On this day in music history: August 21, 1990 - Facelift, the debut album by Alice In Chains is released. Produced by Dave Jerden, it is recorded at London Bridge Studio in Seatte, WA and Capitol Recording Studios in Hollywood, CA from December 1989 - April 1990. Having gone through number of different line ups and name changes prior to recording their first album, the Seattle, WA based grunge rock band will attract major label interest based on the strength of their demo tape The Treehouse Tapes which they have been selling at their live shows. Their managers will send a copy to Sony A&R man Nick Terzo, who will in turn play it for his boss Don Ienner. Columbia Records will quickly sign them and make them a top priority. Prior to the sessions, drummer Sean Kinney breaks his hand but will record with the band in spite of the injury. It will spin off four singles including Man In The Box (#18 Mainstream Rock), Sea Of Sorrow (#27 Mainstream Rock), and We Die Young. The album will sell slowly at first, until the video for Man goes into heavy rotation on MTV, giving the band widespread exposure. This will make Alice In Chains the first of the Seattle grunge rock bands to breakthrough (ahead of contemporaries like Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Pearl Jam) on a commercial basis. Facelift will peak at number forty two on the Billboard Top 200, and is certified 2x Platinum in the US by the RIAA.
Posted on: Fri, 22 Aug 2014 00:00:41 +0000
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