Editing Sap (EP)

{{Short description|1992 EP by Alice in Chains}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2013}}
{{Infobox album
| name       = Sap
| type       = EP
| artist     = [[Alice in Chains]]
| cover      = Alice_in_Chains_Sap.jpg
| border     = yes
| alt        =
| released   = {{start date|1992|2|4}}<ref name="release">{{Cite web |url=http://aliceinchains.com/music/sap-ep/ |title=SAP EP |website=AliceInChains.com |access-date=February 4, 2020 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200213210005/http://aliceinchains.com/music/sap-ep/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
| recorded   = November 1991<ref name="timeline">{{Cite web |url=http://www.sonymusic.com:80/artists/AliceInChains/bio.html |title=Alice In Chains Timeline |website=SonyMusic.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991007164204/http://www.sonymusic.com/artists/AliceInChains/bio.html |archive-date=October 7, 1999 |url-status=dead |access-date=January 11, 2019 }}</ref>
| studio     = [[London Bridge Studio|London Bridge]] (Seattle)
| genre      = {{hlist|[[Acoustic rock]]|[[alternative rock]]|[[grunge]]}}
| length     = 20:49
| label      = [[Columbia Records|Columbia]]
| producer   = Alice in Chains and [[Rick Parashar]]
| prev_title = [[Facelift (album)|Facelift]]
| prev_year  = 1990
| next_title = [[Dirt (Alice in Chains album)|Dirt]]
| next_year  = 1992
}}
'''''Sap''''' is the second studio EP by the American [[rock music|rock]] band [[Alice in Chains]], released on February 4, 1992, through [[Columbia Records]].<ref name="release"/><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Morris |first=Chris |date=October 24, 1992 |title=Alice In Chains Album Races Into Top 10 Despite Bum Leg |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2REEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA17 |magazine=Billboard |pages=17, 22}}</ref> ''Sap'' is mostly acoustic and marks the first time that guitarist [[Jerry Cantrell]] sings lead vocals in an Alice in Chains release, with the song "Brother".<ref name="Cantrell sings">{{cite web|url=http://diffuser.fm/alice-in-chains-jerry-cantrell-vocals/|title=Jerry Cantrell Recalls How Alice in Chains Developed Their Twin-Vocal Sound|publisher=Diffuser.fm|date=April 25, 2017|access-date=February 4, 2020|archive-date=April 26, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170426033445/http://diffuser.fm/alice-in-chains-jerry-cantrell-vocals/|url-status=live}}</ref> The EP was produced by Alice in Chains and [[Rick Parashar]] and features guest vocals by [[Ann Wilson]] of the band [[Heart (band)|Heart]], [[Chris Cornell]] of [[Soundgarden]] and [[Mark Arm]] of [[Mudhoney]]. The track "[[Got Me Wrong]]" became a hit two years later after being featured on the soundtrack to the 1994 film ''[[Clerks (1994 film)|Clerks]]''. On January 14, 1994, ''Sap'' was certified gold by the [[Recording Industry Association of America|RIAA]] for the sale of more than 500,000 copies.<ref name="riaa">{{Cite web |url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=Alice+in+Chains&ti=Sap#search_section |title=SAP - Gold & Platinum - RIAA |website=Recording Industry Association of America |access-date=February 4, 2020 |archive-date=December 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191222100202/https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=ALICE+IN+CHAINS&ti=SAP#search_section |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Background and recording==
Following the tour for ''[[Facelift (album)|Facelift]],'' Alice in Chains entered the studio to record a song for the [[Cameron Crowe]] movie ''[[Singles (1992 film)|Singles]]'', but decided to turn the engagement to their advantage. As the guitarist [[Jerry Cantrell]] recalled: "So in the session that was meant for recording that one song ['[[Would?]]'], we ended up demoing about 10 songs, which included all the stuff that ended up on the [1992] ''Sap'' EP, '[[Rooster (song)|Rooster]]' and a couple of others from ''[[Dirt (Alice in Chains album)|Dirt]]''.”<ref name="classic rock">{{Cite web|url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-story-behind-the-song-rooster-by-alice-in-chains|title=The Story Behind The Song: Rooster by Alice In Chains|last=Yates|first=Henry|website=Classic Rock Magazine|language=en|date=November 15, 2006|access-date=February 4, 2020|archive-date=December 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191219203247/https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-story-behind-the-song-rooster-by-alice-in-chains|url-status=live}}</ref>

While in the studio, drummer [[Sean Kinney]] had a dream about "making an EP called ''Sap.''"<ref name="timeline"/> The band decided "not to mess with fate,"<ref name="timeline"/> and ''Sap'' was recorded and mixed in 1991 with producer [[Rick Parashar]] at [[London Bridge Studio]].<ref name="rain man">{{Cite magazine |last=Gilbert |first=Jeff |date=January 1993 |title=Rain Man: Alice in Chains' Jerry Cantrell Cleans Up His Act and Hits Pay Dirt |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/nemi72/6131069350/in/album-72157627632476310/ |magazine=Guitar World |volume=14 |issue=1 |pages=30–32}}</ref>

The EP was recorded in four or five days in November 1991.<ref name="GW92">{{Cite magazine |last=Katherine |first=Turman |date=April 1992 |title=Alice In Chains' Jerry Cantrell reflects on his band's breakthrough success and Sap, their new, acoustic based EP |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/nemi72/7189330650/in/album-72157627632476310/ |magazine=Guitar World |volume=13 |issue=4 |pages=23, 24, 102–104}}</ref><ref name="timeline"/>

==Music and lyrics==
Lead vocalist [[Layne Staley]] encouraged guitarist [[Jerry Cantrell]] to sing lead vocals on the EP.<ref name="rain man"/><ref name="Cantrell sings"/> Cantrell sings lead vocals on "[[Brother (Alice in Chains song)|Brother]]" and splits lead vocals with Staley on "[[Got Me Wrong]]".<ref name="GW92"/>

The EP features guest vocals by [[Ann Wilson]] from the band [[Heart (band)|Heart]], who joined vocalist Layne Staley and guitarist Jerry Cantrell for the choruses of "Brother" and "Am I Inside". It also features [[Mark Arm]] of [[Mudhoney]] and [[Chris Cornell]] of [[Soundgarden]], who appeared together on the song "Right Turn", credited to "Alice Mudgarden" in the liner notes.<ref>{{cite AV media notes |others=Alice in Chains |title=''"Right Turn"'' |year=1992 |publisher=[[Columbia Records]] |id=Buttnugget publishing/Jack Lord Music 67059}}</ref> The song was featured in the 2001 film ''[[Black Hawk Down (film)|Black Hawk Down]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2750498/ |title=Alice in Chains. Soundtrack. 'Right Turn' |website=[[Internet Movie Database]] |access-date=September 13, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222190145/http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2750498/ |archive-date=February 22, 2014}}</ref> It was guitarist [[Jerry Cantrell]] who invited Wilson, Cornell and Arm to sing on ''Sap''.<ref name="rain man"/>

Regarding the lyrical content, Cantrell said he wrote "Brother" about his relationship with his younger brother.<ref name="linernotes">Liner notes, ''[[Music Bank (album)|Music Bank]]'' box set. 1999.</ref> 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."<ref name="linernotes"/> 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."<ref name="linernotes"/>

A version of the song "[[Rooster (song)|Rooster]]" 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.<ref name="classic rock"/> This version is featured on the band's 1999 box set ''[[Music Bank (album)|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.<ref name="GW92"/>

==Release and reception==
{{Album reviews
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]] 
|rev1Score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite web |last=Huey |first=Steve |title=''Sap'' review  |url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=sap-r175429|pure_url=yes}} |website=[[AllMusic]]|publisher=[[All Media Network]]|access-date=July 23, 2009}}</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[Rolling Stone]]''
|rev2Score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref>Brackett, Nathan. "Alice in Chains". ''The New Rolling Stone Album Guide''. November 2004. pg. 13, cited March 17, 2010</ref>
}}<!--List Automatically Moved by DASHBot-->

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.<ref name="rain man"/> Cantrell said that Alice in Chains released ''Sap'' "without any fuss or fanfare so as the real Alice fans could find it."<ref name="linernotes"/> The EP was released while [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]]'s ''[[Nevermind (album)|Nevermind]]'' was at the top of the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] charts, resulting in a rising popularity of Seattle-based bands, and the term [[grunge|grunge music]].<ref name="Dirt - Guitar World">Gill, Chris (September 1999). ''Dirt''. ''[[Guitar World]]''.</ref> ''Sap'' was soon certified [[Music recording sales certification|gold]].<ref name="riaa"/>

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, ''[[Clerks (1994 film)|Clerks]].'' The re-released version included lyrics and slightly different artwork. The aforementioned song, as well as "Brother," were performed live during [[Unplugged (Alice in Chains album)|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 [[Jerry Cantrell]], except "Am I Inside", containing lyrics by [[Layne Staley]] and music by Cantrell.<ref>{{Discogs master|21671|Sap|type=Album}}. Retrieved September 12, 2013.</ref>
{{tracklist
| title1   = [[Brother (Alice in Chains song)|Brother]]
| length1  = 4:27
| title2   = [[Got Me Wrong]]
| length2  = 4:12
| title3   = Right Turn
| note3    = performed by Alice Mudgarden
| length3  = 3:17
| title4   = Am I Inside
| lyrics4  = 
| length4  = 5:09
| title5   = Love Song
| note5    = hidden track
| length5  = 3:44
|total_length = 20:49
}}

* "Alice Mudgarden" is Alice in Chains with [[Mark Arm]] of [[Mudhoney]] and [[Chris Cornell]] of [[Soundgarden]].

* "Love Song" is a hidden track and there are no credits for it in the album. The [[American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers|ASCAP]] database lists all four members as songwriters.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ACE Repertory - Love Song |url=https://archive.org/download/love-song-by-alice-in-chains-songwriter-credits-ace-repertory/Love%20Song%20by%20Alice%20In%20Chains%20-%20ACE%20Repertory.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/rW5Os |archive-date=May 9, 2022 |access-date=May 9, 2022 |website=[[American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers|ASCAP.com]]}}</ref>

==Personnel==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
;Alice in Chains
*[[Layne Staley]] – vocals, drums on "Love Song"
*[[Jerry Cantrell]] – guitar, vocals, bass on "Love Song"
*[[Mike Starr (musician)|Michael Starr]] – bass, guitar on "Love Song"
*[[Sean Kinney]] – drums, percussion, [[megaphone]] and piano on "Love Song"
;Alice Mudgarden <small>(performs "Right Turn")</small>
*Alice in Chains
*[[Mark Arm]] – vocals
*[[Chris Cornell]] – vocals
{{col-2}}
;Additional vocalists
*[[Ann Wilson]] – vocals on "Brother" and "Am I Inside"
*[[Chris Cornell]] – vocals on "Right Turn"
*[[Mark Arm]] – vocals on "Right Turn"
;Production
*[[Record producer|Produced]] by Alice in Chains and [[Rick Parashar]].
*[[Audio mastering|Mastered]] by Eddy Schreyer at Future Disc Systems, Hollywood, CA
*[[Art director|Art direction]] by David Coleman
*[[Photography]] by [[Rocky Schenck]]
*[[Management]] by Kelly Curtis, [[Susan Silver]]
{{col-end}}

==Charts==
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (1994)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
{{album chart|Australia|2|artist=Alice in Chains|album=Jar of Flies %2B SAP|rowheader=true|access-date=April 10, 2020|note=with [[Jar of Flies]]}}
|-
! scope="row"| Danish Singles ([[IFPI Danmark|IFPI]])<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1993/MM-1993-12-11.pdf|title=Top 10 Sales in Europe|magazine=[[Music & Media]]|volume=10|issue=50|page=24|date=December 11, 1993|access-date=April 10, 2020|archive-date=August 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200824173739/https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1993/MM-1993-12-11.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
|6
|-
{{album chart|Sweden|8|artist=Alice in Chains|album=Jar of Flies %2B SAP|rowheader=true|access-date=April 10, 2020|note=with Jar of Flies}}
|-
{{album chart|UK|4|artist=Alice in Chains |rowheader=true |access-date=December 30, 2022 |note=with Jar of Flies}}
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (2020)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
{{album chart|Billboard200|134|artist=Alice in Chains|rowheader=true|access-date=December 8, 2020}}
|-
{{album chart|BillboardRock|20|artist=Alice in Chains|rowheader=true|access-date=December 8, 2020}}
|}

===Singles===
{| class="wikitable" border="1"
!rowspan="2"| Year
!rowspan="2"| Single
!colspan="2"| Peak<br />position
|-
![[Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks|US Main]]<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/alice-in-chains/chart-history/rtt/ |title=Alice in Chains {{!}} Chart History. Mainstream Rock |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |publisher=[[Eldridge Industries]] |date=March 4, 1995 |access-date=April 9, 2018 |archive-date=November 15, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171115185451/http://www.billboard.com/music/alice-in-chains/chart-history/hot-mainstream-rock-tracks/song/39632 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Singles">{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/sap-mw0000679087/awards |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131120183125/http://www.allmusic.com/album/sap-mw0000679087/awards |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 20, 2013 |title=''Sap'' – Alice in Chains {{!}} Awards |website=AllMusic |publisher=All Media Network |access-date=April 9, 2018 |df=mdy-all}}</ref>
![[Alternative Songs|US Mod]]<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/alice-in-chains/chart-history/mrt/ |title=Alice in Chains {{!}} Chart History. Alternative Songs |magazine=Billboard |publisher=Eldridge Industries |date=January 14, 1995 |access-date=April 9, 2018 |archive-date=November 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211117165256/https://www.billboard.com/artist/alice-in-chains/chart-history/mrt/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Singles"/>
|-
|1994
|align="left"| "Got Me Wrong"
|align="center"| 7
|align="center"| 22
|}

==Certifications==
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|award=Gold|type=single|artist=Alice in Chains|title=Sap|certyear=1994}}
{{Certification Table Bottom | nosales=true}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Alice in Chains}}
{{Authority control}}

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