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Nothing Safe - The Best of the Box

Artist: Alice in Chains
Genre: Alternative
Year: 1999
Rating: 7 / 10

Some in the music industry have long considered the release of a "greatest hits" album as the death knell for a particular group's likelihood of future success. Certainly there are exceptions to this rule - most notably Aerosmith, which continues to thrive despite having released countless Greatest Hits albums - but, in general, bands gasping for air tend to release such an album in hopes of generating interest in a forgotten band. Van Halen, Motley Crue, and Bon Jovi are prime examples of bands who reaped a short-term gain from the release of such albums, only to drift back into relative obscurity afterwards. Such grim tidings greet Nothing Safe: The Best of the Box, a "greatest hits" package touting the forthcoming arrival of an Alice in Chains boxed set. With guitarist Jerry Cantrell exploring solo options and the band without any new material since 1995, Nothing Safe may well be the last call for the band, and, as such, it contains some pleasant memories and some minor disappointments.

Nothing Safe samples liberally from the band's four major releases, beginning with Facelift, the band's edgier 1990 debut album. Released around the time when Seattle was first starting to gain prominence as an alternative grunge rock mecca, Facelift put Alice in Chains on the map. Two of the highlights of that album, "Man in the Box" and "We Die Young," are located on this disc, and both prove to be worthy, if unsurprising, choices. "We Die Young" arrives in demo form, with nothing distinctive to reward the loyal Chains fan. Accompanying some copies of the album, however, is a two-song disc containing an impressive live rendition of "Man in the Box," a definite treat for any fan.

The most-oft cited album on Nothing Safe is easily Dirt, the band's best and most successful recording. "Them Bones," "Angry Chair," and "Down in the Hole" are the most worthy songs from the band's second offering, and all three find a place for themselves in this collection. An enjoyable - if unspectacular - live version of "Rooster" also dots the album, but it merely lost in the shuffle with the other Dirt samples. These songs provide the casual fan with the band's bridge from Facelift to some of its later work, when most of the metallic tinge is removed in favor of a softer, oft-copied sound.

As Alice in Chains put forth come of its best efforts early on, Nothing Safe is bound to suffer with the inclusion of some of the band's later works. Both "Angry" and "Grind" from the band's fourth album are meandering and listless, pretty much the rule for that rather disappointing album. "What the Hell Have I," off of the Last Action Hero Soundtrack, is not worth raving about, nor is "Iron Gland," a "lost" track from Jar of Flies. The only new material is "Get Born Again," another song reflecting the band's mid-90s movement away from the roaring guitars of the group's early days. While a comfortable fit on the album, it only serves to provide contrast to the wonderful talents exhibited by the group when they first hit the music scene.

Nothing Safe is pretty standard fare as "greatest hits" albums go, as the band has offered most of the expected favorites, yet none of the gems or rare cuts that are sure to clutter the boxed set. That being said, there is little to get excited about save a nice progression of the band's musical growth over the years. For this writer, that only served to invoke long-forgotten hopes of greatness generated by the band's first efforts. Most of the songs are truly special, yet, collected here, they are merely milestones on a career path that is going anywhere but up.

Submitted 7/8/99.