I regularly purchase music from Apple’s online Music store and recently purchased “Lawyers, Guns and Money.” I like it. I would like to get more of Mr. Zevon’s work. I am interested in getting a few more songs from different albums, and perhaps I’ll get a complete album or two eventually (on CD).
It looks like there are several albums up on Apple’s store. (“The Wind,” “Life’ll Kill Ya,” "Learning to Flinch,“Bad Luck Streak,” and “Warren Zevon.”) So, which songs do you recommend?
It’s hard for me to just pick individual songs. I own all of his albums, he was (is) a favorite artist.
However, my favorite Zevon albums are ** “Warren Zevon”** (has such songs as Frank and Jesse James, Carmelita and Mohammed’s Radio).
and "Sentimental Hygiene" (has Sentimental Hygiene, Bad Karma, Detox Mansion.
If Apple has “Splendid Isolation,” you might want to pick that one up. Also “Seminole Bingo.”
I always get a kick out of Ain’t That Pretty at All
*
I’ve done everything I wanted to do . . .
I’ve done that too
And it ain’t that pretty at all
Ain’t that pretty at all
So I’m going to hurl myself against the wall
'Cause I’d rather feel bad than not feel anything at all*
She’s Too Good For Me
Play It All Night Long
Jeannie Needs a Shooter
Gorilla, You’re a Desperado
The Long Arm of the Law
Boobm Boom Mancini
The Heartache
Hasten Down the Wind
The French Inhaler
Mohammed’s Radio
Carmelita
Accidentally Like a Martyr
Splendid Isolation
The Vast Indifference of Heaven
They Moved the Moon
You’re a Whole Different Person When You’re Scared
Genius
I Was in the House When the House Burned Down
Ourselves to Know
Mutineer
Like Caprese said, get all the albums except the one before his “debut” self-titled record. That one (something like Zevon: Dead or Alive) is pretty damn bad.
In addition to the earlier songs already recommended.
From "The Envoy"
The Envoy
Hula Hula Boys
From “Sentimental Hygine”:
Boom Boom Mancini
The Factory
From "Mutineer"
Piano Fighter
From "Life’ll Kill Ya"
I Was in the House When the House Burned Down
For an excellent overview of the man’s catalogue, I recommend 2002’s “Genius: The Best of Warren Zevon”.
Well, just got back from the Apple Store. Made a few impulse buys. I did take your lists into consideration, and will consult them when I make my next purchases!
What I got this time:
I Was in the House When the House Burned Down, Back In the High Life Again, and My Shit’s Fucked Up. (I couldn’t resist the last one.)
And if California slides into the ocean,
Like the mystics and statistics say it will,
I predict this hotel will be standing,
Until I pay my bill.
This is possibly my favorite song of his. But there are so many…
From his later catalog, a couple not mentioned so far are “The Indifference of Heaven”, and the live version of “The French Inhaler”, which is an outstanding song (the original is better, though). I also think “Genius” is one of his best songs of the last three albums.
It’s so hard to choose…
Widdershins: I love Bill Lee, and the interlude. Zevon was a very talented composer. He was working on a symphony for years, and I’d love to hear it. I find all his string arrangements to be fantastic.
You’re supposed to sit on your ass,
and nod at stupid things.
And if you don’t, they’ll screw you.
And if you do, they’ll screw you too…
*
You really can’t pick a bad one when it comes to Mr. Zevon. Some of my faves:
[ul] Sentimental Hygiene (Neil Young - lead guitar) The Factory (Bob Dylan - harmonica) Even a Dog Can Shake Hands Trouble Waiting to Happen (Brian Setzer - guitar) Leave My Monkey Alone (my fave; arranged by George Clinton, Flea (credited as “Flee”) - bass) Transverse City (Jerry Garcia - guitar) The Long Arm of the Law (Chick Corea - piano) They Moved the Moon (Jerry Garcia - guitar) Splendid Isolation (Neil Young - harmony) Werewolves of London (Mick Fleetwood - Drums, John McVie - Bass) Excitable Boy (Linda Ronstadt, etc. - harmonies) Night Time in the Switching Yard Lawyers Guns and Money
[/ul]
Man, I made the list above, then filled in the guests and was kinda surprised to see just how many there were. Also, R.E.M. is the band on Sentimental Hygiene (my personal fave album)
Man, you read these lists of songs, and then think that this guy never won a Grammy, and never had an album in the top 10. His last two albums before “The Wind” only sold in the 50,000 copy range.
But now that he’s gone, people are beginning to realize what an immense talent he was. He should have been remembered as the Dylan of the 70’s and 80’s, and one of the best songwriters in the pop era.
Yosemite, since his death I have been listening to his first album (just titled “Warren Zevon”) over and over. Though I like his later stuff too, the first one is a really great CD. Some favorites from it:
Mama Couldn’t Be Persuaded
Carmelita
Hasten Down the Wind
Poor Poor Pitiful Me
I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead
Werewolves of London
Other Zevon favorites: Tenderness on the Block
Johnny Strikes Up the Band
Roland the Headless Thomson Gunner
Keep Me In Your Heart.
All I’ve got is a “best of” album - bought it a while ago to learn Werewolves of London, and because it got put away in storage, only since I got back to school have I listened to the whole thing.
In addition to Werewolves, I’m really taken by Desperadoes Under the Eaves and Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner. Since those have all been listed (Sam Stone’s favorite verse is mine as well). I think every song on the thing has been listed anyway, but I’d been meaning to post something about how good those songs were for the last few days anyway.
I got the three songs I mentioned above, and will get more as my Apple Music Store budget opens up (I bought other things songs recently too).
I did look up some of Warren Zevon’s lyrics, though. Very interesting. I also got my mom (sweet gray-haird grandmotherly “Church Lady” type of mother) interested in some of Warren Zevon’s work. (I played “Back in the High Life Again” for her, which she liked.) She composes music for her own enjoyment and appreciated some of his “storytelling” lyrics. She also seemed to feel that “My Shit’s Fucked Up” should be her theme song.
You haven’t quite seen everything until you see your sweet grey-haired “Church Lady” mom clasp the print-out of “My Shit’s Fucked Up” and read it aloud as if it is poetry. (Which is is, of course.) But still—the way that she recited it. Priceless.
