Angry music has always been my first love. Indignant anthems from The Clash, bitter recrimination like Dylan's "Positively Fourth Street", Graham Parker railing about "Local Girls". Elvis the Latter was my go-to favorite for two decades, reliably finding the sweet spot to push it in and twist. But no one, no one, did it like Warren Zevon.
The anger was not just for show, and frequently hidden deep in very funny lyrics. How I would love to have new material from Brother Warren...but he is long dead, and the old stuff will have to do.
For my money, Zevon's greatest work was called "Genius." I'm sure he meant it ironically, but it is incredible. Every line is golden, within as deep a rhyming scheme as you will find. He wrote a string quartet to back it up. Our protagonist has lost his woman to a barber, and he meditates on the nature of genius. This is from the last of his many appearances on David Letterman.
Going back to Zevon's first true album, "Backs Turned Looking Down the Path" reflects on growing up, featuring Lindsey Buckingham on guitar, and Jackson Browne on slide guitar and harmonies. Beautifully rendered, and darker than the arrangement makes it seem.
Finally, something funny. "Lord Byron's Luggage" has some astounding double entendres all about the male unit. From the same album as "Genius": My Ride's Here.
So very hard to choose just a few songs. This music does a world of good for me in my melancholia.
Saturday, March 21, 2015
Monday, March 2, 2015
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