Excitable Boy

Warren Zevon

album cover

Jackson Browne Called Him the "First and Foremost Proponent of Song Noir"

Warren Zevon's third album is filled with sad sacks, schemers, and strange characters who could have wandered from the pages of 1950s-era pulp novels. Among his creations are a crazed mercenary killer named Roland; pampered and self-obsessed elites wreaking havoc with the lethal combination of "Lawyers, Guns, and Money"; and the denizens of a bizarre stalker underworld ("Werewolves of London"). Then there's the weirdo of the title track, who murders his date for the Junior Prom. The townsfolk shake their heads as they gossip: He always was an excitable boy.

These songs are delivery systems for the wit and wisdom of a black humorist (a trenchant observer of humanity who more than once was compared to Mark Twain), and so often operate on several levels at once. They're freakshow-on-the-sidewalk portraits, and at the same time caustic commentaries on a nihilistic society obsessed with escaping reality whenever possible. Like Randy Newman and a handful of others, Zevon (1947–2003) weaves acute observations into his narratives; the lyrics might be acidic, but they're also unapologetically smart, laced with references to history and thinly disguised outrage over current events. As he follows the exploits of "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner," for example, Zevon slips in questions about the misadventures and miscalculations of U.S. foreign policy. And no matter what message is carried by the words, Zevon's unkempt, defiantly casual delivery offers another level of comment, the audio equivalent of a raised eyebrow.

Zevon had that sardonic edge from the start—his debut is even more astringent. But after this, Zevon, the son of a professional gambler, descended into a years-long vodka binge that hindered his output. Though subsequent works contain smatterings of genius, Excitable Boy is Zevon's most fully realized album, and the one that established him as a refreshingly dour voice in an L.A. singersongwriter scene defined by puppy-dog sweetness. It's also his most varied collection, with straightforward three-chord rock anthems ("Lawyers, Guns, and Money"), anxious attempts at funk ("Nighttime in the Switching Yard"), and one forthright piano ballad ("Accidentally like a Martyr"). A sincere, beautifully wrought song, it's the one to play for people who think Zevon spent his whole career howling like a werewolf.

Genre: Rock
Released: 1978, Asylum
Key Tracks: "Lawyers, Guns, and Money," "Excitable Boy," "Accidentally like a Martyr"
Catalog Choice: Warren Zevon
Next Stop: Randy Newman: Good Old Boys
After That: Jackson Browne: Late for the Sky
Book Page: 888

Buy this Recording

Share this page:

Comments:

#1 from John Adcock, Ashtead, United Kingdom - 02/06/2009 6:57

The late Warren Zevon is criminally under-rated as a singer songwriter, and Excitable Boy showcases his talents brilliantly.  Zevon was never afraid of tackling subjects that most people ignored - and turning the material into pithy, memorable songs that told compelling stories within a short space of time.

A complex and in some ways damaged individual, Zevon nevertheless channelled his troubles into some tremendous music, and has left us a catalogue of albums that are never less than thought-provoking and engaging.  Where better to start knowing more about the world of Warren Zevon than with Excitable Boy?

Post a Comment:

Name:

Email:

Location:

URL:

Remember my personal information

Notify me of follow-up comments?

Submit the word you see below:


Note that your comment will be reviewed by an editor before it appears on the site.


About 1,000 Recordings

Celebrate the joy, the revelation, the mystery, the fun, the sheer shivers-up-the-spine pleasure of great music.

Essential operas. Milestone rock albums. An education in the blues. The world of world. Classical from Bach to Bartók to Beethoven to Brahms. And dozens of unexpected gems, surprising discoveries, and long-lost masterpieces.

This is an online version of the list (published alphabetically in the book). The entries in the book break down genre bias and broaden every listener’s horizons—think Miles Davis to Claude Debussy to the melodic story-songs of The Decemberists. And the writing is passionate, informed, opinionated.

More about the book

site design: Juxtaprose