The New Alice In Chains Track "A Looking in View"

[Mr Walker]

ALICE IN CHAINS Collaborates With ELTON JOHN On New Album - Aug. 11, 2009
Among the many highlights on "Black Gives Way To Blue", the highly anticipated new album from ALICE IN CHAINS, is a special guest performance by Elton John. The two rock legends collaborated on the album's stunning title track, "Black Gives Way To Blue", a heart-stirring tribute to ALICE IN CHAINS' late lead singer Layne Staley. The album arrives in stores September 29.

"We were thinking about adding piano to the track and a friend suggested we call Elton," recalls guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell. "I remember laughing and saying, 'Yeah, I'll get right on that.' But I decided it was worth trying and wrote Elton an email explaining what that song means to us — that it's a real, raw openhearted song for Layne. We sent him the track and got a call shortly after saying he thought it was beautiful and that he wanted to play on it. We were blown away. Elton John is a huge influence on me as a songwriter and having him on that song is an amazing honor for us."

"I've long been an admirer of Jerry Cantrell and when he asked me to play on 'Black Gives Way To Blue', I was very flattered and couldn't resist," says John. "It was a great recording session with ALICE IN CHAINS for a beautiful song."

About the collaboration, Cantrell says, "Elton was finishing his Red Piano run in Vegas, so we flew there and hung out for a few hours. Walking into a studio and seeing the sheet music for that song on Elton's piano made it meaningful on so many different levels. The whole experience was pretty magical."

[Mr Walker]

I haven't listened to it in years, but I recall some Elton John sounding things on Jerry's 'Degradation Trip'

[chefcraig]

This is another advance track from forthcoming Black Gives Way to Blue album, called "Check My Brain".

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I haven't listened to it in years, but I recall some Elton John sounding things on Jerry's 'Degradation Trip'

Here is a cover of "Curtains", from Elton's Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy album. This was recorded 10/19/2007 in Tulsa, OK. Apologies for the sound quality.

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[Little Texan]

I like that new AIC song...it definitely sounds like AIC, but I agree that it drags on a little too long.

[Golden AWe]

I liked the first one too but the second one...it rocks! And same with the lyrics. Really like this! There's misery and darkness...but a little difference from Layne's stuff...

So I found myself in the sun, oh yeah
A hell of a place to end a run, oh yeah
California, I'm fine
Somebody check my brain
California's all right
Somebody check my brain
Check my brain anekatips.com

I walk these streets, I creep and I fall, oh yeah
When she sang I answered the call, oh yeah
California, I'm fine somebody check my brain
California's all right somebody check my brain
Aaaaah tears have filled my bones
Aaaaah years expended gone

guitar

I hung my guns and put em away, oh yeah
The trick of the trade, and by the way, oh yeah
California, I'm fine somebody check my brain
California's all right somebody check my brain

Aaaah tears have filled my bones
aaaah years expended gone
(Repeat)

Check my brain, check my brain ...

[binnie]

'Check My Brain' is awesome. Wow!

[Golden AWe]

You can (legally?) download the new single on this site: GrungeReport.net » Blog Archive » LISTEN TO ALICE IN CHAINS NEW SINGLE “CHECK MY BRAIN”

[Golden AWe]

Kickass video for Check My Brain: Media Page « Official Alice In Chains Website

Like Hunter S. Thompson meets Harry Callahan in the dark. Cantrell's mosh scares off birds is a grate little detail. What a coloring! Not many video has looked this kewl.

[Golden AWe]

And here's the last song of the forthcoming album played live, another tribute song to Layne:

YouTube - Alice in Chains - Black Gives Way to Blue - Live Acoustic NYC 9/9/09

Here are samples from every song of the album. Sounds promising!

YouTube - Official Alice In Chains Album Sampler for Black Gives Way to Blue

[binnie]

Thanks Golden Awe, sounds fucking incredible!

[chefcraig]

You can hear several of the tracks from Black Gives Way To Blue at Youtube here.

This is the title track.

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[Golden AWe]

Title by title

1. "All Secrets Known" - definetely one of the best tracks on the album. Jerry's lead vocals. Haunting voices, very dark athmosphere...but the song is alive, it moves on nicely, better than "A looking in view". Really like the small part from 2:30 and the small solo guitar part at 3:10. AIC can sound DARK even without Layne.

2. "Check My Brain" - being the first video released, I really dig this faster track. Grate lyrics, and the video is kewl as ice. This title is also a bit insane.
William and Jerry share lead vocals. Nice. "SOMEBODY CHECK MY BRAIN..."

3. "Last of My Kind" - William's lead. I really dig this song too. William kicks ass, he's not trying to be Layne, but he sounds really angry on this one. He's got an interesting voice, he sings high notes but it somehow sounds thick. Btw, I think this is what Metallica often tries to sound like, but they lack songwriting like this.

4. "Your Decision" - Good acoustic tune. Jerry really knows how to write these tunes, they somehow sound alike, but still different. The part (b-part?) starting from 1:40 is aces. Really a Cantrell solo tune.

5. "A Looking in View" - Good song, but as said, a bit too long.

6. "When the Sun Rose Again" Acoustic song. This somehow reminds me of The Beatles and The Beach Boys. I think Chris Cornell should sing this.

7. "Acid Bubble" - Heavy tune. Quite slow too, but rolls a bit better than "A Looking in View" - the songs comes alive at about 2:50. Very AIC.

8. "Lesson Learned" - I really dig the guitars on this one! Very cool like "Check My Brain". You feel like driving a car on the highway to hell, where you can see the cities buring into a desert.

9. "Take Her Out" - Another succesful song, quite simple but it works. Really dark, but rolls well. Jerry lead vocals.

10. "Private Hell" - End of The World-song. Top 5 on the album. I do think William's voice should be let loose more, now they've been a bit too careful? It somehow sinks into the whole mass of sounds?

11. "Black Gives Way to Blue" - A very beautiful acoustic tune dedicated to Layne.

Overall, I give this 8/10. It feels like they played it safe and Jerry sang most of the lead vocals, and even though he's gotten better and better all the time, they should let William really show what he really is made of. So far, and on the songs he's on the lead, I really like his voice, and he has participated on the song writing too. Jerry's songwriting really doesn't let us down, on that scale this is better album ovarall than the tripod-album, S/T, that last album with Layne.

Get this album!

[binnie]

That's a good review 'Awe.

It is a very, very strong album. Sounds like AIC, but an AIC that is moving forward rather than looking back.

[Figs]

OK I'm slow....just heard Check My Brain, pretty good!

[Terry]

Their new stuff is okay.

Cantrell wrote so many of those older songs...even a tune like "Rain When I Die" which sounds like it would be a Staley song, is a Cantrell composition. From what I've read, the band were trying to put something together in the couple of years leading up to Staley's death, but Staley was too debilitated and didn't even want to participate.

They're trying to move ahead. Might have been a good move to change the name in some ways, but whatever. AIC had such an odd career, anyway. They got big, then just...stopped. Stopped for no particular reason, either. No long career-fade like Pearl Jam. No abrupt, dramatic end like Nirvana. No continual stops and restarts like Stone Temple Pilots. Didn't hang in there perhaps one album too long like Soundgarden.

Even thougb Cantrell wrote so many of the Staley-era tunes and Cantrell's co-vocals were a big part of the AIC sound, it'll still be odd to hear someone else singing Layne's parts on something like Rooster, or Them Bones...