A good portion of it is a story, and it’s meant to be that way. The rest of the stuff is not like that at all. Those five and “Sickman” are the only ones talking about that type of mentality. I’ve been using this phrase a lot, but it makes a lot of sense: It’s really easy to die it’s really hard to live.

It starts out with a really young naive attitude with “Junkhead,” like drugs are great, sex is great, rock ‘n’ roll, yeah! Then, as it progresses, there’s a little bit of growing up and a little bit of a realization of what it’s about, and that ain’t what it’s about. I thought most of the hassle would come from “Junkhead” and “God Smack.” Those songs are put in sequence on the second side those five songs from “Junkhead” to “Angry Chair” for a reason: Because it tells a story. However, Cantrell told RIP magazine in 1993 that not all of the lyrics allude to drugs, stating: The lyrics concern subjects such as mortality, depression, anger, pain, relationships, war, anti-social behavior, and, most notably, drug addiction, with a primary focus on heroin (two of the album’s thirteen tracks, “Junkhead” and “God Smack,” explicitly reference heroin use and its effects). The album was recorded throughout a three-month period lasting from April to July of 1992, of which these sessions began during the first day of the Los Angeles riots that were breaking out near the studio the band was recording at. It would be the last album with the original lineup, as Starr was fired in January 1993.

It was produced by Dave Jerden (who previously worked on their 1990 debut, Facelift) and each member of Alice In Chains, which included singer Layne Staley, guitarist Jerry Cantrell, drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Starr. Dirt is the second studio effort by Seattle grunge band Alice in Chains, released on Septemby Columbia Records.

Alice in chains dirt album