Radio Stations Didn’t Like LAYNE STALEY’s Voice Says ALICE IN CHAINS Producer

layne-staley

ALICE IN CHAINS producer Dave Jerden, who worked on the band’s “Facelift” and “Dirt” albums, remembers in a recent interview with Ultimate Guitar that radio stations refused to play any songs from 1990’s “Facelift” for nine months after the record came out, because they didn’t like Layne Staley‘s voice.

“The feedback we were getting was, ‘Layne’s voice is wrong.’ So many program directors said that. ‘Cause this is at the time of Axl Rose and Dio and all these high voices. I’ve always liked a little bluesy voice myself. To say Layne’s voice is wrong or to say anybody’s voice is wrong is a pretty ridiculous thing to say. But that’s the feedback I got.”

He also discussed recording “Dirt”, “The first record they were wild and crazy guys and the second record they were very subdued. We did that second record during the LA insurrection when the city was burning down [LA was experiencing riots due to the Rodney King incident]. So there was that wacko magneto going on the whole time. On the first record, we were up in Seattle and basically just partying together. Jerry and I would go fishing in the morning in Puget Sound for salmon and then go to the studio. Then the studio vibe would pour out until we ended up in a vortex of clubs we were going to. It was just kind of an around-the-clock deal.”