Alice in Chains: The Untold Story

Really great book. Been reading it since it arrived. Such a sad ending from drug addiction. So much from the Seattle area ended from drugs. The book is well written, I would definitely recommend if you are a fan of Alice in Chains or interested in the grunge era of music.

As an AIC fan from the beginning this is a great and nostalgic read. Really enjoyed it and learnt some things I didn't know.

A gift for the girlfriend, she loves this band. She says it's a good book so far!

If you’re a fan of Alice in Chains, you have probably scoured Amazon at regular intervals to find a biography of the band or of the late Layne Staley. The only biography of Staley that had been published so far was notoriously unreliable and poorly written, and the best account of the band’s history was to be found in Mark Arm’s oral history of grunge, ‘Everybody Loves Our Town’. Therefore, David de Sola’s book was a much needed, long overdue account of the rise and fall - and rise again - of this incredible band. Like most biographies, ‘Alice in Chains: The Untold Story’ is a little chaotic, with jumps in the timeline which fans of the band will occasionally question. I find that a common trait in biographies when so many ‘characters’ are involved. And that’s the other problem: there are a lot of ‘characters’ in this book, and I would have liked to be able to refer to an Appendix at the end to remind myself of who was who. Unfortunately, no such ‘cast list’ is included. The remaining members of the original Alice in Chains line up are notoriously private, and as a result, they declined to be involved with De Sola’s research. Similarly, Layne Staley’s mother did not respond to the author’s interview requests. Therefore, the book relies on the account of ‘secondary’ sources - friends, staff members and assorted hangers-on. But all considering, De Sola does a very good job of stitching together a coherent account of the events from the sources available, and the ‘story’ flows as well as it can do, albeit with a heavy Layne bias. Modern day Alice in Chains are barely touched on, but I have to admit that I have little interest in their current incarnation. As Susan Silver is quoted to say at one point in the book, ‘Layne *is* Alice in Chains’. Maybe one day Cantrell, Kinney and Inez will ‘talk’ and allow their version of the events to surface in a new biography; but for the time being, David De Sola’s book is all we have. It’s certainly a great read which all fans of the bands will no doubt devour.

Very good book aic are awesome very informative nice to see the real aic

Love layne and aic couldnt put it down

Good book,couldn't put it down 😊

Enjoyable

As a metal head, AIC is the only grunge band I listen to, particularly due to their brooding,dark and melancholic songs and Layne Staley is without a doubt one of the most unique voices to have graced the grunge/rock scene. The book gives an unbiased look into the lives of the band, the fame they hit, the struggles they go through and of course.......... heroin. As dark as the book is, it doesn't paint false pictures of any of the band members and maintains a consistent neutral approach till the end (something I found gratifying). The chapters explaining Layne's relationship with Demri are especially revelatory. I only wish the author had been able to gather more interviews from Layne's musician friends (especially vocalists like Phil Anselmo,Sebastian Bach etc) but considering this is an 'unofficial' book, he deserves nothing but praise for all the effort. Verdict : Must Buy For Any AIC Fan.

È in lingua originale ma assolutamente leggibile per chi mastica un po’ di inglese. Libro completo e esaustivo sugli AIC. Triste nelle ultime 100 pagine da quando viene registrato il tripode in poi con Layne Staley che scende agli inferi e non ritornerà più. Per gli appassionati degli AIC e del grunge . Consiglio assolutamente

Great read for any A.I.C. fan.

Excelent! I totally recommend for all Alice in Chains' fans. It's unique. It's certainly the best book on the band.

De Sola writes a riveting, no-holds-barred account of an incredible band, with amazing talent and a chaotic and tragic history. His reporting style is unbiased and thoroughly researched, taking extreme caution not to bend the facts to sensationalize situations where it was not always clear, or agreed upon by those involved, what really happened. It is no doubt that Alice In Chains paved a lot of the way for the Seattle grunge movement and will always be remembered for their pioneering sound. Dave's book does the band justice in detailing their rise and ultimate achievement of stardom and all the roadblocks and heartbreak encountered along the way. It's truly an amazing story and, thankfully, is still developing now with a renewed vibrance that should only continue to enhance Alice In Chains great legacy! Great writing, David De Sola! I look forward to a future addition that brings us up to date on the bands future endeavours.