''Sap'' is the second studio EP by the American rock band

Alice in Chains Alice in Chains (often abbreviated as AiC) is an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1987. Since 2006, the band's lineup has comprised vocalist/guitarists Jerry Cantrell and William DuVall, bassist Mike Inez, and drummer Sean Kinney. Voca ...

, released on February 4, 1992, through

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

. ''Sap'' is mostly acoustic and marks the first time that guitarist

Jerry Cantrell Jerry Fulton Cantrell Jr. (born March 18, 1966) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the founder, lead guitarist, co-lead vocalist, and main songwriter of the rock band Alice in Chains. The band rose to internatio ...

sings lead vocals in an Alice in Chains release, with the song "Brother". The EP was produced by Alice in Chains and

Rick Parashar Rakesh "Rick" Parashar (December 13, 1963 – August 14, 2014) was an American record producer, recording engineer and musician. Along with his brother Raj, he founded London Bridge Studio in Seattle, Washington, in 1985. During his career he wo ...

and features guest vocals by Ann Wilson of the band

Heart The heart is a muscular Organ (biology), organ found in humans and other animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels. The heart and blood vessels together make the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrie ...

, Chris Cornell of

Soundgarden Soundgarden was an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1984 by singer and drummer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto. Cornell switched to rhythm guitar in 1985, replaced on drums initially ...

and Mark Arm of

Mudhoney Mudhoney is an American rock music, rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, on January 1, 1988, following the demise of Green River (band), Green River. Its members are singer and rhythm guitarist Mark Arm, lead guitarist Steve Turner (guitari ...

. The track " Got Me Wrong" became a hit two years later after being featured on the soundtrack to the 1994 film ''

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''. On January 14, 1994, ''Sap'' was certified gold by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

for the sale of more than 500,000 copies.

Background and recording

Following the tour for '' Facelift,'' Alice in Chains entered the studio to record a song for the Cameron Crowe movie '' Singles'', but decided to turn the engagement to their advantage. As the guitarist

recalled: "So in the session that was meant for recording that one song Would?'">Would?.html" ;"title="Would?">Would?' we ended up demoing about 10 songs, which included all the stuff that ended up on the [1992] ''Sap'' EP, '

Rooster The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...

' and a couple of others from ''Dirt (Alice in Chains album), Dirt''.” While in the studio, drummer Sean Kinney had a dream about "making an EP called ''Sap.''" The band decided "not to mess with fate," and ''Sap'' was recorded and mixed in 1991 with producer

at London Bridge Studio. The EP was recorded in four or five days in November 1991.

Music and lyrics

Lead vocalist Layne Staley encouraged guitarist

to sing lead vocals on the EP. Cantrell sings lead vocals on "

Brother A brother (: brothers or brethren) is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a family, familial relationship, it is sometimes used ende ...

" and splits lead vocals with Staley on " Got Me Wrong". The EP features guest vocals by Ann Wilson from the band

, who joined vocalist Layne Staley and guitarist Jerry Cantrell for the choruses of "Brother" and "Am I Inside". It also features Mark Arm of

and Chris Cornell of

, who appeared together on the song "Right Turn", credited to "Alice Mudgarden" in the liner notes. The song was featured in the 2001 film '' Black Hawk Down''. It was guitarist

who invited Wilson, Cornell and Arm to sing on ''Sap''. Regarding the lyrical content, Cantrell said he wrote "Brother" about his relationship with his younger brother.Liner notes, '' Music Bank'' box set. 1999. The song specifically refers to the period after Cantrell's parents divorced, when his younger brother went off to live with his father while he stayed with his mother, and Cantrell said that the song "was a way of trying to build a bridge." Commenting on " Got Me Wrong", Cantrell said he wrote the song about a relationship where one person thinks he or she can change the other person, and added that the song speaks of "the different ways that men and women see each other." A version of the song "

" was recorded during the sessions for ''Sap'' and was to be included on the EP, but the band then decided to use the song on their second full-length album instead. This version is featured on the band's 1999 box set '' Music Bank''. The hidden track, "Love Song", described by Cantrell as "the most bizarre song we've ever recorded", was Kinney's idea. All four members switched instruments for the recording, with Kinney on lead vocals and piano, Starr on guitar, Cantrell on bass, and Staley on drums.

Release and reception

On February 4, 1992, Alice in Chains released their second EP, ''Sap.'' The band did not want any ads or promotion for the EP, they just put it in the stores to see if people would buy it. Cantrell said that Alice in Chains released ''Sap'' "without any fuss or fanfare so as the real Alice fans could find it." The EP was released while

Nirvana Nirvana, in the Indian religions (Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism), is the concept of an individual's passions being extinguished as the ultimate state of salvation, release, or liberation from suffering ('' duḥkha'') and from the ...

's ''

Nevermind ''Nevermind'' is the second studio album by the American rock band Nirvana (band), Nirvana, released on September 24, 1991, by DGC Records. It was Nirvana's first release on a Record label#Major versus independent record labels, major label an ...

'' was at the top of the ''Billboard'' 200 charts, resulting in a rising popularity of Seattle-based bands, and the term

grunge music Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the U.S. state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and Olympia, and other nearby cities. Grunge fuses elements of pun ...

.Gill, Chris (September 1999). ''Dirt''. ''

Guitar World ''Guitar World'' is a monthly music magazine for guitarists and fans of guitar-based music and trends. The magazine has been published since July 1980. ''Guitar World'', the best-selling guitar magazine in the United States, contains original a ...

''. ''Sap'' was soon certified

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

. The album was re-released on March 21, 1995, when " Got Me Wrong" became a hit after its inclusion on the soundtrack to the 1994 film, ''

.'' The re-released version included lyrics and slightly different artwork. The aforementioned song, as well as "Brother," were performed live during Alice in Chains' ''MTV Unplugged'' concert. In addition to the CD, the album was also released in a limited edition double vinyl along with '' Jar of Flies'' (''Jar of Flies'' was on sides 1 and 2, ''Sap'' was on side 3, and an etching of the Alice in Chains logo was on side 4). In the UK, ''Sap'' and ''Jar of Flies'' were issued as a double CD, as ''Sap'' had not previously had a UK release. In the UK, "Brother" and "Right Turn" were initially released on the "Would" single and "Got Me Wrong" and "Am I Inside" were released on the "Them Bones" single. Hidden track "Love Song" never appeared on a UK single release and was previously unreleased when ''Sap'' was released with ''Jar of Flies''.

Track listing

All tracks written by

, except "Am I Inside", containing lyrics by Layne Staley and music by Cantrell. * "Alice Mudgarden" is Alice in Chains with Mark Arm of

and Chris Cornell of

. * "Love Song" is a hidden track and there are no credits for it in the album. The ASCAP database lists all four members as songwriters.

Personnel

;Alice in Chains * Layne Staley – vocals, drums on "Love Song" *

– guitar, vocals, bass on "Love Song" * Michael Starr – bass, guitar on "Love Song" * Sean Kinney – drums, percussion, megaphone and piano on "Love Song" ;Alice Mudgarden (performs "Right Turn") *Alice in Chains * Mark Arm – vocals * Chris Cornell – vocals ;Additional vocalists * Ann Wilson – vocals on "Brother" and "Am I Inside" * Chris Cornell – vocals on "Right Turn" * Mark Arm – vocals on "Right Turn" ;Production * Produced by Alice in Chains and

. * Mastered by Eddy Schreyer at Future Disc Systems, Hollywood, CA * Art direction by David Coleman *

Photography Photography is the visual arts, art, application, and practice of creating images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is empl ...

by Rocky Schenck *

Management Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a Government agency, government bodies through business administration, Nonprofit studies, nonprofit management, or the political s ...

by Kelly Curtis, Susan Silver

Charts

Singles

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sap (Album) 1992 EPs Alice in Chains EPs Columbia Records EPs Albums produced by Rick Parashar