Warren Zevon - Simple Man, Simple Dream: Lackluster sound quality diminishes excellent performance on unauthorized CD

 

[review by Rev. Keith A. Gordon]

WARREN ZEVON Simple Man, Simple Dream (Laser Media CD)

VENUE: The Metro, Boston MA; WBCN-FM radio broadcast; September 29th, 1982.

SOUND QUALITY: Although it’s nowhere near as bad as those one-star reviews on Amazon would have you believe – I’m guessing that many of these amateur critics just recently discovered the wealth of dodgy “copyright gap” CD releases available these days – the CD’s sound is somewhat muddy with a few sonic artifacts creeping in along the edges and an overall hollow feel to the performances. It sounds like you’re standing against the back wall of a cavernous warehouse and watching the show, with all the echo and distortion that implies; not unlistenable by any measure, but not of the quality of the legit, label-released Stand In the Fire LP (which, strangely, a lot of people compare this to?).

COVER: Laser Media isn’t known for spending a lot of time or money on the label’s CD packaging, so you get a sepia-toned Zevon photo for the front cover (the same pic as the previously-released Live In Boston 1982 set on Live Wire) with a track listing on the rear of a single-ply insert. The tray card lists the songs again and, in the fine print, states that this CD is an “official radio broadcast.” Sure it is…

TRACKLIST: 1. Johnny Strikes Up the Band • 2. The Overdraft • 3. A Certain Girl • 4. Let Nothing Come Between You • 5. Jeannie Needs A Shooter • 6. Join Me In L.A. • 7. Gorilla, You’re A Desperado • 8. Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner • 9. The Envoy • 10. Simple Man, Simple Dream • 11. Bill Lee • 12. Charlie’s Medicine • 13. Jungle Work • 14. Play It All Night Long

COMMENTS: Singer/songwriter Warren Zevon enjoyed modest commercial success when his third album, 1978’s Excitable Boy, achieved Gold™ Record status on the back of the Top 30 hit “Werewolves of London” which, in turn, drove the album into the Top 10 on the charts. Zevon’s follow-up, 1980’s Bad Luck Streak In Dancing School, while performing admirably (peaking at #20), was considered a step backwards commercially and creatively (note to critics: it’s actually a pretty great record). A poorly-performing live set, Stand In the Fire (which ain’t half-bad, either…) haunted the upper half of the albums chart and signaled that Zevon’s commercial momentum may have stalled.

Although his fortunes had begun to wane somewhat by the time of The Envoy, Zevon still put on a heck of a live show, and this FM radio broadcast by WBCN in Boston is a fine example. The set list on this CD release (which is not the full show – see below) draws three tracks from The Envoy, six songs from Bad Luck Streak In Dancing School, a pair from Zevon’s self-titled 1976 Asylum Records debut, two songs from 1978’s Excitable Boy, and a reverent cover of the John David Souther ballad “Simple Man, Simple Dream,” from which the CD is titled. Zevon and his journeyman touring band, which included guitarist John Wood and bassist Larry Larson, provide the performances with plenty of energy and enthusiasm.

Zevon also knew how to structure and pace a live show, opening in Boston with a brace of unbridled rockers in “Johnny Strikes Up the Band,” the guitar-happy “The Overdraft,” and a raucous take of the Yardbirds’ (by way of Ernie K-Doe) “A Certain Girl” before cooling off with the mid-tempo “Let Nothing Come Between You.” From this point, Zevon sandwiches heavier tracks like “Jeannie Needs A Shooter,” “Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner,” “The Envoy,” and “Jungle Work” between more nuanced songs like “Simple Man, Simple Dream” and the piano-driven “Bill Lee.” The fierce “Join Me In L.A.” evinces a deep, funky groove while “Gorilla, You’re A Desperado” is provided an appropriately jaunty, tongue-in-cheek reading. Simple Man, Simple Dream closes with the wickedly satirical “Play It All Night Long,” which offers a barbed condemnation of the myth of the simple Southern lifestyle with direct references to Lynyrd Skynyrd.

A few cavils to share – first of all, Simple Man, Simple Dream offers roughly half of Zevon’s actual concert performance that night, which ran a hefty 27 songs if you include the encore (and why wouldn’t you?) and don’t count onstage banter and introductions. The aforementioned Live In Boston 1982 sports two discs (instead of Laser Media’s single), was released earlier, offers three additional tunes from The Envoy, and includes the encore performances of “Excitable Boy,” “Werewolves of London,” “Carmelita,” and “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead.” Headless In Boston is a similar single-disc set, but it runs a healthy 19 tracks and includes the very cool encore performances.

Summing up, this is another typical shabby “copyright gap” CD release by the folks at Laser Media, a U.K. company that specializes in obscure radio broadcasts that are offered in what is the absolute cheapest packaging available, with little-or-no credits and carrying a premium price tag. A quick look at a list of the label’s releases on Discogs displays a diverse and, to the fanatical classic rock fan, mouth-watering roster of albums by artists like Yes, Thin Lizzy, Aerosmith, David Bowie, Tom Waits, Jeff Beck, Van Halen, Rory Gallagher and, yes, Warren Zevon. Overall, this is a stellar performance by Zevon and band but with mediocre sound. If you absolutely have to own it on compact disc, that’s OK but, with a little Googling, you can find the complete Boston show online and enjoy it for free!

Grade: C+

Bonus View: a couple nights later