The First Sessions [Extra tracks]
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Like most "long-lost" chapters of many established recording artists' careers, this collection of (mostly) mid-'60s demos, outtakes, and singles bears little resemblance to the Warren Zevon most are familiar with. Echoing the folk-rock boom that had just taken root on the West Coast, most of the tracks here were cut in service of a duet Zevon formed while still a teenager at L.A.'s Fairfax High, Lyme & Cybelle (Zevon is Lyme; Cybelle one Violet Santangelo, later to become Broadway star Laura Kenyon). Their buoyant folk-pop is showcased on the Top 100 single "Follow Me" as well as a bedroom demo of the Beatles' "I've Just Seen a Face," a more Zevon-esque take of Jimmy Reed's "Peeping and Hiding" and a cover/withdrawn single Bob Dylan's "If You Gotta Go, Go Now." Zevon's tenure in L&C ended shortly after t! he latter track's demise (the "Lyme" on the two bonus cuts here is session musician Wayne Erwin), but he continued to work with producer Bones Howe, yielding the four solo demos also included here. The flitting, folkie-tenor Zevon uses on "Outside Chance" (which became a single for the Howe-produced Turtles) and "And If I Had You" give way to the familiar weary voice and dark concerns of his solo piano demo for "Bullet for Ramona," later recut for Wanted Dead or Alive. It's a jarring moment of revelation, one that hints at the deep-seated torment and unease that's always informed the best of Zevon's songs. --Jerry McCulley
Product Description
Early studio recordings by Warren Zevon includes two extremely rare bonus tracks by Lyme and Cybelle, which feature Warren's replacement vocalist/guitarist Wayne Erwin - 'Song 7' & 'Write If You Get Work'. Varese. 2003.
The First Sessions,Warren Zevon,Varese Records,Folk-Rock,Pop,Pop/Rock,Rock,Rock/Pop,Singer/Songwriter,United States of America
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