Gentlemen is the fourth studio album by the alternative rock band the Afghan Whigs. It was recorded primarily at Ardent Studios in Memphis, with the band’s frontman Greg Dulli producing, and released on October 5, 1993, by Elektra Records.
Written by Dulli on tour for the band’s 1992 album Congregation, Gentlemen is composed as a troubling song cycle that follows a toxic relationship as it ends. Noted for Dulli‘s grimly acerbic lyrics and influences from soul music, it is considered by critics to be the Afghan Whigs‘ greatest record, an essential release from the 1990s, and among the best-written breakup albums. The album was remastered in deluxe format for its 21st anniversary and covered extensively in a dedicated volume of the 33⅓ music book series.
Tracklist:
- If I Were Going
- Gentlemen
- Be Sweet (Dulli, Rick McCollum)
- Debonair
- When We Two Parted (Dulli, McCollum)
- Fountain and Fairfax
- What Jail Is Like
- My Curse
- Now You Know
- I Keep Coming Back (Leo Austell, Leo Graham)
- Brother Woodrow/Closing Prayer
Credits:
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
