 "Something diehard AiC fans must have" | 2008-05-16 |
| - Reviewed By User: AG5XM49AZVIYH |
I can imagine most people who're considering buying Music Bank are salivating over the same thing I was when I bought this box set: the unreleased tracks and the demos. The good news about Music Bank: the unreleased tracks do not disappoint. Any AiC fans should find themselves thoroughly enjoying these songs during the first listen. On top of that, there's a mini-booklet full of AiC history and comments from the band members. The bad news: The majority of Alice in Chains' studio material also appears here, including the entire album Dirt, and all 4 tracks from SAP. So, for those of us who already have all the studio albums, a good part of Music Bank is essentially worthless.
Despite containing a load of studio tracks, I will say this for Music Bank: it keeps the listener interested. The unreleased tracks are fresh enough and the demos are different enough from their studio versions to satisfy most AiC fans. They also did a good job of mixing up the studio tracks, even though Music Bank goes in chronological order by release (for the most part).
Disc 1 is the most valuable part of Music Bank as far as "new" material goes. It includes the single Get Born Again and 7 demos, 4 of which never appeared on an AiC album as actual songs. You also get the song "Queen of the Rodeo", which appears on the AiC album "Live." Disc 1 also includes a slew of tracks from Facelift and a pair from SAP.
Disc 2 is, unfortunately, the disappointing part of Music Bank. Anyone who has the album Dirt will find little desire to listen to Disc 2. Ten of the songs on this disc are straight off of Dirt, and 4 more are studio tracks from other albums. There are two unreleased tracks and a demo of "Junkhead" on this disc, but I hardly find it worth my time to listen to this one all the way through when I can just pop Dirt into my stereo and essentially listen to the same thing.
Disc 3 is, in my opinion, the strongest disc (overall) in the set. You get the remixes of the songs "What the Hell Have I" and "A Little Bitter", both of which originally appeared on the Last Action Hero soundtrack, and a remix of "Again", though I can't say I'm a fan of this version. You also get 3 songs from AiC's Unplugged live show, including "The Killer is Me." The real gem on this disc, however, is "Died", the last song Alice in Chains ever recorded, and, in my opinion, the best song in the whole set. For studio tracks you get 5 off of their self-titled album and the 2 from "Dirt" they didn't include on disc 2.
Disc 4 just has some interactive stuff you can access through a PC. It's kind of cool, but it isn't something most people will need to see more than once.
To sum up Music Bank, it's definitely something serious AIC fans can enjoy, and it's also a good way for the casual fan to get into the band. The only downer: All of Dirt and SAP did not need to be included here. I would have been satisfied if they had taken 6-8 tracks from Dirt and only 1-2 from SAP. Definitely worth 30 dollars, but think hard before spending more than 40 on it. |
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 "Good Quality" | 2008-01-07 |
| - Reviewed By User: A173HVBEIVOSOO |
| If you are a fan of Alice in Chains, I highly recommend this compilation of works by them. They have put all the songs, even some unreleased demos on the cds, and it is definitely worth the price. |
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| "Sweet" | 2007-12-27 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1SENTSUV2G1HV |
| This box set is one of a kind. I was impressed to see how many unreleased songs were in this set and that all of the CD's came in their own case, instead of sleeves like most box sets. All in all, it is a fantastic addition to any collection. |
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| "Music bank, Alice in Chains 4 CD set" | 2007-10-11 |
| - Reviewed By philipprasser |
For hardcore AIC fans, not for the casual listener. Be aware that there are studio outtakes and alternate versions of songs on this set that are found on other AIC offerings.
For the hardcore AIC fan, it is a must. |
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| "Any true AIC fan's dream collection." | 2007-08-03 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3AT7DTU3947U2 |
48 Alice In Chains songs. All the hits, all the fan favorites, all the rare songs, and even some new ones!
You get early, classic demos like: "I Can't Have You Blues", "Whatcha Gonna Do", "Social Parasite", and "Queen of the Rodeo".
You get rare songs like: "A Little Bitter", "What the Hell Have I?", "Killing Yourself", "Lying Season", and "Killer Is Me".
You get new, unreleased songs: "Get Born Again", "Fear the Voices", and "Died".
Combine all those great songs with great booklets (pictures, notes, etc), and awesome packaging, and you get one of the best music sets ever released for a band. Also, I would get Music Bank: The Videos, because it has all of their music videos, which were some of the coolest vids I've ever seen. Enjoy! |
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| "Alice in Chains: a music group of immense talent" | 2007-01-10 |
| - Reviewed By efa682 |
| This is one very well-put together music collection. 40 plus tracks of gripping, catchy, tracks and tunes that speak volumes of the mindsets of the group members about life and its struggles. It's a shame they ended the way they did. If you want a piece of classic music that's ahead of and within its time, get this collection. |
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| "Killer tunes!!!!!" | 2006-08-22 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1S9G5IA0LW7 |
| AWESOME!!! Everyone and their brother should own this one. I'm a huuuuuuuuuge AIC fan from the beginning. This music collection is a must have for any fan!! |
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| "Retrospective with Rarities" | 2006-08-01 |
| - Reviewed By justinsgaines |
The Alice in Chains 4-disc box set Music Bank serves as both career retrospective and B-side collection. You get plenty of material from the regular AIC albums, but there is enough bonus material to make the set worthwhile to die-hard fans.
Here's what you get in this box set that you won't find on other AIC releases:
Disc 1 - Get Born Again (the only brand new song produced for this set), 3 early demos from the Alice N Chainz days, demo versions of Bleed the Freak, Killing Yourself, Sea of Sorrow, and Rooster, and a live track called Queen of the Rodeo.
Disc 2 - There are only 3 exclusive tracks on this disc. Fear the Voices is an odd one, sounding like Alice in Chains meets the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It also features a demo version of Junkhead and a track called Lying Season. Despite having just a few new tracks, disc 2 is the strongest in the set, since it contains the most material from Dirt and Jar of Flies.
Disc 3 - This disc rounds out the collection, and features material taken mostly from the band's final studio album. There are a few tracks from the Unplugged album, a few remixes, and the track "What the Hell Have I" which originally only appeared on the Last Action Hero soundtrack. The song "Died" is the only track that isn't available elsewhere.
Disc 4 - This is an interesting item. Music Bank was released before DVDs had completely taken over, so disc 4 is actually a CD-ROM with several of the band's videos and some additional multimedia content. It's a decent addition, but one that was made obsolete when the Music Bank DVD was released a couple of years later.
All told, this box set is likely to appeal only to die-hard Alice in Chains fans who want to own every available AIC release. It's a good collection, if a bit flawed. They could have just as easily added a disc or two and collected the band's entire catalog, or just released a single-CD rarities collection (which would have been a lot lighter on our wallets). |
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| "An excellent ride through the Staley era of AIice" | 2006-07-05 |
| - Reviewed By User: AC5BDWM9LOHRB |
Some of the other reviews say that the box set was premature and they should have waited until AIC had a few more studio albums out, but most of those reviews were written before the death of lead singer Layne Staley, ending an era in AIC history. The band has since found a new lead singer, but the voice of Layne (or any distinctive lead singer, really) is impossible to replace. This box set is now an excellent ride through the Staley era of Alice, including all of the singles, and many outtakes and demos.
This set appeals to the hardcore fan providing the alternate takes of songs, and the unreleased stuff, and the casual fan with the singles. However, the casual fan might rather consider the 'Best of the Box' CD. I believe it's called 'Nothing Safe'. |
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| "Great box set" | 2006-04-03 |
| - Reviewed By me@scottstoltz.com |
This is a great box set. Love Alice. But for those of you talking about the 1989 demo recordings, check out this site:
http://www.itsnotalice.com |
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