 | Facelift by Alice in Chains
Buy new: $6.99 / Used from: $2.99 The debut album. Not my favorite, but it's definitely a great album. Where would the world be without songs like "Man in the Box" and "Sea of Sorrow" after all? I think the real winner(s) here are the songs "Bleed the Freak" and "Love, Hate, Love." The former, because it's catchy and rocks hard...The latter because it shows Layne Staley's vocal range and his ability to show pain through his voice.
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 | Dirt by Alice in Chains
Buy new: $6.99 / Used from: $2.40 The second album and my favorite of the AIC catalogue. This album is the best example of the many facades of Alice in Chains. Hard rock classics (Would, Dam That River, Them Bones, Angry Chair) and some of their softer, but no less great songs (Rooster, Down in a Hole, and Junkhead). It also has some of their best and most underrated songs...God Smack, Hate to Feel, Sickma, and Rain When I Die.
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 | Sap by Alice in Chains
Buy used from: $1.45 A four song accoustic album, featuring "Got Me Wrong" and "Brother." Both songs sounded a lot better on the "Unplugged" album though. The other two songs "Right Turn" and "Am I Inside" are pretty good. The former has Jerry Cantrell, Layne Staley, and Chris Cornell on vocals, at one point simultaneously.
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 | Jar of Flies by Alice in Chains
Buy new: $6.99 / Used from: $1.20 This has always been called an EP, but I've always thought of it as an album. It's got 7 songs and it's 30 minutes long. This is another album with (mostly) accoustic stuff. Has one of their most beautiful songs ("Nutshell"), one of their best ("No Excuses"), and other great songs like "I Stay Away" and "Rotten Apple."
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 | Alice in Chains by Alice In Chains
Buy new: $6.99 / Used from: $1.05 The final album. Of the 12 songs, 9 of them have lyrics by Staley. It's easily the most downbeat Alice record. "Shame In You" is one of the saddest songs Staley ever recorded, but you're not without good old rock classics too. The singles Grind, Again, and Heaven Beside You are OK. "Sludge Factory" is a classic, "Over Now" is catchy, & "Brush Away" & "Head Creeps" adds a new sound to AIC.
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 | Unplugged by Alice in Chains
Buy new: $7.99 / Used from: $1.00 Any AIC fan will tell you that this is one of their best CD's. It's live and Unplugged on MTV, but it's not something you listen to (or watch) once out of curiosity and never return to. In fact, many of these performances are better or just as good as the studio tracks. "Got Me Wrong" and "Brother" and "Sludge Factory" and "Over Now" are my favorite performances.
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 | Live by Alice in Chains
Buy new: $6.99 / Used from: $2.69 I'm not really fond of live albums and so I didn't get REALLY into this. It's good, but for completists...It definitely shows how good the band was though.
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![Alice in Chains - MTV Unplugged [Region 2]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51CNDBQQXHL._SL75_.jpg) | Alice in Chains - MTV Unplugged [Region 2]
Buy new: $11.98 / Used from: $4.38 I actually like the DVD better than the CD, because there's a lot more to it (not in songs, but in material). Plus you get to SEE the great band and if this were the only video record of the band (it is...At least on DVD, besides the Music Box DVD)...Layne Staley, obviously high, turns out a great performance and his bandmates are in top form.
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 | Alice in Chains - Music Bank - The Videos
Buy new: $11.98 / Used from: $7.79 All the music videos and behind the scenes stuff. You see that the whole band is a bunch of laid-back guys and you get to see the funny sides of Layne Staley, Jerry Cantrell, Sean Kinney, and co. before seeing videos that seem to say the exact opposite about them.
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 | Nothing Safe by Alice In Chains
Buy new: $9.99 / Used from: $1.99 Not REALLY "The Best of the Box" but might be a good album for people being introduced to AIC, besides the "We Die Young" demo (which is good, for the record). "Iron Gland" wasn't necessary; But "Down in a Hole" and "Got Me Wrong" (Unplugged version), as well as "What the Hell Have I" is on here.
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 | The Essential Alice in Chains by Alice in Chains
Buy new: $14.99 / Used from: $8.99 How any compilation could leave off "Down in a Hole" I don't know. Besides the actual box set, this is the best compilation if you ignore that tidbit. It's got underrated classics like "God Smack" and "Hate to Feel" as well as little-heard tracks like "Little Bitter" and "Died" which both rock.
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 | Above by Mad Season
Buy new: $6.99 / Used from: $2.32 Layne Staley's short-lived side-project alongside Pearl Jams Mike McCready and others. The album doesnt have a hard rock song on it, but I quickly realized how great it was. The songs are beautiful and a great example of Staley's vocals, particularly "Lifeless Dead" where he unleashes a blood-curdling, scream. The album only had 1 single ("River of Deceit"), but the entire album is solid.
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 | Boggy Depot by Jerry Cantrell
Buy used from: $0.52 This album is Cantrell's first solo album and it is surprisingly weak. It has a few great songs ("Cut You In" and "My Song"), but it's sad to think that a lot of this stuff would have become AIC stuff. Layne Staley could've added much more depth to the song, but Cantrell proves that he has what it takes to be a guitar-God and a talented vocalist.
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 | Degradation Trip Volumes 1 & 2 by Jerry Cantrell
Buy new: $22.99 / Used from: $18.42 First released as 1 album, then as a double album; This is a shining moment in Cantrell's career. The album is just as good as previous AIC CDs. It's got classics like "Psychotic Break" & "Anger Rising" & "She Was My Girl" & "Pig Charmer." It's a hard album not to enjoy. With his vocals always getting better and still being a great guitarist, he proves that (even with Staley dead), AIC lives!
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