Alice In Chains - Jar Of Flies

Jar Of Flies is the third extended play by American rock band Alice In Chains, originally released in January 1994 via Columbia Records.

Released exactly 30 years ago, January 25, 1994, the EP made history as the first of its format to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in its first week of sales. Following an exhausting and transformative tour in support of the group’s sophomore album Dirt (1992), Jar of Flies offered the Seattle grunge icons a chance to record music in a more relaxed environment and intimate, acoustic style. For the first time in the studio, singer Layne Staley, guitarist Jerry Cantrell and drummer Sean Kinney were joined by bassist Mike Inez, who joined Alice in Chains midway through their 1993 tour.

"After playing loud music for a year, we'd come home and the last thing we wanted to do was crank up the amps right away,” Kinney later told Guitar World about the sessions that became Jar of Flies. “We just went into the studio with no songs written, to check out the chemistry. It all fell into place…We thought it would be a waste not to put that material out."

The self-produced EP acted as a spiritual sequel to the group’s last EP Sap (1992), which also featured a more acoustic-driven sound. Tracks like “I Stay Away,” “No Excuses” and “Don’t Follow” showcased the range of Alice In Chains, further establishing them as one of the most unique and engaging rock bands of the decade.

This extended play is a 30^th Anniversary reissue on black vinyl housed in a single pocket sleeve with a printed inner sleeve and remastered audio, pressed in Europe via Columbia Records.