Warren Zevon ‘Excitable Boy’

Warren Zevon ‘Excitable Boy’

Excitable Boy established Warren Zevon as rock’s gonzo figurehead — or, as Jackson Browne aptly called him, “the first and foremost proponent of song noir.”

A supreme collision of over-caffeinated energy, acerbic wit, dark humor, irreverent reporting, bittersweet romance, swept-under-the-rug truth, and illicit desire sent up with booze, pills, and therapist confessions, the breakthrough album zeroes in on frightening aspects of American culture with an incisiveness that’s even sharper today than upon the effort’s release in 1978.

Its hard-boiled narratives owe to a tradition established by Raymond Chandler, continued by Hunter S. Thompson, and carried into the 21st century by Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul creator Vince Gilligan.

And the music has never sounded so excitable.

Sourced from the original analogue master tapes, Mobile Fidelity’s numbered-edition 180g 45RPM 2LP set and hybrid SACD elevate the best-selling album of Warren Zevon ‘Excitable Boy’ career to audiophile status.

Co-produced by Browne and Waddy Wachtel — and featuring contributions by members of Fleetwood Mac plus Linda Rondstadt, J.D. Souther, and Browne — the platinum-certified record now plays with a verve and explosivity that match its subject matter.

Listeners will experience wide separation between the instruments; full-range dynamics; sterling transparency that draws a through – line to the original sessions at the Sound Factory; and a presence that enhances the body and tenor of Zevon’s vocals.

Like the hairy creatures in “Werewolves of London” and the ghosts wandering the corridors of Excitable Boy, Zevon’s legacy still runs amok via the grooves of his finest studio work. Draw blood, indeed, exceptional.

Also Available on SACD:

Track List: Warren Zevon ‘Excitable Boy’

Johnny Strikes Up the Band
Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner
Excitable Boy
Werewolves of London
Accidentally Like a Martyr
Nighttime in the Switching Yard
Veracruz
Tenderness on the Block
Lawyers, Guns, and Money