FREQ CONGESTION AND TWR WORKLOAD CAUSED ACFT GAR BECAUSE OF NO LNDG CLRNC. TWR ASSIGNED ALT AND FREQ CHANGE. ALT ASSIGNED WAS QUESTIONABLE; BUT NEXT CTLR CORRECTED OVERSHOOT.

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ON APCH TO ATL RWY 26R; FLT X WHEN WE CONTACTED TWR OVER THE OM; WE WERE TOLD TO SLOW TO OUR MINIMUM APCH SPD BECAUSE OF TFC AHEAD OF US. WE HAD ALREADY BEGUN SLOWLY BECAUSE TCASII SHOWED US TO BE APPROX 2 1/2 MI BEHIND THE TFC. WE WERE NOT CLRED TO LAND AT THIS TIME. I DID NOT REQUEST CLRNC TO LAND UNTIL THE TFC AHEAD BEGAN TO EXIT THE RWY. JUST AS I WAS ABOUT TO ASK FOR LNDG CLRNC; THE CTLR BEGAN TALKING. HE WAS ISSUING TKOF INSTRUCTIONS TO ANOTHER ACFT ON RWY 26L; AND THEN HE BEGAN A LONG SPIEL ABOUT WIND SHEAR ALERTS AND RPTED AIRSPD FLUCTUATIONS BY OTHER ACFT. WHEN HE STOPPED TALKING; I REQUESTED LNDG CLRNC. THERE WAS NO RESPONSE AND NO TIME TO ASK AGAIN; SO I INSTRUCTED THE FO TO GAR. WHEN I RPTED 'GOING AROUND' THE TWR CTLR SAID HE HAD CLRED US TO LAND -- WHICH HE HAD NOT. HE THEN TOLD US TO CLB TO 5000 FT AND CONTACT DEP. I HAD TO REQUEST HE GIVE US THE FREQ; WHICH HE DID. WE CONTACTED DEP AND WERE GIVEN A HDG. CLBING THROUGH 4600 FT; THE CTLR TOLD US THAT WE HAD BEEN GIVEN 4000 FT. WE DSNDED BACK TO 4000 FT. THE FO AND I DO NOT RECALL EVER BEING GIVEN 4000 FT. THE TWR CTLR WAS SO BUSY GIVING WIND SHEAR ADVISORIES THAT HE FORGOT TO CLR US TO LAND. HE DID THE SAME THING TO ANOTHER FLT THAT WAS TRYING TO LAND BEHIND US ON OUR SUBSEQUENT LNDG. I BELIEVE HE EITHER GAVE THE WRONG INITIAL ALT DURING OUR GAR OR THAT THE DEP CTLR BELIEVED WE WERE INITIALLY GIVEN 4000 FT. WE WERE QUITE BUSY DURING THE GAR AND IF THE DEP CTLR AMENDED OUR ALT TO 4000 FT; WE MISSED IT.