Dirt

Dirt is the second studio album by the American rock band Alice in Chains and was released on September 29, 1992 through Columbia Records. Peaking at number six on the Billboard 200, the album was well received by music critics and has since been certified four-times platinum by the RIAA. It is nowadays considered as one of the best grunge/heavy metal albums and is usually on many “Must have” lists.

The album spawned five singles: “Would?”, “Them Bones”, “Angry Chair”, “Rooster”, and “Down in a Hole”. The songs on the album focused on depression, drug use, war, death, and other emotionally heavy topics.

The recording of Dirt began in the spring of 1992. Producer Dave Jerden, who had previously worked with the band on their debut, Facelift, wanted to work with them again. He admired vocalist Layne Staley’s lyrics and voice, and lead guitarist Jerry Cantrell’s guitar riffs. For the songs “Them Bones”, “Rain When I Die”, “Down in a Hole”, “Dirt”, and “Would?”, Cantrell brought in his black Gibson Les Paul and an amplifier he had bought when he was 17 which had much heavier distortion than any amplifier he had used in the past. Dirt was recorded at Eldorado Recording Studio in Burbank, California, London Bridge Studio in Seattle, and One on One Studios in Los Angeles from March to May 1992.

When recording the album, Staley had previously checked out of rehab in Portland, Oregon and quickly went back to using heroin. Drummer Sean Kinney claimed in a 2005 interview that Staley had told Kinney that he was extremely high on heroin and marijuana during the recordings of “Down in a Hole” and “Angry Chair” as well as taking Oxycodone for back pain.