WARREN ZEVON
Excitable Boy [Reissue]
Rhino Records 2007
www.warrenzevon.com

What’s the 4-1-1?
The smash 1978 hit album from the late singer-songwriter genius gets the remastered/reissued treatment from Rhino Records. The new version features 4 bonus tracks and a new essay from writer David Fricke.

Genre
Rock / Pop / Classic Rock / Folk

The Good
The two biggest hits of Warren Zevon’s career are on this disc. I never get tired of hearing “Werewolves Of London” (even at work on the easy listening station, if you can believe it) or “Lawyers, Guns And Money”. They are timeless hits that deserve all the airplay they can get. What makes this album stand out to me besides its status as the biggest seller of Zevon’s catalog is the fact it contains so many other great songs. The title track is a hilarious romp through a rather evil sounding story. The juxtaposition between the dark subject matter and the happy go lucky sound of the song really sells it. “Veracruz” is a sweet effort and the slow and deliberate tempo works just as well as the more high energy numbers.

“Johnny Strikes Up The Band” and “Accidentally Like A Martyr” are two other tracks that set the album apart from many of Zevon’s contemporaries. However, the stand out track on this album happens to be my favorite Zevon track of all time. Yes, I’m speaking of “Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner”! This song is an all-time classic to me, on the same level as “Werewolves Of London.” The vocal work from Zevon is great as is the musical tapestry woven together. It’s just one of many prime examples of Warren’s songwriting ability. As for the bonus tracks, I liked “Tule’s Blues” and “Frozen Notes”, but I really loved the outtake “I Need A Truck.” It’s a short 46 second clip but man, I would KILL to have heard a whole song from that. It is just Warren singing a cappella but the clip gets inside of you like you wouldn’t imagine.

The Bad
I’m sure others will disagree, but I really didn’t care for the alternate version bonus track of “Werewolves Of London.”

The Verdict
I try to be as objective as possible in my reviews, but when it comes to Warren Zevon, it is a nigh impossible thing to achieve. I am a huge fan of his music. I think his greatest hits album being dubbed Genius is just the beginning of what he accomplished in his too short life. He is a genius and more. Excitable Boy serves as his most successful album in terms of publicity and sales and the quality of songwriting still holds up almost 30 years later. I have to give big kudos to Rhino for putting together this reissue. There have been quibbles over the booklet popping up on the Zevon message board, but for me they are minor in view of the fact that the collection got done in the first place. Warren Zevon is a musical genius and you should learn this fact now and spread the word. Excitable Boy is a great place to start.

Did You Know?
Warren Zevon sang two tracks on the 2003 Michael Wolff Christmas album Christmas Moods. Zevon studied classical music as a teenager and he wrote the score for the strings you hear on the “Frozen Notes” bonus track.

Rating: out of 5

Related Reviews:
Warren Zevon - Reconsider Me: The Love Songs
Warren Zevon - Mutineer

-- Jay Roberts