Gentlemen
The Afghan Whigs
1993
Album Summary
Gentlemen is the fourth studio album by American alternative rock band the Afghan Whigs. It was recorded primarily at Ardent Studios in Memphis, with the band's frontman Greg Dulli producing, and released on October 5, 1993, by Elektra Records.Written by Dulli on tour for the band's 1992 album Congregation, Gentlemen is composed as a troubling song cycle that follows a toxic relationship as it ends. Noted for Dulli's grimly acerbic lyrics and influences from soul music, it is considered by critics to be the Afghan Whigs' greatest record, an essential release from the 1990s, and among the best-written breakup albums. The album was remastered in deluxe format for its 21st anniversary and covered extensively in a dedicated volume of the 33⅓ music book series.
WikipediaI 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.
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
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
Familiarity: 0/10 Notes: wow. Symphonic Grunge, layered emotion, and tight playing. Note to self, check out more Afghan Whigs Real Rating: 8/10
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.
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.
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.
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.
Radiohead with all of the pretension but none of the talent. Shitty lyrics, tacky song names, Dad Rock at its most uninteresting.
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.
Sort of a boring parody of a boring generic 90s album. So ethereal that it completely leaves your memory *as it is playing*
#3 was so bad I found myself adjusting the sound settings in my car thinking there was something wrong with them
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.
Me gustó mucho, creo que cumple con su cometido de corazón roto rockero. A ratos suena oscuro, a ratos suena enérgico, pero como que la sensación de tristeza se mantiene constante. Todo suena bien y sigue esa misma línea. Disfruté sobre todo "Gentlemen", "Be Sweet", "When We Two Parted" y "Now You Know". 10/10
Otra de las grandes sorpresas de este conteo. PORQUE NO HABÍA ESCUCHADO ESTO ANTES. Brutal disco, creo que es el mejor disco nuevo para mí que escuchado hasta ahorita en este juego.
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.
Excellent; one more album in the list of reasons why I started this project.
Geweldige band! En deze plaat is een van de meerdere hoogtepunten in hun oeuvre. Wel erg 90's-anger maarja dat is nou eenmaal waardoor ik gevormd ben😉
Geen tijd gehad om deze top plaat te beluisteren, maar dat hoeft ook niet, want deze heb ik waarschijnlijk meer gedraaid dan welke andere CD ooit! Helemaal goed.
Prachtalbum! Ik heb nu al zin in het concert deze zomer, de kaartjes al op zak!
Wow, awesome mix of grunge and psychedelic guitars. Definitely hear some king gizz in here.
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.
One of my favorite albums of all time. Before I listened to Gentlemen I was a boy, after listening to it I was a man. The Afghan wigs aren't easily my favorite band and I have seen them perform numerous times.
Enjoyed for the most part. Songs didn't really stand out from one another, but they sounded good.
Didn't know what to expect but damn, I really liked this album. Good rock, good lyrics, and just overall a good album. Could get into my feels with this one but also just say fuck it to the world at the same time typa vibe.
Angry, early 90s music. Will have to listen to this more. Liked the opener, but then it faded out a bit.
Bändin nimi oli tuttu jonkinlaisena indierockin edelläkävijänä mutta musiikki oli ihan vierasta. Jotenkin tämä oli jäänyt täysin paitsioon vaikka saman aikakauden ja genren bändejä olen fanittanut. Tykkäsin todella kovasti ja tätä tulee varmasti kuunneltua tulevaisuudessakin.
Pre-Grunge 90s Alt! There were definitely some good songs on here. I think it would be a pretty great break-up album, but hopefully I won't have to test that theory haha
Consistent quality throughout, though it’s mostly just moody alternative rock. I think if I cared more about the lyrics or if there were more musical highs I would like this album better. 7
Interesting, with metal vibes, a bit out of tune but I liked it. Maybe a bit grunge
O sea chido, como cualquier rock alternativo. Auqnue sí hubo canciones que me dieron hueva y di varios skips. Favs: debpnair y my curse
This isn’t really my style but it definitely had a lot of strong moments, in terms of both music and themes. There were moments that felt really self-indulgent , but overall it’s decent. 7/10
Excelente. Algunos sonidos grungeros tipo pearl jam pero también tranqui al final. Rock
Very solid album. His voice is pretty grating but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Enjoyed the switch-up to the female lead singer as well. Might need to start doing a favorite bar for these albums - "You think I'm scared of girls/Well maybe/But I'm not afraid of you" is pretty fire Saved: Debonair*, What Jail Is Like
Really liked the first half of the album, the latter half wasn't as good.
This was cooler and more raw than I expected. I thought of the Afghan Whigs as an overrated indie darling band, but there's some solid stuff here.
Was listening to local radio last night, and I thought to myself “I’m not familiar with this Replacements song…” it was these Afghan Whigs. That Replacements influence is pretty strong. Very Good album - the breakup theme was disconcerting; probably because it seemed so sincere. Listworthy = 👍
Rock Alternativo noventero mucho más agradable de lo que esperaba. Entre el nombre y la portada me imaginé que vendría una cosa Nirvanesca pero sin siquiera llegarle y fue grata sorpresa escuchar otra cosa. De esos discos que en aquella época quizá tuvieron para hacer que despegara la banda y solo les faltó vivir en Seattle en vez de Cincinatti.
Sonido crudo pero original, me hubiera gustado conocer esta banda más joven. Hoy no me volaron los sesos como quizá lo hubieran hecho hace veinte años. 3.5 estrellas que suben a 4 porque sí los pienso escuchar de nuevo. Songs: Now you know, Debonair
De ver la portada esperaba más rock alternativo noventero hacia el grunge estandar pero, aunque en cierto modo lo es, es mucho más que eso. Me llamo mucho que siento una línea completa dentro del disco en su temática hacia temas sobre la ansiedad y hacia sentir como si fuera un album concepto que en partes fuera una confesión de alguien que realizó algún crimen grave. Esa mezcla fue bastante interesante y creo que las canciones están muy bien logradas. Musicalmente el inicio agarra de sorpresa, excelente, desolador y pone el ambiente correcto. El disco es mucho más pesado de lo que esperaba, no es que sea Slayer pero de verdad tiene un sonido único y no suena simplemente a "otra banda de esas" Variado, interesante, inteligente... Sonando a ratos a una mezcla de RHCP, Bowie y composiciones de Peter Gabriel en una licuadora sobre una base de grunge. Muy muy interesante
Will need to listen again to get the full lyrical story. Musically was great though.
I enjoyed the raw, alternative rock on this album. Some great guitar work, a very charismatic lead singer, and some bitter feelings about relationships are all over this thing. He's got a Jim Morrison thing going in "Fountain and Fairfax," and I think that he must have been influenced by The Doors. I admit I got kind of lost in this one. There's substance, cool riffs, and passion.
Had a few listens now as it's very much an 'album' rather than collection of a few standout tracks. Did enjoy - constantly revising who they remind me (Ooh just like - Verve, ooh U2, ooh Muse etc). Looking forward to hearing more of them
Pa onak površinski se čini dost običan "već sam to čuo x y puta" album, al kad se malo poprati i zagrebe ispod ima tu dosta dobrih stvari i ekšli umjetničke vrijednosti, def nastavljam slušat kada budem u moodu za tak nešt. Poticajna četvorka.
Zbog ovakvih stvari sam unišao u ovu kolotečinu albuma. Da mi se isprsi nekad neki album od nekog nekad izvođača za kojeg nikad nisam čuo, i bude ono materijal za daljnji nastavak egzistencijalnog života - Ovo će biti na nekoj repeticiji, osjećam.
I really liked this. Admittedly right up my street as it sounds like the Replacements but the songs were very strong and well put together
I always like a concept album, and hats off to the delicious guitar riffs and engaging vocal performance. I wish the production was a little less muddy and the sounds the played had a little more variety, but this had enough going for it to just barely scrape out a fourth star.
This is one of those instances where the sunmative album is greater than any one individual song.
Four stars. I don't really know what to say about it, though, that hasn't already been said about how nasty it is (particularly by Greg Dulli); good thing the tunes are so good or else it might be a bit *too* bracing.
Un disc del seu moment. Emparentat amb el grunge per l'època, però no pel seu so, rock alternatiu amb certs aires de soul. Molt del seu temps, que en el seu moment em va passar desapercebut. La fama de clàssic perdut la té ben merescuda
p709. 1993. 4 stars Accessible indy rock with distinct hints of Nirvana. Came cold to this and was pleasantly surprised. On the replay list.
This must be my week of 1993. Along with Grant Lee Buffalo, I get The Afghan Whigs, both not falling in the grunge category, amazingly. This is The Afghan Whigs' 4th album. Besides the last song, every song is about breaking up or some aspect a toxic relationship. The music and lyrics are high drama. There does not appear to be an overarching story; each song is its own story of relationship misery. Greg Dulli (lead singer) used Van Morrison's "Astral Weeks" as inspiration with each song on its own within an overall motif. I definitely see that. The lyrics are very descriptive and can be pretty vicious. Some of the Afghan Whigs' music has a soulful influence but this album, besides one song, is straight forward drama and rock. It is one of the best albums that I've heard where the lyrics and music are trying to match each other. The album is great listening to as a whole capturing the overall tone but also has great individual tunes. "Debonair" is the one sort of funky song on the album with a great, unique groove, has tremendous and vicious lyrics about being in a poisonous relationship "Cause it don't bleed, And it don't breathe, It's locked its jaws, And now it's swallowing," and is one of my favorite songs of the 90's. "Gentlemen" has a intense dramatic intro and maintains that throughout the song. "What Jail Is Like" builds the drama using the soft-loud-soft dynamic and compares the relationship to being in jail. The Afghan Whigs broke up in 2001 and reformed in 2012 and are still absolutely amazing seeing live. They have 7 studio albums all worth checking out with this probably being their best.
Brilliant rock album full angst and a intoxiticating relationship story 👍
Is it a 4 or is it a 5? I had to give it a fourth listen this morning to make sure. It definitely improves with each listen. The album depicts the anger, hurt and frustration of a couple going through a break up and it tells the story very well. It's a great album to get lost in and I love the idea that this is a contemporary version of a song cycle. It's not as good as Winterreise though! A very high 4 for me.
Alternative rock, 1993. Gentlemen starts with incredible music since the first moments of the record and that feeling gets better going through this album. Every song portrait a different vibe to enjoy and the voice matches perfectly with the instruments in all the project. Definitely in the top 20 records of the 90s and in the top 10 of its genre.
Never heard of this band or any of their songs before but I was pleasantly surprised. I was expecting more of a strictly 90s style vibe, but the album had some pretty diverse sounds. I saved My Curse and Now You Know to my Spotify.
Wow this was a ride… I have never heard of the Afghan Whigs even though I listened to my share of 90s grunge. It has a lot of the characteristics of its generation of music, but Gentlemen isn’t exactly the 90s grunge formula. The album is crafted like a movie exploring a very complicated and troubled relationship. The album ends with “Closing Prayer” - an instrumental piece that evokes the rolling of credits. So while the grinding guitars feel very 90s, this album stands out from a lot of that era’s music. The first time through I wasn’t sure I loved this, but after a second pass I really was drawn in to the story and the music. I wish I had discovered this when it was released because there sure is a lot to explore here. I’m not sure I have the energy now for this much drama often, but this album is definitely worthy of this list with a lot of depth to explore.
I didn’t always love listening to this but I found it really compelling. I found it a fairly effective take on the concept album, creating complex, troubled characters on a fucked up journey.
Decent grunge era entry. I wasn't familiar with this band or any of the songs. I'll need to give another listen to properly place it. I liked "My Curse" with guest vocalist Marcy Mays the best or at least most interesting to my ears at first listen. I can see enjoying this record but don't feel like I missed out on it back in the '90s.
Teenage angsty straightforward lyrics on music that was the bridge between grunge and alternative rock. With dark over and undertones, superb guitarriffs. A classic from the 90's
this is a good 90s rock album. like real good. the right guitar tones. a little fuzzier, but still clean and present. nice meandering solo work and riffs. big songs, big sounds. theres a misstep with a eric clapton-esque riff and a different singer? “my curse” its not a bad song it just feels out of place. other than that this is the kind of indie turned giant label rock you need. could sit with archers of lof, built to spill, pavement of the time. so much went wrong for music in the 90s. this shit kicks.
Never heard of these guys before so had no preconceptions. Not the kind of thing I’m into but this seems really solid - interesting rhythms and liking the amount of swears in there. Will try and listen to some more of their stuff.
I never really got into The Afghan Whigs when I was younger, and that was a mistake. This album is a masterpiece of the breakup genre (if such a thing exists). It hits all of the right notes for me: brooding, self-deprecating, wallowing in despair.
Tonight I go to hell For what I've done to you This ain't about regret It's when I tell the truth And once again The monster speaks Reveals his face and searches for relief A little boy is tied to you Attracted only 'til it comes unglued Great album. Tells a story in a way that most dont. 4/5
Les perruques afghanes étaient très urticantes, ce qui m'a valu de me gratter le cuir chevelu pendant toute la durée de l'album. Malgré cela, j'ai trouvé l'album excellent.