Customer Reviews

Mutineer

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Okay, okay. There are a couple of weak spots on this CD. And WZ's latest release -- _Life'll Kill Ya_, an absolutely brilliant CD that represents his best work since 1987's _Sentimental Hygiene_ -- blows _Mutineer_ out of the water.

But let me put in a good word for this one too. No, it's not what longtime WZ listeners have come to expect, but that's sort of the point -- hence the CD's title. And yes, it's got a lot of gooshy synthesizer on it rather than the crisp sound of a backing band. Frankly, for the most part, I don't especially like its production.

But on the other hand, if WZ had waited to take this thing into the studio, it would probably never have been released at all. This is a home-studio recording, gang, and it's supposed to be. It's sort of a personal note from WZ to his fans. And his real fans will accept even his mutinous rebellion against our expectations, right?

And whatever I think about the production, the songs themselves are mostly brilliant. Not _Life'll Kill Ya_ brilliant, but at least _Transverse City_ brilliant. (Yes, even the clown song.)

A handful of highlights: WZ's fishing buddy Carl (_Striptease_) Hiaasen contributes lyrics to "Seminole Bingo" and "Rottweiler Blues"; WZ gives us a bit of autobiography in "Piano Fighter" (also released on _Learning to Flinch_ in a live, piano-only version), a tune that will be of interest to fans of "Mama Couldn't be Persuaded," as far as I know WZ's only other strictly autobiographical song; and everything is more or less explained by the title track, a surprisingly intimate number which closes the CD almost as a sort of thanks-for-listening-this-far to his loyal fans.

There are a few guest musicians, too. No, not Waddy Wachtel -- but WZ's own extensive and sometimes blistering guitar work has been mistaken for Wachtel's by at least a couple of auditors. Plus, Bruce Hornsby contributes accordion to a couple of tracks; Rosemary Butler adds vocals on a couple others; David Lindley and Larry Klein and Peter Asher drop in too. It's mostly nice work.

So while I wouldn't recommend this CD to somebody who didn't already know WZ's other work, I'll still plug it for those among his listeners who haven't bought it yet. If you're new to WZ altogether, start somewhere else (I suggest _Warren Zevon_, _Excitable Boy_, and _Sentimental Hygiene_). But do come back to this one; it's taken more abuse than it deserves.

Hey, congratulate me: I just wrote an entire review of a Warren Zevon album without once using either the word "mordant" or the word "sardonic." Rock music press, take heed :-).

A lot of people dislike this album because of the lack of a band and some of the keyboard effects on show.I go the other way entirely; MUTINEER show's Warren Zevon as an instrumentalist par excellence,needing only a couple of "guest players" to round off the sound.The lyrics are up to(in some cases,surpassing)The Zevon level of acheivement.Give MUTINEER a few listens;then place it prominently in your treasured CD collections.

SEMINOLE BINGO - Let this be a warning . . .never play a game of bingo in Florida;it could get hazardous to your health!Witty classic kicks the album off in fine style."Down in the swamp with the 'gators and flamingos . . ."

SOMETHING BAD HAPPENED TO A CLOWN - Just goes to prove that even a clown can suffer a broken heart.Zevon's synth work is magical here,with calliope,horns and elephant noises really giving the desired "circus effect".I can't understand for the life of me why some fans loathe this track.

SIMILAR TO RAIN - A messsage for anyone falling in love . . .it can turn on you in an instant if you don't see the signs.The harpsichord sounds evoke the "fairy tale scenario" of the first verse.Zevon in tender mode here.

THE INDIFFERENCE OF HEAVEN - A Zevon classic.Most of us live our lives making our own decisions without major input from the almighty.It's better to accept it without complaint or jubilation.Great backup singing Rosemary Butler.Love the jab at the "blue collar champions" like Springsteen and Joel who were promising better times.Acoustic guitar and synthesiser sound perfectly mated here.

JESUS WAS A CROSS MAKER - I must admit I'm listening to this track now and I'm still stumped at the lyics.Love the gospel tinge to the backup vocals and Bruce Hornsby's great accordian touches.

POISONOUS LOOKALIKE - Ever had a lover suddnly do a unexpected major change to his/her personality.Apparently "Little-Miss-Gun-To-A-Knife-Fight" has got Warren so confused that he "can't tell the salt from the wound".Sly lyrics help the "Raga + Rock" feel to get across.

PIANO FIGHTER - This dude loves to play anywhere and anytime.There is large dollops of autobiographical material in the lyics:"Worked in sessions and I played in bands","Cut a single and it made the the charts","I must admit that I was strung out and faded in the middle of the room".Another Zevon classic with brilliant keyboard work;but then with a title like PIANO FIGHTER,what else did you expect?

ROTTWEILER BLUES - Warning . . .do not try to sell girl scout cookies to this man!Rocked up song with lyrical bite(all pun intended!)about the lengths some people will go for home protection.

MONKEY WASH DONKEY RINSE - After the appocalypse,we can still boogie in the center of the earth!This track,although filler, is still good fun with a middle Eastern flavour.

MUTINEER - If you're looking for an way out your boring lifestyle join Captain Zevon and Crew for a cruise to who knows where.Great nautical/pirate imagery and the music sounds like we are on a boat,skimming on the water."Grab your coat,let's get outta here!"

"Mutineer" contains some great Zevon songs. "Seminole Bingo" is a funny story of a "junk bond king" who falls for bingo in Florida. "The Indifference of Heaven" tells us the story of a life where "nothing is left but the sound of the front door closing forever." "Piano Fighter" starts us off with a toy piano and has fun describing a man addicted to making music no matter what. These great tunes are surrounded by some odd tales of unhappy clowns, pirate symbolism that just isn't clear to me, and finally "Monkey Wash, Donkey Rinse" which appears some sort apocalyptic statement that I'm willing to admit left me puzzled. Worth it for the good stuff.

Through all the haze of the modern day music industry, Warren Zevon stands alone. Though many have condemned this disc because of the electronic effects and the emptiness that consumes it, the songs (all of them) are brilliant. Warren Zevon is the one of a kind proponent of song noir, and his music is here to discover. "The Indifference of Heaven" and "Poisonous Lookalike" in my opinion stand out above the rest. However, Zevon is in top form, and all of his songs carry that Zevonesque weight that pulls you in and won't ever let you go. So if you would be so bold, imbrace Warren Zevon and listen to what he has to say. His stories and ill-fated messages might just apply to you, and might change the way you view the world you live in.

Put simply, Mr. Zevon has matured with a dignity and grace that most artists will never achieve. The album has a markedly different feel to any other of his LPs, but the Zevon bite is still very present. It might actually be his best work.

Certainly not WZ's best, but enough good stuff to make it part of your collection. Lyrics are chock-full of humor, wit, irony, and occasional tenderness as usual. "Indifference of Heaven" is a masterpiece, but I think the live version on "Learning to Flinch" is more powerful. Same can be said of the "LTF" rendition of "Piano Fighter", compared to this over-arranged yet ragged studio version. Beyond that "Seminole Bingo", "Poisonous Lookalike", and "Monkey Wash Donkey Rinse" are solid compositions lyrically and musically. The rest of the tunes have excellent lyrics but are musically rather flat.

Warren Zevon's musical journey, artistically and commercially, was a roller-coaster ride that paid dividends to those customers who stuck by him. Warren knocked out Mutineer during an an amazingly fertile artistic period that coincided with a commercial abyss. Zevonatics appreciate the dichotomy and don't sense any contradiction. Warren said that his commercial failures served to make his life and therefore his art more interesting than they otherwise would have been, what with all the phone calls with accountants and such that accompany mass appeal. Warren's song "The Indifference of Heaven" is a chippy note to the Almighty, though not done without respect or fear. It's also an incredibly beautiful number that to this day has me laughing amid the sadness. (The song also answers the domesticated Springsteen's "Better Days," the opener off the "Lucky Town" album.) It seems that in the end the superficial California scene produced one of the most profound and accomplished songwriters of the last 50 years. I'm sure that to the end Warren enjoyed the logic of what the public (if they were ever to understand) would view as paradoxical. This disc is rich with metaphor and poetry, as well as class and gratitude to his fans (title track). Open up for Warren.

I personally love this, right up there with excitable boy, almost as good as "warren zevon". Moody like all his stuff, with each track smoothly moving on through complex emotions of love, etc.

It's one of the most overlooked albums in the Excitable Boy's catalogue. Ask a random WZ fan about their favorites and chances are they'll name at least four or five others before even thinking of Mutineer. To have heard Warren talk about it, you'd think it only sold in double digits. To be honest it's not quite in my top five either. But while it's not another Sentimental Hygiene, it's a far cry from Wanted Dead or Alive as well. This one deserves another look and (for those who appreciate the man's genius) probably a spot on the shelf.

Mutineer can sound somewhat dashed-off because it's under 36 minutes, it's largely solo and the production is minimal. Fair enough. He'd been flying solo with just a piano & guitar for a while anyway, and here there are just a few scattered contributions to back him up. What matters are the songs. While "Rottweiler Blues" does sound tossed-off and the clown song is too dreary (lacking a spot of humor to balance things out), the rest is really stronger than it sounds at first. "Monkey Wash Donkey Rinse" is a sneakily fun staple to complement the wickedly catchy "Seminole Bingo." "The Indifference of Heaven" proves to be a magnificent slow grower after several spins (and so does "Similar to Rain" to a lesser extent). The title track is honest & sincere enough to be almost touchy-feely, a rarity in the Zevon catalogue which ultimately makes it all the more lovely. Judee Sill's "Jesus Was a Cross Maker" is a weird cover to include, and opinions usually seem to be mixed about it. I for one say it's an excellent track.

Mutineer isn't as big on the dark rapier wit we love so much, and it probably suffers from comparison after being sandwiched between two of Warren's all-time masterpieces (Mr. Bad Example and Life'll Kill Ya). But once you've covered the high points of the catalogue and grabbed the ages-overdue CD issue of Stand in the Fire, it'll be time to take another glance here.

I really love this CD. Zevon has always had his romantic contemplative side and this is the CD where in my opinion that side shines. I love Similar to Rain, Piano Fighter, Something Bad happened to a Clown and Mutineer. To my mind Seminola Bingo and Rotweiler Blues are the weaker cuts. Monkey Wash Donkey Rinse absolutely cracks me up.