and one of the last two songs recorded with vocalist Layne Staley before his death in 2002, the other song being "Died"...
    
    " – 5:25
11. "Died
    Died (Alice in Chains song)
    "Died" is a song by Alice in Chains and the final one recorded with vocalist Layne Staley before his death in 2002. The song was included on the compilation albums Music Bank and The Essential Alice in Chains .-Origin and recording:...
    
    " – 5:58
12. "Would?
    Would?
    "Would?" is a single by grunge band Alice in Chains. The song first appeared on the soundtrack to the 1992 movie Singles, in which the members of Alice in Chains make a cameo appearance and later appeared on the band's album Dirt, also released in 1992...
    
    " – 3:28

Personnel

• Jerry Cantrell - Lead guitar, backing and co-lead vocals and sitar on "What the Hell Have I"
• Layne Staley - Lead vocals, backing vocals on "Grind", "Heaven Beside You" and "Over Now" and rhythm guitar on "Angry Chair", "Hate to Feel", "Grind" and "Heaven Beside You", "Get Born Again" and "Died"
• 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")

• Alice in Chains
• Mark Arm – vocals
• Chris Cornell – vocals
• Ann Wilson - vocals

• Ann Wilson – Vocals on "Brother" and "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"

Chart positions

Chart (2006)	Position
US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...	139