Layne Staley, Phil Anselmo, James Hetfield & Would?

My friends at Puddle of Grunge (IG) had a great post today; name your favorite of the Big 4. To all of you who aren’t familiar, that’s the Seattle 4. It’s not meant to disrespect any other musician from the Grunge Era. But let’s face it, the term “grunge” shouldn’t have ever been used as a genre, mainly because none of the bands sound a like. To those of us who were born and raised here, our music scene has been something to be very proud of. The “Seattle Sound” became quite relevant long before Alice In Chains or Pearl Jam. But that story is for another day.

I’ve never thought of Alice as a “grunge” band. I’ve always thought of them as alternative, hard rock and now more than 35 years in the making “classic rock”.

Back to the post Puddle of Grunge shared naming your favorite of the Big/Top 4; my favorite as most of you know is Alice In Chains, it’s never changed and it’s the band that I’ve followed for more than 30 years. I have other bands I do appreciate and listen to. Soundgarden is my number 2nd favorite band. Nirvana & Pearl Jam (only Ten though) are both bands I appreciate & listen to on occasion. Mother Love Bone, I’ve never thought of as grunge because they weren’t. They were the gatekeepers; the band that unlocked so much promise and talent for many. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t listen to Andy sing.
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The video I’m sharing is to show why Layne and only Layne is my G.O.A.T. I’m really not a fan of others singing Layne’s songs unless they can bring something that makes the song stand out. These guys sang their asses off for a great cause and that’s also something quite commendable. I’m a longtime fan of Phil Anselmo of Pantera and even a bigger fan of Metallica (not necessarily Hetfield). With that, here’s “Would?”, sang by Anselmo, Hetfield & Layne Staley.