In 1994 the band Alice in Chains released a 7 song E.P. as in between for their album’s Dirt and Alice in Chains. While the E.P. was supposed to be just something fun to put out in between albums, it became a huge hit for the band, spawning two top 10 hits with “No Excuses” and “I Stay Away.” The E.P. also saw the debut of new bassist Mike Inez who before that was the touring bassist for Ozzy Osbourne. The song “I Stay Away” is Mike’s first writing credit for the band and is credited with adding the string section to the song, something Alice In Chains had never done before.
“That was mine on ‘I Stay Away.’ And then as long as we had them in there Jerry [Cantrell] thought, ‘Why not put them on ‘Whale & Wasp” as well.’ It’s so funny because me and Jerry were in there holding a — holding beers in one hand and pencils in the other telling people what to play, you know. It was fun. It was all just experimental, and I thought it added some color, no big deal. Just something to try.”
The song was nominated for a Grammy and featured a groundbreaking music video created using stop motion animation and directed by Nick Donkin.
