Alice in Chains: Jar of Flies

On Alice in Chains’ EP Jar of Flies, the band shifts to acoustic grunge. Two of the seven songs were hits (“No Excuses” and “I Stay Away”), which shows how grunge-mad we all were in 1994 and how two big songs can make even a 7-song EP a top-seller. We didn’t fault Layne Staley for how he dragged through all those overly long notes, and we ignored the band’s other failings. Alice in Chains seemed like they were doing something, though a few years of hindsight have obscured exactly what. Oh well. Jar of Flies is probably an irrefutable classic.

Rating: * *

Primus: Frizzle Fry

Frizzle Fry was a warm-up for better things to come. The wild frenzy of funk and skat singing is entertaining, but mainly just holds promise. Some of the songs sound like they could hang around comfortably on Nirvana’s Incesticide. They have that “live show, probably stoned” sound to them. The innovation is good, but it doesn’t go far enough. They saved that for Sailing the Seas of Cheese. Primus’s greatest challenge here, one that they don’t quite surmount, is finding a way to distract us from Les Claypool’s cartoonish voice. Frizzle Fry is a nice try, but that’s about it.

Rating: * *

Bush: Deconstructed

The idea is a good one: Let’s take some cool songs and do wild remixes and alternate versions. To the producers’ credit, no song remained in its original form. Some songs, or long stretches of them, were nearly unidentifiable. No one likes a remix album where things are modified only by imperceptible degrees (I’m looking at you, Beatles: Love). Bush goes whole hog, interjecting their signature grunge with wild techno flair. Does it work? Not so much. Coming at the tail of the grunge wagon anyway, Bush released Deconstructed either as an artistic stretch or a money grab or both.

Rating: * *

Temple of the Dog: Temple of the Dog

Chris Cornell formed Temple of the Dog as a tribute to Andrew Wood. He slowed down the late-80s hair-metal sound that Soundgarden was flirting with and brought in several members of what would become Pearl Jam. Temple of the Dog acts as kind of a meeting ground between the old and the emerging styles of hard rock. The shift is apparent in the contrast between Eddie Vedder and Mr. Cornell as they share vocal duties. Mr. Vedder’s growl points toward the coming grunge tidal wave while Mr. Cornell’s yowl reflects what rock and roll had been for the past decade.

Rating: * * * *

Primus: Sailing the Seas of Cheese

Primus throws grunge and alternative rock into a brew of their own experimental brand of funk. Out comes Sailing the Seas of Cheese, a crazy, weird rollicking album. It is a cosmic leap over their debut, but the most bizarre thing about this sophomore release is how popular it became. Primus in general is an acquired taste, and slap-bass funk does not usually fly off shelves. Like some of Beck’s stuff, the oddity and novelty is compelling enough to move units. Also like Beck, Primus has gained a strong fan base of people who appreciate what they are doing musically.

Rating: * * * * *

Deer Tick: Born on Flag Day

Country and grunge come together, and not necessarily beautifully. Deer Tick’s John McCauley has the voice of a buzz saw, which would be better if it were buried under the instruments. As things stand, it sticks out, distracting listeners from hearing some well-written songs. In fact, some of the folk-style arrangements could be improved with more aggressive playing to match Mr. McCauley’s voice. For that matter, some of the country-style arrangements would improve in a folk form. In any case, Deer Tick is worth listening to and is a good jumping off point for rock fans who generally eschew country.

Rating: * * * *