| Diva | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 24, 1992 | |||
| Recorded | 1992 | |||
| Studio | Robert Lang Studios, Shoreline, Washington | |||
| Genre | Grunge, alternative metal, heavy metal | |||
| Length | 38:47 | |||
| Label | Caroline | |||
| Producer | My Sister's Machine, Ronnie S. Champagne | |||
| My Sister's Machine chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music videos | ||||
| I'm Sorry on YouTube | ||||
| I Hate You on YouTube | ||||
Diva is the debut studio album by American rock band My Sister's Machine.
Before the formation of My Sister's Machine,singer and lyricist Nick Pollock had played guitar in an early incarnation of Alice in Chains with vocalist Layne Staley; [1] they called themselves Alice N' Chains. When that band broke up on friendly terms in 1987,Pollock played for a year with older musicians in a funk band. [1] In 1989,he formed MSM along with guitarist Owen Wright,bassist Chris Ivanovich,and drummer Chris Gohde; [1] Wright and Gohde previously played in a band called Mistrust,which also included former Culprit singer Jeff L’Heureux. [2] [3]
Since none of the other band members had ever been a singer before,Pollock got the job by default being the band's primary lyricist. [1] In order to have more artistic control over their debut album,the band initially decided to sign a deal with a small independent record company called Caroline Records. [1] "The band's standpoint is that it's not time," Pollock said. "We consciously decided to go with an independent,so we could (have the freedom to) say,'This is the way I want the cover to look,' and 'I want to be part of producing the album,even though I am not a record producer,because it's a learning experience for me.' We have a really good relationship with the label. When the time comes when we're ready to move on,they're more than willing to sell the contract to a major label with the resources to put on a bigger marketing push." [1] The album was recorded at Robert Lang Studios in Shoreline,Washington.
Pollock is credited for writing or co-writing all music and lyrics off Diva. Mike Boehm of the Los Angeles Times wrote that while there are "some clear Alice in Chains echoes in My Sister's Machine...one can also detect similarities to sources beyond one scene--you can hear some of the Cult's catchy hard-riffing,and some of Axl Rose's contorted,word-bending phrasing." [1] Boehm also observed that MSM differed most from their Seattle contemporaries in lyrical content,writing,"Typically,the Seattle bands are a markedly angry,doom-laden bunch,sticking to the dark side and giving shape to feelings that come with being part of a generation that faces the likelihood of being materially worse off than its parents. My Sister's Machine is far more even-handed." [1] From there,Boehm contrasts the aggression of "I Hate You" with the stricken apology of "I'm Sorry". [1] He also highlights another track "Monster Box" where he writes,"MSM takes a radical departure from standard heavy-metal ideology by condemning libertinism and sex without emotional bonds." Pollock said of the song,"'Monster Box' isn't about AIDS,but about morality. It's just me going off about my beliefs,and how life should be." [1]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
The resulting album,Diva,was released January 24,1992. Diva included the singles "I'm Sorry" and "I Hate You",both of which had accompanying music videos. The video for "I'm Sorry" was directed by Paul Rachman,who also directed music videos for Alice in Chains' "Man in the Box" and "Sea of Sorrow". Steve Kurutz of AllMusic gave the album four and a half stars,calling it "a surprisingly strong record musically...Though the lyrics are,for the most part,ridiculously poor,they are delivered with enough attitude that the listener will hardly notice unless he reads the album booklet." [4] Jim Washburn,also of Los Angeles Times,described the band as "more melodic and more propulsive than its Seattle soul mates Alice in Chains" on the album but was far less enthused when he saw them in concert,during which they were said to be filming the video for "I Hate You". [5] Troy J. Augusto of Variety described the album as "a noisy,angry and yet thoughtful collection that points to good fortune for the band." [6]
All lyrics written by Nick Pollock,except where noted. [7] All music written by Owen Wright and Nick Pollock,except where noted. [7]
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hands and Feet" | 3:58 | ||
| 2. | "Pain" | 2:21 | ||
| 3. | "I Hate You" | 3:39 | ||
| 4. | "Wasting Time" | Pollock/Wright | Wright/Pollock/Ivanovich | 5:08 |
| 5. | "Love at High Speed" | 4:21 | ||
| 6. | "I'm Sorry" | 3:28 | ||
| 7. | "Walk All over You" | 3:48 | ||
| 8. | "Sunday" | 3:59 | ||
| 9. | "Monster Box" | Wright/Pollock/Ivanovich/Gohde | 2:55 | |
| 10. | "Diva" | Pollock | 5:05 | |
| Total length: | 38:47 | |||
My Sister's Machine
Additional personnel
Management
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Alice in Chains is an American rock band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1987 by guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell and drummer Sean Kinney, who later recruited bassist Mike Starr and lead vocalist Layne Staley. Starr was replaced by Mike Inez in 1993. William DuVall joined the band in 2006 as co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist, replacing Staley, who had died in 2002. The band took its name from Staley's previous group, the glam metal band Alice N' Chains.
Grunge is an alternative rock genre and subculture which emerged during the mid-1980s in the U.S. state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of punk rock and heavy metal. The genre featured the distorted electric guitar sound used in both genres, although some bands performed with more emphasis on one or the other. Like these genres, grunge typically uses electric guitar, bass guitar, drums and vocals. Grunge also incorporates influences from indie rock bands such as Sonic Youth. Lyrics are typically angst-filled and introspective, often addressing themes such as social alienation, self-doubt, abuse, neglect, betrayal, social and emotional isolation, addiction, psychological trauma and a desire for freedom.
Dirt is the second studio album by the American rock band Alice in Chains. It was released on September 29, 1992, by Columbia Records. Peaking at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 chart, the album received critical acclaim. It has since been certified quintuple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), making Dirt the band's highest selling album to date. It was the band's last album recorded with all four original members, as bassist Mike Starr was fired in January 1993 during the tour to support the album. The album spawned five singles: "Would?", "Them Bones", "Angry Chair", "Rooster", and "Down in a Hole", all with accompanying music videos. Dirt was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance. The music video for "Would?" was nominated for an MTV Video Music Award for Best Video from a Film, as the song was featured on the soundtrack to Cameron Crowe's 1992 film Singles.
Layne Thomas Staley was an American singer and songwriter who was the original lead vocalist of Alice in Chains, which rose to international fame in the early 1990s as part of Seattle's grunge movement. He was known for his distinctive vocal style as well as his harmonizing with bandmate Jerry Cantrell. Prior to his success with Alice in Chains, Staley was also a member of the glam metal bands Sleze and Alice N' Chains. He was also a part of the supergroups Mad Season and Class of '99.
Facelift is the debut studio album by the American rock band Alice in Chains, released by Columbia Records on August 28, 1990. The tracks "We Die Young", and "Man in the Box" were released as singles. "Man in the Box" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance with Vocal in 1992. Facelift became the first grunge album to be certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), achieving this feat on September 11, 1991. The album peaked at No. 42 on the Billboard 200 chart, and has been certified triple-platinum by the RIAA for shipments of three million copies in the United States.
Jerry Fulton Cantrell Jr. 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 international fame in the early 1990s during Seattle's grunge movement and is known for its distinctive vocal style and the harmonized vocals between Cantrell and Layne Staley. Cantrell started to sing lead vocals on Alice in Chains' 1992 EP Sap. After Staley's death in 2002, Cantrell took the role of Alice in Chains' lead singer on most of the songs from the band's post-Staley albums, Black Gives Way to Blue (2009), The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here (2013), and Rainier Fog (2018), with DuVall harmonizing with him in the new songs and singing Staley's vocals in the old songs in live concerts.
Jar of Flies is the third studio EP by American rock band Alice in Chains. It was released on January 25, 1994, by Columbia Records. The band's second acoustic EP, after 1992's Sap, it was the first EP in music history to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, with the first week sales exceeding 141,000 copies in the United States. The self-produced record was written and recorded over the course of just one week at the London Bridge Studio in Seattle. The tracks "No Excuses", "I Stay Away" and "Don't Follow" were released as singles to promote the EP. Jar of Flies was nominated for two Grammy Awards in 1995: Best Recording Package and Best Hard Rock Performance for "I Stay Away".
Alice in Chains is the third studio album by American rock band Alice in Chains. It was released on November 7, 1995, by Columbia Records, and was the follow-up to the highly successful Dirt (1992). This is the band's first full-length studio album to feature bassist Mike Inez and their last studio album to feature original lead vocalist Layne Staley before his death in 2002. It is also their final studio album to be released through Columbia. As with their previous releases, the album's songs focus on heavy emotional content and subject matter such as drug addiction, depression, religion, broken relationships, and the internal tensions within the band. The album's music relies less on metallic riffs and more on melody and texturally varied arrangements, integrating some of the more delicate acoustic moods of their EPs.
Sean Howard Kinney is an American musician, best known as the drummer and co-founder of the rock band Alice in Chains. Kinney also founded the short-lived supergroup Spys4Darwin, and has collaborated with other artists such as Johnny Cash and Metallica. He played drums for his Alice in Chains bandmate, Jerry Cantrell's first solo album, Boggy Depot (1998). Since 2009, Kinney has been co-owner of the Crocodile club in Seattle. He was a guest drummer on NBC's Late Night with Seth Meyers in September 2018. Kinney has earned nine Grammy Award nominations as a member of Alice in Chains.
My Sister's Machine was an American rock band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1989. Its members were Nick Pollock, Owen Wright (guitar), Chris Ivanovich, and Chris Gohde (drums).
Second Coming was an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1990. They relocated to Seattle, Washington, around 1992 and released their debut album L.O.V.Evil in 1994. This band underwent several lineup changes throughout its existence with drummer James Bergstrom and bassist Johnny Bacolas ostensibly being the nucleus of the band, as they were the only members who appeared on every album. The two of them have been friends since childhood and they had also formed the rhythm section in an early incarnation of Alice in Chains that also consisted of vocalist Layne Staley and guitarist Nick Pollock; they called themselves Alice N' Chains.
Alice N' Chains was an American glam metal band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1986 by former members of Sleze. Toward the end of their run as Sleze, discussions arose about changing their name to Alice in Chains. However, due to concerns over the reference to female bondage, the group ultimately chose to spell it as Alice N' Chains. They performed under this moniker over about a 12-month period and recorded two demos before breaking up on friendly terms in 1987. One of its members, Layne Staley, ultimately took the name that he and his former bandmates had initially flirted with when he joined a different group a few months later that became known as Alice in Chains.
Nicholas Pollock is a Seattle-based singer, guitarist, and songwriter best known for his work with the grunge band My Sister's Machine. He has also played in various bands with other notable musicians, including Alice in Chains singer Layne Staley and Queensrÿche guitarist Michael Wilton. He graduated from Lindbergh High School in 1986.
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Soulbender is an American-Canadian hard rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 2002. The band independently released their album Soulbender in 2004, which they reissued with four additional tracks through Rat Pak Records under the title Soulbender II in 2014. Though the band underwent multiple lineup changes in that ten-year timespan, both releases featured the original five-piece incarnation of two Americans and three Canadians who previously played in several different bands respectively from Seattle and Vancouver: Nick Pollock, formerly of Alice N' Chains and My Sister's Machine; Michael Wilton (guitar) from Queensrÿche; Dave Groves (guitar), formerly of Tin Pan and Fallen Angel; Wes Hallam (drums), formerly of Assault and Fallen Angel; and Marten Van Keith.
Mistrust was a heavy metal band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984. This band primarily consisted of vocalist Jeff L'Heureux, guitarists Owen Wright and Michael Winston, bassist Tim Wolfe, and drummer Chris Gohde. They recorded one album in their brief existence called Spin the World, which was originally released through C.O.M.A. Records in 1986 and again through Heart of Steel Records in 2009.
Owen Wright is an American musician best known for playing guitar with the Seattle-based metal bands Mistrust and My Sister's Machine.
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