Gentlemen (album)
Gentlemen is the fourth studio album by American alternative rock band The Afghan Whigs. It was released in October 1993 on Elektra Records/Sub Pop in America and Blast First in England, and was produced by Greg Dulli.
Gentlemen | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | October 5, 1993 | |||
Recorded | May–June 1993 | |||
Studio | Ardent Studios in Memphis, Tennessee (except track 1 recorded April 1993 at Ultrasuede in Cincinnati, Ohio) | |||
Genre | Alternative rock | |||
Length | 48:56 | |||
Label | Elektra | |||
Producer | Greg Dulli | |||
The Afghan Whigs chronology | ||||
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Singles from Gentlemen | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | |
Chicago Tribune | |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | |
Entertainment Weekly | B+[4] |
NME | 9/10[5] |
Q | |
Rolling Stone | |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | |
Select | 4/5[9] |
The Village Voice | A−[10] |
Gentlemen was remastered and reissued on October 28, 2014, in celebration of the album's 21st anniversary.
33⅓ Book
In 2008, writer Bob Gendron published a critical and scholarly exploration of The Afghan Whigs' Gentlemen as part of the 33⅓ music book series exploring influential albums from pop history.[11][12] Gendron's book included extensive interviews with band members and others within Afghan Whigs' circle regarding the creation and impact of Gentlemen.[13]
Artwork
The album cover was inspired by Nan and Brian in Bed, New York City by Nan Goldin.[14][15] In his book about Gentlemen, Gendron describes how Linda Ronstadt was allegedly furious over the album's cover.[16]
Legacy
The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[17]
Track listing
All tracks written by Greg Dulli except where noted.
- "If I Were Going" – 3:05
- "Gentlemen" – 3:54
- "Be Sweet" (Dulli, Rick McCollum) – 3:37
- "Debonair" – 4:15
- "When We Two Parted" (Dulli, McCollum) – 5:47
- "Fountain and Fairfax" – 4:21
- "What Jail Is Like" – 3:30
- "My Curse" (sung by Marcy Mays of Scrawl) – 5:45
- "Now You Know" – 4:10
- "I Keep Coming Back" (Leo Austell, Leo Graham) – 4:52
- "Brother Woodrow/Closing Prayer" – 5:40
An LP version of the album also included a bonus 12" vinyl limited edition containing the following 4 tracks, originally recorded for a radio session (Goodier Session, BBC Radio 1):
- "Rot" (Mays, Harshe, O'Leary)
- "Fountain and Fairfax"
- "Keep Coming Back" (Austell, Graham)
- "Tonight"
Reissue
A 21st-anniversary reissue of the album, entitled Gentlemen at 21, was released on October 28, 2014.[18]
Personnel
- Greg Dulli – vocals, rhythm guitar, producer
- Rick McCollum – lead guitar
- John Curley – bass, engineer
- Steve Earle – drums
- Harold Chichester – piano, mellotron
- Barb Hunter – cello
- Marcy Mays – vocals on "My Curse"
- Jody Stephens – back vocals on "Now You Know"
- Jeff Powell, John Hampton – engineer
- Jeffrey Reed – assistant engineer
- Billy Phelps – photography
References
- Raggett, Ned. "Gentlemen – The Afghan Whigs". AllMusic. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
- Kot, Greg (October 28, 1993). "Turmoil Time". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
- Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-85712-595-8.
- Sinclair, Tom (October 1, 1993). "Gentlemen". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
- "The Afghan Whigs: Gentlemen". NME: 39. October 9, 1993.
- "The Afghan Whigs: Gentlemen". Q (119): 132. August 1996.
- Diehl, Matt (January 24, 1994). "Afghan Whigs: Gentlemen". Rolling Stone (674). Archived from the original on April 24, 2009. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
- Gross, Joe (2004). "Afghan Whigs". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 9–10. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- Perry, Andrew (November 1993). "Afghan Whigs: Gentlemen". Select (41): 86.
- Christgau, Robert (March 1, 1994). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved May 7, 2011.
- Citybeat
- "MTV Hive". Archived from the original on 2012-04-18. Retrieved 2014-04-17.
- Paste Magazine
- Higgins, Reese (2012-09-28). "Interview with The Afghan Whigs' Greg Dulli - Arts Desk". Washingtoncitypaper.com. Retrieved 2014-04-17.
- "The Collection | Nan Goldin. Nan and Brian in Bed, New York City. 1983". MoMA. Retrieved 2014-04-17.
- Breen, Mike (9 October 2008). "The Last Word on The Afghan Whigs' Gentlemen". CityBeat. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
- Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (23 March 2010). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 978-0-7893-2074-2.
- Minsker, Evan (8 September 2014). "The Afghan Whigs to Reissue Gentlemen, Tour". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 25 November 2014.