Warren had indeed dropped out of high school as soon as the music industry beckoned; anything would have been better than the turbulence and abuse of his home life. But in moving to Los Angeles and becoming part of the drug scene at such a formative age, Warren had also cheated himself out of any future classical training, or potential scholarships, which could have kept him on course.
And while he never hocked his God-given talents for a porcelain monkey, the cerebral nature of Warren’s rock-and-roll output consistently kept him at odds with both audiences and record labels. Dave Barry had put it succinctly during our interview, observing, “[Warren] was never going to be a big ‘pop’ success—my argument has always been that most people aren’t smart enough for Warren Zevon. Most people don’t want cerebral—they want what’s catchy. Warren wasn’t going to be just that. He could have been, but he wasn’t going to be… The lyrics that he is best remembered for, the ones most quoted, [are] funny—cosmically funny—but they’re lyrics that he also lived.”
Warren remarked more than once that one of his greatest heroes had been Glenn Gould; no doubt, had circumstances been different, Warren could possibly have become Gould’s heir apparent. I’m quite sure, deep down, Warren knew it, too.
When I say that Warren lived two lifetimes that is an observation that only came once the interview process was near its end. Every single person who was willing to share their own stories and recollections of Warren did so with the kindest and warmest manner; but half had to be convinced of my intentions and agenda.
Those who knew the Warren Zevon of his younger, wilder days were expectedly guarded at first, protective of the legacy that so many offerings of bad press had worked to tarnish. I was very fortunate that my own intentions toward documenting Warren’s work and preserving his legacy eventually became apparent enough to gain the needed trust. However, in the case of Warren’s friends and colleagues who knew him after 1985—well, quite frankly, most couldn’t wait to tell me all about their happy and exciting experiences with the legendary Warren Zevon. In these recollections, his generosity, productivity, creativity, and humanity always won out. Most admitted to me that, if they hadn’t known Warren before his sobriety, they’d never be able to imagine that those well-documented mistakes of his past were even true. He had, I was told more than once, become a different man.
And so, my complex subject had become more complex: he was a man who had, indeed, led two consecutive lives. Although mainstream superstardom forever eluded him, critical recognition never did. And for whatever bargain he had made within himself to live long enough to become sober, he had achieved it. Warren lived long enough to make amends, to the best of his ability, with his family and friends—and to reach an artistic level of excellence and maturity that could safely match his own standards. When faced with his own mortality, Warren slipped off the wagon one final time—just long enough to remember how strong he could be, and how crucial his family, his friends, and his art were in summoning that strength.
During his heyday of the late 1970s, a large amount of the press coverage Warren received either made reference to his addictions or, more frequently, made it their focus. What was almost always left overlooked—until his final press junket in 2003, the “living funeral”—was the rare strength he had shown in 1986 by conquering those addictions. Having watched heroes like Jim Morrison and Jimi Hendrix and friends like John Belushi succumb to their own personal battles, Warren had slain his dragon, with little else than an Olympian demonstration of willpower and his own intelligence. A lesser man would have been found dead by 1986. But not Warren.
I’m too old to die young, and too young to die now.
And too strong to die a coward’s death.
In his three-part epic elegy for Warren, “Sillyhow Stride,” Paul Muldoon warmly addressed his friend, reminding the “young John Donne who sets a Glock on his dish in the cafeteria” that in both life and in death, “two graves must hide”—
So break off, Warren, break off this last lamenting kiss
As Christ broke with Iscariot…
On Sunday, September 7, 2003, Warren indeed “broke off”—bravely displaying only strength, gratitude, and appreciation for the second chance at sobriety and, ultimately, life that luck—good luck—had finally granted him. As for regrets—the sins of his past, for which he had spent the second part of his lifetime paying in full—he had broken off from those, too.
“I got to be the most fucked-up rock star on the block, at least on my block,” Warren had said only a few months before his death. “And then I got to be a sober dad for eighteen years… I’ve had two very full lives.”
DISCOGRAPHY
Compiling a comprehensive discography for Warren Zevon proved to be a trickier task than I had anticipated. While the various labels that he was signed with for an almost forty-year span kept professional documentation of their recordings, Warren’s abilities led him into the studio even more times than he would often make mention—his early years as a session “cat,” in particular. As a huge fan myself, it was enlightening and exciting to learn of rare recordings, demos, bootlegs, and the little-known instances when Warren would be a sideman for other performers. However, this made chronicling his work slightly difficult and posed the question: what would be considered canon and what would be left out? Plus, many such albums are, sadly, out of print, despite the Zevon connection. This left me with the additional task of researching the technical specs for work that people seemed to have largely forgotten.
An artist’s “canon” is not a position that I feel I have the authority to determine, so the following list is, safely, presented by medium of release and in complete chronological order of Warren Zevon’s participation and street date; bootlegs and memorial albums have not been included. All other recordings are given the fullest amount of detail as was attainable. Any sessions that were revealed to me during the interview process yet couldn’t be authenticated as 100 percent accurate—as was the case of Warren’s participation with the Underground All-Stars, et cetera—have not been included here.
Special thanks to Warren’s cohorts for their aid in compiling this list—in particular Bones Howe, Kim Fowley, and David Marks—and to Goldmine magazine and the WZ fans of his official website, www.warren zevon.com, for their own efforts to authenticate Warren’s full career.
In effect, every effort has been made to make this the most accurate discography possible.
—CMK
12” ALBUMS
The Turtles, Happy Together, White Whale Records, 1967.
Recorded at Sunset Sound Studios, Hollywood, 1966–67; released April 29, 1967.
Phil Ochs, Pleasures of the Harbor, A&M Records, 1967.
Recorded 1967; released October 31, 1967.
Smokestack Lightnin’, Off the Wall, Bell Records, 1969.
Recorded 1968–69; released 1969.
Various artists, Midnight Cowboy—Original Motion Picture Score, United Artists, 1969.
Recorded, released 1969.
Warren Zevon, Wanted Dead or Alive, Imperial, 1970.
Recorded 1969 at Sunset Sound, Hollywood; released 1970.
(Note: Credited to “Zevon.” Reissued by Pickwick Records, 1979.)
The Everly Brothers, Stories We Could Tell, RCA Victor, 1972.
Released March 1972.
Phil Everly, Star Spangled Springer, RCA, 1973.
Recorded June 1973; released January 1, 1973.
Phil Everly, Mystic Line, Pye Records, 1975.
Recorded August 1974; released January 1, 1975.
Warren Zevon, Warren Zevon, Asylum, 1976.
Recorded 1975 at Elektra Sound Records, California, and Sunset Sound, Hollywood; released May 18, 1976.
Excitable Boy, Asylum, 1978.
Recorded 1977 at the Sound Factory, Los Angeles; released January 18, 1978.
Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School, Asylum, 1980.
Recorded 1979 at the Sound Factory, Los Angeles; released 1980.
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Stand in the Fire, Asylum, 1980.
Recorded at the Roxy theater, Los Angeles, and mixed at Record One; released December 26, 1980.
The Envoy, Asylum, 1982.
Recorded 1981 at Record One, Los Angeles; released July 16, 1982.
Don Henley, I Can’t Stand Still, Asylum, 1982.
Recorded and mixed 1981–82 at Record One; released August 13, 1982.
Warren Zevon, A Quiet, Normal Life: The Best of Warren Zevon, Asylum, 1986.
(Note: Compilation of selected Asylum recordings.)
Mastered by Dennis King at Atlantic Studios, New York, New York.
Recorded 1975–82; released October 24, 1986.
Sentimental Hygiene, Virgin, 1987.
Recorded 1987 at Record One Studios, Hollywood, California; A&M Studios, California; Cheshire Sound, Atlanta; released August 29, 1987.
Transverse City, Virgin, 1989.
Recorded A&M Studios, Hollywood, California; Broken Arrow Ranch, La Honda, California; EMI Abbey Road Studios, London, England; Le Club Front, San Rafael, California; Mad Hatter Studios, Los Angeles, California; Paisley Park, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Red Zone Studios, Burbank, California, 1989; released 1989.
Hindu Love Gods, Hindu Love Gods, Giant, 1990.
Recorded 1987 at Record One Studios, Sherman Oaks, California; A&M Studios, Los Angeles, California; released October 5, 1990.
Warren Zevon, Mr. Bad Example, Giant, 1991.
Recorded Dodge City, Glendale, California; the Sound Factory, Los Angeles, California, 1991; released October 15, 1991.
(Note: Vinyl LP release in Germany only; the final Warren Zevon album to receive an industry-standard vinyl record release.)
The Odds, Bedbugs, Zoo Entertainment, 1993.
Recorded/released 1993.
CD ALBUMS
Warren Zevon, Learning to Flinch, Giant, 1993.
Recorded Live to DAT, June 24, 1992–October 13, 1992; released April 13, 1993.
Mutineer, Giant, 1995.
Recorded at Anatomy of a Headache, Los Angeles, 1994; released May 23, 1995.
I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead, Rhino, 1996.
(Note: Two-disc anthology of selected Asylum and Giant recordings.)
Recorded 1976–1996; released September 17, 1996.
Various artists, Kerouac: Kicks Joy Darkness, Rykodisc, 1997.
Released April 8, 1997.
Warren Zevon, Life’ll Kill Ya, Artemis, 2000.
Recorded at Anatomy of a Headache, Los Angeles, 1996–1999; Fort Apache Studios, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1999; released January 25, 2000.
My Ride’s Here, Artemis, 2002.
Recorded at Anatomy of a Headache, Los Angeles; Ed Sullivan Theater, New York; Pilot Studios, New York; Private Island Studios, Los Angeles; Spike Recording, New York; released May 7, 2002.
Genius: The Best of Warren Zevon, Rhino, 2002.
(Note: Compilation of selected Asylum, Virgin, Giant, and Artemis recordings.)
Recorded 1976–2002; released October 1, 2002.
Michael Wolff, Christmas Moods, Artemis, 2003.
Recorded and released 2003.
Billy Bob Thornton, The Edge of the World, Sanctuary Records, 2003.
Released August 19, 2003.
Warren Zevon, The Wind, Artemis, 2003.
Recorded at Sunset Sound, Hollywood, California; Anatomy of a Headache, Los Angeles, California, 2003; released August 26, 2003.
Warren Zevon: The First Sessions, Varese Sarabande Records, 2003.
(Note: Compilation of Warren Zevon’s earliest recordings as a member of lyme and cybelle.)
Recorded 1966–1967; released March 2003.
Reconsider Me: The Love Songs, Artemis, 2006.
(Note: Compilation of selected Asylum, Virgin, Giant, and Artemis recordings.)
Recorded 1978–2003; released January 31, 2006.
Preludes: Rare and Unreleased Recordings, New West Records, 2007.
(Note: Compilation of previously unreleased recordings and demos.)
Recorded 1974–1976; released May 1, 2007.
45 RPM SINGLES
“Follow Me” / “Like the Seasons” (lyme and cybelle) (1966)
White Whale 228
“If You Gotta Go, Go Now” / “I’ll Go On” (lyme and cybelle) (1966)
White Whale 232
“Hasten Down the Wind” / “Mohammed’s Radio” (1976)
Asylum 45356
“Werewolves of London” / “Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner” (1978)
Asylum 45472
“Lawyers, Guns and Money” / “Veracruz” (1978)
Asylum 45498
“Johnny Strikes Up the Band” / “Nighttime in the Switching Yard” (1978)
Asylum 45526
“Werewolves of London” / “Lawyers, Guns and Money” (1979) (“Spun Gold” reissue series)
Elektra 45091
“A Certain Girl” / “Empty-Handed Heart” (1980)
Asylum 46610
“Gorilla, You’re a Desperado” / “Jungle Work” (1980)
Asylum 46641
“Lawyers, Guns and Money” / “Werewolves of London” (1981)
Asylum 47118
“Looking for the Next Best Thing” / “The Hula Hula Boys” (1982)
Asylum 69966
“Let Nothing Come Between You” / “The Hula Hula Boys” (1982)
Asylum 69946
“Werewolves of London” / “Jesus Mentioned” (1986)
Asylum 69509
“Leave My Monkey Alone” (1987)(Latin Rascals Dub)
Virgin 99440
“Reconsider Me” / “The Factory” (1988)
Virgin 99370
“Werewolves of London” / “Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner” (1978, promo-only picture disc with die-cut cover)
Asylum AS 11386
“Nighttime in the Switching Yard” (1978, same on both sides)
Asylum AS 11395
“Werewolves of London” (1986, same on both sides; with picture cover promoting The Color of Money)
Asylum ED 5185
“Sentimental Hygiene” (1987, LP Version) (Edit)
Virgin PR 2033
“Leave My Monkey Alone” (1987) (Latin Rascals Mix 10:31) / (Latin Rascals Edit 5:45, Latin Rascals Dub 5:51)
Virgin DMD1053
“Detox Mansion” / “Leave My Monkey Alone” (1987)
Virgin PR 2062
“Boom Boom Mancini” (1987, same on both sides)
Virgin PR 2133
“Reconsider Me” (1988, same on both sides)
Virgin PR 2216
COMPACT DISC SINGLES
“Gonna Have a Good Time Tonight” / “Narrator” (Hindu Love Gods—uncredited) (1986)
I.R.S.-52867
“Sentimental Hygiene” (1987, LP Version) (Edit)
Virgin PRCD 2038
“Reconsider Me” (1987)
Virgin PRCD 2216
“Run Straight Down” (1989)
Virgin PRCD 2987
“Splendid Isolation” (1989, LP Version) (Edit)
Virgin PRCD 3157
“Finishing Touches” (1991, Edit)
Giant PRO-CD-5017
“Searching for a Heart” (1991)
Giant PRO-CD-5171
“Rottweiler Blues” / “Poisonous Lookalike” / “Mutineer” (1995)
Giant PRO-CD-7483
“I Was in the House When the House Burned Down” (Clean House Version) (Album Version) (2001)
Artemis ARTCD-10
“Hit Somebody! (The Hockey Song)” / “For My Next Trick I’ll Need a Volunteer” (2001)
Artemis 751069-2
“Basket Case” (2002)
Artemis ARTCD-133
“Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” (2003)
Artemis ARTCD-203
“Disorder in the House” (2003)
Artemis ARTCD-208
“Keep Me in Your Heart” (2003)
Artemis ARTCD-209
SOURCES
INTERVIEWS
Mitch Albom (December 12, 2016)
Duncan Aldrich (December 6, 2011)
Kevin Avery (July 28, 2012)
Dave Barry (October 5, 2012)
Niko Bolas (October 7, 2011)
Julie Bowen (January 8, 2013)
Kim Fowley (December 15, 2011)
Anita Gevinson (January 31, 2012)
Merle Ginsberg (February 5, 2012)
Danny Goldberg (January 9, 2012)
George Gruel (June 7, 2012; October 5, 2012)
Billy Hinsche (September 26, 2011)
Barney Hoskyns (January 31, 2012)
Bones Howe (January 11, 2012)
Howard Kaylan (January 15, 2012)
Laura Kenyon (April 11, 2012)
Paul Q. Kolderie (July 13, 2017)
Gary Mallaber (January 5, 2012)
David Marks (January 20, 2012)
Julia Mueller McNeal (October 24, 2012)
Craig Northey (January 1, 2017)
Annette Ramos (February 4, 2012)
Ryan Rayston (June 20, 2013)
Sean Slade (July 11, 2017)
Noah Scot Snyder (April 24, 2012)
Waddy Wachtel (January 26, 2012)
Crystal Zevon (December 27, 2011)
Lawrence Zevon (January 9, 2012)
Sandford Zevon (January 6, 2012)
ARTICLES
Albom, Mitch. “Singer Zevon’s Life Anything But Gray.” Free Press. September 9, 2003.
Allan, Marc D. “Warren Zevon Hopes to Perform His Classical Music with Local Symphonies.” Indianapolis Star and News, Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service. March 11, 1996.
Bedell, Sally. “All-Rock Cable-TV Service is a Hit.” New York Times. August 2, 1982.
Billboard. “Warren Zevon—Excitable Boy.” Billboard. February 4, 1978.
Billboard. “Warren Zevon—A Quiet, Normal Life.” Billboard. November 1, 1986.
Billboard. “Inside Track.” Billboard. November 22, 1986.
Bowman, David. “Warren Zevon: The Man Who Brought Us ‘Lawyers, Guns and Money’ Talks About Everything But.” Salon.com. March 18, 2000.
Branton, Michael. “Warren Zevon’s Mystery Dance.” Bay Area Music. March 7, 1980.
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