Afghan Whigs: Greg Dulli (vocals, guitar, piano); Rick McCollum (guitar); John Curley (keyboards, keyboards); Michael Horrigan (drums).
Additional personnel includes: Alex Chilton, Steve Ferrone.
Personnel: Greg Dulli (vocals, guitar, piano); Rick McCollum (guitar); Barbara Hunter (cello); John Curley (keyboards); Michael Horrigan (drums).
Audio Mixers: David Bianco; George Drakoulias.
Recording information: 544, New Orleans, LA; American Sector, New Orleans, LA; Esplanade, New Orleans, LA; London Bridge, Seattle, WA; Oce.
Photographer: Marina Chavez.
Unknown Contributor Roles: Dave Hillis; Derek DiCenzo; Mike Horrigan; Donal Logue; Samuel Venable; George Drakoulias; Jessy Green; Doug Falsetti; Steve Myers; John Curley ; Alex Chilton; Roderick Paulin; Susan Marshall; Steve Ferrone; Russell White; Christa Wells.
Though they came out of the late-'80s grunge crowd, Ohio's Afghan Whigs always seemed a little too smart for rehashed '70s metal cliches. Throughout their career, they've moved further and further away from their hard-rock roots, buoyed by the anguished lyrics of frontman Greg Dulli (who had enough vocal presence to sing Lennon's parts in the dramatized Beatles film Backbeat). Over a sonic landscape that mixes '70s R&B with seductive, timeless rock & roll hooks, Dulli spins one dysfunctional passion play after another, dredging up the ugly emotions that most people prefer to keep hidden. Dulli uses them as fuel for his artistic fire, reveling in the catharsis and connecting with those who've been there (even if they'd rather not admit it). Sax and keyboards provide a welcome variety of tone to what's still ultimately a guitar-based rock record (albeit one that shuns cliche like a chronic ailment).
Professional Reviews
Entertainment Weekly (11/6/98, p.88) - "...Merging cool-fire post-grunge into Puff Daddy quotes and symphonic blaxploitation sweep, [Greg Dulli] creates maximum premillennium tension. Yet he's also one of rock's finest lyricists: His noir vignettes read like a Jim Thompson novel, their erotic narratives expertly skewering the male psyche..." - Rating: A
Q (12/98, p.114) - 4 Stars (out of 5) - "...They deliver songs of love and lust that perfect their cartoonish worldview....all manner of background noise, shrieking brass and wandering trumpets to a chunky guitar framework..."
