Jackson Browne once described his longtime pal Zevon as “the King of Song Noir”; a playful soubriquet, perhaps, but one borne out by the dark subtlety of these hitherto unheard demos. Zevon, or rather the characters that populated his music, skulked in the shadows of the modern American underbelly, a twilight world where hope frequently broke bread with despair.
The glossy production of many of the albums he released in his lifetime may have often sugarcoated the starkness of his message, but here the likes of The French Inhaler and Hasten Down The Wind are skinned to the bone. There’s nowhere for the cold hard truth to hide, forcing both the singer and the listener to confront their demons.
Hand-picked from more than 160 rough tapes by Zevon’s son, Jordan, the skeletal nature of familiar tunes constantly delights, as does the inclusion of six neverheard songs. The alpha dog of the pack is Going All The Way, reminiscent of the epics Jimmy Webb fashioned for Glen Campbell. A bonus disc features a 2000 radio interview, the man himself in fine wise-cracking form, serving as a further reminder of the joys of one of rock’s great wits and most searing social commentators.
