Kenneth Bridgham's Album Reviews
Alice in Chains deliver haunting performances of some of their best known material on this, one of my very favorite live albums of the 1990s. The acoustic instruments allow the listener to focus on the intricacies of the musicianship, melodies, harmonies, lyrics, and vocals, revealing just how multi-faceted this group was. This brings new perspective to many of the songs included, but it really benefits "Down in the Hole," which immediately became my favorite Alice in Chains song because of this live version. It is not only an improvement over the studio version, it is quite simply one of the most heart-wrenching recordings I've ever heard, and is the clear standout not only of the album, but maybe of the band's entire career. Overall, this is record to be treasured.
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