Zevon Song of the Week #36
haro...@yahoo.ca
Category: Cover
"(He) is either by instinct or habit a loner, a perfectionist who has
often seemed embarrassed by the dazzle of his natural talent."
Warren Zevon? No, these words by Timothy White were written in 1986 in
Rolling Stone magazine about Steve Winwood and his very successful
comeback album, Back in the High Life.
Driving last night to my wife's new company's annual post-Christmas
gala, wherein a Vegas cover band roused the throng with Abba and
Madonna (and also helped to sell many kegs of beer), we heard
Warren's version of the Winwood song on The Loft.
It wasn't the first time I had heard Warren's High Life on XM.
Several months ago, the Deep Tracks channel on XM featured both
versions during its Under the Covers segment. I remember thinking at
the time that, played in sequence, I preferred Warren's. Of course,
I'm slightly biased (even though I own the Winwood album and consider
it a favourite).
I wasn't alone in that opinion. A web site that polls these things
found that almost two-thirds of respondents felt the same way
(http://www.cover-vs-original.com/song-58.html).
The song itself is well-summarized by this comment from an Amazon
reviewer:
"Back in the High Life, with its country-like strumming, is a tale of
a man who, after achieving success, became out of touch with the things
that really matter in life. It is a return to the roots with the hope
that everything that made his life worthwhile is still out there for
him. Winwood has such an astute vision of the human condition.
Bravo!"
Steve's version is notable both for his mandolin playing (the
"country-like strumming") and the smooth harmony vocal by James
Taylor. The mood is hopeful and optimistic.
The Zevon take is different. There's an air of melancholy in the
proceedings. It doesn't seem clear at all that Warren thinks a return
to the high life is either desirable or necessary.
His vocal is outstanding. I think a strong case could be made that
Warren sings more evocatively on High Life than on any other song on
Life'll Kill Ya. He's certainly helped by Jorge's harmony.
Warren's guitar is very fine as well.
(BTW, what a game! Colts just tied it again at 28, with 13 minutes to
go. Wow!)
Curiously, Warren changes the original's title, by adding Again at
the end. This is a man who deflected a compliment in 2002 about his new
song My Dirty Life and Times by immediately pointing out that there was
no My in the title. One has to conclude that the inclusion of
"Again" is on purpose. Perhaps it was Warren's way of making the
song his own.
There's a similarity between the two albums. Winwood's comebacker
was a smash. The former member of Traffic, Spencer Davis Group, and
Blind Faith had had a couple of lukewarmly received solo albums in the
80s before Back in the High Life. The biggest hits on the album were
the title track, Higher Love, Freedom Overspill, and My Love's
Leavin'.
Life'll Kill Ya was a similar experience for Warren. He disappeared
for five years after 1995's Mutineer, label-less and cynical ("I
intended this song (Mutineer) as a gesture of appreciation and
affection to my fans, none of whom bought the record.") In 2000, the
redoubtable Jackson Browne rescued him once again from oblivion,
linking him up with Danny Goldberg and Artemis. Many, myself included,
think that LKY is Warren's best work after 1991's Mr. Bad Example.
(31-31, five minutes left. Yikes!)
For Warren, given his problems with alcohol, lines such as "All the
doors I closed one time will open up again" must have contained
special significance. The amazing thing is that it all came true. After
Sentimental Hygiene in 1987, Warren had made another successful
comeback. He toured in 2000 with Jill Sobule opening for him, and in
2001 with Matt Cartsonis. Anton Fig, and Sheldon Gomberg as backing
band.
(Colts take the lead for the first time, one minute to go. Zowie!)
Then came August 2002. We know the rest. The high life was soon over.
But before it was, there was one last album to be made.
In 2003, the CBS show Joan of Arcadia used part of Warren's Back in
the High Life to close an episode. I still can't watch that clip
without choking up a bit.
(Colts win, after the biggest comeback in NFL history. Way to go,
Peyton. One more, and you'll be in the high life, for the first
time.)
"We'll have ourselves a time
And we'll dance til the morning sun
And we'll let the good times come in
And we won't stop 'til we're done
We'll be back in the high life again"
Categories to date
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Addiction and Recovery: 3
Cover: 5
Family: 2
Geopolitical: 1
History: 1
Law and Order: 1
Love-Gone-Wrong: 6
Mortality: 3
Party: 1
Satire: 3
Social Commentary: 8
Sports: 1
Unreleased: 1
Lucy Pfeffa
> and in
> 2001 with Matt Cartsonis. Anton Fig, and Sheldon Gomberg as backing
> band.
Hey! Stop watching football and pay attention. Andy Kamman, not Anton Fig.
-- Lucy
Howard Roseman
> > 2001 with Matt Cartsonis. Anton Fig, and Sheldon Gomberg as backing
> > band.
>
> Hey! Stop watching football and pay attention. Andy Kamman, not Anton
Fig.
>
> -- Lucy
The Colts won, but Andy was collateral damage.
Mr. Greene Genes
category.
Doug
"Howard Roseman" <hros...@shaw.ca> wrote in message
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