Sap
Nathan's Review
Even though the EP Jar of Flies was very, very stellar, I think Sap kicks the fly in its tiny ass. On the poll Sap is shown as the least favorite but the album Sap is the best if you listen closely. Sap was the album that made AIC truly grunge because Facelift was more on the metal side. Also it is a very cool album cover, it's the best album cover I've seen. The album is mostly on the acoustic side but that's what makes it so phenomenal. It is great to listen to while driving, walking, going to school, or just chillin' with your friends.
"Got Me Wrong" is really the only well known song but all five are good. If people don't own it, they should buy it cause they don't know the masterpiece of grunge they are missing. Also it can be bought on The Essential album. I give the album five stars. So if you don't have it, go but it now and I guarantee, you'll love it as much as I do.
Mav's Review
Is this really the same band that made the thundering Facelift? Yes, it is, and this versatility is what made Alice in Chains the cream of the Seattle bands. The four songs on this EP - we'll leave the ode to killing midgets on the shelf - are at times powerful, sorrowful and gorgeous. "Brother" is an extremely strong acoustic track, catchy and meaningful, like all of Alice's best songs. You wonder if Jerry is singing about Layne, and naturally, I think of my own brother when listening to this superb opener. The gem of the EP is likely "Got Me Wrong." What a song! Layne has rarely sounded better. Jerry really has a gift for writing poppy yet wickedly cool songs, and Layne's voice just makes this track soar. It reminds me of long ago days ten years back, of youth, and unforgettable times.
The soundtrack of my life. "Right Turn" is another strong track, this time featuring a grunge all-star team. Chris Cornell is one of the few vocalists that can come close to Layne with regard to vocal power, and his voice meshes perfectly here with Layne and Jerry and Mark Arm. I particularly like the end of the song, where all the vocalists shout out the close. Nice touch. The last true song on the album is Am I Inside, and it's the darkest track. It seems to deal with heroin addiction, as Layne touches on the darkness and emptiness that he feels. As bleak as it is, it's still beautiful, and that's why Alice in Chains will always endure. It is dirge-like, yes, but it's inspirational and cautionary, too. Alice carved out a unique sound that was both monstrous and angelic, and the band's talent, originality, and honesty shines through on this fantastic little EP. If a friend wants to hear great music that will move them and enrich their life, tell them to listen to Sap. They won't be disappointed.
Tom's Review
Yeah, it's an EP, but in my humble opinion, that's what AiC were best at. Not that I don't love all of their full-length releases, but this was their darkest, most soulful, collaborative effort, a true reminiscence of the Zeitgeist of that era in Seattle, if ever there was. Temple of the Dog, bite my tongue. Sap is what Alice was all about; letting you wallow in your and their collective misery whilst feeling banefully hopeful about it at the same time. I would like to believe that I introduced several years of students at the Claremont Colleges in Pomona (where I first played Green River, Mudhoney, Nirvana, Dinosaur Jr. Sonic Youth, etc. as a DJ at KSPC in 1987) to the virtues of AiC when I left a copy of Sap at a friend's house while I was visiting one weekend in 1992. When I came back four months later to retrieve my CD (yeah, right,) everyone I knew was a convert, while I was trying to figure out where the fuck my CD was. Funny how that happens.
So sad it was over so soon. I even chose to work an AiC concert at the San Jose Event Center in 1992 over Nirvana's benefit for the Bosnian rape victims' show at the Cow Palace during the same weekend. Granted, I was at the Nirvana show as a paid participant, but that was probably the worst mistake I ever made that I don't regret. Y'know, none of those Sap songs ever made it into any of the Alice shows I saw, but we're not talking about best live shows, yet. That's another story.
Josh's Review
Sap is an awesome EP that sticks in your head...period... It starts off with "Brother" is a song of hope for a brother or very close friend who's brotherlike to you, it features Ann Wilson of Heart, who the members of Alice are quite fond of. "Got Me Wrong", this song says it, think it and things will get better, this song hits very close to me. "Right Turn" is amazing and like so many others hits close, but that much closer... It features Mark Arm of the Mudhoneys and Chris Cornell of Soundgarden, deeming it by Alice Mudgarden, a possible supergroup until they all hit it big, wow.... "Am I Inside" features Ann Wilson and is a sad, mournful song...Guess sometimes you wonder what it's like to be "free" then you feel it and realize you don't want it like this "Love Song" is weird but yet hilarious, like "Iron Gland" it's funny and something me and Tyminki would do to pass time and for future laughs Alice in Chains are simply amazing no one and I mean no one will come close to the art they make.....
