Search - Afghan Whigs :: Unbreakable: A Retrospective 1990-2006

Impeccable overview of Afghan Whigs

Paul Allaer | Cincinnati | 06/10/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Afghan Whigs were one of the critically revered bands on the alternative/grunge 1990s scene. After singer-songwriter Greg Dulli decided to hang it up in 2001, it's taken 6 more years for a comprehensive compilation of their work.



"Unbreakable: A Retrospective 1990-2006" (18 tracks; 76 min.) rightfully focuses on the band's 2 essential albums, 1993's "Gentlemen" and 1998's "1965", which are both represented by 4 tracks here. "Debonair" (from "Gentlemen") is on here of course, the closest the band ever came to mainstream success, and the band's signature song. "Be Sweet", "What Jail Is Like" and "Gentleman" are also included from the "Gentlemen" album. "1965" is represented by the single "Going To Town", "Crazy", "66" and the other single/EP "What Jail Is Like". The band's seminal Motown cover "Come See About Me" remains as fresh as ever. The controversial/difficult 1996 album "Black Love" is conveniently shoved all the way to the back of the compilation, with 3 songs on the last third of the compilation. There are also 2 new songs: the excellent "I'm A Soldier", and the pensive "Magazine", both recorded last year in a one-off reunion studio session. (Greg Dulli has made it clear that there are no further reunion plans.)



In all, this is a terrific overview of/introduction to the Afghan Whigs. It still boggles me to this day why the Whigs never broke through big-time in the 90s. They are just as good as, say, Pearl Jam, but for whatever reason it never happened. I hope this compilation will earn them renewed interest in their music. And I cannot omit the fact that the Whigs hail from Cincinnati, and are one of the best bands to hail from our city, ever... Greg Dulli has gone on to create great music with the Twilight Singers, so check them out if you are not familiar with them yet.



Last but not least, the compilation comes with great liner notes and background information on the band's history and legacy, another great job by the folks at Rhino, which issued this. In all, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!"

Absolutely Fantastic

D. M. Simpson | THE PACIFIC NW | 06/17/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Actually, "Going To Town" and "What Jail Is Like" are NOT on the album 1965 as suggested below. The former is on Black Love, the latter on Gentlemen. The other two tracks that hail from 1965 are "John The Baptist" and "Uptown Again". Also, a great many hardcore Whigs fans will tell you that the "difficult" Black Love is their favorite AW spin (myself included). This retrospective's two ending cuts, "Crime Scene Part One" and "Faded" are the bookends to that wonderful album and are presented here as an exclamation-point mini-suite encore to Greg Dulli's dream live set. He did, in fact, do exactly that at the helm of his Twilight Singers live in '04...



Amazing stuff here - fans will always quibble about the tracklistings of compilations, but this is a superb look back at perhaps the most underrated band of all time. Super selection of songs hand-picked by Greg and bassist John Curley. Outstanding packaging by Rhino with nice liner notes and cool rare photographs from throughout the band's run. If this is your introduction to the Afghan Whigs, congratulations. I envy you. After you round out your AW collection take a nice, long pull from Greg Dulli's Twilight Singers and Rick McCollum's Moon Maan. You will not be disappointed!"

Duli & the Whigs Offer a Tease

B. Holtzapple | Harrisburg, PA | 09/12/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Perhaps it was time... a solid 9 years since the last Afghan Whigs album was released, Rhino issues this retrospective. The subtitle of this compilation (A Retrospective: 1990-2006) is a bit misleading, considering that Whigs haven't played together for years now, splitting part after the release of "1966," citing geographical distances and side-projects as the primary reasons.



Sure, a one-off studio "reunion" resulted in the two new tracks found here; but it only serves to wet the pallette (not quench the thirst) for a full-on brand-new Whigs album and, god willing, a tour.



But alas, we the fans cannot be so lucky. It's been nearly 10 years since I saw them last, shortly before they split. They were every bit as brilliant and exciting (and loud) live. Maybe someday Greg & the boys will pull a "Sting" and take the Whigs back on the road. Until that day, we are left with only a shoebox full of memories from the 90's.



And you could do worse for a "shoebox" than Rhino's Whigs Retrospective. It includes most of the stronger, more readily-accessible Whigs songs. Oddly this is not a collection of singles, per se, but a little of everything spanning their years on Sub-Pop and EMI. Of course one disc just isn't enough room for all the great works of art the Whigs put down on wax back-in-the-day.



The inclusion of two new studio tracks is sure to get the aging fans to buy this (it worked for me). Too bad there wasn't more unreleased or rare material here (I have yet to track down their old "Big Top" demo/EP released prior to their signing with Sub-Pop). A collection of B-sides would've made a nice second bonus disc. Oh well, more to wish for in later releases.



For the uninitiated:



The Whigs association with the Sub-Pop label (the house that made Nirvana famous) and their brief skyrocket-to-stardom in 1993 (during the height of the flannel era) mistakenly pegged them as "grunge," when this couldn't be more off-base. With the possible exception of their first album, the Whigs distinguished themselves from the 120Minutes pack with the heavy and inescapable influences of Mid-West blues, East-Coast Soul, Motown R&B, and even gospel music. The Whig's didn't just create hard-edged rock; listen on and you'll find dancable grooves and a slither that underpins all the tunes.



Regardless of what his fans or detractors may say, "Big Fat" Greg Duli remains a unique voice in modern music. Not just the tone of his smoke and whiskey-soaked vocal chords, but also the sultry swagger and contrary vulnerability of his lyrics and their delivery all serve to define a very complicated post-modern view of masculinity and sexuality. Duli oozes "cool" in a way that just isn't seen these days (like a 70's action star... think Steve McQueen with a Marshall Stack). The Afghan Whigs was Duli's vehicle for growth in the last decade. In the new milenium, Duli has stretched out even more with his on-again/off-again, rotating line-ups of the Twilight Singers.



I'm not sure how many "casual" Whigs listeners are out there... too few, I would guess. Or maybe those who "know" quickly cease to be "casual" about the Whigs and instead happily plunge into full-blown fan-dom. But if you're one of newcomers, this is a great place to start. When you're done listening to this Retrospective, make sure to work your way through the Whigs' back-catalogue, starting with "Gentlemen" and moving backwards or forwards. I promise, you won't be disappointed.







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