" Lawyers, Guns and Money" is a tongue-in-cheek tale of a young American man's adventures in Cold War-era Latin America. Likewise, " Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner" is a fictionalized account of former mercenary David Lindell's experiences in Africa. It was the first song Zevon wrote with Jorge Calderón. The historical "Veracruz" dramatizes the United States occupation of Veracruz. The general public will miss little by neglecting Mutineer."Excitable Boy" and "Werewolves of London" were considered macabrely humorous by some critics. Of course, Zevon fans will pick this one up regardless of its worth. It's always good to hear from Zevon, but Mutineer shows that his talent benefits from the guidance of a producer and interplay with musicians like Waddy Wachtel. The music on the cut bounces amusingly from beat to beat, with Zevon warbling like an elderly Broadway star and Beatlesque orchestration dotting the melancholy gag. She doesn't think he's very funny anymoreįootsteps in the sawdust leading to the edge of town He used to hank his horn and everyone would laugh Of course, you can break out of the cage by simply pressing the "Stop" button on your CD player.Īlthough "Poisonous Lookalike,""Monkey Wash Donkey Rinse" and "Rottweiler Blues" might prove to be spark plugs in performances, only "Something Bad Happened to a Clown" immediately emerges as a standout. One can imagine Zevon saying, 'Gee, I've always wanted to put this in a song.' And we, the listeners, are Zevon's guinea pigs. "Piano Fighter" is expanded but not improved one bit from the live version, with a toy piano sounding out the melody in the first verse, more dynamic range overall, and lots of production bells and whistles. Artist management executive Peter Asher delivers some pathetic harmony vocals that aptly illustrate the self-indulgent atmosphere. "The Indifference of Heaven" is without a doubt one of Zevon's best songs ever, although its treatment here is no improvement upon the live recording. The best cuts on Mutineer may very well be the two songs that Zevon fans heard before on Learning to Flinch, Zevon's live 1993 album. Over the course of ten songs, a tiresome pattern emerges in the songwriting: two verses in the beginning and as many as four choruses at the conclusion. The title track flirts with brilliance, but ends up fading forgettably. Bad Example" vein if it weren't so familiar-sounding, "Seminole Bingo" might be more successful. The music is squarely in the "Lawyers, Guns and Money"/"Mr. "Seminole Bingo" continues Zevon's scoundrel chronicles, this one focusing on a junk-bond king squandering his money at a smalltown Florida bingo parlor. Zevon subverts the sugar with contrapuntal keyboards and an edgy guitar texture in the background, and it mostly just sounds like a dud experiment. "Similar to Rain," for example, features lyrics so banal and a melody so sweet, it could play in a Doris Day movie. Occasionally, the two elements combine in spectacular ways, and the world gets marvelous songs such as "The French Inhaler," "Werewolves of London" or "Excitable Boy." On Mutineer, the two never seem to hit at the same time. The lyrics can range from political silliness to lovelorn sentimentality. The melodies maybe achingly, beautifully sad or march-like, with the bounce of English pub songs. Zevon has distinguished himself by writing great melodies and applying wickedly biting lyrics to them. The result: an uneven, adventurous record. Mutineer is Warren Zevon left to his own devices the surly songwriter allegedly procured a budget from his record company and recorded this entire self-produced album in his home studio. Mutineer (Giant) Warren Zevon By Bob Bahr
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