With a little bit of luck and a boatload of talent, Warren Zevon managed to impress and befriend what seemed to be every famous California musician of the seventies.

In 1976, he was virtually unknown, and yet he managed to attract Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, and Phil Everly, along with members of the Eagles, the Beach Boys and Fleetwood Mac to participate on his record. “Warren Zevon” is a veritable ‘who’s who’ of Southern California’s singer-songwriter scene, and seemingly overnight, Zevon was hoisted to the top of the pile. Of course, it wasn’t really that easy but nonetheless it is impossible to deny that recognition, if not outright fame, had caught up with him. Ronstadt would go on to record four of Zevon’s songs from this album, even naming an album for one (“Hasten Down the Wind”). Browne thought enough of Zevon to produce this album, while the other musicians and vocalists gladly signed on to be a part of this prestigious career starter.

Although the eponymous title suggests this to be a debut record, Zevon already accrued a history as a performer/songwriter. He was the Lyme in Lyme and Cybelle, a folk duo that achieved modest recognition in the mid-sixties. After their breakup, Zevon pursued a career as a songwriter, with two songs recorded by the Turtles and another landing on the “Midnight Cowboy” soundtrack. A subsequent debut album was recorded in 1969 ("Wanted Dead or Alive”) but went unnoticed. Disenchanted with his own attempts at a career, Zevon toured with the Everly Brothers until they broke up, at which point he would tour with one or the other until he relocated in Spain. Upon returning to L.A. he somehow found himself roommates with Lindsay Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, whose own fortunes had changed enormously. Through friendships and connections, Zevon soon found himself at the helm of an album project while surrounded by superstars, and as it happened, this time Zevon was prepared with a collection of significant material that virtually ensured artistic success. 

Rarely does a team of superstars – especially L.A. based superstars – combine their efforts in support of an unknown entity, but Zevon befriended people who knew how to make a difference, and who knew that his songwriting skills were exceptional. Finally, he found himself in a position to do as he pleased without compromise, and he took full advantage of the opportunity to prove himself worthy of the kind gestures and respect. “Frank and Jesse James” opens the album like a (Randy) Newman family soundtrack for a Cinemascope film, setting the table for a collection of songs that are equally romantic and cinematic, but in a less literal sense. “Mama Couldn’t Be Persuaded” has Zevon playing the role of the child in a failed marriage, while “Hasten Down the Wind” has him playing the more grown-up role of a cuckolded lover in a song whose mere title suggests a Bette Davis drama. Wry humor creeps in on “Poor Poor Pitiful Me” and “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead”, but sincerity and vulnerability provides the steam for “The French Inhaler” and “Desperadoes Under the Eaves”, songs that chronicle the desperation brought on by his own sense of impending failure. These two songs close out each side of the album, providing a closing statement of insecurity that runs counter to his eventual tough guy image, but they also convey a keen observation to detail that serve as a harbinger for things to come in Zevon’s turbulent life.

Feature Tracks:

Frank and Jesse James

Mama Couldn't Be Persuaded

Backs Turned Looking Down the Path

Hasten Down the Wind

Poor Poor Pitiful Me

The French Inhaler

Mohammed's Radio

I'll Sleep When I'm Dead

Carmelita"

Join Me in L.A.

Desperados Under the Eaves

May 1976 - Billboard Charted #189