There's Gems in this Bank

Finally the long awaited Music Bank is available and, of course, I snatched it right away. This rustic looking box contains 4 CDs and a Booklet. As a long time AIC fan suffering from lack of new product, I would have bought anything I guess. But this turns out to be quite a treat in spite of the fact that much of it is stuff already available on other CDs. CD1 contains demo versions of some very early stuff including a live take of "Queen of the Rodeo" and "I Can't have You Blues" which give us a glimpse of Alice before their signature sound took hold. There is a previously unreleased studio cut, "Get Born Again" which is a typically outstanding piece of work. Disc 2 is mostly old favorites. Disc 3 contains several remixes plus a version of "Again" titled "Again (Tattoo of Pain Mix) which is an absolute gem. The version already available on the Tripod CD contains one of the most catchy and unique riffs in rock history and this mix does it even one better adding a latin beat to the verse that grabs you and won't let go. This song alone is worth the price of the collection. The 4th CD is a CD rom which contains some complete videos, an interactive (very simple) game, sound snippets, band info and some pretty bitchen' graphics. A booklet included in the set contains history of the band and Jerry Cantrells comments on the tunes included.

It is a must have for any real Alice in Chains fan. An oughtta have for anyone else.