“Jesus Was A Crossmaker”- Judee Sill, like Zevon, came from the Laurel Canyon scene in the late 60’s and the early 70’s and was one of David Geffen’s first discoveries. This one is best enjoyed for its sprightly melody and the fun refrain.ģ. “Monkey Wash Donkey Rinse”- This one has the same stately, medieval feel as “The Indifference Of Heaven.” Zevon seems to be targeting the kind of lifeless gatherings of the affluent that he’s nailed before. The lyrics are a bit of an afterthought just drift along with the strangely stirring music and you’ll do fine.Ĥ. “Similar To Rain”- Zevon cops a Brian Wilson Smile vibe here, with dissonant sounds fluttering at the edges of an ethereal musical landscape. In a similar vein as Springsteen’s “Brilliant Disguise” but with a bit more bile.ĥ. “Poisonous Lookalike”- A rather rancorous dressing down of a deceptive lover, this one possesses enough minor-key potency to get by all right. Zevon’s lyrics don’t really go much further than the old tears-of-a-clown cliche, but the off-kilter mood is sustained quite well.Ħ. Bruce Hornsby chips in with an evocative accordion part. “Something Bad Happened To A Clown”- Zevon once sang of a “running-down calliope”, which is a good approximation of the sound of this oddity. But I do love the idea of Zevon as a musical gunfighter.ħ. In fact, the production gets a bit too wild for its own good. “Piano Fighter”- In typically idiosyncratic Zevonian fashion, this tale of a have-piano, will-travel outlaw features very little ivory-tickling. The story never really ignites, although Zevon gets in some ferocious guitar licks toward the end.Ĩ. “Seminole Bingo”- The other song co-written with Hiassen takes place in the author’s Florida haunts, depicting a scam artist on the run from the SEC. Too bad nobody bothered to do much with the squawking rock arrangement.ĩ. “Rottweiler Blues”- The author Carl Hiassen helps out with the lyrics here about a particularly ferocious guard dog and his ornery owner. Some pedestrian rockers that are haphazardly thrown in really only break the spell this one is at its best when it’s at its dreamiest. He also takes some interesting musical risks, and though they don’t all pay off, the ones that do are revelatory. Zevon dials back the wisecracking (for the most part) and gets to the heart of the matter, emphasis on heart. It’s a series of mostly slower, often contemplative songs. It’s time to rediscover this lost classic.CK Retro Review: Mutineer by Warren Zevon Posted: | Author: countdownkid | Filed under: Retro Reviews, Warren Zevon | Tags: Brian Wilson, Bruce Hornsby, Bruce Springsteen, Carl Hiassen, David Geffen, David Lindell, Judee Sill, Mutineer, Peter Asher, Warren Zevon | Leave a commentġ995’s Mutineer is a fascinating entry in the Warren Zevon catalog. Zevon was a ruthless yet tenderhearted songwriter who always found a unique way around the same old tried-and-true chords of rock ‘n’ roll. “Something Bad Happened to a Clown” features a top-notch Zevon vocal performance. “Seminole Bingo” is the flipside, white-collar crooks on the lam. “Mutineer” is Zevon at his most romantic and self-mythologizing. “Monkey Wash Donkey Rinse” is exactly the kind of quirky folk song that Zevon could always deliver. “The Indifference of Heaven,” the highlight of the solo live album Learning to Flinch, is a powerful piece of personal philosophy. (Sill’s resurgence was a long time coming). The songwriting is stellar and the cover of Judee Sill’s “Jesus Was a Cross Maker” is years ahead of its time. Here in his home studio, Zevon is free to wander as he feels fits. It’s an intimate look at a man who often used the most professional of Los Angeles session players to build his sound. Mutineer is often considered one of Warren Zevon’s lesser inspired releases.
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