Rhino Entertainment Company releases a vinyl box set of an under-appreciated rock legend.
Warren Zevon – Piano Fighter: The Giant Years – Rhino Entertainment Company R1 726770/603497822850 Record Store Day [4/12/2025] Limited Edition 4-LP 140-gram stereo vinyl box, 151:32 ****1/2:
(Warren Zevon – piano, keyboards, guitar, harmonica vocals; Peter Asher – vocals; Rosemary Butler – vocals; Jorge Calderon – bass, vocals; Bruce Hornsby – accordion; Larry Klein – bass; David Lindley – fiddle, cittern, lap steel guitar; Michael Wolff – keyboards; Dan Dugmore – guitar, pedal steel; Bob Glaub – bass; Jim Keltner – drums; Tito Larriva – vocals; Kipp Lennon – vocals; Mark Lennon – vocals; Michael Lennon – vocals; Jeff Porcaro – drums; Waddy Wachtel – guitar, vocals; Dwight Yoakam – vocals; Jordan Zevon – vocals)
After a poorly received debut album, Warren Zevon roared onto the music scene in 1976 with his self-titled sophomore release. Tracks like “Poor Poor Pitiful Me”, “Carmelita” and “Mohammed’s Radio” became staples of rock music. The next album, Excitable Boy was a bigger hit with songs like “Lawyers, Guns And Money” and “Werewolves Of London”. Zevon explored some of the darker imagery of late 1970’s Los Angeles like Jackson Brown, The Eagles and Tom Waits, but more viscerally. His intense lifestyle continued to infuse his poetic apocalyptic songwriting. This resulted in unique material that was groundbreaking, but not commercially successful. He remained a prolific composer until his death in 2003. To this day, he remains the unabashed ambassador to the sometimes harrowing contexts of singer-songwriters.
Just in time for Record Store Day, Rhino Entertainment Company has released a limited edition 4-LP box of Zevon’s early 90’s catalog with Giant Records. The first LP is Mr. Bad Example (first North American vinyl run). While casual Zevon fans may not be as familiar with this material, his unique mixture of pathos and gritty irony remains intact. Side One kicks off with an angry love song, “Finishing Touches”. It is arranged as a hard rocker. In a change of pace, “Suzie Lightning” has an ethereal touch and embraces a sentimental feel with atmospheric instrumentation. This may be among his best compositions. “Model Citizen” is a satirical look at conventional family life (“…It’s a white man’s burden and it weighs a ton…”) that also touches on universal self-doubt. The title track is an example of the musical diversity that frames his stories. There is a demented country-polka vibe and narrative that reinforce the cynicism (“… I like to have a good time and I don’t care who gets hurt…”) of decimating societal norms. “Renegade” is an unapologetic outlaw number (“…I’ve been a rebel all my days…”) about the demise and indignation of Southerners. His evocative vocals are effective and an accordion (Bruce Hornsby) adds texture. The country resonance is showcased on “Heartache Spoken Here” with Dwight Yoakam on harmony vocals. A movie song, “Things To Do In Denver When You’re Dead” is a grooved rocker that conveys Zevon’s motley mood. The instrumentation is compelling. “Searching For A Heart” is the artist’s rare hopeful look at love, with a signature weird take (“…You can’t start it like a car, you can’t stop it with a gun…”).
The other studio album, Mutineer (first time on vinyl) represents more excellent songwriting and less freneticism. The opening cut feels right out of a Carl Hiaasen novel about an embezzling corporate hustler on the run in Florida (“…Down in the swamp with the gators and flamingos…”). It has a steady groove and Zevon delivers the lyrics with conviction. This album is observational and at times self-reflective. The mysterious “Something Bad Happened To A Clown” has a lilting tempo, searing electric guitar, and a near-operatic delivery. Zevon’s masterful lyrics illuminate the discerning philosophy and ambivalence of life on the achingly emotional “The Indifference Of Heaven”. The simple musical structure is a perfect vehicle for this. A certain highlight is the cover of Judee Sill’s “Jesus Was A Cross Maker”. He captures the plaintive, soulful essence of this brilliant song with great vocal harmonies in a stripped down musical performance. Zevon’s intermingling of musician and gunslinger personas inhabit the rocking “Piano Fighter”. His descent into spiritual confusion is infused with folk accents on “Monkey Wash Donkey Rinse”. The finale (“Mutineer”) is a tender, melancholic number with feathery synthesizers and earnest vocals.
A double live album, Learning To Flinch (also for the first time on vinyl) is a quintessential look at Zevon’s amazing career.. He performs solo, accompanying himself on acoustic guitar and piano. He starts out big with muscular 12-string versions of “Splendid Isolation”, “Lawyers, Guns And Money” and Mr. “Bad Example”, followed up by a boogie-woogie inspired piano on “Excitable Boy”. Then he shifts down to a lyrical take of “Hasten Down The Wind” and a tongue-in-cheek one of “The French Inhaler. Clearly as a solo performer, he connects with the material. He is adept at slide guitar (“Worrier King”), heavenly synthesizer (“Roland Chorale”) and performs a mesmerizing rendition of “Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner” with a swirling piano/synth interlude. Zevon manages to sustain the ferocity of his mayhem-laden imagery on funky piano cuts like “Jungle Work”, “Piano Fighter” and the crowd-pleasing “Werewolves of London”. This concert ends with a powerhouse, Appalachian-fueled 12-string “Poor Poor Pitiful Me” and intrepid Southern Rock piano on “Play It All Night Long”.
Warren Zevon – Piano Fighter will be a great contribution to Record Store Day. The breadth of songs and vocals are compelling. The vinyl pressings (mastered directly from analog tapes by Bernie Grundman) are pristine.
Highly recommended!
—Robbie Gerson
Warren Zevon – Piano Fighter: The Giant Years
TrackList:
Mr. Bad Example Side One: Finishing Touches; Suzie Lightning; Model Citizen; Angel Dressed In Black; Mr. Bad Example
Mr. Bad Example Side Two: Renegade; Heartache Spoken Here; Quite Ugly One Morning; Things To Do In Denver When You’re Dead
Learning To Flinch Side One: Splendid Isolation; Lawyers, Guns And Money; Mr. Bad Example; Excitable Boy; Hasten Down The Wind; The French Inhaler
Learning To Flinch Side Two: Worrier King; Roland Chorale; Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner; Searching For A Heart
Learning To Flinch Side Three: Boom Boom Mancini; Jungle Work; Piano Fighter; Werewolves Of London
Learning To Flinch Side Four: The Indifference Of Heaven; Poor Poor Pitiful Me; Play It All Night Long
Mutineer Side One: Seminole Bingo; Something Happened To A Clown; Similar To Rain; The Indifference Of Heaven; Jesus Was A Cross Maker
Mutineer Side Two: Poisonous Lookalike; Piano Fighter; Rottweiler Blues; Monkeys Wash Donkey Rinse; Mutineer.
