The only albums I like really that came out of both of those band are their unplugged albums. I'm an acoustic freak though. If I had to choose imho Alice in Chains is a creatively and technically better than Nirvana. I do have an extreme distate for overuse of power chords though... and all the hype that surrounds Cobain's suicide. Annoys me, but its not his fault I suppose. Layne Staley did sort of have the mumbling mentality as well, but with Jerry Cantrell accompanying him it made it ten times more tolerable. I don't know much though, I'm just an indie freak that digs acoustic/unplugged albums.