Musical Roots - Alice in Chains - Would?

Alice In Chains is one of my favorite bands from the 90's. My personal musical revolution came just as grunge was happening, and I was heavily into the entire scene - a fascination the fresh and early MTV helped nurture. While Pearl Jam was probably my favorite band at the time I was heavily into Alice In Chains, Soundgarden, Nirvana, Mudhoney, Stone Temple Pilots, and The Melvins, also,

Alice In Chains was fronted by the painfully self-destructive, but now-and-then genial Layne Staley, and lead by guitarist and co-vocalist Jerry Cantrell. They contributed with a uniquely raw and dirty sound to the grunge-scene. And the best vocal harmonies between Staley and Cantrell were epic.

On the Dirt album they were definitely at their best, though later albums held some fantastic songs as well. 

Because of Staleys descent into an early drug-induced death, Alice In Chains have played with a bunch of different singers over the time. I discovered some time ago that there were quite a number of versions of one of the best songs on Dirt, Would?

First, here's one with a young and actually involved Layne Staley from the release party of the movie Singles (to which Pearl Jam also contributed the fantastic Breath) - making it around 1992 as far as I can gather.



And later, here is a version with a drugged up, and quite weak Layne Staley in 1993:



And here is a sickly and pale Layne Staley at their subdued Unplugged concert from 1996. The one time he opens his eyes to peek into the camera his eyes are just black holes in his shaded face.

This one is with a heavily drugged up and slurry Phil Anselmo - in 2006, as far as I can gather, a year or so after the on-stage murder of Pantera-guitarist Dimebag. I love Pantera, but this is... not his best.



With James Hetfield at Rock am Ring in 2006 ... I actually like his power-singing in Metallica, but here ... well ... this is definitely not his kind of tune. This is close to painful...



And here is the new frontman, William DuVall; ok, I guess, - though his mic isn't turned up that loud?

And here is one bonus song - just because it's with Maynard Keenan: Them Bones, also from Dirt.

This is Maynard James Keenan, frontman extraordinaire of (in particular) Tool and A Perfect Circle at a benefit concert in 2005 for the victums of the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake. He is a very good singer, so this sounds excellent: