Gentlemen

did not finish. i feel it is my right to not finish albums now.

I love the music, but the lyrics are complete trash and give me gross incel vibes

This is a little too aggressive, 90s for me. Sounds like music for guys who yell at their girlfriends in public. Yeah. I hate this.

Amazing album. Unfortunately it works as the missing link between grunge and shitty bands like Bush and Creed.

I remember when these guys were indie darlings and this record was particularly celebrated. The cover always stood out but I was focused on other things and never checked them out until today. Was expecting more of the jangly ironic installectual indie rock I love, not this post grunge wannabe emo. Not my bag at all. I actually turned it off about 20 seconds into the second song when he sang "Cause she wants love, and I still want to fuck." Not on my dime, asshole! Slamming the off button was pure reflex and felt very good to do, like removing a splinter, but after a while I decided I owed it to this 1001 project to go back and listen to the whole album. This is very much not my kind of music. I am actively rooting for harm to befall the protagonist of these songs. I am also a little bit afraid he's going to slip a roofie into my drink. Apparently this is a breakup record? Well, all I can say is I know whose side I'm on. Postscript: Every time my mind wanders and I forget that I am forcing myself to listen to this, I turn it off. Three times now I have had to remind myself I am supposed to play this pile o shite album. I can't do it. I probably made it halfway through before I decided life was too short and no can do I.

The singer's voice kind of ruined it for me.

Incredibly discomforting, this might the best breakup album ever. Greg Dulli delivers a vocal performance with as much diversity as the genres explored on the record, and the choices in instrumentation (especially guitars and relentless drumming) seem to match his emotional range perfectly. Having never listened to anything by The Afghan Whigs previously, this resonated emotionally with me on the first listen. A rarity, but something that a lot of albums can only aspire to do.

3.0 - A killer backing band with explosive drums and great guitar work. Non-chord based and almost absent of melody, which actually helps create some expansive soundscapes. But, sweet Lord do I find that lead singer grating! He sings with joyless, grunty disgust and the lyrics just make him seem like a dumb douchebag. Some of the writing seems lazy, leaning on unneeded swearing, which comes off as pretentious. The only standouts are "Curse Me", which has a female vocalist. Absolute gem. And the last instrumental track (again without the lead vocalist) is great.

I guess I was aware of the Afghan Whigs but never spent much time paying attention to them. Was surprised to find out this is an album about being sad about having a boner. This is Incel Rock. I didn’t care for it, and “Angst in My Pants” is my favorite Sparks song.

This band has always floated around the periphery of the music I listen to. Oft recommended but seldom listened to. What turned me off in previous listens was the lyrical directness. I always felt like the music begged for something more abstract and circuitous. This listen was quite enveloping though. Something finally clicked.

Sort of a boring parody of a boring generic 90s album. So ethereal that it completely leaves your memory *as it is playing*

Sonically, this album is just whatever; middling 90s grunge that could probably play on the radio for a week or two. Lyrically... this album is so disgusting. These lyrics reek of a man who has been sitting in a basement for weeks not showering, mountain dew cans everywhere, stained sheets, dim gross yellow light. He is such a disgusting man, I can see why he was broken up with. These lyrics are truly despicable. No favorite songs.

Wow, it looks like I found another candidate for the surprise of the year (for myself only, of course)! The Afghan Whigs with an album "Gentlemen", described as the best breakup record ever written. I don't know about that, but you can feel the emotions filling the whole room from the moment the first song starts. The album oscillates between an indie rock, quirky melodies to hard rock, full-on grunge tracks. The combination, that falls somewhere in-between those genres perfectly encapsulates the anger and sadness, creating a very atmospheric setup for the whole album. I think that might be one of those records, that doesn't have any fillers - every song fits into the concept, but also stands on its own. One can easily say, that there is 11 singles, each deserving a spot on the list of "greatest songs you musty heard before you die". Vocal on this album doesn't sound very well, the voice of the main vocalist, Greg Dulli, breaks up pretty often, but probably that's on purpose - it also adds more melancholy and desperation for some of the tracks. What's interesting, my two favourite songs from the album are the two where Greg doesn't sing. First one, with similar style of singing, but from a woman, Marcy Mays, "My Curse". I think this song is the culmination of the album - great, hard rock ballad, do not listen when you are going through a breakup yourself, many tears may follow. The second favourite song is the last, instrumental "Brother Woodrow/Closing Prayer". It's just an excellent ending to the album filled with emotions, giving you slow and soft release, perfect song to loop forward to the beginning of the record. Easy 5 stars, I'm looking forward to the journey into Afghan Whigs' discography.

How have I gone all these years without this band in my life

Ugh, with the whining. Eeeeuuuaaahhh. Eeeeuuuaaahhh. 50 mins of this. Even the guitar was whiny. I don't know who this speaks to but I'll bet they are real downers at a party. It's like The Cure at 78 rpm. Or Smashing Pumpkins at 45.

Got to the fourth song, Debonair, and called it quits. Jesus was a grating album. Just loud, unmelodious shouting. Didn't add and not even remotely interested in listening to anything else they've done.

Excellent; one more album in the list of reasons why I started this project.

Never heard of this but it's absolutely fucking great. Melodramatic angst-ridden lyrics, dark vibes, just a great breakup album. Sounds way more recent than 1993 as well. Loved it.

Familiarity: 0/10 Notes: wow. Symphonic Grunge, layered emotion, and tight playing. Note to self, check out more Afghan Whigs Real Rating: 8/10

incelcore

Angst lyrics but 90’s rock sound.

I listened to the Afghan Whigs full records as a part of another list I’m taking on and I think this one is the best. Mixture of soul, R&B, post punk and alternative rock to make an interesting genre all their own. Favorite song: Debonair Least favorite song: Fountain and Fairfax

Had never heard of this band and was pleasantly surprised enough that I'll be checking out much more of their catalog, who knew I liked early 90s emo

When this was current, I never listened to it on the hunch it was on the soft rock end of the grunge spectrum. I was right, but missed its peculiarity: it is spiky and noisy, eschews comfortable, verse-chorus-verse for modular, obtuse structures closer to Drive Like Jehu than Pearl Jam, and has imaginative daubs of sound that keep the ear from wandering - the drone on “Now You Know” a good example. All dressing to unattractive matter: sad grunge man has the sex but still has the sad, yet the fit of form to subject is honest.

I was 23 when this album came out, and it got quite a lot of play in my friendship circle. It fit our idea of grown up and sophisticated rock that reflected our supposedly grown up and sophisticated lifestyles. In retrospect, we were living in sqalid share houses, working menial jobs, drinking too much, dabbling in bad drugs, and having terrible relationships that inevitably devolved into public screaming matches and somebody throwing a glass or a punch or a bar stool. And Gentlemen is the perfect soundtrack to that lifestyle. And it too, in retrospect, is squalid and immature. I don't buy the equation that shame and self loathing are moral offsets for bad behaviour, which makes this a little hard to listen to these days, now that I have a few hard won lessons about behaving like a decent human being. That said, Greg Dulli is a compelling front person. He was also terrific and believable as the voice of John Lennon on the Backbeat soundtrack. I always thought of him like darker, meaner Lloyd Cole. The character he plays is reprehensible, but given Dulli's background in film making, I assume there is a fair amount of role playing here. The band is terrific, I particularly find the guitar work lacerating and noisy in a way that reflects the thematic content. I can hear that they understand the feeling of old RnB and soul without slavingly imitating. Checking back, I seem to own quite a few Afghan Whigs albums (including this one). I should play them more often, although they do leave a slightly bad taste in my mouth. 3.5 stars, rounding down for bitter aftertaste.

I like Afghan Hounds. They’re cool. I don’t like Al Qaeda. They’re seriously not cool. This here Afghan Whigs thing is somewhere in between, probably closer to the Al Qaeda end of the spectrum. The vocals are kinda Trent Reznory although a lot more painful and whiny and also the music is just pretty generic alt-rock/grunge stodge. It does have a glint of a power pop feel although I say ‘pop’ loosely because all of the melodies were quite tiresome and a slog and not even remotely catchy.

Blah. Wasn’t bad enough to be a one but didn’t hold my attention and I kept n ou ting how many more songs until it was over.

A meeting of conflict and lassitude, laziness and propulsion. Great in theory, and a handful of others have pulled it off. But not these well-intentioned chaps.

Radiohead with all of the pretension but none of the talent. Shitty lyrics, tacky song names, Dad Rock at its most uninteresting.

Rating: 0.5 God damn it this is so bad. This is like if Jars of Clay or early Creed sung top comments from some poetry subreddit instead of singing about Jesus. I wish this band to be crushed by a shipping container full of fedoras and tiny vests. Read their Spotify bio to be subjected to DEFCON 1 corniness instantly.

#3 was so bad I found myself adjusting the sound settings in my car thinking there was something wrong with them

The best lines start as post-punk on the bass and develop with the rest over the length of the cycle. The vocal and volume switch-up works, doesn't break through pervading grime.

Forgot how good the Afghan Whigs are. While grunge was taking over, this album is a nice alternative sound to what would become the ALTERNATIVE sound.

I enjoyed this album.

The cover is a 10/10

Musically, right up my alley. Lyrically, not as much. Overall: not bad, not great.

No. 73/1001 If I Were Going 4/5 Gentlemen 3/5 Be Sweet 3/5 Debonair 4/5 When We Two Parted 4/5 Fountain And Fairfax 3/5 What Jail Is Like 3/5 My Curse 3/5 Now You Know 4/5 I Keep Coming Back 3/5 Brother Woodrow 3/5 Average: 3,36 Musically I liked this, the singers voice really showed some weaknesses on some songs.

Raw and emotional. Lyrically repugnant. Don’t love the vocals but subjectively appropriate for the style/message. I don’t like it, but I COULD under the right circumstances. Going middle of the road rating, but can’t fault the whole package.

The songs themselves are fine/good, if repetitive, but the lyrics are atrocious. I don't want to spend a second with this dude.

I mean the lyrics were just not it

The music isn't bad, although it is generic, slightly boring, early 90s rock. The lyrics and singing are terrible. I'd break up with him too.

More from the "trendy '90s bands I have never heard" file. First impressions were quite poor, with music and vocals akin to a slightly-better Jane's Addiction; not a compliment. Grew on me a bit but still very much the kind of thing that would give greasy journalists a hard-on, standing proudly up against the stark backdrop of the real world and its muted indifference. Not sure where the "harrowing lyrics" reputation comes from, reading them it's all quite weak tea, perhaps a bit much for the soft indie lads of the time? If anything, this seems a major antecedent to emo and all its futile whining.

If I could just exchange every whiney 90s "alt-rock" band on this list for one of the countless black artists that have been omitted i would be having a much better time. Gonna go listen to some Chuck Berry to wash the taste of this out of my mouth.

I dated someone like this. That’s not a compliment.

embarrassing

If this is considered their best album I'd hate to hear their worst

Dude I'm from Cincinnati and even I don't like The Afghan Wigs.

Chaos and angst without emotions are just noise. Also, wtf is that cover art?

incel rock anthem. half-decent grunge instrumentation, but with the most whiny and angsty vocals i've heard in a minute that are absolutely dripping with misogyny. every single track is expressing entitlement towards woman as sexual objects, plain and simple. "you think i'm scared of girls, well maybe, but i'm not afraid of you" is a real line. cartoonishly bad songwriting. this album is described as being "about a toxic relationship" yeah it's about a guy who is transparently an abusive slimey gross piece of shit who should get a job and stay away from her. the most surprising part about this is when i googled "greg dulli politics" and found an article from 2022 where he (the lead vocalist and songwriter) described himself as a socialist. growth, i guess.

Y'know I think the world does not need another breakup album from the perspective of a man about a "toxic" breakup that is, in fact, just a collection of songs where a dude whines about wanting to fuck. Sounds like the type of album from a guy who goes through a bad breakup and then starts obnoxiously talking to his coworkers about how he has been "blackpilled" and how women suck. I'm gonna go now and listen to yesterday's album instead.

Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucks. This sounds like the opening band at shows in the 90's. It's awful, and you wish they'd shut up and get off stage so you can see the headliner.

this album is trying way too hard to be something it’s not and it’s both lyrically and vocally trash. i thought the guitar might be able to save it in a few places but, i was wrong. i agree with the people who say this is incel rock and also with the person who said it’s for guys who yell at their girlfriends in public

Pretty terrible, both lyrically and musically. This guy sounds like a shitty boyfriend.

I didn't like this. The world is far too full of this type of thing. Who does this guy think he is? Get lost!

Weird ass album with egotistical lyrics

The lyrics are just not for me. I mean ethically, how it sounds etc...

Ugh. First time in a while I've felt like telling the singer to just get over it.

Gentlemen This isn’t completely awful, but it is utterly boring, a tiresome, self important voice singing bad lyrics over tedious, mediocre 90s alt rock. Nothing stood out, or seemed notable in any positive way, the sense of dullness is just too powerful, and there is no reason to ever listen again. And that really is all I can muster. 🚹 Playlist submission: Brother Woodrow/Closing Prayer as thankfully it’s an instrumental.

I truly hated every minute of this. The music was alright but nothing special. I just hated his singing and lyrics. I can't point to anything more specific than that, I just felt super skeeved out the whole time. I would never listen to this again - 1 star.

The 90s really were a crap decade for original music. Listened to this yesterday, must be forgettable as now can’t even recall what they sounded like.

Greg Dulli, blessed with one of the most punchable faces in rock, couldn't find a melody if its location was programmed into a fucking GPS. The vocal performances ping-pong back and forth between two modes: faux-sinister whispering and tuneless scream-shouting, in a failed attempt to emote their way past the total lack of lyrical substance. And it's made all the worse by the way this album radiates pretentiousness. I'm down with 90s indie and alt-rock, but this is some awful shit. Ruined a beautiful morning walk.

Aggressively 90s in a derogatory way.

The cover is really gross. The music is not good to meh. I could tell the album was over when a much better Pixies song came on. 1.

This band have been at the periphery of my music listening life for over 30 years. I just never got around to listening to them but I figured they must be indie/alternative legends because their name was always there, persistently gnawing away at my consciousness to actually give them a listen. Bad lyrics, bad vocals, ok music. Probably the worst album I've listened to on here and there's been some BAD ones.

Almost gave this a 2 due to some decent music here and there. But this really deserved the 1

Ugh. Hated everything about this but also was bored, which is quite a trick. I am kind of curious how the ratings break down by gender.

What's with this cover? It clearly is a meant to look like an after-sex movie shot but with children. Sorry, no can do. Won't listen. Nope.

one of the best-written breakup albums of all time? have they not heard of Fleetwood Mac or, actually, countless other artists? I waited for the joke, It never did arrive sums up this album perfectly

This album feels like hiding in a locked room from a man that wants to hit me

I really tried. The music isn't so bad. The lead singer is terrible. Like, I was thinking that this had to be a joke.

This is the soundtrack to a middle school breakup, and I mean that in the worst way possible. I don't mean to slam dunk on so many of these albums, but, Christ, there are so many of these that don't deserve to be anywhere near the discussion of this list. I hate the cringey, half-deep lyrics that are half-sung mixed with an instrumentation that sounds like complete dogshit. This album is incredibly pretentious with absolutely no reason to be. I am not a huge fan of grunge or 90's alternative, but I do enjoy a good Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, MBV, and even Hole. I get the whole meaning of a toxic relationship cycle that this album goes through, but if I want to listen about the ins and outs of love gone bad, I will listen to Rumours or Souvlaki or something like that.

I LOVED it

This is why I like this project, such a nice hidden gem

Super intricate fuzzed out grunge with a side of being desperately horny for someone who is necrotizing your heart. Like if Deftones didn’t go with the butt rock elements of grunge

I loved every minute. Such a heartbreaking album, but so timeless. I came to Afghan Whigs by way of Har Mar Superstar (iykyk) and while I am still digging into them, this is probably my second favorite so far.

Rock alternativo de primeira! Belíssimo álbum. Moondrop May.

Perhaps the finest rock album to ever come out of Ohio. What Jail is Like is an all-time fav. I'm vaguely aware that Greg Dulli is unliked personally for some reason, but I totally dig their 90s output and feel like they never got the respect they deserved. I can only assume this is because people are jealous of Ohio and hating on the Afghan Whigs is the only way they know how to express that.

This album was a big part of my late teens, early 20s and I'm not sure why I never saw this band live. What Jail is Like is epic. They should have been more popular, particularly for their later album 1965. Rounding up for being the coolest band to ever come out of Ohio.

Det her er et godt bevis på hvad sådan et projekt her kan. For år tilbage hørte jeg noget blandet Afghan Whigs som opvarming til at de skulle spille på en festival. Men det fangede mig aldrig helt. Men en dag med det her album gjorde at jeg virkelig kunne få det ind under huden. Det er dejlig hårdt uden at være rigtig hårdt. Og det er dejlig følsomt uden at være blæver

Du bon indie rock un peu grungy. J'ai bien aimé les sons de guitare planante. Now you know était ben bonne. Gentlemen m'a fait penser à du Mars Volta dans les rythmes saccadés et la voix éraillée

Despite the creepy cover, this was unexpectedly beautiful

Such an incredibly beautiful and raw album

In my opinion one of the most underrated bands ever. Top quality. No skips

If 'I hate you, please don't leave me' was an album. Lyrically this is a hard listen, dude is going through it. Musically it's enjoyable, especially the drums. I've listened to this a few times over the years. Solid.

Beautiful.

This album kills. All the grunge records that came out around this sound like boys cosplaying as degenerate men compared to this. The melodrama is delicious the atmosphere oppressive yet, in a glimmer, uplifting. What a band!

Great album from my younger days. Hadn't listened to them in a long time.

Definitely a hidden gem from this list for me

I was 20 years old when this album came out, and everything about it spoke deeply to my soul. As I struggled with relationship issues, the lyrics felt like they knew what I was going through, and the thought I had deep in me. If I could have worn out the cd like you could with a cassette, it would have happened. The album holds up, and I still love it.

Is this grunge?

Likte det

5/5 - really enjoyed the feeling of this album

I picked up a used copy of this in 1994 on the strength of "Debonair" and "Gentlemen", which had been getting some play on MTV. It was different from the grunge that was was dominant at the time, being a little more soulful than your typical alternative band. Over the years, Greg Dulli's become a staple of alternative/indie music for me with the Afghan Whigs and with his other project the Twilight Singers. The first half of this album is flawless with every song a standout. I really like how Dulli reintroduces the chorus of the opener "If I Were Going" in "Debonair", three songs later. It's a cool use of a motif you don't see a lot in alternative rock albums. The second half isn't quite as strong, but there's some cool ideas nonetheless - I like bringing in Marcy Mays as a guest lead vocalist on "My Curse" and I like that they throw in a cover of a Tyrone Davis song, which is unusual for an album that's supposed to be a concept album about a breakup. Anyway, awesome album. Highlights are "If I Were Going", "Debonair", "Gentlemen", "Be Sweet", and "When We Two Parted". 5 stars.

Beter dan best goed

It took me a long time to come around to liking the Afghan Whigs but now I’m all in. The record is wonderful.

Love this. Been a fan of this album since it came out.

I've heard of The Afghan Whigs before, but I don't think I've ever heard any of their music before, and I certainly couldn't tell you what they sound like. I tend to enjoy rock music from this era though, so I have moderately high expectations for this album. Let's jump into it! This album snagged my attention from the first song, and never let go of it over the course of its eleven songs. I really loved the guitar playing on every song, and the band's sound was really unique. This album sounded like nothing else I've ever listened to from this era. I'm usually big on hooks and melodies in the music that I listen to, but I enjoyed this album despite its lack of reliance on those elements to construct its sound. The guitar playing and other instruments did a great job of crafting a dark mood that matched the lyrical tone. Speaking of other instruments, I really enjoyed the piano and mellotron arrangements utilized on this album as well; they really added a lot of depth to the sound. The cello playing on "Fountain and Fairfax" was amazing as well, and I'd have to rank this song as my favorite on the whole album. As much as I enjoyed "Fountain and Fairfax" though, the whole album was really strong from start to finish, and there wasn't a single song I didn't enjoy. I thought the songwriting was really strong on this album too. These lyrics were certainly full of heartbreak, rage, and dead-end despair, but I thought they captured those feelings in a meaningful way. This album really caught me surprise today, and I can see why it has a reputation as one of the best rock albums of the nineties.

exceptional in every way, the most obviously underrated band of the 90s

I love the grunge era but never listened to this band before now. Groovy and emotionally raw to the point of being a little uncomfortable. Will listen again and again.

Got into the Whigs about 5 years ago. was aware of them via John peel but that was in their grunge days. fell off my radar. This album is the start of their great period. Some achingly heartfelt tracks on this and some absolute bangers. five fucking stars.