Warren Zevon -- Ashes to ashes, all to The Wind (LDC) (long)
Dwolf0823
he, not Leno or Letterman (no, certainly not Letterman), is the one who sees
gallows humor in the predicament. On the Letterman Show, Warren Zevon, with a
wry, paradoxical smile and laugh, said that his fear of doctors was "one of
those phobias that didn't pay off." Also on that night, Zevon, who has told us
so much through his songs, gave us a precious nugget he discovered, something
he knows that David Letterman and other people whose life expectancy doesn't
number in months or days, or in Warren's case, as he's already supposed to be
sleeping while dead, negative numbers: we better learn to enjoy each sandwich.
Zevon, surpassing the limitations prescribed by his doctors, has lived to see
the birth of his twin grandchildren and the release of his wonderful latest
album, the understandably melancholy, yet at times strangely upbeat, _The
Wind_. I feel privileged to bear witness to the Mutineer's final journey, as
it, like his last two studio albums, holds its own with Zevon's greatest albums
(Warren's best album for my money is "Life'll Kill Ya," written and recorded
way before the cancer diagnosis).
Anyway, Zevon starts out with one of his great turns of phrase: "Some days I
feel like my shadow's casting me, Some days the sun don't shine." I love that
image of casting one's own shadow -- it evokes a darkness, a state of
nothingness, death, and yet, the lyrics are carefully crafted: only on some
days does Zevon, and I'm going to presume that there's plenty of self-reference
going on on this album, feel that he's casting his own shadow and that the sun
is not shining. Even in the face of certain death, the implication remains
that there are days when the sun shines -- when Warren still casts his own
shadow. Later in the song we're reminded that Warren's "winding down [his]
dirty life and times," and the lump hits the throat. Oh, is this a painful
record. And it was so painful, on so many levels (the VH-1 special is
essential viewing), for Warren. But like all great works of music, it somehow
raises the spirit -- of both the listener and the singer-songwriter.
Next is "Disorder in the House," an outrageous, confused rocker, that describes
both Warren's state-of-mind, and, on a broader scale, the state-of-mind of his
country: "The floodgates are open, We've let the demons loose, The big guns
have spoken, and we've fallen for the ruse." Bruce Sprinsgteen lends sharp
vocals and killer guitar to Disorder.
The third song is "Knockin'." There's nothing I can say about this song, this
rendition, and all it means, that could do it justice. So I won't try.
"Numb as a Statue" proves that, no matter what, Zevon's not going to lose that
biting, intelligent, sarcastic sense of humor: "I don't care if it's
superficial, You don't have to dig down deep, Just bring enough for the ritual,
get here before I fall asleep."
What follows is a song that I immediately place among Warren's greatest, and
without hesitation I find it to be the best thing on "The Wind": "She's Too
Good For Me." This one brought tears to my eyes, but, strangely enough, not in
the way "Dirty Life and Times" or, my God, the last song did, but on a level
associated purely with the song itself -- I can envision the situation as
removed from Warren Zevon's life and disease, it works on many levels. It's a
work of pure beauty.
"Prison Grove" strikes me as in some ways Zevon's "I Shall Be Released." Both
songs are ostensibly about escaping prisons, but ultimately the songs are
universal and we're all in prisons that we will all one day inevitably escape:
"Some folks have to die too hard, Some folks have to cry too hard, Take one
last look at the prison yard, Goodbye Prison Grove."
There are also two great blues numbers on _The Wind_, "Please Stay" and "Rub
Me Raw," that reminded me a bit of Bob's blues on "Love and Theft." At this
point, I think Zevon's blues have a basis that might even be comparable on an
emotional level to the blues's original impetus: racism. Nobody is going to
question this white man singing the blues.
The album's final song, and, in all likelihood the final original song that
will close a Warren Zevon album, is "Keep Me in Your Heart." It's opening pays
homage to TooM: "Shadows are falling and I'm running out of breath." This song
absolutely destroys me, tears flow free, beyond mere watery eyes. If the
message "Keep me in your heart for awhile" is directed to Warren Zevon's fans,
and not just his family and friends, I hope he still reads what people are
saying about him on the Internet, because, Warren, you're going to be in my
heart for a lot longer than a while. I only hope that I can be as strong and
courageous as Warren Zevon, "Mr. 'Bad' Example", if the situation calls for it.
Peace be with you.
dsw
michael duffy
a terrific piece of work.
and a fantastic album.
md
"Dwolf0823" <dwol...@aol.commonstock> wrote in message
news:20030828180240...@mb-m28.aol.com...
Beppe
"Dwolf0823" <dwol...@aol.commonstock> ha scritto nel messaggio
news:20030828180240...@mb-m28.aol.com...
> You know.......................Peace be with you.
> dsw
I thank you for what you've written
--
Ciao
Beppe
Dwolf0823
"Anyway, Zevon starts out with one of his great turns of phrase: "Some days I
feel like my shadow's casting me, Some days the sun don't shine." I love that
image of casting one's own shadow -- it evokes a darkness, a state of
nothingness, death, and yet, the lyrics are carefully crafted: only on some
days does Zevon, and I'm going to presume that there's plenty of self-reference
going on on this album, feel that he's casting his own shadow and that the sun
is not shining."
How sloppy. I really screwed that up, and being the obsessive, anal retentive
person I am, I have to fix it. Here's how the paragraph should read:
Anyway, Zevon starts out with one of his great turns of phrase: "Some days I
feel like my shadow's casting me, Some days the sun don't shine." I love that
image of a shadow casting a person -- it evokes a darkness, a state of
nothingness, death, and yet, the lyrics are carefully crafted: only on some
days does Zevon, and I'm going to presume that there's plenty of self-reference
going on on this album, feel that his shadow is casting him and that the sun
is not shining. Even in the face of certain death, the implication remains
that there are days when the sun shines -- when Warren still casts his own
shadow. Later in the song we're reminded that Warren's "winding down [his]
dirty life and times," and the lump hits the throat. Oh, is this a painful
record. And it was so painful, on so many levels (the VH-1 special is
essential viewing), for Warren. But like all great works of music, it somehow
raises the spirit -- of both the listener and the singer-songwriter.
dsw
Tumulty
T.
dwol...@aol.commonstock (Dwolf0823) wrote in message news:<20030828180240...@mb-m28.aol.com>...
Who Me
>retentive
>person I am, I have to fix it. Here's how the paragraph should read:
>
>Anyway, Zevon starts out with one of his great turns of phrase: "Some days I
Heh heh heh. Big of you to admit that. Now I don't feel bad about not liking
the first draft.
:-)
Bill
"The last time the French asked for 'more proof' it came marching into
Paris under a German flag."
--David Letterman
"I just love the French. They taste like chicken!"
--- Hannibal Lecter
Stephen
buying the album, because I've been getting all freaky about listening
to it -- in no doubt the most ridiculous, cliched ways. About how to
listen to it, I mean. It's even been difficult to hear "Heaven's
Door" on the radio; it's like some valve shuts off in my brain, like
something won't compute.
But after reading this, I'm going wake up tomorrow, kick myself in my
damned-fool behind all the way to the record store, come home, make a
sandwich and ... just listen. Thanks so much, dwolf -- "coming from
the heart."
Mretramp2
And Amen to your assessment of Life'll Kill Ya.
David Bachman
mret...@aol.com
Jim (Guitar Centre Records)
God bless Warren.
Jim
"Dwolf0823" <dwol...@aol.commonstock> wrote in message
news:20030828180240...@mb-m28.aol.com...
John Dunne
say that of course it is terrible what Warren Zevon is going through,
but this is a banal, middle-of -the road album, the sort of AOR that Bob
Dylan and few others provide a refuge from . Sorry if this is
interpreted as sacrilege, but it's my honest opinion.
John
Dwolf0823 <dwol...@aol.commonstock> wrote in message
news:20030828212232...@mb-m28.aol.com...
tom .
Dwolf0823
>Your comments obviously come straight from the heart. So do mine when I
>say that of course it is terrible what Warren Zevon is going through,
>but this is a banal, middle-of -the road album, the sort of AOR that Bob
>Dylan and few others provide a refuge from . Sorry if this is
>interpreted as sacrilege, but it's my honest opinion.
No need for apologies -- your comments are always appreciated, John. Of course
there are going to be those who don't like the album, and of course there may
not be a right and wrong when it comes to opinions, but I have to say that
"banal" is the last word I would use to describe the album. It seems to me to
be a total and complete refuge from banality, if nothing else.
dsw
John Dunne
Dwolf0823 <dwol...@aol.commonstock> wrote in message
>I have to say that
> "banal" is the last word I would use to describe the album. It seems
to me to
> be a total and complete refuge from banality, if nothing else.
>
>
> dsw
The tragic circumstances surrounding the creation of this album are not,
to state the obvious, banal, but I do feel that banal is the right word
to describe the music (West Coast rent-a-band plus celebrity guests) and
nearly all the lyrics. The lines you originally cited - "Some days I
feel like my shadow's casting me, Some days the sun don't shine." are
striking enough on first hearing, but it's a shame that the best phrase
on the entire album ("bible black") comes from Dylan Thomas. Finally, I
think that the version of Knockin' On Heaven's Door is an utter
travesty. Apart at all from that horrible, obtrusive guitar, Warren's
vocals capture neither a sense of awe and foreboding or one of imminent
release.
John
Therebutfor
person I am, >>
If this is what is takes for you to produce
a review of this caliber, retain away to your
heart's content!
Bkindmoore
Your sincere, well-written positive review
sent me running for the CD.
Fonyfirl
http://www.vh1.com/sitewide/videoplayer/index3.jhtml?clip=vid=12345&format
=win&videotitle=&adPth=/asm/adsetup/shows/dyn/&adPN=episode&type=listening
party&paid=19516&albumid=348485&xmlLoc=/artists/azdroplets/listening_party
/zevon_warren/the_wind/&album=true
Very thoughtful!
Bkindmoore
buying the album, because I've been getting all freaky about listening
to it >>
Me too. But after reading Dave's review, I
threw caution to the wind. So glad I did.
This collection of songs is not in the least
bit maudlin. Poignant? Yes! Maudlin? No! The
song that made the greatest impression on
me is "Please Stay". Its directness is
razor sharp, and I love the concept of "the
other side of good-bye." There is also a wonderful
romp of a song on the album -- "The Rest Of The
Night" -- that I guarantee will cause you to smile
and even move around a bit.
Dwolf0823
>Next is "Disorder in the House," an outrageous, confused rocker, that
>describes
>both Warren's state-of-mind, and, on a broader scale, the state-of-mind of
>his
>country
To expand just a (very) little, the song works whether one views the house in
the title as the narrator's (Zevon's) head or, alternatively, as the White
House, with references to zombies on lawns, etc.
dsw
Dwolf0823
is "brilliant." I didn't convey that in my review, and I really should have.
It is just...brilliant.
Like all great albums, "The Wind" gets better each time I listen to it. I
wrote the review on Thursday, but had intended to write the review today or
tomorrow, because I had only heard the album two or three times by Thursday,
which typically isn't enough for make any worthwhile comments. But I just
started writing something to rmd, and couldn't stop. After repeated
listenings, I'm confident that this work is banal neither in context nor actual
execution. I stand by my initial assessment: "The Wind" can hold its own with
Warren Zevon's (which means just about anyone's) best.
dsw
Dwolf0823
Madonn! (Sopranos kick) It's the NyQuil, I swear:
"Which typically isn't enough for me to make any worthwhile comments."
dsw
Dwolf0823
>I do feel that banal is the right word
>to describe the music (West Coast rent-a-band plus celebrity guests) and
>nearly all the lyrics.
After thinking over your criticism, I remain in sharp disagreement. I believe
there's a simplicity to the lyrics -- the same simplicity we see in TooM,
another masterpiece -- but "banal" imo remains a most inaccurate description.
"The Wind" is uniquely Warren, through and through. For example, here are two
instances of quintessential Zevon in "Disorder in the House":
"Disorder in the house/It's a fate worse than fame/ Even the Lhasa Apso seems
to be ashamed."
"Disorder in the house/All bets are off/I'm sprawled across the davenport of
despair/Disorder in the house/I'll live with the losses/And watch the sundown
through the portiere."
Nobody else could write these lyrics. That to me seems to be the antithesis of
banality. Moreover, the tragic circumstances surrounding the making of the
album permeate the songs, and I don't know how you can separate the two. Can
you really fail to hear Warren's tragic fate in _The Wind_? And if you can
hear that lonely fate in these songs, wouldn't that alone be enough to qualify
the album as unique and special, if not necessarily musically and lyrically
accomplished? But, imo, it is all the above. And so much more.
dsw
tom .
Fonyfirl wrote:
> > Very thoughtful!
thank you. and you're very welcome.
some of us still think, or at least hope, that zevon is pulling an andy
kaufman and will not buy the album until he really passes on.
in the meantime, we can listen to the album for free at vh1.
.
John Dunne
post, and it looks like we'll have to agree to disagree.
John
Dwolf0823 <dwol...@aol.commonstock> wrote in message
news:20030831083648...@mb-m03.aol.com...
dna fun
Kickyourshoesoff
And my sister is pregnant with Andy's baby!
Drew
> As a friend, who is too shy to post her own thoughts, noted, "Numb as a Statue"
> is "brilliant." I didn't convey that in my review,
Dave, I want to thank you "publicly" for expressing what a good number
of us must feel after listening to The Wind. Warron's situation cannot
possibly be seperated from the music on this album. It is a remarkable
achievement from any standpoint. As a longtime Zevon fan, I feel that
the Wind is the last of a remarkable trilogy of records which stand as
a vision, no, a celebration of life and mortality that will help
comfort me when his ride finally arrives.
You are obviously a soul who "gets" Warron and has been rewarded by
his gift.
Thanks for listening, Drew.