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"Warren Zevon"
by Warren Zevon
By Webjockey Flur
Check out Webjockey Flur's Rifflist:
Warren Zevon (eponymous)
This self-titled sophomore album of LA's favorite son has the late, great Warren Zevon at his most incisive, sardonic, and often tender.
His first album, the rare "Wanted Dead or Alive," lacks durability due to Zevon's aping the sounds of contemporaries like Jackson Browne, the Eagles and Fleetwood Mac. With his eponymous effort, however, Zevon steps into the limelight as a songwriter. The funky "Join Me In LA" exhibits his biting lyrical cynicism, with "Frank and Jesse James" showcasing his classical background.
While tracks like "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" and "Poor Poor Pitiful Me" ooze that wolfish charm and celebratory mayhem that would later become his calling card, the album is dominated by a more reflective Warren: the harrowing and beautiful "Mohammad's radio," the gentle "French Inhaler," and "Desperado Under the Eves," one of Zevon's most lyrically skillful tunes.
The songs "Carmelita" and "Hasten Down The Wind" would later become hits for G.G. Allen and Linda Ronstadt respectively (sadly, a duet between the two never made it on wax.) The versions here showcase Zevon's strength as a songwriter.
This album is perfect for fans of early Springsteen, Jackson Browne, and even bands like R.E.M. If you like this album, check out contemporary bands like The Manchester Orchestra, Margot & the Nuclear So-and-Sos, and Modest Mouse.
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