Congregation

Afghan Whigs | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 31, 1992)
• Original Release Date: January 28, 1992
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sub Pop
• ASIN: B0000035F3
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #108,854 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

AFGHAN WHIGS Congregation (1992 US Sub Pop 11-track CD album. The grunge eras most overlooked masterpiece Congregation was the Afghan Whigs breakthrough album an incendiary and insidious set which bridges the gap between the noisy aggressionof the bands early releases and the soulful swagger of their later work. Naked mother and child picture sleeve SP130B)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great parent album to Gentlemen, January 7, 2003

By 

Jason Panella (Beaver Falls, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Congregation (Audio CD)

Congregation is the definite bridge between the proto-hard rock from Up In It and the seminal Gentlemen, a mixture of driving distortion and soulful swagger.

Their musical chops increased greatly since their last album, the Whigs lay down track after track of intoxicating songwriting. Not every track is great, but even the lesser songs are stunning in one way or another.

Here are some examples. "I'm Her Slave" is just classic Whigs: catchy, abrasive, and well-written. "Turn on the Water" follows this, and can't match up to the intensity of the previous track, but still has an amazing bridge section and something is just captivating about guitarist Rick McCollum's use of the wah pedal on the verses.

"Conjure Me" employs the standard Greg Dulli self-loathing/me-vs.-her lyrics, all the while Steve Earle lays down a frantic drum track and McCollum's provides some rapid slide guitar. "Kiss the Floor" has one of the coolest guitar riffs the Whigs have ever used, and the title track and the cover of "The Temple" from Jesus Christ Superstar are both highly entertaining.

Still, there are a few awkward moments. The chorus on "Dedicate It" comes without warning, which isn't bad, but sounds out of place. The same goes for the chorus of "Kiss the Floor," which throws off the previously mentioned guitar line. Finally, the hidden track, "Milez is Dead," is a good song per se, but would fair a little bit better if it were cut in length.

Overall, this is a near-perfect album, a great stylistic balance between Gentlemen and Up In It. While Gentlemen may be a great place to start for the newcomer, Congregation is a good back-up plan. Two thumbs up.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a signpost on the way to gentlemen, August 3, 2004

By 

Davy (Athens, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Congregation (Audio CD)

a few years before this album was dropped, the afghan whigs were new label sub pop's biggest name, their hot new band, their pride and joy. and _congregation_ was to be the fruition of that promise, the biggest underground album of the year, and so on and so forth. then a little band called nirvana came along. so much for the whigs. luckily, they signed to elektra after this and made their true masterpiece, _gentlemen_, which everyone who loves rock music should own. this, well, this album is no _gentlemen_, but it is nice in that it shows the band at their most rocking, before they took their classic soul influences and made them known. it's also the breaking-out party for greg dulli, who was finding his voice as a commentator on depression and sex and the sexy depression and depressed sex and the depressing chasm that separates the sexes.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding work, diverges from the "mainstream" alternative, November 18, 1998

By 

Robert Owen (Alexandria, Va) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Congregation (Audio CD)

The Afghan Whigs, like other great bands, take a while to get used to. Their brand of music mixes the wall of sound technique of a Catherine Wheel with rhythmic piano. Not many alternative bands use piano on anything other than whimsical ballads to make a few bucks. Not here. This band manages to intertwine the piano play with excellent rock music. There are six or seven outstanding tracks on this CD. It is raw, cutting, and riveting to listen to and will undoubtedly have you quickly wanting more from this band.