WARREN ZEVON - Mr. Bad Example (1991)
Much like with the previous record, I don't have any particular preconceptions going into Mr. Bad Example or any real sense of its reputation. I think Zevon was by this point firmly a has-been who'd never be a megastar again, his former cast of millions reduced to longtime friends and collaborators like Waddy Wachtel, who produced and is all over the guitar work. I think Zevon was also by this point firmly a critical darling who had a devoted cult audience that he probably didn't properly appreciate. And of all of his albums, our 1991 effort here is firmly one of them. Track One: "Finishing Touches" This is increasingly becoming the song to which I look forward to coming back whilst exploring the record. True, I sometimes complain about one-riff songs. All I can say is that I'll forgive a lot for a really, really good riff. On that backdrop we have Zevon in articulate bitter mode, with yet another classic opening line ...