Search And Destroy: Afghan Whigs

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BECAUSE SOMEBODY DEMANDED IT! Farewell Afghan Whigs. And as the ever-estimable Pinefox mentioned somewhere else, can we limit it to ONE thing searched and one destroyed (thing = album, single, track, tour, whatever unit of musical currency takes yer fancy).

Oh yeah, and let's tighten things up even more. If you're going to answer S you have to answer D, and vice versa.

― Tom, Tuesday, 13 February 2001 01:00 (sixteen years ago) Permalink

Search: "My Curse," with Marcy Mays from Scrawl doing the vocals. Lurvly.

Destroy: Greg Dulli's face fungus. Okay, fine, it's not *musical*, Tom, but as you've argued yourself, image is just as much a part of the situation, is it not? ;-)

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 13 February 2001 01:00 (sixteen years ago) Permalink

Search: their cover of the Ass Pony's "Mr Superlove" on the B-side of the Gentleman CD single. All your usual Whigs-tastic mayhem, but with BANJOS too!!

Destroy: 1965. Just 'cos.

― alex thomson, Tuesday, 13 February 2001 01:00 (sixteen years ago) Permalink

Are you *really* saying that the Afghan Whigs have never recorded a bad song? ;)

Anyway. Search: The first side of '1965' - the sleekest rock they ever made but somehow the sexiest too.

Destroy - the second side of '1965' - a sudden descent into Primal Scream style Southern kitsch.

― Tom, Tuesday, 13 February 2001 01:00 (sixteen years ago) Permalink

they were quite funny live, all those monologues and stuff. I never really liked the cover of Gentlemen, a little creppy, but who am I to stand in the way of artistic expression?. bye!

― jel, Tuesday, 13 February 2001 01:00 (sixteen years ago) Permalink

creepy even!

― jel, Tuesday, 13 February 2001 01:00 (sixteen years ago) Permalink

You said something to destroy, Tom -- fine, I want *that* destroyed. ;-)

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 13 February 2001 01:00 (sixteen years ago) Permalink

Search: Gentleman (duh). Destroy: 1965. I still think they were the Blues Brothers on the last couple tours.

― Andy, Tuesday, 13 February 2001 01:00 (sixteen years ago) Permalink

Search: Big Top Halloween (they've done themselves a big disservice over the years by not reissuing this).

Destroy: All of 1965 *except* "Omerta/Vampire Lanois."

― J.Lu, Tuesday, 13 February 2001 01:00 (sixteen years ago) Permalink

Search and Destroy - what a great format!

Search: Bootleg copy of a CONGREGATION-era show I saw where Greg Dulli returns to the stage during Teenage Fanclub's set to put the lead vocals on TFC's "Everything Flows". Or was it "The Concept"...? I was in such bliss maybe I blacked out...

Destroy: A lot of BLACK LOVE. A few great songs but...

― Tim Baier, Tuesday, 13 February 2001 01:00 (sixteen years ago) Permalink

Search: Uptown Avondale, "Be Sweet", "Lost in the Supermarket"

Destroy: Most of Up in it & Congregation; second side of 1965 (but only because the album would be absolutely perfect without it; as it is, it's still pretty good); fat, drunken, bar-fighting Greg Dulli

― larmey, Tuesday, 13 February 2001 01:00 (sixteen years ago) Permalink

Search - "Milez iz ded" (dont forget the alcohol oh baby) Destroy - erm...

― simon, Tuesday, 13 February 2001 01:00 (sixteen years ago) Permalink

I just don't understand the acclaim for the Afghan Whigs. (Terrible name, by the way) The supposed soul influence just doesn't come through. How the hell does a few soft-porn lyrics and the occasional 'I wanna take you higher, girl' slapped on top of a grunge-ordinaire sludge equate to 'soul'? "Hey let's get a clavinet in, cos Stevie Wonder used to play one of those. Don't want it too high in the mix though".

'Gentlemen' - dire and tuneless - Destroy. 'Black Love' - little better. '1965' - the best of a bad lot. Search for "Uptown Again"

Yeah, I know there's other, earlier stuff that I haven't heard. Yeah, I know there's an EP of, no surely not, SOUL COVERS! Who cares.

― Dr. C, Thursday, 15 February 2001 01:00 (sixteen years ago) Permalink

Word Dr.C! They were shite, although you could search for the very funny NME interview with Dulli on his drug-exploits while skiing.

― Omar, Thursday, 15 February 2001 01:00 (sixteen years ago) Permalink

search: 'miles iz ded'/'rebirth of the cool.'

destroy: i really didn't like that twilight singers record all that much, with the exception of the first track. can that count?

(hey, you want the blues brothers, by the way, you should listen to the first track off the delta 72's '000.')

― maura, Thursday, 15 February 2001 01:00 (sixteen years ago) Permalink

nine months pass...

Search: Gentlemen. I didn't like the album at first, but it ages like wine. Search: Antoher band as unique as the Whigs...do they fit snugly into any genre? Destroy: whatever made them break up...now Generation X is up shit creek musically. Cobain's dead, STP sucks now, Pearl Jam finds a way to suck harder with every new record, and nothing on 120 minutes keeps me interested anymore. Fuck....

― Antoine harris, Monday, 10 December 2001 01:00 (fifteen years ago) Permalink

one year passes...

Revive.

Only because after giving it some time, and many listens, I realize 1965 is a brilliant record. It's hard to get passed the production, which is so sleek it cuts them off, but I love the songs, and the guitar work and vocals are amazing.

― David Allen, Saturday, 8 November 2003 05:56 (thirteen years ago) Permalink

Search: their cover of "Creep" by TLC. Dulli knew how to pick a cover that suited his voice and sensibility perfectly.

Destroy: Black Love. A meandering, hookless soup of despair.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Saturday, 8 November 2003 06:06 (thirteen years ago) Permalink

And yes, 1965 is underrated, especially on this thread.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Saturday, 8 November 2003 06:07 (thirteen years ago) Permalink

1965 is fantabulous. Absolutely dripping in smut.

― Nick H, Saturday, 8 November 2003 16:37 (thirteen years ago) Permalink

Destroy: Black Love. A meandering, hookless soup of despair.

It's many things, Black Love is -- but "hookless" isn't one of them.

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Saturday, 8 November 2003 16:59 (thirteen years ago) Permalink

Search: 1965
Destroy: Gentlemen, which put me off them for a long time.

― Colin Beckett (Colin Beckett), Saturday, 8 November 2003 17:05 (thirteen years ago) Permalink

Search: their cover of "Creep" by TLC. Dulli knew how to pick a cover that suited his voice and sensibility perfectly.

Definitely, see their "Lost In the Supermarket", too.

-Colin

― Colin Beckett (Colin Beckett), Saturday, 8 November 2003 17:06 (thirteen years ago) Permalink

yeah that Lost In The Supermarket cover is ace! Which is especially funny cuz basically everything else on that Clash tribute album is horrible.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Saturday, 8 November 2003 18:16 (thirteen years ago) Permalink

oh, I think in hindsight I only like "Congregation" and "Uptown Avondale".

― jel -- (jel), Saturday, 8 November 2003 18:21 (thirteen years ago) Permalink

search: the major label albums (especially the two on Elektra), the first Twilight Singers album, "I'm Her Slave," "Milez Is Ded," "Conjure Me," "Turn On The Water," the actual covers on Uptown Avondale, the covers of "Miss World," "Creep," "Lost In The Supermarket," "Mr. Superlove," the Skip Spence cover.

destroy: that horrific remix of "Milez Is Ded" called "Rebirth Of The Cool" on Uptown, the songs on Congregation I didn't search (ESPECIALLY "The Temple"), the second Twilight Singers album (though a stray great track might reveal itself to me later), and if we could bleep out the bullshit references to the devil from all tracks that'd be great.

I haven't heard anything before Congregation.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Saturday, 8 November 2003 18:29 (thirteen years ago) Permalink

It's many things, Black Love is -- but "hookless" isn't one of them.

Oh, no! It's the Strokes argument all over again!

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Saturday, 8 November 2003 18:40 (thirteen years ago) Permalink

So, Twilight Singers tonight.

Dulli sounded great, his band sounded great--and not unlike the Whigs at all. There's something about when he's playing (and I use that term loosely, because while he had a guitar strapped on, I'm not convinced that it was actually plugged in) that no matter what he quotes or plays (a Kate Bush song, A Love Supreme, etc.) it seems like music was absolutely meant to sound exactly this way and no other.

On the other hand, he rambled more than I remember--no one to rein him in, I guess. And he made a long, convoluted (I guess) tribute to Elliott Smith which was frankly awful. If he was your friend, fine, play a song and shut the fuck up--it's not something I want to hear him use in his Mr Superlove shtick.

So same old, I guess--way over the top, not someone I wanna be friends with, fucking sounded great. But not as good as the Whigs.

― mookieproof (mookieproof), Saturday, 15 November 2003 06:32 (thirteen years ago) Permalink

Greg Dulli - is the fact that he's an asshole redeemed by the fact that his songs are about the fact that he's an asshole?

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Saturday, 15 November 2003 06:38 (thirteen years ago) Permalink

whoa. too many facts in that sentence.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Saturday, 15 November 2003 06:39 (thirteen years ago) Permalink

Mookieproof -- where were you in the Cat tonight? I was up front on the left with some friends of mine.

Also, did you stay for the second encore?

― j.lu (j.lu), Saturday, 15 November 2003 07:40 (thirteen years ago) Permalink

I like the 2nd Twilight album. Whoever reviewed it as "pomp rock" was dead on. I am seeing him Monday night. My first Dulli encounter.

― bnw (bnw), Saturday, 15 November 2003 08:02 (thirteen years ago) Permalink

Whoever reviewed it as "pomp rock" was dead on.

Last night Dulli praised The Darkness. And I so wished I had my cigarette lighter when they played "Faded."

― j.lu (j.lu), Saturday, 15 November 2003 19:02 (thirteen years ago) Permalink

I keep meaning to give the second TS album another try but I think the problem is I like the original so much, that I'm disappointed he didn't head further into that direction. Black Love (esp. "Faded" and "Bulletproof") is the awesome god of pomp.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Saturday, 15 November 2003 19:04 (thirteen years ago) Permalink

I was kind of hoping for more R&B flavor. (What I especially love about 'Clyde' on the 1st album is that as soon as that beat starts up, people will look at you like you put on a porno.) The low point of the Blackberry Belle has to be the 'dark side of the moon' ending with the woman screeching. Ick.

― bnw (bnw), Saturday, 15 November 2003 21:13 (thirteen years ago) Permalink

This is probably one of the more on the pipe things I could say but I think that Justin Timberlake would KILL to make an album like the first Twilight Singers album. He'd be all "oooh I actually sound like an adult!"

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Saturday, 15 November 2003 21:47 (thirteen years ago) Permalink

Guh.... that was the best show I have been to in like 5 years. Whigs songs "66" "Uptown Again" "If I Were Going" which was more a crowd sing-a-long. Covers "purple rain" "hey ya" some fleetwood mac. Dulli babbled a ton. I was front and center. So so good.

― bnw (bnw), Tuesday, 18 November 2003 07:08 (thirteen years ago) Permalink

I finally got around to buying an Afghan Whigs album (though actually I used to have Gentleman on tape a long time ago), since apparently I resemble Dulli (hopefully in his younger, hottter days). I bought Black Love because it was used. Pretty good. More dramatic than what I usually listen to, but pretty good. Need to listen to it more.

― NA (Nick A.), Tuesday, 18 November 2003 12:51 (thirteen years ago) Permalink

i went to an afghan whigs show about 3-4 years ago and don't remember one lick of what they played. damn little barrells of Mickeys will do that to ya.

― Chris B. Sure (Chris V), Tuesday, 18 November 2003 12:55 (thirteen years ago) Permalink

Search: Black Love - as a fairly clueless young music fan I bought this without having heard anything by the band... I've never regretted it and keep coming back to it - compare that to all the albums I bought only to find that the single I already had was the only good thing on it or that the band I thought I loved had lost it... "Hookless" = you are on crack.

Destroy: my current financial state which means I have no idea when I can get hold of the new Twilight Singers album.

― Flyboy (Flyboy), Tuesday, 18 November 2003 13:22 (thirteen years ago) Permalink

Greg Dulli - is the fact that he's an asshole redeemed by the fact that his songs are about the fact that he's an asshole?

I think it's an act, the whole asshole thing. I think he's a nice er gentleman.

― scott m (mcd), Tuesday, 18 November 2003 15:03 (thirteen years ago) Permalink

Hey j.lu--

Yeah, I was there, but had to leave early (i.e. 1:15) due to some, er, relationship issues. So I missed the encores. :(

See, the problem with these late shows is that it gives you way too much time to drink beforehand...

― mookieproof (mookieproof), Tuesday, 18 November 2003 16:27 (thirteen years ago) Permalink

Anyone heard their cover of "If only I had a heart"? Fantastic.

― Chuck Tatum (Chuck Tatum), Tuesday, 18 November 2003 16:57 (thirteen years ago) Permalink

Congregation
Gentlemen

― christoff (christoff), Tuesday, 18 November 2003 17:08 (thirteen years ago) Permalink

about 10 years ago, they put this really great song "delta kong" on selected german versions of the "come on the water" single.

there's a crappy mp3 floating around on soulseek.

― gygax! (gygax!), Tuesday, 18 November 2003 17:10 (thirteen years ago) Permalink

Anyone heard their cover of "If only I had a heart"? Fantastic.

Among the reasons the Whigs never had a big crossover hit: most of their best songs wound up as import CD single b-sides.

― j.lu (j.lu), Tuesday, 18 November 2003 22:03 (thirteen years ago) Permalink

two years pass...

Back together!? (for four tracks on a forthcoming compilation, but hey)

http://www.summerskiss.com/category/news/

― StanM (StanM), Tuesday, 29 August 2006 20:52 (eleven years ago) Permalink

Oh. Sorry.

Search: everything between their first and last albums.
Destroy: their first and last albums.

― StanM (StanM), Tuesday, 29 August 2006 20:54 (eleven years ago) Permalink

Maybe it wasn't their best album but I don't think there was anything wrong with 1965.
Congregation to 1965 was a fine run of albums.

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy (Kerr), Tuesday, 29 August 2006 21:02 (eleven years ago) Permalink

As I've said on other threads, "Gentlemen" is THE best break-up album ever, full stop.

― Tantrum The Cat (Tantrum The Cat), Tuesday, 29 August 2006 22:33 (eleven years ago) Permalink

Skipping 103 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

I approve. I want to say that is better than anything on the comeback record, which I can't remember.

The last two times I saw the Afghan Whigs - in 1997, maybe, and in 2012, maybe - they were so good I felt if I never saw another show it would be fine with me.

― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 8 March 2017 16:35 (seven months ago) Permalink

the 2012 show i saw is 100 percent the best concert i've ever seen

― the raindrops and drop tops of lived, earned experience (BradNelson), Wednesday, 8 March 2017 16:37 (seven months ago) Permalink

yep

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cx99Kecmuy8

― the raindrops and drop tops of lived, earned experience (BradNelson), Wednesday, 8 March 2017 16:41 (seven months ago) Permalink

OK, listening to "Do to the Beast" now and, yeah, weird, it's like I've never heard it before. I even thought it was called "Do the Beast." But it sounds pretty good! My bad.

― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 8 March 2017 16:47 (seven months ago) Permalink

"lost in the woods" is one of the best whigs songs ever so i like the last record. kinda falls apart in the second side though

― the raindrops and drop tops of lived, earned experience (BradNelson), Wednesday, 8 March 2017 16:51 (seven months ago) Permalink

And xpost Seriously, so glad there are clips of the one I saw:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THAKskSp6mQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkvXhXdFRDc

― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 8 March 2017 16:53 (seven months ago) Permalink

really nice to see that Into the Floor is going to be on this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OFf8p4ByaY

the highlights from the last one were easily Lost in the Woods and The Lottery (as weird as Mark McGuire's presence there is)

― ufo, Thursday, 9 March 2017 00:18 (seven months ago) Permalink

psyched about this! new song sounds good -- who's that little guy in the video?

― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Thursday, 9 March 2017 00:27 (seven months ago) Permalink

har mar superstar

― the raindrops and drop tops of lived, earned experience (BradNelson), Thursday, 9 March 2017 00:32 (seven months ago) Permalink

oh wow, i remember that guy. i didn't realize that was him!
whigs are such a familiar indulgent pleasure, can't wait til they tour again!!

― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Thursday, 9 March 2017 00:35 (seven months ago) Permalink

I'm away from my tapings hd now, but I believe clips above are a show I taped and put up on dime. La Lechera - do ya recall if that's the Metro show I gave ya a copy of on disc a coupla years ago? Really looking forward to the new one, esp. if it's as '1965'y as mentioned above.

― BlackIronPrison, Thursday, 9 March 2017 00:38 (seven months ago) Permalink

looking forward to this but i have to admit that 'do to the beast' made zero impression on me

― mookieproof, Thursday, 9 March 2017 00:43 (seven months ago) Permalink

YES, I'm not sure if that clip was from the same night (they played 2 nights right?) but I can't listen to that song without being on the verge of having a stroke so my judgement may be cloudy.
There's probably no rock band I would rather be in than the Whigs, if I could play those songs and not pass out.

I don't remember "Do the Beast" at all either :-/

― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Thursday, 9 March 2017 00:46 (seven months ago) Permalink

they do go through drummers!

― mookieproof, Thursday, 9 March 2017 00:50 (seven months ago) Permalink

I'm age-appropriate too!!

― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Thursday, 9 March 2017 00:59 (seven months ago) Permalink

one month passes...

New album is strong, with one or two clear highlights.

― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 11 April 2017 19:52 (six months ago) Permalink

that's good to hear! can't wait

― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Tuesday, 11 April 2017 20:11 (six months ago) Permalink

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99xg4DtM-V8

another good new song

― ufo, Wednesday, 19 April 2017 15:03 (five months ago) Permalink

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9U8jseaqxU

great, creepy song, video nsfw

― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Wednesday, 26 April 2017 19:25 (five months ago) Permalink

like extremely nsfw

― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Wednesday, 26 April 2017 19:25 (five months ago) Permalink

since i am at w can you tell me why it's nsfw? just curious.

― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Wednesday, 26 April 2017 19:28 (five months ago) Permalink

every time i flipped back to it in my tabs there were breasts

― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Wednesday, 26 April 2017 19:30 (five months ago) Permalink

Disappointing :(

― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Wednesday, 26 April 2017 19:51 (five months ago) Permalink

(I say that as a Whigs fan with breasts)

― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Wednesday, 26 April 2017 19:52 (five months ago) Permalink

i mean as far as i can tell it's an argento-y occult lesbian thing, which i'm here for

― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Wednesday, 26 April 2017 20:09 (five months ago) Permalink

I mean it's fine, I've got no prob w boobs being exposed
Go for it I guess

― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Wednesday, 26 April 2017 20:11 (five months ago) Permalink

http://www.stereogum.com/1938212/stream-the-afghan-whigs-in-spades/music/album-stream/

def dulli's weirdest opening track ever

― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Tuesday, 2 May 2017 14:42 (five months ago) Permalink

i'm definitely enjoying this a lot more than the last one overall, even if nothing's quite as good as Lost in the Woods

― ufo, Tuesday, 2 May 2017 14:58 (five months ago) Permalink

yeah i think it's way more consistent than do to the beast (which imo falls apart during side two)

― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Tuesday, 2 May 2017 15:00 (five months ago) Permalink

"light as a feather" is fucking amazing

― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Tuesday, 2 May 2017 15:07 (five months ago) Permalink

yup this is really good, nice tidy runtime too

― a serious and fascinating fartist (Simon H.), Tuesday, 2 May 2017 15:09 (five months ago) Permalink

prob his best album since blackberry belle, i'm calling it

― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Tuesday, 2 May 2017 15:10 (five months ago) Permalink

yeah, light as a feather feels straight out of black love. i wish that the classic dulli soaring bit in the middle was actually the chorus and showed up more than once like it feels like it should though

― ufo, Tuesday, 2 May 2017 15:14 (five months ago) Permalink

tbh a lot of these songs have parts that could work as traditional choruses but dulli just kinda lets them happen once and then the song is over. interesting approach

― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Tuesday, 2 May 2017 15:30 (five months ago) Permalink

the only thing that's really lacking in terms of Classic Dulli Flavor is that the lyrics haven't really been jumping out at me at all

― a serious and fascinating fartist (Simon H.), Tuesday, 2 May 2017 15:33 (five months ago) Permalink

"so far inside you now / i am your silhouette" from "demon in profile" is one of my fav dulli lyrics of all time at the moment

― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Tuesday, 2 May 2017 15:34 (five months ago) Permalink

Listening again, I think "Light as a Feather" must be one of the clear highlights I referenced a few weeks back.

― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 2 May 2017 15:39 (five months ago) Permalink

"copernicus" has an amazing chorus/bridge/outro whatever it is

― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Tuesday, 2 May 2017 16:13 (five months ago) Permalink

Glad to hear he's still blasting full perv in his lyrics

― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Tuesday, 2 May 2017 17:13 (five months ago) Permalink

Kind of? Sometimes it's embarrassing.

― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Tuesday, 2 May 2017 17:13 (five months ago) Permalink

i'll love it forever

― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Tuesday, 2 May 2017 17:19 (five months ago) Permalink

goddamn this really is great, every song (except for the opener which is wonderful in its own way) is so densely packed with incident

― a serious and fascinating fartist (Simon H.), Friday, 5 May 2017 13:58 (five months ago) Permalink

one month passes...

Via FB:

It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to our friend, brother and inspiration.
Dave Rosser passed away peacefully last evening surrounded by love. Thank you to all who kept him in their hearts. He is forever in ours.

More details here:

http://pitchfork.com/news/the-afghan-whigs-dave-rosser-dead-at-50/

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 28 June 2017 16:22 (three months ago) Permalink

Damn that's awful. The guitarwork on both the recent albums is splendid. And the new one has only grown on me, to the extent that it's a Top 10 contender

― a serious and fascinating fartist (Simon H.), Wednesday, 28 June 2017 19:54 (three months ago) Permalink

three months pass...

"Light as a Feather" / "I Got Lost" / "Into the Floor" is the best closing run of any album this year imho

― a serious and fascinating fartist (Simon H.), Wednesday, 11 October 2017 17:46 (five days ago) Permalink

it was def the best part of seeing them play the whole album live a few weeks ago

― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Wednesday, 11 October 2017 17:55 (five days ago) Permalink

"i got lost" is so crushing

― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Wednesday, 11 October 2017 17:55 (five days ago) Permalink

arggh I'm so jealous

― a serious and fascinating fartist (Simon H.), Wednesday, 11 October 2017 17:56 (five days ago) Permalink

I totally forgot that Afghan Whigs released an album this year!

― ArchCarrier, Thursday, 12 October 2017 07:01 (four days ago) Permalink

Going to do something about that right now.

― ArchCarrier, Thursday, 12 October 2017 07:01 (four days ago) Permalink

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