Zevon Reissues Tout Bonus Material
Warren Zevon’s back catalog will get a boost March 25 when EMI/Capitol reissues the singer/songwriter’s 1969 debut “Wanted Dead or Alive,” as well as his two Virgin Records efforts, 1987’s “Sentimental Hygiene” and 1989’s “Transverse City.” All discs house varying degrees of bonus material, with “Wanted” boasting a second, previously unreleased 10-track album titled “A Leaf in the Wind.”
Featuring titles like “Jukin’,” “Tules Blues,” and “Doin’ the Missouri Weave,” “A Leaf in the Wind” was recorded just prior to Zevon’s extended sojourn to Spain in the early 1970s. Upon his return to the U.S. in 1974 and with the production help of his friend Jackson Browne, Zevon recorded his highly regarded self-titled 1976 Asylum Records breakthrough.
The newly revised “Sentimental Hygiene” contains three bonus tracks: “Studabaker,” “Nocturne,” and a Spanish-sung version of the album cut “Leave My Monkey Alone.” Largely a collaboration with R.E.M.’s Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Bill Berry, the disc — released after a five year gap and considered by many to be his finest album of the 1980s — also features guest appearances by Bob Dylan and George Clinton.
The reissue of 1989’s “Transverse City” adds an acoustic take of the album cut “Networking.” Featuring cameos from heavy hitters like Neil Young, Jerry Garcia, Chick Corea, and David Gilmour, the acclaimed set ended Zevon’s affiliation with Virgin. The artist recorded for Warner Bros. subsidiary Giant in the 1990s before landing at Artemis at the turn of the century.
Zevon, who was diagnosed last fall with inoperable lung cancer, is planning a summer release for his final studio album. Tentatively titled “My Dirty Life and Times,” the disc will feature contributions from Bruce Springsteen, Dylan, Don Henley, Ry Cooder, Dwight Yoakam, Billy Bob Thornton, and Jim Keltner, among others. A retrospective, “Genius: The Best of Warren Zevon” was released in October by Rhino.
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