Uptown Avondale [EP]

Afghan Whigs

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 9, 1999)
• Original Release Date: 1992
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: EP
• Label: Sub Pop
• ASIN: B000008CPZ
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #116,044 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great collection of covers, January 7, 2003

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

This EP, their last recording for the label Sub Pop, is comprised of four classic R&B covers, plus a remix of their "hidden" track from the album Congregation (called "Milez is Dead" there, "Rebirth of the Cool" here).

The EP opens with the sizzling "Band of Gold," the classic Freda Payne tune. The Whigs have a tendency to redo all of their covers in a minor key, and this fact, accompanied by the howl of Greg Dulli and Rick McCollum's guitars, make this unforgetable. "True Love Travels on a Gravel Road" is absolutely haunting, turning the Elvis Presley song into a melancholy- bordering on morose- piece. The cornerstone of the EP, though, is the cover of the Supremes' "Come See About Me." I can't really describe it, but it's one of the few covers which I think is on par with the original (which is an excellent song to begin with).

The album begins to wind down with Al Green's "Beware," a great, if slightly haphazard tune. This track immediately heads into the only real downside to Uptown Avondale: the remix of "Rebirth of the Cool." It drags on much too long (a problem plaguing the original), and the percussive dance beats and vocal shifting downplay the rage embodied in the original.

Uptown Avondale is a great collection of covers, and one fairly decent remix. This is an excellent recording of the Whigs paying homage to the R&B roots they embraced.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A terrific collection of songs from the Afghan Whigs, June 9, 1999

By A Customer

With this collection of covers, The Afghan Whigs have once again proven that they can take any song and make it their own. From the soft crooning on "True Love Travels On a Gravel Road," to the aching modern day update of "Come See About Me," singer Greg Dulli and the band successfully introduce classics to a new audience. The one original "Milez Is Dead" has been re-mixed and gets under your skin and becomes addictive. Yet another must have Whigs release, absolutely nothing compares to this band.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Overlooked in the Whigs' Catalogue, January 17, 2004

By	Paul Allaer (Cincinnati) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

"Uptown Avondale" is the last of the Whigs' releases on Sub Pop, and while somewhat of an oddity compared to the rest of their albums, it nevertheless is a great addition, and generally overlooked.

"Uptown Avondale" (5 tracks, 21 min.) contains 4 R&B covers and one Greg Dulli song. The best covers here are Freda Payne's "Band of Gold" and the Supremes' "Come See About Me". If you didn't think that grunge-meets-motown can sound gorgeous, the Whigs prove it right here. The only Dulli tune is the 6 min. "Rebirth of the Cool", which made me think of the Stone Roses' "Fool's Gold", another classic song.

This EP may not be "essential" in the Whigs' catalogue, but it contains some really great songs. BUY IT!

(Incidentally, in case you wonder about the title of the EP, "Uptown Avondale" refers to a neighborhood in Cincinnati, which of course was the home base of the Whigs for most of their 15 or so years.)