Excitable Boy

This album came out in 1978. That is almost a lifetime and yet, to me, it is still fresh, startling andoriginal. This album houses 9 songs that are all different from the other. And yet, they holdtogether well, possibly by Mr. Zevon's consistent voice, or the production by Jackson Brown andWaddy Wachtel (A consummate studio musician).This album came out after a difficult time for Zevon. Want a peek into how troubled he was look atthe record sleeve reprinted on the back of the CD insert. This photo was prepared by his wife andphotographed by Lorrie Sullivan. That photo explains a lot as to why this album has such a diverseand sometime dark humor to it.The songs subjects range from: music, a mercenary, a very, very sick boy, werewolves, a love song,a train song, Mexico, separation anxiety, and being caught in the crossfire. How can one person pullthese seemingly diverse subjects into a cohesive album? Well, the three people mentioned in the firstparagraph and the rest of the studio musicians did. This assemblage of songs, I believe, represents ahuge cross section of life. Zevon pulls it off with love, pathos, violence, humor and a bit of cheekiness.The nice part of this was that the SACD mastering by Steve Hoffman and Stephen Marsh Masteringwas not overdone and they maintained the integrity of the original album. They stayed true to theoriginal sonic intent of the album's master tape especially letting the bass shine more for the SACDthan on the more compressed original CD.What the re-mastering did was provide a better overall dynamic sound with an emphasis on a widerranging bass. The mids are a bit more pronounced and the highs are about the same. Zevon's voicestill seems cloudy but works within the remastered songs.Where you will find the biggest improvements are during the more ballad-like, softer songs where thebass and mids fill in the sound more. 'Accidentally Like A Martyr' and 'Veracruz' really expand nicelyon this re-master. Comparing the originals of those two was like night and day. 'Martyr' on the originalCD seemed like it was recorded in a club compared to the SACD version which is much more fullyrealized; much more dynamic sounding. The lead cut, 'Johnny Strikes Up The Band' is, I feel, theweakest song on the album and the remastering did nothing to improve it.I don't know if a recommendation of the MP3 version is appropriate. Overall I find dynamic sound lackingwith MP3s. Good news is for convenience sake the MP3 Album is included in your SACD purchase fromAmazon. Nice touch.Definitely 5 stars because of the improved sound which makes for a much better listening experienceand for the music that Warren Zevon made on this album.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------[NOTES / Audio reference: I have a mid-entry stereo system. It is a Denon AVR-1910 amplifier witha pair of Polk Audio 45B Monitor speakers and a Denon DVM-2845CI DVD/CD player with a 24-bit,192kHz D/A converter. I listened to each disc in 'Stereo' only and at the same listening level.]

The music on this album is AMAZING, it's one of my favorites of all time and the sounds quality isn't bad either on this record. However, the sleeve this comes in could only be cheaper if it were made of tissue paper. It's very thin poster board that's been folded and glued and the folded tabs on the inside keep the album from actually sliding in without some serious finagling. The paper cover was also wrinkled in the corners right out of the box (presumably because someone encountered the same issue I did when packaging it) and I had to clean it before playing from all the dust/paper shreds.Also would've been nice to have the Werewolves of London alternate track and I Need a Truck like you find on all the digital copies of the album now.Great Album musically tho.

I'm a fan of this recording. The songs and particularly the audio quality on album was always something I noticed. I have a humble system with higher end Denon driving consumer level Polk Rt55is; CD player is Denon 2910 using Optical PCM link to amp. I've always felt the rt55is lacked in the presence area, however, this remastered CD sounds very good on them. It's sounds like I wanted it to....clear and crisp on the top end, tight with a piano like percussive attack on the low frequency. I love the drum tones on this recording.... Yet the real key is how they mixed waddy's rhythm guitars and the tones he used....so they don't overtake the mix and foul up the midrange. Well done people. Original mix has always been great...remaster adds punch and clarity while retaining dynamics. Subjective, yes, but that is my conclusion.

Warren Zevon is one of the most talented songwriters and musicians I have ever heard. This is a GREAT CD. He has many more equally superb in his arsenal.. Such wit, humor and feeling that will leave you wondering how could you just be hearing about him now. The reason: he was not going to sell out and be commercial. A truly unique artist. Sad that he is not around to write more, but..enjoy every sandwich. ;)

Record sounds good, which im happy with after reading about potential for glow in the dark records to have surface noise. but im unhappy mine came with a pretty gnarly warp, still playable but frustrating to watch my needle do the wave as it spins. This could very well be on the shipper tho

It was April 29, 1980, a Tuesday during my Freshman year in College at UW-Whitewater. I had a night class, Speech 101. Warren Zevon had a concert on campus that night and I really wanted to go and hear him. Having turned 19 the day before, I felt the call the skip class and enjoy the concert. "There is a time to go to class, and a time to go to the Warren Zevon concert." Thus saith the preacher. 32 years later I do not remember one thing from that night. I chose poorly. I went to class. I would have remembered the concert. I do not know if this album has any redeeming social value, but I sure like it.

Audiophile quality!!?!??! First and foremost, having a heavy pressed vinyl is irrelevant if the quality of the pressing is bad. How can you honestly proclaim something to be audiophile quality if there are numerous pressing flaws. Both the original and replacement vinyls I received had skips in Nighttime in the Switching Yard, evidently a QC issue that must be shared by many from the same batch. Completely unacceptable for a premium (30$) single LP.

Every song on this album is a winner. Warren Zevon is a must in every record collection.The actual record was white though, not red if that matters to you.

Warren Zevon's best-selling album. And it's not hard to see why. Track after track of macabre, haunting realism; patched together with enough humorous cynicism to raise a wry smile across the house. Zevon's balance of the grim and the good-natured commentary makes for a damn fine album. Take the title track, for example. 'Excitable Boy' is my personal favourite from the record, and remains an easy-going piece of rock music that quickly devolves into soundscapes of assault and murder. It's akin to the Beatles' polarising 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer' only turned up to eleven. And Zevon is perfect in his indifferent, yet masterful, delivery of every line. The man's signature, 'Werewolves of London' is so popular for a reason. Much like Bowie's 'Hunky Dory', 'Excitable Boy' is a true selection of rock tracks where, amazingly, the standout for each song is the *piano*. And the songs fit that guitar-piano fusion so well. From Zevon's characterising 'Awoo!' to satirical lyrics and nods to American pop culture, it's somehow a timeless classic, and never gets old.But Zevon also handles ballads well, with some incredibly beautiful compositions. 'Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner' will always be one of the standout songs of his career - certainly one that would highlight the man's legacy for evermore. Everything about it is perfect, and tracks like 'Accidentally Like A Martyr' and 'Tenderness on the Block' just continue this theme phenomonally. The man didn't write many love songs. But when he did, they were flawless.'Johnny Strikes Up the Band' is a fun, light-hearted opener that doesn't quite prepare you for what comes next, but remains an infectious tune. The funky 'Nighttime at the Switching Yard' makes a refreshing change of pace, and 'Lawyers, Guns and Money' is pure Warren all over. There's shades of Tom Petty, Fleetwood Mac, and general American heartland in this album. And it really powers through in the best way possible.A phenomonal soul. A true poet, and a mastermind of songwriting. This is probably his magnum opus, and it's certainly perfect.

Don’t let the angelic image on the (frankly dreadful) sleeve of the album fool you. Warren was a party animal, womaniser and alcoholic who could have given the likes of Keith Moon a run for his money. ‘Excitable Boy’ was his 3rd album and the one that contains most of the songs that anyone who already knows anything of his work will recognise. He had ‘hits’, to varying degrees, with "Werewolves of London" (featuring Mick Fleetwood and John McVie), "Lawyers, Guns and Money", "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner" and "Johnny Strikes Up the Band" all to be found on this disc.Zevon was born in 1947 (Chicago, from Russian stock) and died in 2003 (stomach cancer). Before he forged out on his own, WZ was the keyboard player for the Everly Brothers.I’ve long been intrigued by his ‘wild man’ behaviour mixed with his vivid ballad-like, and ‘from the heart’, song writing. He was clearly a frustrated poet/novelist (big mates with the likes of Hunter S. Thompson and Carl Hiaasen). Most of the very varied songs on ‘Excitable Boy’ seem to be short stories penned in the ‘Boys Own’ idiom. He variously styles himself in those numbers as: A Cowboy, Spy, Sociopath, Monster hunter, Mercenary etc.Much like Iggy Pop Warren’s life and career was beset with ups and downs (and fallow periods) brought on by drug and drink addictions. He nevertheless impressed and befriended lots of A-List music celebs - who turned out in their droves to help him record his 13th and final album (‘The Wind’) when it was announced that he was dying of cancer. When the news of his illness broke, Zevon’s typically off-hand comment was simply that “I need to start enjoying every sandwich”. Unlike say Wilco Johnson there was no reprieve for poor Warren. In the tear-jerker documentary ‘KEEP ME IN YOUR HEART’ the musical contributions of Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, Don Henley, Jackson Browne, Joe Walsh, Emmylou Harris, Tom Petty etc are all filmed as he recorded his last songs.This album is a great place to start to explore Warren's music and if this is your first WZ album then man have you got a treat in store as you explore the rest of his back-catalogue.

Excitable Boy showcases Warren Zevon's musical genius to good effect. Catchy, witty songs, performed with gusto and with great musical accompaniment throughout. The original tracks played in order tell you just what a craftsman of the alternative song Zevon was. Nothing here is wasted, every track sparkles with something that sticks in the mind.As if to prove the point, the bonus tracks added to this re-mastered edition of the CD release are fine, but don't add anything to the original experience. That said, "Frozen Notes" remains one of the most beautiful songs Zevon ever wrote and recorded, so I don't mind how many times I hear that one.Anyone with a passing interest in Zevon's music and who owns one of the greatest hits packages available will probably own most of these songs already, but Excitable Boy puts them back where they belong - the original album is simply a corker. Essential.

those who know of the infamous Warren Zevon tend to agree on one thing. Whether you are sympathetic or not to his troubled lifestyle, his music was genius and neither sold nor got as much attention as it should. this album in particular should have sold about as many copies as, say, Rumours or Bat Out Of Hell.every single track on the album has "hit potential" all over it. indeed his biggest and most well known song, Werewolves Of London, sits on this record.this belongs in the collection of anyone who likes music, even if only in passing.

What a great CD. Loved it 40 years ago love it today. A must for any collection. Listen to a fair bit. By the way zevon's final album "The Wind" is very good with 2 ballads I love