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.

"What Jail is Like" redirects here. For the EP, see What Jail Is Like EP.
Gentlemen
Studio album by
The Afghan Whigs
ReleasedOctober 5, 1993
RecordedMay–June 1993
StudioArdent Studios in Memphis, Tennessee (except track 1 recorded April 1993 at Ultrasuede in Cincinnati, Ohio)
GenreAlternative rock
Length48:56
LabelElektra
ProducerGreg Dulli
The Afghan Whigs chronology
Uptown Avondale
(1992)		 Gentlemen
(1993)		 Black Love
(1996)
Singles from Gentlemen
  1. "Gentlemen"
    Released: 6 September 1993
  2. "Debonair"
    Released: February 1994
  3. "What Jail Is Like"
    Released: August 1994
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Chicago Tribune[2]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[3]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[4]
NME9/10[5]
Q[6]
Rolling Stone[7]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[8]
Select4/5[9]
The Village VoiceA−[10]

Gentlemen was remastered and reissued on October 28, 2014, in celebration of the album's 21st anniversary.

Artwork

The album cover was inspired by Nan and Brian in Bed, New York City by Nan Goldin.[11][12] In his book about Gentlemen, Gendron describes how Linda Ronstadt was allegedly furious over the album's cover.[13]

Reception and legacy

Reviewing Gentlemen in March 1994 for The Village Voice, Robert Christgau applauded the raw recording quality and wrote:

Those conflicted guitars are a direct function of the singer-writer-producer-guitarist's agonized self-exposure/-examination. If the album wears down into covers and instrumentals, that's only to signify its spiritual exhaustion. No reason to trust him--just his brain selling his ass at a higher convolution. But anyone susceptible to simpler lines, as fisherman or prey, can learn plenty. And the jaded can appreciate the clean, snakelike trajectory of the cast.[10]

The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (2010).[14]

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.[15][16] Gendron's book included extensive interviews with band members and others within Afghan Whigs' circle regarding the creation and impact of Gentlemen.[17]

Track listing

All tracks written by Greg Dulli except where noted.

  1. "If I Were Going" – 3:05
  2. "Gentlemen" – 3:54
  3. "Be Sweet" (Dulli, Rick McCollum) – 3:37
  4. "Debonair" – 4:15
  5. "When We Two Parted" (Dulli, McCollum) – 5:47
  6. "Fountain and Fairfax" – 4:21
  7. "What Jail Is Like" – 3:30
  8. "My Curse" (sung by Marcy Mays of Scrawl) – 5:45
  9. "Now You Know" – 4:10
  10. "I Keep Coming Back" (Leo Austell, Leo Graham) – 4:52
  11. "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):

  1. "Rot" (Mays, Harshe, O'Leary)
  2. "Fountain and Fairfax"
  3. "Keep Coming Back" (Austell, Graham)
  4. "Tonight"

Reissue

A 21st-anniversary reissue of the album, entitled Gentlemen at 21, was released on October 28, 2014.[18]

Personnel

References
  1. Raggett, Ned. "Gentlemen – The Afghan Whigs". AllMusic. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  2. Kot, Greg (October 28, 1993). "Turmoil Time". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  3. Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-85712-595-8.
  4. Sinclair, Tom (October 1, 1993). "Gentlemen". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  5. "The Afghan Whigs: Gentlemen". NME: 39. October 9, 1993.
  6. "The Afghan Whigs: Gentlemen". Q (119): 132. August 1996.
  7. Diehl, Matt (January 24, 1994). "Afghan Whigs: Gentlemen". Rolling Stone (674). Archived from the original on April 24, 2009. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  8. 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.
  9. Perry, Andrew (November 1993). "Afghan Whigs: Gentlemen". Select (41): 86.
  10. Christgau, Robert (March 1, 1994). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved May 7, 2011.
  11. Higgins, Reese (2012-09-28). "Interview with The Afghan Whigs' Greg Dulli - Arts Desk". Washingtoncitypaper.com. Retrieved 2014-04-17.
  12. "The Collection | Nan Goldin. Nan and Brian in Bed, New York City. 1983". MoMA. Retrieved 2014-04-17.
  13. Breen, Mike (9 October 2008). "The Last Word on The Afghan Whigs' Gentlemen". CityBeat. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
  14. 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.
  15. Citybeat
  16. "MTV Hive". Archived from the original on 2012-04-18. Retrieved 2014-04-17.
  17. Paste Magazine
  18. Minsker, Evan (8 September 2014). "The Afghan Whigs to Reissue Gentlemen, Tour". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
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