Why RADIO was scared of Alice in Chains and LAYNE STALEY's VOICE
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It’s hard to believe now, but there was a time when radio programmers didn’t want to play Alice in Chains because as they put it Layne’s voice didn’t sound right and the label thought the band’s breakout hit, shouldn’t have even been included on Facelieft. .In today’s video, let’s take a look at how the band finally broke into the mainstream.

Formed in 1987, in Seattle, Alice in Chains original lineup consisted of frontman Layne Staley, guitarist jerry cantrell, bassist Mike Starr and drummer Sean Kinney.

While a lot of bands sang about partying or chicks, Alice in Chains didn’t, tackling more dark subject matter, despite their goofy offstage persona. Bassit mike star would tell the lansing journal “We write about something to get it off our chests. We take out our aggressions on our music so we don’t have to be negative in person.

The band would sign to columbia records and soon started recording their debut record facelift in early 1990. The band would butt heads with their record label over the inclusion of the song man in the box oJerry Cantrel told author Greg Prato "I've had conversations with the record company about this, and everybody conveniently forgets the fact that nobody really liked that song," he told Greg Prato. "They thought it was too slow and dirgey. There was some discussion about it maybe not being on the record, and we're like, 'F--k that - that song is killer.'" Released

Despite some differences with their record label over the inclusion of the song Columbia made Facelift a top priority among a more pop based roster with acts like Mariah Carey, New Kids on the Block and C&C Music Factory. S everal months before the records August of 1990 release, Columbia would send select retailers a free three song EP called We Die Young, which retailers could sell for pure profit. When Facelift came out in August, columbia gave away 40,000 free video copies of band playing the moore theater to those who bought the record.. Then came, the final piece of the puzzle - man in the box. But the first single we die young a song about Jerry witnessing young kids dealing drugs while riding the bus didn’t make a big splash. Alice would tour with everyone from Iggy Pop to Poison to Extreme. Then of course there was the clash of the titans tour playing with anthrax, slayer and megadeth. Dummer sean kinney would recall to rolling stone That tour was a real challenge, because we’re not a speed-metal band,” says Kinney. “During our set the entire crowd would chant, ‘Slayer, Slayer, Slayer.’ But we figured, hey, if we could play for a Slayer crowd and not get killed, we had it made.”
It was around this time in early 1991 columbia issued man in the box as the second single. The song’s lyrics took on a few meanings. Layne would tell Roing Stone in 1992 “I started writing about censorship. Around the same time, we went out for dinner with some Columbia Records people who were vegetarians. They told me how veal was made from calves raised in these small boxes, and that image stuck in my head. So I went home and wrote about government censorship and eating meat as seen through the eyes of a doomed calf.