Congregation, the third album by Cincinnati’s Afghan Whigs, came out 30 years ago last week. It was an onslaught of distorted slide guitars and wah-wah pedals, busy snare shuffles, and desperate, soulful vocals by Greg Dulli, with lyrics that dealt with deep, dark things; some of which my 24-year-old brain was just starting to process – the complexities of race, religion, lust, drugs, sex, and death.

“I’m Her Slave” is where the record kicks in, after the 47-second subdued, cathedral intro “Her Against Me” acts as the on-ramp.

Get off that stuff, she said, and I'll stone you instead
Unchain yourself, said she, and tie yourself to me

I'm on the floor, I play with knives, you can call and ask your wife
She's been over once or twice, likes to use me

And I'm her slave, but I don't need no chain, I'll behave

It was part cock-rock, almost [gasp] jam-bandy in a way, part Sonic Youth, part Grant Hart/Hüsker Dü. It had that noise and those slightly atonal two-string chords, but also that pop-soul-Motown vocal to set it apart. It had an element of artistic, poetic noise that was even deeper than all of those bands. It sounds like the smell of cigarettes in an old, dilapidated house on a forgotten street in a forgotten neighborhood in any big American city in the middle of winter. It sounds like despair, apathy, passion, and love.

It was too smart to earn a spot in regular rotation on that new “alternative” station that played “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and “Hey Jealousy” every three hours on the dot. It switches between 6/8 and 7/8 time, with some 4/4 and the odd 2/4 in there too. (Thanks to my drummer geek friends for the assist.) If you’re not a music theory expert, just understand that this is crazy, especially in rock and roll, and it’s even crazier that the song doesn’t sound like it’s in an unconventional time signature.

Congregation is a concept album, or so Greg Dulli told me at The Blind Pig in Ann Arbor that year when they were touring in support of it. The themes mentioned above certainly make some repeat appearances and the songs share a consistent sound and feel. Their follow up Gentlemen would give them a bigger hit, more airplay, and a video on 120 Minutes for a while, and their previous record Up In It reached some great heights too, but neither had the consistency, depth, or darkness of Congregation. After that they dove deep into more soulful sounds and they lost me, though plenty of people swear by those later albums.

Congregation remains one of my favorite albums from the alternative music boom of the early ‘90s and the song “I’m Her Slave” is the cornerstone. What an incredible time for rock and roll that was, and what a special album this still is.

Jeremy Porter lives near Detroit and fronts the rock and roll band Jeremy Porter And The Tucos. Follow them on Facebook to read his road blog about their adventures on the dive-bar circuit.
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