Lawyers, POLLS, and Money: The Warren Zevon Album Poll

I voted for Sentimental Hygiene, thanks to the toughest music R.E.M. played until 1994 and "Trouble Waiting To Happen."

s/t

I think Hindu Love Gods was the REM one

My vote is Stand in the Fire

Don't like to vote for Greatest Hits complations, but here is one case where it fits. None of his studio records are essential, but a well-chosen best-of is close to perfect.

I'm a big fan but I'll admit that even his best albums are a bit patchy. Voted for the self-titled, but Excitable Boy, Sentimental Hygiene and Mr. Bad Example are all favorites.

I think Hindu Love Gods was the REM one

They were the backing band for most of Sentimental too.

"Send lawyers, guns and money / the shit has hit the fan" is still one of the all-time great lines.

None of his studio records are essential...

Except Excitable Boy, which is as flawless an example of that certain kind of Californiana as ever made it to wax.

Extremely tough to pick here. Kinda want to vote for Learning To Flinch as Zevon's guitar playing is pretty amazing on it. Have to ponder some...

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Didn't see this til now. Would have voted the self-titled one, but The Envoy is better than the votes above indicate. (The other albums I like are exactly the ones that got votes, except that I've never heard Learning To Flinch.)

Zevon goes to Sunset & Alvarado and gets a burrito in 1977

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6yVA5PHLn8

I'm glad this was revived, cuz I discovered Life'll Kill Ya last month: a way better epitaph than My Ride's Here and The Wind.

Wow--I can't wait to make my way through this Wonderland 1977 thing.

i'm in the middle of the fascinating zevon biography "i'll sleep when i'm dead." he's way, way up there in the fact checking cuz pantheon, but holy crap was he a dick and a half. i can't recall a rock bio that paints an uglier picture of its subject than this one. and this is based on the testimony of his closest friends. i'm only up to 1983 (post-envoy, pre-hygiene), and presumably things will change for the better when he sobers up. but holy crap.

also, i knew he'd worked for the everly brothers but i didn't realize how close he was to them, and how much time he spent with them.

also also, waddy wachtel has an extremely high opinion of waddy wachtel.

i would've voted for either self-titled or hygiene, depending on my mood at the time, with honorable mentions to bad luck streak and excitable boy. i don't think he ever made a perfect album but he came oh-so-close a number of times.

I was unprepared for how unpleasant he was, yeah.

incredibly insecure, too.

but holy crap was he a dick and a half. i can't recall a rock bio that paints an uglier picture of its subject than this one.

It's hard to believe just how much of a dick he was. By the end, I couldn't wait for the miserable bastard to die.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GH2Yz0-UJck

on that rare list of guys who was excellent on guitar AND piano

died 15 years ago today

RS shared this ridiculous 1981 profile on twitter today: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/the-crackup-and-resurrection-of-warren-zevon-243661/

It's the 15th anniversary of the death of the brilliant songwriter and dark wit Mr. Warren Zevon. His songs are still in a pantheon all their own. But for me he remains the man who groused so hard when I forced him to play miniature golf that I'm still laughing about it. pic.twitter.com/aJkAO7pwsY

— Merrill Markoe (@Merrillmarkoe) September 7, 2018

aaaand my rankings!

Transverse City is really bonkers! What a weird boomer new wave record.

I also love the fucking insane guest appearances, like if you need flugelhorn you gotta Mark Isham...piano on a track? Chick Corea baby...Jerry Garcia AND David Gilmour and Jorma, insane

...and Neil Young on guitar and vocals...

Run Straight Down and Splendid Isolation have more resonance in 2020 than they did in 1989.

a great piece from the Ringer about his final Letterman performance

https://www.theringer.com/music/2022/10/28/23426969/warren-zevon-late-show-david-letterman-anniversary

"Enjoy every sandwich" has been a mantra of mine for at least a decade or two, and now I know where it comes from. Incredible article, and wish I had seen that episode.