Greatest Hits

Alice In Chains put a darker spin on \'80s hard rock, wielding a bubbling-tar grunge sound that anchored the \'90s alternative movement. “Would?” is rattled by guttural guitars and a shuddering bassline, while the psychedelic taffy-pull of \"Grind\" churns like a cement mixer. Hypnotic harmonies, led by late vocalist Layne Staley, mesmerize like a snake charmer on the percussion-heavy \"No Excuses\" and the metallic detonation of \"Them Bones.\" And the dirge-like \"Rooster,\" a tribute to guitarist Jerry Cantrell\'s Vietnam veteran father, is a searing personal statement.

For the first time since 1992,Rolling Stone'sdefinitive classic returns to the scene, completely updated and revised to include the past decade's artists and sounds. When it comes to sorting the truly great from the merely mediocre, the enduring from the fleeting,The New Rolling Stone Album Guideprovides music buffs and amateurs alike with authoritative guidance from the best voices in the field. Filled with insightful commentary, it not only reviews the most influential albums of all time, but also features biographical overviews of key artists' careers, giving readers a look at the personalities behind the music.This fourth edition contains an impressive -- 70 percent -- amount of new material. Readers will find fresh updates to entries on established artists, hundreds of brand-new entries on the people and recordings that epitomize the '90s and the sounds of the 21st century -- from Beck to OutKast to the White Stripes and beyond -- along with a new introduction detailing changes in the music industry.Celebrating the diversity of popular music and its constant metamorphoses, with thousands of entries and reviews on every sound from blues to techno,The New Rolling Stone Album Guideis the only resource music lovers need to read.

Greatest Hits is not, alas, the antidote to the botched Nothing Safe: Best of the Box compilation, but rather a lower-priced, ten-track sampler of Alice in Chains' career.