Part II: (Not Just) A Little Bit of Soul: The Recordings

Discographies

1. John Dunlevy's magisterial discography is available at http://homepage.interaccess.com/~dunl/AW.discog.c

The Albums and the Major EPs

1. Big Top Halloween (Ultrasuede Records, 1988).
   • Long out of print. The band avoids discussing this record, unless directly asked. Only about 2,000 copies were pressed, and the band reportedly is still holding onto 100-200 copies. (Also see Part I, "Cherished Myths.")
   • The songs "Big Top Halloween," "Sammy," and "In My Town" are currently included on the current CD pressing of Up In It.
2. Up In It (Sub Pop Records, 1990).
   • In "I Know Your Little Secret," what's that line "(something something) gums (or guns?)" The line, according to the lyric sheet, is "rub his tongue on their gums." The meaning is speculated to be that the protagonist's interest in these children is explicitly sexual, rather than sentimental.
   • Why was the song "Now We Can Begin" dropped from later versions of Up In It? Unknown at this time.
3. Congregation (Sub Pop Records, 1991).
   • Who is "Ruby Belle" (vocals, "Her Against Me")? Either Kim Deal (Pixies/Breeders/Amps) or Marcy Mays (Scrawl); reports vary.
   • What does the line "This one is three" ("Dedicate It") mean? The song appears to be about the protagonist's girlfriend's infidelity; the line appears to mean that this one relationship contains three people. However, the suggestion that it alludes, ironically or otherwise, to the Holy Trinity, is interesting.
   • What's that song at the end of the record? The hidden track at the end of the record (beginning "If I stayed too long...") is "Milez iz Ded" (the title is found on the "Turn on the Water" single, and is seen written on a wall in the video. According to legend, the band was in the studio recording Congregation when they heard that Miles Davis had died, whereupon they wrote the song. It (and the accompanying video) should be considered as a tribute to Davis' various pursuits over the years: music, drink and drugs, and dysfunctional relationships.
4. Uptown Avondale (Sub Pop Records, 1992)
5. Gentlemen (Elektra Records, 1993)
6. What Jail is Like (the U.S. EP, to be distinguished from the various foreign and domestic singles of the song "What Jail is Like") (Elektra Records, 1994)
7. Black Love (Elektra Records, 1996)
   • "Summer's Kiss": That line "Put on your rose fur coat baby, it's 1973" is also in Satchel's song "Suffering" on the Beautiful Girls soundtrack! Yes. However, in the context of the "Summer's Kiss" lyrics, the speaker is quoting to his girlfriend the lyrics of "Suffering," to which they are listening at the time.
8. 1965 (Columbia Records, 1998)
   • "Neglekted": rumor has it that some recording artists refer to Elektra Records as "Neglektra." People have questioned whether Elektra could have done more than was actually done to promote the Whigs, particularly the album Black Love. Because this song appeared on some 1998 setlists as "Sylvia," it is thought to refer to Sylvia Rhone, the chief of Elektra at the time the Whigs left the label.

The Videos

1. "You My Flower" (Up In It). Available on Twelve O'Clock High Vol. 2 [information needed]
2. "Sister Brother" (Retarded EP). Directed by P. Harder. Available on Sub Pop Video Network [volume number needed]
3. "Turn on the Water" (Congregation).
4. "Conjure Me" (Congregation).
5. "Milez iz Ded" (Congregation). Directed by (a) P. Harder; (b) G. Dulli; (c) E. Tretbar; (d) B. Phelps. Available on Sub Pop Video Network [volume number needed]
6. "Come See About Me" (Uptown Avondale). Directed by P. Harder/G. Dulli. Somebody of the Ass Ponys can be seen in the video as one of the strip club customers. Available on Sub Pop Video Network [number needed].
7. "Debonair" (Gentlemen), directed by Greg Dulli.
8. "Gentlemen" (Gentlemen), directed by Rocky Schenck.
9. "Can't Get Enough of Your Love Babe" (Beautiful Girls soundtrack), directed by Ted Demme.
10. "Honky's Ladder" (Black Love), directed by Samuel Bayer.
11. "Going to Town" (Black Love), directed by Ted Demme.
12. "Something Hot" (1965), directed by Banks Tarver.
13. The Backbeat Band (Backbeat soundtrack) (cf sect. 4): "Money," directed by Nick Egan, and (possibly just in Europe) "Please Mr. Postman."

Covers

Artists who have covered the Whigs

1. The Ass Ponys, "You My Flower." Originally appeared on an Afghan Whigs/Ass Ponys split single (on which the Whigs cover the Ponys' "Mr. Superlove.") This recording was also the b-side to the Ass Ponys' single "Little Bastard."
2. S*M*A*S*H, "Turn on the Water." Can only be found on their 1994 Sub Pop Singles Club single (SP276).

Participation in tribute albums

1. Big Star: the Whigs recorded the song "Night Time." The album is scheduled to be released on Ignition Records some time during but there is no release date yet.
2. John Lennon: the Whigs recorded the song "Woman," but there is no news as to when or whether this tribute album will be released.
3. The Clash: the Whigs have recorded "Lost in the Supermarket" [need more information on this compilation].

Bootlegs

1. The known commercial titles:
   • Flip Your Whig
   • Debonair Gentlemen
   • Time for a Bavarian Death Waltz/Boston 1994 (the same show, under different titles and from different labels)
   • Black Soul Gentlemen
2. Various noncommercial audio and video tapes are known to be floating around. Parties interesting in obtaining copies of these might want to check the listserv CONGREGATION or the Usenet group alt.music.bootlegs.

This page last updated December 19, 1998.

Copyright 1998, Julia Lutz (whiggrrl@erols.com)

"In time I'll find I'm stuck/Fugazi rules, but Hootie, you still suck." The Afghan Whigs, "Be Sweet" (as revised June 1995).