This tour also was the reason Mike Inez joined the band on bass after Starr's departure. He still managed to hobble onstage with crutches and carried on as usual. Just before heading out, Staley broke his foot in an ATV accident. The influential singer's death also was the impetus for the formation of another Seattle outfit, Temple of the Dog.Īlice in Chains were invited to open for the Prince of Darkness on his No More Tours tour in 1992. 'Would?' is a tribute to Mother Love Bone frontman Andy Wood, who died at the age of 24 in 1990 from an overdose. 'But on Rooster, I was trying to think about his side of it – what he might have gone through.' “I certainly had resentments, as any young person does in a situation where a parent isn’t around or a family is split,' the guitarist told Classic Rock magazine. It's written from the perspective of his dad while he was trekking through the jungles and surviving. 'Rooster,' perhaps the band's most iconic song ever released, was inspired by Cantrell's relationship with his father, who had served in the Vietnam War. And then we moved back into the studio and started recording-that’s how Dirt started.' I think we took Tom Araya with us and went out to Joshua Tree for four or five days, and just kinda tripped out in the desert until things calmed down. 'We had to try to get out of the town without getting hurt. tore itself apart protesting police brutality,' Cantrell told Vice. The band admit that the fear and the chaos added to the level of darkness on the record. The indictment decision sparked what became known as the Los Angeles riots - and Alice in Chains had just entered the studio around the time that the riots began. In 1992, four police officers were acquitted for using violent excessive force on Rodney King. 6, the latter sold almost twice as many copies, making it their highest-selling album. 1 on the Billboard 200 and Dirt peaked at No.

Though their self-titled third effort debuted at No. Many rock fans choose Dirt as their top AIC album, but the facts support the notion as well.

In celebration of the anniversary of one of the best grunge albums in rock history, here are 10 facts only Alice in Chains superfans would know about Dirt.

Alice in chains dirt album cover inside