Sickman - doesn't get nearly enough love compared to the many hits from Dirt. It's one of the tracks I think of the most, and it shows off the vocals really well, even just when Staley pronounces the title. SickmaAaAaaAaaaAaaan, Sickman, Sickmaan, Sickmaaaaaan.
Hate to Feel - So much is done in this one song; the tempo is constantly changing, the vocal shifting throwing the listener for a loop over and over.
Them Bones - When that opening "IIIAAAAHHH" scream comes in, I want to throw a rock through a window it's so good
Angry Chair
Would? - Much like Them Bones is a near perfect opener, Would? is a perfect closer
Rain When I Die
Dam That River - I had this song stuck in my head all morning at work, but only the lines "Sooooo yoooou couldn't damn that river / Well maybe I don't give a damn anyway"
Down in a Hole - I HATE putting Down in a Hole this low (9th on my list) because holy shit is it good, it just slows down the album's pace just enough to fall short of some of the other tracks
God Smack
Dirt
Junkhead - admittedly this is the one song on the album that's hard to listen to now, given Staley's later overdose
Untitled - I'm ranking this last not because it's bad, and not even because it's not really a song, because I can still appreciate its spot on the album and how it contributes to the overall feel. But on an album where every song could be a hit, it has to drop.
This is probably the hardest album to rank so far because the whole thing is just so goddamn good. Start to finish, this is grunge at its absolute best, without a single bad song. While I don't think Alice in Chains had the overall lasting power of some of the other grunge bands like Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, at their best they're difficult to compete with. Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell's voices together just creates an otherworldly experience, resulting in one of my all-time favorite albums.
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