Alice in Chains
Title: Alice in Chains: The Untold StoryPublished by: Thomas Dunne Books
Release Date: 11/13/2018
ISBN13: 978-1250199386
Buy the Book: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, Apple Books
OVERVIEW
Alice in Chains were one of the loudest voices out of Seattle, iconic pioneers who mixed grunge and metal in ways that continue to influence today’s artists. Theirs is a story of hard work, self-destruction, rising from the ashes and carrying on a lasting legacy.
Four years after their first meeting at a warehouse under Seattle’s Ballard Bridge, Alice in Chains became the first of grunge’s big four – ahead of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden – to get a gold record and achieve national recognition. With the charismatic Layne Staley behind the microphone, they became one of the most influential and successful bands to come out of the Seattle music scene. But as the band got bigger, so did its problems.
Acclaimed journalist David de Sola delves beneath the secrecy, gossip and rumor surrounding the band to tell its full story for the very first time. Based on a wealth of interviews with people with direct knowledge of the band, many speaking on record for the very first time, de Sola explores how drugs nearly destroyed the band and claimed the lives of Staley and founding bassist Mike Starr, Jerry Cantrell's solo career and Mike Starr's life after being fired from the band and the band's resurrection with new lead singer William DuVall.
From their anonymous struggles to topping the charts with hits like “Would?” “Man in the Box” and “Rooster,” Alice in Chains reveals the members of the band, not as caricatures of rock stars but as brilliant, nuanced and flawed human beings, whose years of hard work led to seemingly overnight success that changed the music scene forever.
PRAISE
“De Sola explains in riveting detail how AIC became one of the most important bands to emerge from the Seattle rock scene, and throws new light on the dark impulses that drove it to both greatness and tragedy. Compulsively readable.”
—John Jobling, author of U2: The Definitive Biography
“A stellar grasp of document sources interwoven with an incredible depth of all-new interviews are the making of the first truly comprehensive biography of Alice in Chains. Most rock bands can only wish for this level of respect and dedicated chronicling.”
—Nick Soulsby, author of I Found My Friends: The Oral History of Nirvana
"A well-reported history of one of the most important and influential bands to emerge from the Seattle scene. Alice in Chains will appeal to grunge fans and metal-heads alike."
—Mark Yarm, author of Everybody Loves Our Town: An Oral History of Grunge
“De Sola brings a refined sensibility to the tale of Alice in Chains… The author aptly situates the band's sound, attitude, and lifestyle in the context of a particular time and place… Exhaustively researched.”
—Kirkus Reviews
"A deep dive into the band's musical influences and its impact on the broader rock scene, explaining both its roots and its reach."
—Billboard
"Riveting."
—Guitar World
"A must for Alice in Chains and grunge/metal fans."
—Booklist