Congregation (The Afghan Whigs album)

After forming in 1986 in Cincinnati, The Afghan Whigs—vocalist and rhythm guitarist Greg Dulli, bassist John Curley, lead guitarist Rick McCollum, and drummer Steve Earle—released their 1988 debut album Big Top Halloween on an independent record label and gained the attention of Seattle-based label Sub Pop. With their second album Up in It (1990) released on the label, the band toured regularly in the United States for two years and occasionally in Europe before recording Congregation. While collectively interested in classic rock, the band members had other individual tastes, including McCollum's interest in free jazz, experimental, and Indian music, and Dulli's love of hip hop, soul, and funk, particularly Motown artists and Prince. which depicted a nude black woman sitting on a blanket with a white baby held in her arms. == Recording and production ==

, pictured center left in 1992 alongside the band's bassist, John Curley. The Afghan Whigs began recording the album in July 1991. Dulli later said that while he was "stranded in L.A. ... Nirvana saved the whole fuckin' label". September 28, 1991. He received two messages on his answering machine from music executive David Katznelson, the first providing directions to a cookout and the second informing Dulli that Davis had died, saying that "Miles is dead. Don't forget the alcohol." Dulli incorporated Katznelson's line as a lyric and, with a guitar riff from Rick McCollum, hastily recorded "Miles Iz Ded", which was included as a hidden track on the album. == Music ==

The album expands on the aggressive sound of the band's previous work with refined musical details and occasionally slower songs. In The Rough Guide to Rock (2003), music journalist Alex Ogg writes that The Afghan Whigs were "managing to balance volume with subtlety" amid the burgeoning grunge music scene. The album's music incorporates heavy counterpoint rhythms, indie rock harmonics, wah-wah and slide guitars, Chicago Tribune writer Brad Webber compares its melodies to those of "later Hüsker Dü". The album's rock sound is complemented by a predominant soul influence. According to The Vinyl District writer Joseph Neff, on Congregation, the Afghan Whigs expand on contemporary alternative and indie rock with an integrated dimension of R&B, soul, and funk. Magic magazine's Christophe Basterra characterizes the resulting music as "The Four Tops appropriating 'Search and Destroy' by Iggy & the Stooges". Dulli wrote the song in an attempt to deviate from the aesthetic of Sub Pop, who he felt discouraged its acts from recording slow songs. He cites writing the song as the moment he began having faith in himself as a songwriter. "Conjure Me", and "Turn On the Water" incorporate funk influences and wah-wah guitar. "Tonight" features bluesy acoustic guitar. In Stereogum writer Peter Helman's analysis, Congregation debuts the predominance of Dulli's "leviathan libido" over an album-length work, avoiding the multi-layer metaphors of classic rock-inspired contemporaries such as Eddie Vedder and instead expressing emotions in an R&B style: "Artists like the Supremes, the Temptations, and even the Four Tops often wrote songs that seethed with domestic drama and pent-up sexual energy." Dulli's baritone vocals throughout the album are moaningly husky and feature falsetto wails. David Sprague of the Trouser Press calls Congregation a "strangely flamboyant" album that showcases "Dulli's metamorphosis from everypunk wallflower to rakish scoundrel with a heart of glass." "I'm Her Slave" is a heroin anecdote with lyrics narrated by a subjugate lover. Inspired by a paranoid breakup, "This Is My Confession" has a theme of absolution, "Let Me Lie to You" has lyrics expressing passive cruelty and subtle manipulation. == Marketing ==

Congregation was released by Sub Pop on January 31, 1992, and distributed by Caroline Records, "Conjure Me" was released in May as a 7-inch single backed with the Afghan Whigs' cover of the 1965 Supremes song "My World Is Empty Without You".—and received rotation on MTV. The Afghan Whigs promoted the album with an appearance on MTV and an international tour with dates in major American cities and Europe. During their shows, the Afghan Whigs interspersed R&B songs in their set list, including an interpolation of The Spinners' 1972 song "I'll Be Around" during "Turn On the Water". The band's extensive touring for the album helped them garner a larger audience, although the album did not impact the Billboard charts. It was reissued in September 1998. == Critical reception and legacy ==

Congregation was met with highly positive reviews from critics. while Brad Webber of the Chicago Tribune found the album more accessible to listeners than contemporary Seattle or Minneapolis-based, guitar-oriented grunge bands. Additionally, Webber said the Afghan Whigs are "on rock's cutting edge" while stirring "a torrent of emotions on neatly paced songs". Option was less impressed, appreciating the record's "sheer listenability", "clear recording and dynamic performances", but criticizing Dulli's lyrics and the band's cover of "The Temple". Melody Maker ranked Congregation at number 25 on its year-end best albums for 1992. With the album's critical acclaim and the band's steady touring, the Afghan Whigs attained a cult following and was courted by several major labels who wanted to sign them. Frustrated with the distribution limitation of a small record label, Dulli cites it as "the record where we came into our own". Melody Maker dubbed it "the finest rock LP of the decade" and commented that it is "nothing less than rock raping pop, a ferocious deflowering of Motown's romantic ideal". With Congregation, Stephanie Benson of Rhapsody found the band to be "crucial to the birth of '90s alternative rock." Polish webzine Screenagers ranked it number 79 on its 2004 list of the Top 100 Albums of the '90s. Italian music journalists Eddy Cilìa and Federico Guglielmi included Congregation in their 2010 book on essential rock albums. == Track listing ==

All songs were produced by Greg Dulli and Ross Ian Stein. == Personnel ==

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes. The Afghan Whigs • John Curley – bass, photography, vocals • Greg Dulli – producer, rhythm guitar, vocals • Steve Earle – drums • Rick McCollum – guitar, vocals Additional personnel • Miss Ruby Belle – vocals • Larry Brewer – engineer, second engineer • Chris Cuffaro – photography • Caroline De Vita – design • Lance Ellison – piano, vocals • D.A. Fleischer – photography • Jane Higgins – design • Rick and Bubba – vocals • Jack Skinner – mastering • Shawn Smith – background vocals, vocals • Ross Ian Stein – engineer, producer • Shecky Stein – piano == References ==