Gentlemen

Afghan Whigs | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 5, 1993)
• Original Release Date: October 5, 1993
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Elektra / Wea
• ASIN: B000002HD5
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (69 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #26,732 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

GENTLEMEN is a rare thing in rock music, a "concept album" so personal and painful that listening to it gives the impression of being privy to something that should never have been made public. Greg Dulli's lyrics about male inadequacies and overcompensation ring with uncontainable self-hatred and loathing. The shifting of emotions--from the brittle and internal to the brutal and external--forms the basis for the stagnancy and decay of the male/female relationships describedhere. Opening with a claustrophobic swirl, "If I Were Going" sets the mood, a warm bassline picking at the scabs of Dulli's cracked intonation ("It's all a lie, it's nearly dead, it's in our hope, baby, it's in our bed"). Taking cues from blues, soul, and rock, the Whigs crank out a hybrid 'alternative' sound borne on the scorching guitars of Rick McCollum.After the summation of "Bit into a rotten one now, didn't you?" ("Now You Know") and "I Keep Coming Back," a cover of the Tyrone Davies soul classic, the instrumental "Brother Woodrow/Closing Prayer" adds violin and piano to the mix, finally offering a reprieve from the Whigs' poisonous psychic exorcism. Though not a record to listen to often, GENTLEMEN is a stunning achievement. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic and Heartbreaking Album, October 15, 2005

By 

Etc "et cetera" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gentlemen (Audio CD)

This is about as emotionally intense as it gets. Apart from Dylan's classic album "Blood on the Tracks," I can think of no other record that so perfectly encompasses the bitterness and beauty of heartbreak.

There's a venom that lines the music and lyrics, and everything is is almost masochistically brutal and occasionally just nasty. It's dirty and raw, and filled with an honesty that music rarely has the guts to even try to emote.

This is not some angst-ridden whining that typifies what music today offers up for expression. This is a portrait of the brutality that simultaneously tortures and enriches relationships. Loaded with malice, bitterness, insight, guilt, pennance, and love, Gentlemen is a seminal work that feels as though it's always been there. It's a soundtrack to your pain, and it aggressively forces you to confront yourself. As another reviewer put it, this album is something of a confessional, and it is hard to not identify with it, as harrowing as it can be to do so.

When Sub Pop was making it's big push, the two bands they were placing their bets on were The Afghan Whigs and Nirvana. I guess it's obvious that Nirvana "won" that contest, and while there are commonalities between the bands (and I would say that the Whigs deserve a bit more public acclaim than they have recieved), Nirvana never created anything as naked as this album. There's nothing obtuse about this; it's as straight forward and 'in your face' as rock music can be.

If you're already a fan, I would also recommend hunting down the "What Jail is Like EP," which features some of the best cover songs ever... namely the cover of The Assponies "Mr. Superlove;" which belongs up there alongside the soaring accomplishments of Gentlemen.

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hotter than Cincinnati Chili!, July 28, 2000

By 

Thornton F. Cole "evilsailor9" (Chicago or an airport near you) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gentlemen (Audio CD)

The pride of Ohio's River Mecca, the Whigs let it all hang out on this stellar SubPop (Nirvana, Mark Lanegan, Sprinkler) release. The unbelievable bravado of frontman Greg Dulli is matched only by the funkiest bandmates since Morris Day's The Time. Touchingly depraved running the gammut from drug abuse to sexual orneryness, this album has it all. An AP top 100 Alternative Album, this record is a must own for any serious devotee of indie style rock. One listen to the painful and truthful strains of "Be Sweet" or the addiction anthem "Fountain and Fairfax" and anyone who has been out all night in the last decade will be sold. The Whigs clearly studied the Rolling Stones, Curtis Mayfield, Prince, Husker Du and Gang of Four because never has their been a rag tag bunch of loveable hooligans to find the funk, blues, alt-rock and timing of this band. And they love fellow Cincinnati bad-boy Pete Rose, the only person in Ohio who could probably outlast 'em at the bar of your local strip club. An amazing record. Check out some of their other stellar releases, including "Congregation", "Up In It", "1965" and the rocking "Black Love."

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best of the best, July 14, 2002

By 

Michelle Detwiler "TeacherLady" (Northeast OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gentlemen (Audio CD)

You must own this. There are few things in this world as rare and beautiful as the Afghan Whigs, and this album portrays the band in its finest moment. So tight, loud, passionate and absolutely, painfully brilliant, this was one of the top albums of the 1990s. From Greg Dulli's impassioned vocals and swaggering, cocky lyrics, to the swirling dervish guitar/bass/drums combo of Curley, McCollom and Earle, "Gentlemen" is by far the most modern testament to the torturous pain of relationships gone bad. The magnificent "My Curse," with Dulli's lyrics and Marcy Mays' cameo vocals, softens the machismo at the disc's climax, but the boys triumphantly come back with the searing "Now You Know," placing blame where it's due and twisting the post-break-up knife deeper. To smooth things over, Greg lends his voice to the classic "I keep coming back." Mere words can't describe the brilliance of "Gentlemen." Just buy it. Then go buy "Black Love," the disc that followed this one. And listen to it loud.