Editing Alice in Chains (section)

===1995–1996: ''Alice in Chains''===
While Alice in Chains was inactive during 1995, Staley joined the "grunge [[Supergroup (bands)|supergroup]]" [[Mad Season (band)|Mad Season]], which also featured Pearl Jam guitarist [[Mike McCready]], bassist [[John Baker Saunders]] from [[The Walkabouts]], and [[Screaming Trees]] drummer [[Barrett Martin]]. Mad Season released one album, ''[[Above (Mad Season album)|Above]]'', for which Staley provided lead vocals and the album artwork. The album spawned a number two Mainstream Rock chart single, "[[River of Deceit]]", and a [[home video]] release of ''[[Live at the Moore]]''.<ref name="Remembering Layne Staley" />

In April 1995, Alice in Chains entered [[Bad Animals Studio]] in Seattle with producer [[Toby Wright]], who had previously worked with [[Corrosion of Conformity]] and [[Slayer]].<ref name="Toby Wright">{{cite news|url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=51361 |title=Meldrum Working With Producer Toby Wright |work=Blabbermouth |date=April 26, 2006 |access-date=December 20, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080123193521/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=51361 |archive-date=January 23, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> While in the studio, an inferior version of the song "Grind" was leaked to radio, and received major airplay.<ref name="timeline">{{Cite web |url=http://www.sonymusic.com:80/artists/AliceInChains/bio.html |title=Alice In Chains Timeline |website=Sony Music |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991007164204/http://www.sonymusic.com/artists/AliceInChains/bio.html |archive-date=October 7, 1999 |url-status=dead |access-date=April 9, 2018 }}</ref> On October 6, the band released the studio version of the song to radio via satellite uplink to stem the excessive spread of taped copies of the song.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.iheartradio.ca/news/why-october-6th-matters-in-rock-history-1.2000155| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171223053419/http://www.iheartradio.ca/news/why-october-6th-matters-in-rock-history-1.2000155| archive-date=December 23, 2017 |title=Why October 6th Matters in Rock History |publisher=iHeartRadio |date=October 7, 2016|access-date=December 22, 2017}}</ref> On November 7, 1995, Columbia Records released their self-titled album, ''[[Alice in Chains (album)|Alice in Chains]]'',<ref name="Toby Wright" /> which debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200<ref name="timeline" /> and has since been certified triple platinum.<ref name="RIAA" /> Of the album's four singles, "[[Grind (song)|Grind]]", "[[Again (Alice in Chains song)|Again]]", "[[Over Now (Alice in Chains song)|Over Now]]", and "[[Heaven Beside You]]", three feature Cantrell on lead vocals. Jon Wiederhorn of ''Rolling Stone'' called the album "liberating and enlightening, the songs achieve a startling, staggering and palpable impact."<ref>{{cite magazine |author=Wiederhorn, Jon |date=November 30, 1995 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/179804/review/5943047/aliceinchains |title=Alice in Chains: Alice in Chains review |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=January 1, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071024043905/http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/179804/review/5943047/aliceinchains |archive-date=October 24, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The band released the home video ''[[The Nona Tapes]]'' On December 12,<ref>{{cite web|title=Alice In Chains - The Nona Tapes| date=June 19, 2017 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0Ohyj8FmLo| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211114/v0Ohyj8FmLo| archive-date=November 14, 2021 | url-status=live|via=YouTube |access-date=April 5, 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref> a mockumentary featuring interviews with the band members conducted by journalist Nona Weisbaum (played by Jerry Cantrell), and the music video for "Grind".<ref>{{cite book|last1=de Sola|first1=David|title=Alice in Chains: The Untold Story|date=August 4, 2015|publisher=Thomas Dunne Books|isbn=978-1250048073|pages=234, 235, 236}}</ref> The band opted not to tour in support of ''Alice in Chains'', adding to the rumors of drug abuse.<ref name="Rolling Stones on Staley's death" /><ref name="Malice in Chains">{{cite magazine |author=Fischer, Blair R |date=September 4, 1998 |title=Malice in Chains? |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/malice-in-chains-19980904 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924203222/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/malice-in-chains-19980904 |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |access-date=April 8, 2012 |magazine=Rolling Stone}}</ref>

The song "[[Got Me Wrong]]" unexpectedly charted three years after its release on the ''Sap'' EP. The song was re-released as a single on the soundtrack for the film ''[[Clerks (film)|Clerks]]'' in 1994,<!-- Random jump back to 1994? --> reaching number seven on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.aliceinchains.com/discography/st_clerks.aspx| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061116034920/http://www.aliceinchains.com/discography/st_clerks.aspx| archive-date=November 16, 2006 |title=Clerks – Soundtracks and movie scores |publisher=Aliceinchains.com |access-date=December 28, 2007}}</ref>

Alice in Chains resurfaced on April 10, 1996, to perform for ''[[MTV Unplugged]]'', a program featuring all-acoustic set lists.<ref name="Unplugged show">{{cite video |people=Perota, Joe (Director) |date=April 15, 1996 |url=http://www.aliceinchains.com/discography/unplugged.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070217083456/http://www.aliceinchains.com/discography/unplugged.aspx |archive-date=February 17, 2007 |title=Unplugged – Alice in Chains |medium=Television production |location=New York City |publisher=[[MTV]]}}</ref><ref name="Alice In Chains Concert Chronology">{{cite web |url=http://www.bacus.net/alice/aicshows/960410.htm |title=Alice in Chains Concert Chronology: MTV Unplugged Session |publisher=John Bacus |access-date=December 12, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071211090109/http://www.bacus.net/alice/aicshows/960410.htm |archive-date=December 11, 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref> The performance featured some of the band's highest-charting singles, including "Rooster", "Down in a Hole", "Heaven Beside You", "No Excuses" and "Would?", and introduced a new song, "Killer Is Me", with Cantrell on lead vocals.<ref name="Unplugged show" /> The show marked Alice in Chains' only appearance as a five-piece band, adding second guitarist [[Scott Olson]].<ref name="Unplugged show" /> [[Unplugged (Alice in Chains album)|A live album]] of the performance was released in July 1996, which debuted at number three on the ''Billboard'' 200,<ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/alice-in-chains/chart-history/tlp/ |title=Alice in Chains Unplugged Chart History |magazine=Billboard |access-date=May 2, 2018}}</ref> and was accompanied by a home video release, both of which received platinum certification by the RIAA.<ref name="RIAA" /> The band also appeared on ''[[The Late Show with David Letterman]]'' on May 10, 1996, performing the songs "Again" and "We Die Young".<ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/alice-in-chains-layne-staley-10-great-performances-w474712/alice-in-chains-againwe-die-young-letterman-1996-w474745 |title=Alice in Chains, "Again"/"We Die Young" ('Letterman,' 1996) |date=April 5, 2017 |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=May 2, 2018 |archive-date=April 7, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170407180429/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/alice-in-chains-layne-staley-10-great-performances-w474712/alice-in-chains-againwe-die-young-letterman-1996-w474745 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Alice in Chains performed four shows supporting the reunited original [[Kiss (band)|Kiss]] lineup on their 1996–97 [[Alive/Worldwide Tour]], including the final live appearance of Layne Staley on July 3, 1996, in [[Kansas City, Missouri]].<ref name="Casino Ballroom">{{cite web| url=http://www.casinoballroom.com/event-detail.php?event=94 |title=Alice in Chains – Sold Out |publisher=[[Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom]] |access-date=November 25, 2007| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071130054834/http://www.casinoballroom.com/event-detail.php?event=94| archive-date= November 30, 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref> Shortly after the show, Staley was found unresponsive after he overdosed on heroin and was taken to the hospital.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://diffuser.fm/alice-in-chains-layne-staley-last-show/|title=The Story of Alice in Chains' Last Show With Layne Staley|work=Diffuser.fm|date=July 3, 2016 |access-date=May 2, 2018}}</ref> Although he recovered, the band was forced to go on hiatus.<ref>{{cite book|last1=de Sola|first1=David|title=Alice in Chains: The Untold Story|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kUonBgAAQBAJ |date=August 4, 2015|publisher=Thomas Dunne Books|isbn=978-1250048073|page=246}}</ref>