Album of the Day — January 4, 2021
Afghan Whigs — Black Love — 1996
Afghan Whigs — Black Love — 1996
04.January.2021
Afghan Whigs
Black Love
1996
The mid-90s were a fertile period for Greg Dulli, frontman for Cincinnati, Ohio’s Afghan Whigs. He served as Executive Producer for the film soundtrack to Beautiful Girls. He was the only other performer (besides Dave Grohl) on Foo Fighters' debut album, and he optioned at least one book he had hoped to turn into a noir movie.
When the film project stalled, he did the next best thing a front man for a rock band could do — he wrote an album.
Black Love, the band’s fifth studio recording, was recorded mostly in and around Seattle. And it saw frontman Dulli explore the deeper and darker recesses of his mind. Pulling upon influences like noir writer James Ellroy and films like the Cohen Brother’s Blood Simple.
In many interviews, Dulli copped the fact that he wanted Black Love to have a similar structure to a film.
At the time, the album received mixed reviews. The critics who liked it drew comparisons to the Rolling Stones in their 1970s prime. They also highlighted that the album captured the energy of a Whigs live show (can confirm) and that the album just sounded different from their alternative brethren at the time.
However, despite extensive touring (including a tour with Neil Young, themselves, and Jewel — a peculiar triple bill), the album didn’t garner the same degree of success as its predecessor, 1993s Gentlemen. Black Love only peaked at #79 on the Billboard Top 200 chart.
Although Black Love didn’t get the same kind of (ahem) love as Gentlemen, more and more people cottoned to the album as years went on. In 2016, Rhino Records commemorated the record's 20th anniversary by issuing a 2-CD and 3-LP set.
Black Love’s stature has only grown over time and is regarded by many to be one of the best albums in the Afghan Whigs catalog.