4/28/2023 0 Comments Warren zevon poster![]() Recorded on the tour for his third studio album, 1980's Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School, Zevon had a strong band and arguably the best collection of material he performed on any tour in his career. Later in the show, he reminds the audience: "This is one of the best audiences I have ever seen I may go berserk!" A song about a high school age sociopath's murderous prom night, this is a prime example of Zevon's extremely macabre outlook. And it's great to be in a rock and roll band!" Then, he launches into a blistering version of his hit, "Excitable Boy," with all the bravado of a pool hall punk. Near the start of the show, Zevon steps up to the microphone and exclaims: "It's great to be back in Philadelphia. Originally broadcast on WMMR-FM at the Tower Theater in Philadelphia, PA for the King Biscuit Flower Hour, this performance captures a classic Warren Zevon show, when many believe he was at the height of his creative prowess. His cynical edge gave his songs that Lennon-esque feel, and classics like "Mohammad's Radio," "Excitable Boy," and "Lawyers, Guns, and Money" hold up today as well as they did when Zevon first introduced them in the late 1970s. Although Zevon was often an electrifying performer on stage, it was really his songs that have remained the center of his artistic legacy. Zevon was unquestionably a true original that found hopeless escape in his music. Unlike countless other songwriters who pursue this path, Zevon's songs remain upbeat and pleasant to listen to, investigating the dark side looking for light, and bringing truth to his songs in the process. ![]() Zevon wallows in the abyss of his own character flaws, using music to legitimize and eradicate them. His cynicism has such a sweet candy coating that it remains irresistible. Herein lies the secret to his uniqueness as a songwriter. This would be the breakthrough album that would finally bring him the personal recognition he was searching for.ĭespite dark and cynical underpinnings to Zevon's songwriting with lyrics that are often downright disturbing, his music is often joyfully sunny. In 1978, Zevon released his next album, Excitable Boy, to critical acclaim. ![]() Though only a modest success, Zevon's self-titled 1976 album would begin the second and far more successful phase of his career. A much darker and more ironic songwriter than other leading figures of that era's singer-songwriter movement, Zevon shared with them grounding in earlier folk and country influences and a commitment to an intellectual style of song craft. When he returned to Los Angeles during the mid-1970s, he soon became associated with the burgeoning music scene developing around Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne, and the Eagles. Warren Zevon - vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards Bob Harris - synthesizer, piano, keyboards, vocals David Landau - guitar Roberto Pinon - bass, vocals Marty Stinger - drums Zeke Zirngiebel - guitar, vocalsĪfter establishing himself in the late 1960s as a quirky songwriter, session musician, jingle composer, and then venturing into the 1970s as the keyboard player/bandleader/musical coordinator for the Everly Brothers, Warren Zevon's increasing dissatisfaction with the music industry led him to abandon it and leave America.
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