Warren Zevon (album)

Warren Zevon
Studio album by
Warren Zevon
ReleasedMay 18, 1976
Recorded1975
Studio
Genre
Length37:45
LabelAsylum
ProducerJackson Browne
Warren Zevon chronology
Wanted Dead or Alive
(1970) 		Warren Zevon
(1976) 		Excitable Boy
(1978)
Singles from Warren Zevon
  1. "Hasten Down the Wind"
    Released: Nov 1976
  2. "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead"
    Released: 1976
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Christgau's Record GuideB+[3]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[4]
Pitchfork10/10[5]
PopMatters9/10[6]
Rolling Stone(positive)[7]
Uncut9/10[8]

Warren Zevon is the second studio album by American musician Warren Zevon. This album was recorded in 1975 and released on May 18, 1976, by Asylum Records. A remastered version of the album with bonus tracks was released in 2008 by Rhino Records.[6]

Critical reception

[edit]

Reviewing in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981), Robert Christgau wrote: "I am suspicious of singer-songwriters who draw attention to phrases like 'hasten down the wind,' and I would suggest a moratorium on songs about the James Brothers that don't also rhyme 'pollution' and 'solution.' But I like the way Zevon resists pigeonholes like 'country-rock' while avoiding both the banal and the mystagogical, and I like quatrains like: 'And if California slides into the ocean/Like the mystics and statistics say it will/I predict this motel will be standing/Until I pay my bill.'"[3]

Track listing

[edit]

All songs written by Warren Zevon.

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Frank and Jesse James"4:33
2."Mama Couldn't Be Persuaded"2:53
3."Backs Turned Looking Down the Path"2:27
4."Hasten Down the Wind"2:58
5."Poor Poor Pitiful Me"3:04
6."The French Inhaler"3:44
Side two
No.TitleLength
7."Mohammed's Radio"3:40
8."I'll Sleep When I'm Dead"2:56
9."Carmelita"3:32
10."Join Me in L.A."3:13
11."Desperados Under the Eaves"4:45

Personnel

[edit]

Musicians

[edit]
  • Warren Zevon – harmonica, piano, rhythm guitar, string arrangements, vocals
  • Jackson Browne – harmony vocals on tracks 2, 3 & 11, piano on track 10, slide guitar on track 3
  • Lindsey Buckingham – guitar on track 3, harmony vocals on tracks 5 & 7
  • Rosemary Butler – harmony vocals on track 10
  • Jorge Calderón – harmony vocals on tracks 8 & 11
  • Marty David – bass guitar on track 3
  • Ned Doheny – guitar on track 10
  • Phil Everly – harmony vocals on tracks 1 & 4
  • Glenn Frey – rhythm guitar on track 9, harmony vocals on tracks 6 & 9
  • The Gentlemen Boys – background vocals on track 11
  • Bob Glaub – bass guitar on tracks 1, 2, 4–7 & 9–11
  • Don Henley – harmony vocals on track 6
  • Billy Hinsche – harmony vocals on track 11
  • Bobby Keys – saxophone on tracks 5, 7 & 10
  • David Lindley – banjo on track 1, fiddle on tracks 1, 2 & 5, slide guitar on tracks 4 & 7, guitar on track 9
  • Gary Mallaber – drums on tracks 3 & 8
  • Roy Marinell – bass guitar on track 8
  • Stevie Nicks – vocals on track 7 & 10
  • Bonnie Raitt – harmony vocals on track 10
  • Fritz Richmond – jug on track 8
  • Sid Sharp – strings on tracks 4, 6 & 11
  • JD Souther – harmony vocals on tracks 2 & 11
  • Waddy Wachtel – guitar, vocals
  • Carl Wilson – harmony vocals on track 11, vocal arrangements
  • Jai Winding – piano on track 5, organ & synthesizer on track 10, vocals on track 11
  • Larry Zack – drums on tracks 1, 2, 4–7 & 9–11
  • The Gentlemen Boys consisted of: Jackson Browne, Jorge Calderón, Kenny Edwards, JD Souther and Waddy Wachtel.

Production

[edit]

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for Warren Zevon
Chart (1976) Peak
position
US Billboard Top LPs & Tape[9] 189

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Warren Zevon – Warren Zevon – Songs, Reviews, Credits – AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  2. ^ Mark Deming. "Warren Zevon – Warren Zevon | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-10-23.
  3. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: Z". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 23, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  4. ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
  5. ^ Cush, Andy (April 2, 2023). "Warren Zevon: Warren Zevon Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  6. ^ a b "Warren Zevon: Warren Zevon". PopMatters. Retrieved 2015-10-23.
  7. ^ "Warren Zevon: Warren Zevon : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. 1976-07-15. Archived from the original on October 1, 2007. Retrieved 2015-10-23 – via Web.archive.org.
  8. ^ "How to buy Warren Zevon". Uncut. October 2023. p. 71.
  9. ^ "Warren Zevon Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
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