Welcome to the latest installment series of The Soundboard. We’re gonna switch it up just a bit from The Pound of Sound and jump right into what might otherwise be called ‘Bands I’ve Seen Live’, though to be honest, I’m not remembering all aspects of all the shows, so let us not get too specific. The parties were hearty and if I could remember everything, I most likely didn’t have that good of a time.
We’re gonna start today with a band whose shows I made sure to attend whenever they hit town. Almost always moderately sized clubs. Always a good time.
Admittedly, The Whigs are an acquired taste that is just too bitter for some. I however, have a minor obsessive/compulsive disorder with their discography, or at least part of it.
I cannot listen to one song. Hell, I can’t listen to one album. I absolutely must hear Gentlemen, Black Love and 1965 in order and in their entirety whenever I either hear one of their tracks on the radio or get the itch to spin a disc.
The result if I fail to do so is that I have these albums, in order, in their entirety going through my head until the need is taken care of.
I’d say that “It sucks to be me”, except for that these guys rock. With sleaze-meister, Greg Dulli, doing the vox and what I like to call The Rhythm Section from the Second Circle of Hell* providing the melody, there is just no end to how much these guys kick my ass when I fire them up.
But enough about me, let’s get to the tunage.
We’ll be starting out with their 1993 release, Gentlemen
A friend of mine who didn’t quite get The Whigs once said that they were the perfect band for those who can’t sing to sing along to. While probably accurate in that Dulli is not a crooner, you nevertheless fully understand that he means every word.
This next track is the only Whigs tune in which Dulli does not sing. Instead, Marcy Mays from the Cleveland indie band, Scrawl, fills in and does an amazing job telling us about a relationship between two people who deserve each other, like no couple ever have. Not for the easily disturbed.
Enjoy.
* Visual aide for those unfamiliar with Dante
