Warren Zevon
Excitable Boy



Label: Asylum
Released: 1978
Source: Original CD 
Size Torrent: 188 MB
Format: FLAC






Warren William Zevon (January 24, 1947 – September 7, 2003) was an American rock singer-songwriter and musician noted for including his strange, sardonic opinions of life in his musical lyrics, composing songs that were sometimes humorous and often had political or historical themes.

Zevon's work has often been complimented by well-known musicians. His best-known compositions include "Werewolves of London", "Lawyers, Guns and Money", "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner" and "Johnny Strikes Up The Band", all of which are featured on his 1978 sophomore release, Excitable Boy. Other well-known songs written by Zevon have been recorded by other artists, including "Poor Poor Pitiful Me" (a top 40 hit by Linda Ronstadt), "Accidentally Like a Martyr", "Mohammed's Radio", "Carmelita", and "Hasten Down the Wind".

Along with his own compositions, Zevon recorded or performed occasional covers, including Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" and Leonard Cohen's "First We Take Manhattan". He was a frequent guest on Late Night with David Letterman and the Late Show with David Letterman. Letterman later performed guest vocals on "Hit Somebody! (The Hockey Song)" with Paul Shaffer and members of the CBS Orchestra.



Excitable Boy is the third album by Warren Zevon, released in 1978. It includes the top 40 success "Werewolves of London". The album brought Warren to commercial attention and remains the best-selling album of his career. A remastered and expanded edition was released during 2007.

The album includes several songs that use macabre humor ("Excitable Boy," "Werewolves of London"), as well as some songs that take place in locales outside the United States, ("Veracruz"), and two songs that both use macabre humor and take place in countries other than the U.S.A. ("Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner", "Lawyers, Guns and Money"). In addition, there are two straightforward ballads about life and relationships ("Accidentally Like a Martyr" and "Tenderness on the Block").



Personnel

Warren Zevon – organ, synthesizer, bass, guitar, piano, keyboards, Vocals
Jorge Calderón – vocals, harmony vocals, Spanish vocals on "Veracruz"
Danny "Kootch" Kortchmar - guitar, percussion
Russ Kunkel – drums
Karla Bonoff – vocals, harmony vocals on "Accidentally Like a Martyr"
Jackson Browne – guitar, vocals, harmony vocals
Luis Damian – jarana on "Veracruz"
Kenny Edwards – bass, harmony vocals
Mick Fleetwood – drums on "Werewolves of London"
The Gentlemen Boys – vocals
Arthur Gerst – harp, Mexican harp
Bob Glaub – bass
Jim Horn – recorder, saxophone
Greg Ladanyi – bells
Rick Marotta – drums
John McVie – bass on "Werewolves of London"
Jeff Porcaro – percussion, drums on "Nighttime in the Switching Yard"
Linda Ronstadt – vocals, harmony on "Excitable Boy"
Leland Sklar – bass
J.D. Souther – vocals, harmony
Manuel Vasquez – requinto on "Veracruz"
Richard Wachtel – guitar, vocals
Waddy Wachtel – synthesizer, guitar, harmony vocals
Jennifer Warnes – harmony vocals on "Excitable Boy"
Linda Warnes – vocals


Track Listing

1."Johnny Strikes Up the Band" – 2:49
2."Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner" (David Lindell, Zevon) – 3:47
3."Excitable Boy" (LeRoy Marinell, Zevon) – 2:40
4."Werewolves of London" (Marinell, Waddy Wachtel, Zevon) – 3:27
5."Accidentally Like a Martyr" – 3:37
6."Nighttime in the Switching Yard" (Jorge Calderón, Lindell) – 4:15
7."Veracruz" (Calderón, Zevon) – 3:30
8."Tenderness on the Block" (Jackson Browne, Zevon) – 3:55
9."Lawyers, Guns and Money" – 3:29

All songs written by Warren Zevon except as noted.