Formed in Cincinnati in 1986, Greg Dulli (vocals, rhythm guitar), Rick McCollum (lead guitar), John Curley (bass), and Steve Earle (drums -- not to be confused with country musician Steve Earle) .
In 1988, they released their debut album Big Top Halloween on their own Ultrasuede label. The album caught the attention and imagination of the independent music community and the band soon signed to Sub Pop of Seattle in 1989. Sub Pop's signing of the Afghan Whigs created quite a stir at the time as they were the first non-Northwestern U.S. band to record for the label.
In 1990, their first Sub Pop release Up in It was released; the blistering pace and yowling, effects-heavy guitars on tracks like "White Trash Party" gave no hint of the stylistic about-face to come. It was followed by a limited edition single released by No.6 Records under the name The Ornament.
With the critically acclaimed 1992 album Congregation and a limited covers EP, Uptown Avondale, the band adopted what would become their signature soul-influenced sound.
Soon the Afghan Whigs signed to a major label, Elektra Records, and in 1993 released another critically acclaimed album, Gentlemen. Although the singles “Debonair” and “Gentlemen” were fairly popular, the album failed to launch the band into the mainstream.
Beside regular appearances on MTV's playlists, their track "Fountain and Fairfax" also appeared on the television series My So-Called Life in 1994.
Despite personnel problems interfering with recording and touring, 1996 saw the band release the noir-influenced Black Love (the album featured Paul Buchignani on drums in place of Steve Earle). Although the main subject matter in previous releases were liquor-drenched obsession, secrets and misery, Black Love was a step into a more dark, even seedier and complex side of Dulli’s persona.
In 1996, Greg Dulli served as executive producer for the soundtrack for the Ted Demme film Beautiful Girls. the Afghan Whigs appeared in the film as a bar band and contributed two songs to the soundtrack (Frederick Knight’s "Be For Real" and Barry White's "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe").
In 1998, the Afghan Whigs released their 6th album, 1965, on Columbia Records (Michael Horrigan, former Love Cowboys bassist replaced Buchignani). The album saw the band on inspired form. Sadly, it was the band's last full-length album of original material.
Despite reports that the band had started work on their 7th album, the Afghan Whigs announced their split in 2001, citing the strain of geographic distance between members as the reason.
In 2006, the Afghan Whigs temporarily reunited. The ‘1965’ lineup (Dulli, McCollum, Curley, Horrigan) recorded two new tracks ("I’m A Soldier" and "Magazine") which are featured on their retrospective titled Unbreakable (A Retrospective) which was released in June 2007.
In December 2011, the band announced that it would be appearing at All Tomorrow's Parties' renowned I'll Be Your Mirror festival on May 25-27, 2012 in London, England. As well, Dulli will serve as the curator, and the Whigs the headliner, for ATP's stateside edition on September 22nd, 2012 in Asbury Park, New Jersey; further dates continue to be announced, including major summer-festival headlining spots at Spain's Primavera, among others. Drummer Cully Symington (Okkervil River, Gutter Twins) and multi-instrumentalist Rick Nelson (Polyphonic Spree, Twilight Singers) will join Curley, Dulli, and McCollum for all shows, which will feature songs from the entire span of the Afghan Whigs repertoire, along with a few new surprises and songs never before played live.
These developments provided both surprise and relief for the group's members. "The pressure is really nonexistent, because we're playing songs that we've already completed - that we already know," Dulli says. "Those songs still resonate with me; in fact, they have always resonated with me. I imagine there will be people who never saw the band before, too, and that's exciting." "It will be nice to experience the Whigs again as a grown-up," jokes Curley. "In my mind, the Whigs were a live band above anything else. Playing shows always was our favorite part about being in the band, and the times when we felt the most freedom and release. I missed playing at that level; I missed playing the songs that we wrote, that meant so much to people - and to us." (from www.theafghanwhigs.com History). In 2014 they released "Do to the Beast" and performed in Ireland, Israel, and the U.S.
Algiers
Afghan Whigs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Still I was a slave, waiting to be saved
Dream, the body sleeps but I
Am not to proud to roll
On the back streets
So, so simple when you know
You'll know this when it's time to go
Strange, the sooner you leave behind
Lonely as you sold paradise
Scream, the body leaves the bone
To sit upon the throne
A better waits for life
Dream, dream your sins away
Sing your dreams away
Your holding back, still holding back Algier
Huh
Say you love me tonight
Save you love for me tonight
And I feel you now
I lie awake on the way of love
And I feel
But I
Heavenly demons outside my window
Sent here to see me outside this world
I call the shadow, you call the season
That's all it takes, woo ooo
The lyrics of "Algiers" by the Afghan Whigs contain themes of loneliness, desire, and the struggle to break free from the chains of the past. The song is told from the perspective of someone who feels trapped and is longing for a way out, but is also unwilling to fully let go of what they know. The opening lines, "Flamed, the time when nearly changed / Still I was a slave, waiting to be saved," suggest a sense of urgency and impending transformation, yet the singer is still waiting for an external force to come and rescue them rather than taking control of their own life.
Throughout the song, there are references to dreaming, sleeping, and the body leaving the bone, which could symbolize a desire to leave behind the limitations of the physical world and transcend to a higher level of consciousness. However, the line "Your holding back, still holding back Algier" suggests that despite these longings, the singer is still holding onto something from their past, represented by "Algier" (which could refer to the city of Algiers in Algeria or be a metaphor for a person or idea).
The chorus, which repeats the lines "Say you love me tonight / Save you love for me tonight," hints at a deep sense of longing for someone or something that may not be attainable. The final lines of the song, "Heavenly demons outside my window / Sent here to see me outside this world / I call the shadow, you call the season / That's all it takes," are cryptic and open to interpretation. They may suggest a sense of being caught between worlds, or the idea that the singer's desires and fears are playing out in some kind of supernatural realm.
Line by Line Meaning
Flamed, the time when nearly changed
The time was almost up and things were about to change drastically.
Still I was a slave, waiting to be saved
Despite knowing that change was coming, the singer felt powerless and trapped.
Dream, the body sleeps but I
Am not too proud to roll
On the back streets
The singer is willing to do whatever it takes to get ahead, even if it means scrapping and struggling in the less savory parts of town.
So, so simple when you know
You'll know this when it's time to go
Once you understand the true nature of things, it becomes clear what actions to take in order to survive.
Strange, the sooner you leave behind
Lonely as you sold paradise
It's odd how the further you get from your original goals, the more isolated you can feel, even if you thought you were living the dream.
Scream, the body leaves the bone
To sit upon the throne
A better waits for life
Through hard work and determination, you can achieve a higher status in life and live in more comfortable circumstances.
Dream, dream your sins away
Sing your dreams away
Your holding back, still holding back Algier
Through artistic expression and escapism, you can temporarily forget about your problems and live in a dream world. However, you can't keep running forever and must eventually face reality.
Say you love me tonight
Save your love for me tonight
And I feel you now
I lie awake on the way of love
And I feel
But I
The artist is struggling to connect with someone they care about and is feeling painfully alone.
Heavenly demons outside my window
Sent here to see me outside this world
I call the shadow, you call the season
That's all it takes, woo ooo
The artist is battling their inner demons and trying to understand their place in the world. They're hoping to find a connection with someone else who can help them find meaning and purpose in life.
Lyrics © Hipgnosis Songs Group
Written by: GREG DULLI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind