Envoy [Original recording remastered]

Warren Zevon | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 27, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 1982
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Rhino
• ASIN: B000MGV9WK
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #50,903 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

After The Excitable Boy and its attendant, longstanding hit, "Werewolves of London," Warren Zevon could afford to beef up his sound. His live show, captured fantastically on Stand in the Fire, clearly helped shape the richer guitars on 1982's The Envoy, and the prescient title track finds Zevon describing a chaotic, war-torn Middle East (and elsewhere) that's sadly familiar. In a more poignant mood, Zevon gives us "Jesus Mentioned," with its trip-to-Graceland theme (pre-dating Paul Simon, by the way) and this classic line: "Can't you just imagine/Digging up the King/Begging him to sing/About those heavenly mansions Jesus mentioned." Sure, some of the brighter-lit guitars and keyboards sound dated, but Zevon's acerbic wit and songwriting win the day. "Charlie dealt in pharmaceuticals/Charlie used to sell me pills," Zevon dryly sings. Amid some of his biggest rock-riffing guitars, Zevon continues, "Yesterday his sister called to me he'd been killed...Some respectable doctor from Beverly Hills/Shot him through the heart/Charlie never felt a thing/Neither of them did." That's Zevon's world, sending and catching bullets in a place beyond sensation.--Andrew Bartlett

Product Description

THE ENVOY, the reflective 1982 masterpiece that Zevon once described as "The Excitable Boy Grows Up," makes its CD debut with this release. Highlights include the title track, the moving "Never Too Late For Love," "The Hula Hula Boys," and "The Overdraft," a co-write with novelist Thomas McGuane featuring a ripping Lindsey Buckingham solo. Four previously unreleased tracks include outtakes of "Word Of Mouth" and "Wild Thing," and the romantically skewed gem "Let Nothing Come Between You." Liner notes by Rolling Stone editor David Wild.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Well, three and a half stars actually..., March 29, 2007

By 

M. Bergeron "Muziclvr" (Colchester, VT United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Envoy (Audio CD)

Along with the wonderful, now-available live set "Stand in the Fire", we now have the two missing Asylum Zevon albums. While "Envoy" is marred by a few weak tracks, the strong ones more than make up for them.
This, Zevon's final release for Asylum records scores with the title track, still ringing as true today as back in 1982, the chilling "Charlie's Medicine" and the biting "Hula-Hula Boys", and the album's original closer "Never Too Late For Love".
The bonus tracks are a bit disappointing, "Word of mouth", while moody, features a badly dated-sounding keyboard (DX7?) which ruins it for me. An alt version of "Let Nothing..." which was never a stong track for me, is pleasant. "The Risk" shows promise but needs work and the "Wild Thing" jam is fun but hardly essential.
Like the reviewer below stated, this in no way detracts from the original release. Well worth you time and money.

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 5 stars yes but don't buy it yet, June 20, 2006

By 

Michael J. Thoresen (ann arbor, michigan USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Envoy (Mlps) (Audio CD)

this recording, along with 'stand in the fire' will be released in the states soon, probably through rhino and with bonus tracks. keep playing those LP's until then. these prices are nothing but a rip-off of longtime, patient fans of warren zevon.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Classic album sounds quite good with some cool bonus tracks!, March 27, 2007

By 

WTDK "If at first the idea is not absurd, the... (My Little Blue Window, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Envoy (Audio CD)

Although there are a couple of weak tracks, "The Envoy" features Warren Zevon in classic form. Referred to as "Excitable Boy" grows up when it was first released, "The Envoy" sounds quite good in the latest edition from Rhino. A pity that this wasn't released while Warren was alive. This album was available previously as an expensive import and key tracks were on Warren's two CD retrospective on Rhino but this is the first time (to my knowledge) that the whole album has appeared on CD. This captures Mr. Bad Example in very fine form indeed.

"Jesus Mentioned" played on acoustic guitar is very spare sounding thoughtful song about Elvis Presley and, of course, has plenty of Warren's humor in it. The title track is a killer rocker. "Looking for the Next Best Thing" is one of Warren's great ballads. "Let Nothing Come Beween You" is probably the sweetest song Warren ever wrote. "Not That Pretty at All" isn't my least favorite tune but the sythesizer seems a little overbearing on this track. Overall this album provides a perfect transition to Warren's brilliant "Sentimental Hygene". After this album Warren who had a drinking problem and cleaned up his life briefly fell back into the spiral of addiction before pulling himself out of it five years later.

We get the original album plus a number of great extra tracks here including "The Risk", "Word of Mouth" an alternate version of "Let Nothing Come Between You" and "Wild Thing". The former has all the hallmarks of New Wave at the time with its boxy sounding drums and sythesizer. "Word of Mouth" opens with a mix of sythesizer, piano and guitar and doesn't sound finished as there's no vocal track recorded for it. The arrangement could have been fleshed out a bit more but it's a nice track. Some of the bonus tracks are better than others but don't diminish the original album. "Let Nothing Come Between You" is an alternate take that provides pleasant listening although I prefer the released version. "Wild Thing" is an off-the-cuff performance of the classic Chip Taylor song that sounds like it was recorded during the rehearsal sessions. It's a loose performance that probably wasn't ever intended for release. It sounds like the band was just having fun.

We get extensive sleeve notes as well giving us a bit of background on the recording of the album written by Rolling Stone writer David Wild. We also get photos, original lyrics and credits for the album.