Alice in Chains Jar of Flies Vinyl Resells for $1,000

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By RC Staff

31 January 2024

Earlier this month, grunge fans were treated to a seriously cool release. A brand new pressing of vinyl records were prepared for “Jar of Flies” 30th anniversary, and one edition in particular was very special. Real flies were inserted directly into the record for a somewhat gross but visually striking piece of vinyl. After they sold out at retail, resellers have begun to list them on the aftermarket. A few have already sold for incredible prices.

Jar of Flies 30th Anniversary Vinyl

Thirty years and one week ago, Alice in Chains’ third album, “Jar of Flies“, was released. Following up the incredibly well received “Facelift” in 1990 and “Dirt” from ’92, “Jar of Flies” was a seven song EP that would become of the best selling grunge albums of all time.

The album itself has humble origins. After years spent touring in support of their first two records, Alice in Chains returned home to Seattle. They had fired their original bassist and replaced him Mike Inez.

“Jar of Flies” was the result of a week of studio time, with Layne Staley describing it as “Just the experience of four guys getting together in the studio and making some music.”

Sonically, the record was much softer than their previous works. It’s still the same wailing, dirge-like writing fans of the band appreciated, but acoustic guitars and toned down distortion are hallmarks of “Jar of Flies”, while the new basslines from Inez groove so well that you’d think he’d been with the band from the start.

“Jar of Flies” would release on January 25, 1994. Soon after, Staley entered rehab for his heroin addiction. The following years saw a slowdown in production, and new material would be few and far between. Layne Staley died at home in 2002 after years of isolation.

Now in 2024, Alice in Chains is throwing a big party for “Jar of Flies” 30th birthday. Several pieces of new merchandise were released on the Alice in Chains webstore, including a vinyl box set, skateboard, and even plush toys.

Jar of Flies Clear Fly Vinyl

What we’re looking at today is the rarest item from the collection: a special pressing of “Jar of Flies” for the biggest fans. What makes this pressing special is that numerous real (dead) flies have been embedded directly into the transparent vinyl.

The Clear Fly “Jar of Flies” vinyl were limited to just 150 total units, and customers were only able to purchase one per household. These records cost $100, and are a preorder expected to start shipping in March.

Obviously these didn’t last long. After releasing online on the morning of the 26th, “Jar of Flies” Clear Fly vinyl records were sold out in under 15 minutes.

Jar of Flies Vinyl Resells

In a world of scarcity, it only follows that something as rare as these records would resell. Since last week, we’ve seen several new listings for items from the 30th Anniversary collection.

As of this writing, there have been at least two confirmed sales through eBay for the new Clear Fly “Jar of Flies” vinyl. One sold for just shy of $1,000, while the other had a best offer accepted on a list price of $2,500.

In the last few years we’ve seen gimmick vinyl become more popular with record companies and resellers alike. Stoner legends Sleep produced an ultra-limited, marijuana-infused pressing of “Dopesmoker” last February, and Fall Out Boy dripped their own tears into records as part of a collection with brain.wtf.

One of the most notable examples we covered was a blood-filled vinyl version of “Shout at the Devil” from Mötley Crüe. At the time we were a little skeptical over the record’s long term value, but fans have showed up in force to buy these up. They’ve been regularly trading for well over retail since August.

Now Alice in Chains has joined the club of weird rare records with random shit injected in them. If you missed this drop, don’t expect a restock any time soon. Maybe they’ll cook something up for the album’s fiftieth anniversary in 2044.

Until then, subscribe to our newsletter if you want to stay informed on all things reselling. From high-end electronics to video game esoterica, as long as it’s worth flipping we’ll talk about it.