I love the music of Warren Zevon. He is an inspiration to us all. He died of Cancer. May his soul rest in peace.
May 3, 2008 |  | Superb- it really made my day |  |
Being a fan of Mr Zevon it was really great to hear from him again, and the bonustracks as a superb gift!
April 6, 2008| | | The Great One Before The Fall | |
THE ENVOY is the third album Warren Zevon recorded after he got clean and sober the first time. Unfortunately, he'd soon fall off the wagon after drinking wine for a ritual purpose (he was Jewish), and wouldn't be heard from again for five years. However, this is still a great album, which, as the editorial review said, could be called "The Excitable Boy Grows Up." The title song is a tribute to diplomat Phillip Habib, and "Looking For The Next Best Thing" describes a feeling of being willing to settle for less than you'd hoped for. On the other hand, Zevon's wild streak still shows itself in songs such as "Ain't That Pretty At All." This album shows that even just before an addict falls off the wagon, they can do great work. However, the sense of desperation here could be a lesson to a person with ANY kind of addiction, including the perennial horse-lover who gambles every penny away at the races to the point where he or she can't even afford the bare necessities of life.
January 20, 2008| | | If you don't have this, you're truly missing out! | |
Warren Zevon was 35 years old when The Envoy, his fifth and final album for Asylum Records, was released. He'd had one sizable hit with 1978's "Werewolves of London", but further chart success was not forthcoming.
The stakes were high for Zevon, and it's obvious from listening that he gave The Envoy his all. The album features all of the unique qualities of Zevon's songwriting, from the songs too lyrically intelligent for the average music fan to the songs too lyrically morbid for radio airplay to the touching genuine love songs that only he could write. And as usual, his entrenchment in the Los Angeles scene led to the finest sessionmen joining him, with, among others, guitarists extraordinaire Waddy Wachtel and Danny Kortchmar, bassists Bob Glaub and Leland Sklar, drummers Russ Kunkel and Jeff Porcaro and harmony singers Lindsey Buckingham and Graham Nash joining in at one point or another.
The album, unfortunately, tanked so bad that Zevon lost his record deal and relapsed. But like the mighty phoenix, Zevon would only rise again years later, sober, with albums that were generally both lyrically and musically superior to albums of others in his age group.
And when he fell off of the face of the earth again, he could only rise again. Only death could stop him in the end, but not before he confronted it on his final album, recorded entirely after his being diagnosed with terminal cancer.
In short, "The Envoy" is a great album from an unjustly underrated songwriter that showcases some of his greatest, if least-known, songs. But they're all his greatest songs.
January 12, 2008Warren Zevon was just uniquely gifted, and truly missed. This was an exceptional album, front to back.
June 8, 2007More reviews at Amazon.com ...
(12 reviews)