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Alice in Chains

The Untold Story

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Alice in Chains

Written by: David de Sola
Narrated by: Sebastian York
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About this listen

Alice in Chains was 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 follows the members from their inauspicious beginnings at a warehouse under the Ballard Bridge through the history of the band, charting:

The local hair metal scene in Seattle during the 1980s.

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.

The band's resurrection with William DuVall, the Atlanta singer/guitarist who stepped into Layne Staley's shoes.

Based on a wealth of interviews with people with direct knowledge of the band and its history, many of whom are speaking on the record for the first time, Alice in Chains will stand as the definitive Alice in Chains biography for years to come.

©2015 David de Sola (P)2015 Audible, Inc. Entertainment & Celebrities Music Celebrity Seattle Biography
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This book was well researched and read however at least half the book dealt with heroin and its massive impact on the band and Seattle music scene. It would have been nice to learn more about Jerry and stories around the creation of the music.

Decent book on AIC but centred on Layne and heroin.

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Been looking for a Alice in Chains book for a while. Glad I came across this. Great listen

Great listen

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The biography although didn’t have a lot of support via the band and/friends. Enjoyed how the author focused on other important people other than Lane Staley. Such a tragic end to many people close to the band. Great read!

Very thorough

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As one of the first bands to bring the Seattle music scene to the mainstream. This book gives a pretty good account of events. Mostly based on Lane’s troubles it does in detail give a pretty good account of the history of AIC.

Good look into one of the Seattle powerhouse group

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This is a decent attempt at a biography - considering it's being written by a Graduate Journalism student without the cooperation of band members or Layne Staley's family. David de Sola relies heavily on previously published exposés and interviews with peripheral figures (former teachers, highschool acquaintances, old girlfriends, and assorted hangers-on - A&R people, video directors, roadies, etc) for his exploration of a fascinating band. Despite those drawbacks, however, de Sola puts together a nicely-planned and nicely-executed chronicle of how Alice in Chains was formed, signed, promoted, managed, and eventually reformed. Less fortunately, it includes a ton of focus on iterations of the band through high school and 'Battle Of The Bands' competitions/side projects and contains only passing information on Sean Kinney, Mike Starr, Mike Inez, or even central band founder Jerry Cantrell. It feels somewhat incomplete from that perspective. This book is really about the maturing of Staley into an iconic frontman, his baffling disappearance from the public eye in 1996, his descent into a drug-addiction hell, and a tragic, obscure, lonely death in 2002.

Sebastian York turns in a professional - if unspectacular - reading performance on this audiobook project. His diction is clear, his tone is commendable, and his timbre is notable. His pacing is slightly off, but corrected by increasing playback speed to 1.10X. I would listen to York again.

I bought this book when it was offered as a Daily Deal and it was easily worth my $4.95. But I would spend a credit if I were a big fan of Layne Staley (and hungry for every conceivable tidbit I could find on AiC).
Despite drawbacks, I rate this biographical effort a solid 7.5 stars out of 10. Perhaps someday band members and involved family will be more comfortable discussing the ups and downs of this pivotal 'Seattle Sound' band, but for now this book focussing on Layne Staley is the best compilation of information available.. it's worth your Credit.

Better Title: 'The Layne Staley Story'

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Amazingly well researched, covers everything from the late 80s to 2014. would recommend to any grunge fans

Best Aic book available

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This is an excellent book with alot of unknown information. Sad story indeed. May Layne Staley rest in peace.

Excellent book.

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absolutely awesome listen I love alice in chains, nice lore on the band it has its ups and downs and good laughs.

Alice in Chains

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i love this book!!! very well done and the performance was outstanding!! can honestly read this a million times!! it's a must read for any Alice in Chains fan.

an unbelievable and heart breaking book

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This was slow to get my attention. It wasn't really all that interesting. The story picks up in the latter part of the book. I didn't really learn anything more than I already knew about the band AIC.

I found this story slow to get my attention

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