American Band Rock: Hurry Home Early: The Songs of Warren Zevon

Wampus Multimedia’s tribute albums for Jonathan Richman, Lou Reed, and now the late-great Warren Zevon wonderfully invoke the spirit of the original artist’s songs while illuminating the unique creativity of the often lesser known artists doing the covers. Hurry Home Early reminds the listener of Zevon’s ability to carve a story into your mind’s eye and heart. While sharing much with Richard Thompson’s folky brand of rock, Zevon lands next to Bruce Springsteen in the Spectrum for three reasons: 1) both write real world stories, 2) I began listening to them about the same time, and 3) David Letterman is a fan of both.

The album title comes from the lyric for “Boom Boom Mancini,” from Zevon’s 1987 Sentimental Hygiene. For all the great boxing movies, this song does more to capture the fight, the lure of watching a match, the business of boxing, and the boxer in the corner between exhibiting athletic skill and being the hapless puppet of promoters. Tom Flannery’s solo acoustic version on guitar and harmonica scales back the original to a Dylanesque sound and world awareness.

Zevon has been honored for his songwriting skills—more in those days leading up to his untimely death—but that attention is well-deserved considering the works he left behind. What’s amazing is how those songs lend themselves to so many styles on this tribute album, showing that the songs have strength in themselves apart from how they get played, sung, and delivered. The fact that so many of these artists have delivered the songs in meaningful, passionate ways only adds to the joy.

Neil Luckett grabs a guitar alone for “Mutineer,” sounding a bit like Jay Farrar. With a finger-picked solo, the song’s warm loneliness transforms Zevon’s typical cynicism into a world-weary search for dry land from the deck of a ship’s long journey. (By the way, Luckett’s tvfordogs cranks up a rock sound on Heavy Denver that’s a few parts English Rock and a few other parts Folk-influenced/American Band Rock. Heavy Denver is also released by Wampus).

“Life’ll Kill Ya” kicks up its heels in the hands of Brook Pridemore, a defiant look into the inevitability of death. The Simple Things land on an AltCountry sound for “I’ll Slow You Down.”

The Matthew Show tune in “Mohammed’s Radio,” a still timely song done here in a sparse, simple arrangement, until the chorus where Paul Shapera joins for a very full vocal harmony. Roughly Enforcing Nostalgia
lay down a foundation of found sounds, movie sounds, and electronics for “Run Straight Down,” setting the scene for Zevon’s song about the “wasted city.” The foundation includes Electrocrickets, performed by Rob Kleiner, who hits those cricket noises right on the beat.

Jordan Zevon (Warren’s son), joined by Simone Stevens, unearths the unreleased “Warm Rain.” The song itself has the strength of any released Zevon song, meaning that the crumbs that fall from Zevon’s table are still more nourishing than many five-course meals from other artists. While Jordan Zevon’s guitars and keyboards do the song justice, Stevens’ vocals reach toward a soulful, bluesy twang that is too far a stretch.

Thanks to Wampus Multimedia for the review CD.