Jar of Flies - wikipedia Jar of Flies Jar of Flies EP by Alice in Chains Released January 25, 1994 ( 1994 - 01 - 25 ) Recorded September 7 -- 14, 1993 ; at London Bridge, in Seattle, WA mixed September 17 -- 22, 1993 ; at Scream, in Studio City, CA Genre Alternative rock grunge acoustic rock blues rock Length 30 : 49 Label Columbia Producer Alice in Chains Alice in Chains chronology Dirt ( 1992 ) Dirt 1992 Jar of Flies ( 1994 ) Alice in Chains ( 1995 ) Alice in Chains 1995 Singles from Jar of Flies `` No Excuses '' Released : 1994 `` I Stay Away '' Released : November 2, 1994 `` Do n't Follow '' Released : 1994 `` Whale & Wasp '' Released : January 1995 Jar of Flies is the second studio EP by the American rock band Alice in Chains, released on January 25, 1994 through Columbia Records. It is the first EP in music history to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 Chart with the first week sales exceeding 141,000 copies in the United States and was well received by critics. The EP has since been certified triple - platinum by the RIAA and has gone on to sell 4 million copies worldwide, making Jar of Flies one of the biggest sellers in Alice in Chains ' catalog. Contents 1 Background and recording 2 Music and lyrics 3 Release and reception 4 Track listing 5 Personnel 6 Charts 6.1 Album charts 6.2 Singles charts 7 Certifications 8 References Background and recording Following Alice in Chains ' extensive 1993 world tour for Dirt, Mike Starr getting fired during the tour for his drug use, and appearance at Lollapalooza, the band members returned home to Seattle to find themselves evicted from their residence after failing to pay the rent. The band then moved into London Bridge Studio feeling lonely and depressed. Vocalist Layne Staley said the band `` just wanted to go into the studio for a few days with our acoustic guitars and see what happened. We never really planned on the music we made at that time to be released. But the record label heard it and they really liked it. For us, it was just the experience of four guys getting together in the studio and making some music. '' Written and recorded in one week in September 1993, Jar of Flies was produced by the band members themselves with Toby Wright, and marks the first major studio recording with bassist Mike Inez who replaced Starr ( the band recorded two songs with Inez, `` What the Hell Have I '' and `` A Little Bitter '', for the Summer 1993 Last Action Hero soundtrack earlier in the year ). Guitarist Jerry Cantrell said, `` That was the first time we 'd written with Mike Inez... The whole Jar of Flies EP proved to both us and the fans what a talented and valid part of the band Mike was. He plays the nastiest, darkest shit but he 's got the sweetest heart in the world. '' The album was recorded on a DAT machine, which was state - of - the - art for the time. According to Staley, the title for the album came from a science experiment Cantrell conducted in third grade : `` They gave him two jars full of flies. One of the jars they overfed, the other jar they underfed. The one they overfed flourished for a while, then all the flies died from overpopulation. The one they underfed had most of the flies survive all year. I guess there 's a message in there somewhere. Evidently that experiment had a big impact on Jerry. '' The album was nominated for Best Recording Package in 1995 but lost to Buddy Jackson for `` Tribute to the Music of Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys '' performed by Asleep at the Wheel. Music and lyrics Jar of Flies well demonstrates Alice in Chains ' broad musical scope and features a variety of predominantly acoustic songs ranging from dark, depressed passages like `` Rotten Apple '' and `` Nutshell '' to the more upbeat anthems like `` No Excuses ''. It also boasts various instrumentation not otherwise common in the Alice in Chains catalog ; the opening track, `` Rotten Apple '', features a talk box effect, and `` Do n't Follow '' includes both harmonica and soul - driven vocals. However, Cantrell 's signature electric guitar style still plays a prominent role in correspondence with the acoustic rhythms. `` Whale & Wasp '' also offers another Alice in Chains rarity in its purely instrumental nature, as does the blues / country - inspired `` Swing on This '', the closing track of the album. Release and reception Professional ratings Review scores Source Rating Allmusic Entertainment Weekly B − Rolling Stone Q While it was never originally intended for a public release, Columbia Records released Jar of Flies on January 25, 1994. Jar of Flies debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 ; the sales that prompted this was over 141,000 during the first week of its release thus becoming the first ever EP and first Alice in Chains release to top the charts. It was the only EP ever to gain this distinction until 2004, when a mashup EP by Jay - Z and Linkin Park titled Collision Course also achieved the number one spot ten years later and Bad Meets Evil 's Hell : The Sequel in 2011. Jar of Flies has since been certified triple platinum, with over 2,037,853 copies sold during its first year and another million more copies after two years. Paul Evans of Rolling Stone called the EP `` darkly gorgeous '', and Steve Huey stated `` Jar of Flies is a low - key stunner, achingly gorgeous and harrowingly sorrowful all at once. '' Jar of Flies included the singles `` No Excuses '' and `` I Stay Away '', both of which had accompanying music videos. `` No Excuses '', which was a number one single on the Mainstream Rock charts, was Alice in Chains ' most successful radio song until 2009. The second single, `` I Stay Away '', reached number ten on the Mainstream Rock charts, while the final single `` Do n't Follow '', reached number 25. The final single released from the EP was a bold offering for a grunge - oriented band : a promo of the string instrumental `` Whale & Wasp '' was released as a promo - only single in January 1995. `` I Stay Away '' was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance in 1995. In November 2011, Jar of Flies was ranked number four on Guitar World magazine 's top ten list of guitar albums of 1994. It was featured in Guitar World magazine 's `` Superunknown : 50 Iconic Albums That Defined 1994 '' list. In May 2014, the EP was placed at number five on Loudwire 's `` 10 Best Hard Rock Albums of 1994 '' list. Track listing All music composed by Jerry Cantrell except where noted. Lyrics by Layne Staley, except where noted. No. Title Lyrics Music Length 1. `` Rotten Apple '' Cantrell, Mike Inez 6 : 58 2. `` Nutshell '' Cantrell, Inez, Sean Kinney 4 : 19 3. `` I Stay Away '' Cantrell, Inez 4 : 14 4. `` No Excuses '' Cantrell 4 : 15 5. `` Whale & Wasp '' ( instrumental ) 2 : 37 6. `` Do n't Follow '' Cantrell 4 : 22 7. `` Swing on This '' Cantrell, Inez, Kinney 4 : 04 Total length : 30 : 49 Personnel Alice in Chains Layne Staley -- lead vocals Jerry Cantrell -- guitars, backing vocals, lead vocals on `` No Excuses '' and `` Do n't Follow '' Sean Kinney -- drums, percussion Mike Inez -- bass Production Produced by Alice in Chains Engineered and mixed by Toby Wright Assisted by Liz Sroka and Jon Plum Additional Performers April Acevez -- viola Rebecca Clemons - Smith -- violin Matthew Weiss -- violin Justine Foy -- violoncello David Atkinson -- harmonica Randy Biro -- additional vocals Darrel Peters -- additional vocals Charts Album charts Chart ( 1994 ) Peak position Australian Albums ( ARIA ) Austrian Albums ( Ö3 Austria ) 22 Dutch Albums ( MegaCharts ) 17 German Albums ( Offizielle Top 100 ) 25 New Zealand Albums ( RMNZ ) Norwegian Albums ( VG - lista ) 7 Swedish Albums ( Sverigetopplistan ) 6 Swiss Albums ( Schweizer Hitparade ) 31 UK Albums ( OCC ) US Billboard 200 Singles charts Year Single Peak position US Pop US Air US Main US Mod `` No Excuses '' 32 48 `` I Stay Away '' -- -- 10 -- `` Do n't Follow '' -- -- 25 -- `` -- '' denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that country. Certifications Region Certification Certified units / Sales Canada ( Music Canada ) 2 × Platinum 200,000 United Kingdom ( BPI ) Silver 60,000 United States ( RIAA ) 3 × Platinum 3,000,000 sales figures based on certification alone shipments figures based on certification alone References Jump up ^ ( 1 ) Jump up ^ `` Welcome To Scream Studios ''. Screamstudios.com. Retrieved 2016 - 07 - 27. Jump up ^ `` Alice In Chains ''. Archived from the original on 2000 - 03 - 01. Retrieved 2016 - 07 - 27. Jump up ^ Andrews, Rob ( August 1994 ). `` A Step Beyond Layne 's World ''. Hit Parader. Jump up ^ `` Jar of Flies - Discography ''. Aliceinchains.com. Archived from the original on 2006 - 12 - 08. Retrieved 2007 - 12 - 28. Jump up ^ `` Last Action Hero -- Soundtracks and music scores ''. Aliceinchains.com. Archived from the original on 2007 - 03 - 08. Retrieved 2007 - 11 - 24. Jump up ^ Liner notes, Music Bank box set. 1999. Jump up ^ `` Archived copy ''. Archived from the original on 2006 - 09 - 08. Retrieved 2006 - 09 - 17. Jump up ^ Grammy Award for Best Recording Package ^ Jump up to : Huey, Steve. `` Jar of Flies ''. Allmusic. Retrieved 2008 - 01 - 01. Jump up ^ Sinclair, Tom ( 1994 - 01 - 28 ). `` Jar of Flies Review ''. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2012 - 05 - 05. ^ Jump up to : EVANS, PAUL ( 1994 - 03 - 24 ). `` Jar of Flies ''. Album Reviews. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2008 - 10 - 05. Jump up ^ `` Alice In Chains - Jar of Flies CD Album ''. Cduniverse.com. 1994 - 01 - 25. Retrieved 2016 - 07 - 27. ^ Jump up to : `` Alice in Chains - Artist chart History ''. Billboard.com. Retrieved 2007 - 11 - 09. Jump up ^ `` 37th Grammy Awards - 1995 ''. Rockonthenet.com. Retrieved 2007 - 12 - 08. Jump up ^ Grassi, Tony. `` Photo Gallery : The Top 10 Guitar Albums of 1994 ''. GuitarWorld.com. Retrieved 2011 - 11 - 08. Jump up ^ `` Superunknown : 50 Iconic Albums That Defined 1994 ''. GuitarWorld.com. July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 14, 2014. Jump up ^ `` 10 Best Hard Rock Albums of 1994 ''. Loudwire. May 20, 2014. Retrieved May 21, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Australiancharts.com -- Alice in Chains -- JAR OF FLIES + SAP ''. Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 August 2016. Jump up ^ `` Austriancharts.at -- Alice in Chains -- Jar of Flies '' ( in German ). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 August 2016. Jump up ^ `` Dutchcharts.nl -- Alice in Chains -- Jar of Flies '' ( in Dutch ). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 August 2016. Jump up ^ `` Longplay - Chartverfolgung at Musicline '' ( in German ). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved 14 August 2016. Jump up ^ `` Charts.org.nz -- Alice in Chains -- Jar of Flies ''. Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 August 2016. Jump up ^ `` Norwegiancharts.com -- Alice in Chains -- Jar of Flies ''. Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 August 2016. Jump up ^ `` Swedishcharts.com -- Alice in Chains -- Jar of Flies ''. Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 August 2016. Jump up ^ `` Swisscharts.com -- Alice in Chains -- Jar of Flies ''. Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 August 2016. Jump up ^ `` Alice in Chains Artist Official Charts ''. UK Albums Chart Retrieved 14 August 2016. Jump up ^ `` Alice in Chains Chart History ( Billboard 200 ) ''. Billboard. Retrieved 14 August 2016. Jump up ^ Alice in Chains Pop Top 40 chart history billboard.com. Retrieved 14 August 2016. Jump up ^ Alice in Chains - Hot 100 Airplay ( Radion Songs ) chart history billboard.com. Retrieved 14 August 2016. ^ Jump up to : `` Artist Chart History -- Alice in Chains ''. Billboard charts. Retrieved 2008 - 02 - 14. Jump up ^ `` Canadian album certifications -- Alice in Chains -- Jar of Flies ''. Music Canada. Retrieved 26 February 2017. Jump up ^ `` British album certifications -- Alice in Chains -- Jar of Flies ''. British Phonographic Industry. Enter Jar of Flies in the search field and then press Enter. Jump up ^ `` American album certifications -- Alice in Chains -- Jar of Flies ''. Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH Preceded by Music Box by Mariah Carey Billboard 200 number - one album February 12 -- 18, 1994 Succeeded by Kickin ' It Up by John Michael Montgomery Alice in Chains Jerry Cantrell Sean Kinney Mike Inez William DuVall Layne Staley Mike Starr Studio albums Facelift Dirt Alice in Chains Black Gives Way to Blue The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here Extended plays We Die Young Sap Jar of Flies Live albums Unplugged Live Compilations Nothing Safe : Best of the Box Music Bank Greatest Hits The Essential Alice in Chains Video albums Live Facelift The Nona Tapes Unplugged Music Bank : The Videos Related Articles Discography List of songs Bands Neon Christ Sleze Alice N ' Chains No Walls Mad Season Madfly Class of ' 99 Comes with the Fall Spys4Darwin Book Alice in Chains singles discography Facelift `` We Die Young '' `` Man in the Box '' `` Bleed the Freak '' `` Sea of Sorrow '' Sap `` Got Me Wrong '' Dirt `` Would ? '' `` Them Bones '' `` Angry Chair '' `` Rooster '' `` Down in a Hole '' Jar of Flies `` No Excuses '' `` I Stay Away '' `` Do n't Follow '' `` Whale & Wasp '' Alice in Chains `` Grind '' `` Heaven Beside You '' `` Again '' MTV Unplugged `` Over Now '' Black Gives Way to Blue `` A Looking in View '' `` Check My Brain '' `` Your Decision '' `` Lesson Learned '' The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here `` Hollow '' `` Stone '' `` Voices '' Other singles `` What the Hell Have I '' `` Get Born Again '' `` Fear the Voices '' `` Man in the Box ( live ) '' Other songs `` Hate to Feel '' `` Nutshell '' `` Died '' `` Black Gives Way to Blue '' Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jar_of_Flies&oldid=798369468 '' Categories : 1994 EPs Alice in Chains albums Grunge EPs English - language EPs Columbia Records EPs Hidden categories : Articles with hAudio microformats Music infoboxes with deprecated parameters All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from July 2017 Track listings with deprecated parameters Certification Table Entry usages for Canada Certification Table Entry usages for United Kingdom Certification Table Entry usages for United States Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Español Français Galego Italiano עברית Magyar Norsk Polski Português Русский Suomi Svenska Українська Edit links This page was last edited on 1 September 2017, at 14 : 21. 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Question: when was alice in chains jar of flies released
Answer: January 25, 1994