Warren Zevon Albums Ranked from Worst to Best

Warren Zevon emerged later than most of his LA singer-songwriter contemporaries. His work was often dark and nasty, like film noir in song. Zevon was born in Chicago – his father worked as a bookie for the notorious Los Angeles mobster Mickey Cohen. Legendary composer Igor Stravinsky briefly taught modern classical music to a teenaged Zevon.

He broke through with 1976’s Warren Zevon. It was produced by Jackson Browne, and stacked with famous friends like Carl Wilson, Stevie Nicks, Don Henley, and Phil Everly.

Zevon struggled with substance abuse and moved around different labels. Accordingly, his discography is stop-start and inconsistent. When he passed away in 2003, he left a dozen albums – here’s my ranking:

Warren Zevon Album Ranked

#12 Wanted Dead or Alive

1970
It’s easy to forget that Zevon’s career had a false start in 1970. Infamous pop svengali Kim Fowley initially produced the record, but quit in frustration. It doesn’t showcase Zevon’s talent – Jackson Browne later said that “I don’t remember thinking [the album] was as good as he really was.”

There’s no treasure trove of great long Zevon songs. His best original is the instrumental “Fiery Emblems’.

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#11 Transverse City

1989
Zevon squandered his career comeback with the ambitious yet unfulfilling Transverse City. It’s a concept album about cyberpunk, inspired by reading William Gibson and Thomas Pynchon. It’s musically ambitious, packed with guest stars like David Gilmour and Chick Corea.

Transverse City has strong moments – ‘Splendid Isolation’ is beloved, a jangly pop-rock song with Mike Campbell on guitar. The ballads ‘They Moved the Moon’ and ‘Nobody’s in Love This Year’ are also worth salvaging. 

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#10 My Ride’s Here

2002
Humour was always part of Zevon’s music, but it’s awkwardly pushed to the forefront on his penultimate album. Zevon collaborates with writers like Hunter S. Thompson and Carl Hiaasen, and the results are often silly and undignified.

The most notorious moment is ‘Hit Somebody! (The Hockey Song)’, a silly hockey narrative with David Letterman on backing vocals. ‘Genius’ and the title track are excellent additions to Zevon’s catalogue, but most of these songs are dispensable.

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#9 The Wind

2003
Zevon’s final album is patchy – not surprising, as he raced against the clock to complete it. His friends rallied around to help – The Wind features guest appearances from Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, most of the Eagles, Jackson Browne, Emmylou Harris, and actor Billy Bob Thornton. 

It’s most notable for its fragile ballads. ‘Keep Me In Your Heart’, a plea not to be forgotten, is the most beloved, but there’s also ‘Please Stay’ and ‘She’s Too Good For Me’.

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#8 Mr Bad Example

1991
You can tell from the budget cover art that Zevon was relegated to second-tier status after the failure of Transverse City. Recorded with a stripped-down band, the rockers sound flat but the ballads sound gorgeous.

The tender ‘Searching for a Heart’ is the best-known example, but ‘Renegade’ is an excellent deep cut. ‘Things To Do In Denver When You’re Dead’ is the best rocker, inspiring the name of a 1995 crime film. 

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#7 Mutineer

1995
Zevon recorded Mutineer in his home studio, playing most of the instruments himself. It’s his best batch of songs in almost a decade, while he also covers Judee Sill’s ‘Jesus Was A Crossmaker’.

The standout is the title track, Zevon framing his fragile falsetto in synths. Other highlights include the opening rocker ‘Seminole Bingo’ and the pretty ‘The Indifference of Heaven’.

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#6 The Envoy

1982
Zevon noted that as his career progressed, his records “took longer, cost more and more, and actually did sort of less and less well.” The record’s lack of success caused his label to cancel his contract – he wouldn’t make another record for half a decade.

It’s sometimes let down by the slick sound, but there’s a worthwhile batch of songs. ‘The Hula Hula Boys’ is my favourite, a tale of a cuckolded husband in Hawaii. ‘The Overdraft’ is an energetic rocker, with visceral backing vocals from Lindsey Buckingham. The raw, acoustic ‘Jesus Mentioned’ provided a new direction for Zevon.

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#5 Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School

1980
After two sublime albums in the late 1970s, Zevon fell back into the pack with Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School. The title was partly derived from Zevon practicing ballet to keep in shape.

My favourite here is ‘Jeannie Needs a Shooter’, a folk-tinged rocker co-written by Springsteen, with Joe Walsh on lead guitar. Walsh also plays on the tough rocker ‘Jungle Work’, while the quirky ‘Gorilla, You’re A Desperado’ is a strong deep cut.

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#4 Sentimental Hygiene

1987
Zevon told Musician magazine, “I was aware that R.E.M. is the best group going around. I listened to Murmur and was …impressed would be an understatement.” He enlisted Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Bill Berry as his backing band and recorded demos. Zevon didn’t complete the record until he gained a new record deal in 1987.

As well as R.E.M., Sentimental Hygiene is probably the only LP to feature Flea, Bob Dylan, an George Clinton. The rockers are the record’s main attraction. ‘Boom Boom Mancini’ recalls the boxing match between Ray Mancini and Bobby Chacon, with Zevon showing his piano chops at the end. ‘Detox Mansion’ recalls Zevon’s experiences in rehab.

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#3 Life’ll Kill Ya

On Life’ll Kill Ya, Zevon returns to a professional recording studio, working with an outside producer. It mostly features a three-piece band, Zevon supported by longtime collaborator Jorge Calderón on bass and percussionist Winston Watson. It’s reminiscent of Tom Petty’s Wildflowers, an elder statesman making an introspective, acoustic album.

The record’s a little short of great songs – opener ‘I Was in the House When the House Burned Down’ is perhaps the best known. But it’s chock full of good songs. Uncannily, several songs here fixate on health – as well as the title track, there’s ‘Don’t Let Us Get Sick’ and ‘My Shit’s Fucked Up’.

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#2 Warren Zevon

1976
Record executives wrote off Zevon as a talented wastrel. It took Jackson Browne’s support to allow him another chance at a recording career. With a six-year gap between albums, Zevon built up an impressive stockpile of songs.

Warren Zevon is arguably his most country-flavoured album, opening with the western-themed ‘Frank and Jesse James’. Zevon’s amazingly sophisticated on ‘The French Inhaler’, while Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks take ‘Mohammed’s Radio’ to surprising heights.

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#1 Excitable Boy

1978
Zevon’s second album for Asylum is more muscular and accessible. It captures Zevon at the peak of his powers. He delivers brash rockers like ‘Lawyers, Guns and Money’, where he’s commanding rather than wistful. 

‘Werewolves of London’ was Zevon’s breakthrough hit, featuring Fleetwood Mac’s rhythm section. But by my reckoning, it’s only the fourth-best song here. My favourite is ‘Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner’, a macabre folk song with three contrasting choruses – the harmonised second chorus is much busier than the other two. ‘Accidentally Like a Martyr’ is pretty and Dylan-like. ‘Lawyers, Guns and Money’ starts with the immortal line “I went home with the waitress the way I always do/How was I to know she was with the Russians too?”

What’s your favourite Warren Zevon album?

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