Alice in Chains’ ‘Jar of Flies’ Reissue Will Actually Have Real Flies
Alice in Chains “Jar of Flies” EP – Author Charles Ken, Album cover via Columbia Records
Alice in Chains’ seminal “Jar of Flies” EP turns 30 this year, and in honor, the band will release a special 30th anniversary reissue of the set. The EP first dropped on Jan. 25, 1994. With songs such as “I Stay Away,” “No Excuses” and “Nutshell,” it’s one of grunge rock’s most legendary releases.
The band has announced that the “Jar of Flies” reissue will offer a deluxe box set and single LP variants, including standard black vinyl, limited tri-color vinyl and a super limited LP. Believe it or not, the super limited EP will actually have flies – yes, the real-life insects – embedded in it. It will also be clear vinyl variant, so you can really see those flies. “D2C exclusive clear vinyl embedded with real flies assembled by hand,” the description states. I want that one. They’ll also release a cassette version of the reissue. All physical editions of the reissue will drop in late March.
If you’d rather have non-vinyl merch, Alice in Chains also has limited edition apparel in honor of “Jar of Flies,” including a poker set, a skate deck in collaboration with Welcome Skateboards, and a “Whale & Wasp” plushie toy set.
The “Jar of Flies” box set is the holy grail of these reissue offerings. It’s limited to 3,000 copies and runs $225. That set offers a logo embossed jar with a touch activated red LED light and faux flies, 3D lenticular cover art, “Jar Of Flies” tri-color vinyl, 60 page hardcover book and 24″ x 24″ double-sided poster, all packaged in a screen printed, UV coated shadow box. Find Alice in Chains’ full line of “Jar of Flies” reissue offers here.
“Jar of Flies” arrived in the beginning of 1994, just month before Kurt Cobain of Nirvana’s tragic death, which of course changed the entire musical landscape at the time. But, Nirvana aside, Alice in Chains’ “Jar of Flies” was first EP in history to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. How amazing is that? It sold 141,000 copies in its first week. The EP was also nominated for two GRAMMY awards in 1995, one for Best Recording Package and one for Best Hard Rock Performance for the song “I Stay Away.” What’s interesting about “I Stay Away” is that the band has only performed that song live twice. I would love for them to add that one, plus “Heaven Beside You,” to their setlist.
In other news, Alice in Chains have a quiet year lined up so far. The band is set to perform at the Sick New World festival on April 27 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The lineup features a range of rock and metal acts, including A Perfect Circle, Bad Omens, Bring Me the Horizon, Dayseeker, Fear Factory, Ice Nine Kills, Jinjer, Motionless in White, Primus, Sevendust, Sleep Token, Static-X, System of a Down and more. But, other than that, Alice in Chains don’t have any tour dates lined up. They most recently released a new studio album in 2018, “Rainier Fog,” so perhaps they’re using the downtime to work on new music.
Alice in Chains “Jar of Flies” EP Track List:
Side A
01. Rotten Apple
02. Nutshell
03. I Stay Away
04. No Excuses
Side B
05. Whale & Wasp
06. Don’t Follow
07. Swing on This
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