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Warren Zevon's, "Preludes - Rare & Unreleased Recordings" was compiled by Zevon's son Jordon Devon from a cache of demo tapes discovered after Warren's death. While no details on recording dates or personnel for the sessions survived, most of the material consists either unreleased tunes or songs that would later appear on Warren Zevon or Excitable Boy With one track dating back to his misbegotten debut album, 1969's “Wanted Dead or Alive”. Most of the tracks on Preludes feature Zevon with minimal accompaniment, often just his guitar or piano with one or two additional musicians, and even the tracks with a full band such as "Werewolves of London," "Desperados Under the Eaves" and "Poor Poor Pitiful Me" are sharper and funkier than the versions fans know best. These alternate takes often reveal a tighter and more potent emotional focus than the "official" versions, and some include different lyrics or musical structures in their rough draft form. Zevon's vocals truly shine on this set, and demonstrate an emotional intelligence that's deeply affecting despite the rougher textures of the recordings, and a number of the unreleased songs are fine additions to his repertoire, especially "Studebaker," "Stop Rainin' Lord" and "The Rosarita Beach Café," any of which would have been worthy additions to Zevon's early studio albums. This package also includes an interview disc in which Zevon discusses his work in particular his 2000 album Life’ll Kill Ya with Jody Denberg. Denberg’s questions aren't always insightful and Zevon sometimes sounds a bit impatient with him, but he also offers some fascinating insights on his working method and his attitude about his music and career, and his dark wit is always welcome TRACK LIST: DISC 1: 1. Empty Hearted Town 2. Steady Rain 3. Join Me In L.A. 4. Hasten Down The Wind 5. Werewolves Of London 6. Tule's Blues 7. French Inhaler 8. Going All The Way 9. Poor Poor Pitiful Me 10. Studebaker 11. Accidentally Like A Martyr 12. Carmelita 13. I Used To Ride So High 14. Stop Rainin' Lord 15. Rosarita Beach Cafe 16. Desperado Under The Eaves DISC 2: PRIMATE DISCOURSE: WARREN ZEVON TALKS: 1. InterviewRead full review
Usually, I balk at unreleased demos and the like, but since Warren Zevon is one of my all time favorites, I couldn't pass it up. Not everything on the CD is perfect, but then again that is the beauty of it. It is like sneaking a peek through the door when he thinks that no one else is looking. There are some great versions of old favorites as well. If you have any love for Zevon at all, then you can't possibly pass this up. I am thankful that these tracks ended up seeing the light of day.
If you are a very big fan of Mr.Zevon, you will want to hear this cd and will enjoy the great liner notes by his son and others. If you aren't a huge fan and want his polished, brilliant songs from the radio,skip this and get the remastered versions of his original cds. This really is a labor of love and not for the masses, regretably. I do believe, however, that once you hear 4 or 5 of his cds you will come back and get this to see a little clearer how he came to write and record all the amazing songs from the 70s into the new century.
Item was as described, quality.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
Awesome album with versions of songs that were never heard previously. This gives a great idea of Warren's ideas and what he would later do. I recommend this album for any fan of Warren Zevon.
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