Customer Reviews

Sentimental Hygiene

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The 24-bit, digitally remastered CD of Warren Zevon's "Sentimental Hygiene" sounds better than ever.

"SENTIMENTAL HYGIENE" - The literal translation of the song title means nostalgic for practices, such as cleanliness, conducive to health. It's ironic, since Warren had recently gotten clean and sober enough at that time to write and record this album. I would imagine he was longing to get drunk or high again! Neil Young's blistering guitar solo highlights this classic Zevon song.

"BOOM BOOM MANCINI" - It's a hard rocking tribute to a great boxer, who could take it as well as he could dish it out. It could also be an analogy for a particular singer-songwriter.

"THE FACTORY" - It's a Springsteen style ode to the working man, featuring Bob Dylan on harmonica.

"TROUBLE WAITING TO HAPPEN" - The song title is an apt description of Warren's wild lifestyle. Much like Ozzy Osbourne, Warren seems to suffer from memory lapses. "The mailman brought me the Rolling Stone, it said I was living at home alone. I read things I didn't know I'd done. It sounded like a lot of fun. I guess I've been bad or something. Trouble waiting to happen."

"RECONSIDER ME" - This is a ballad in which Warren tries to persuade his former lover to take him back. Boasting a memorable melody, a moving vocal performance, heartfelt lyrics and tasteful production, it's one of Warren's best songs. It should have been a big hit.

"DETOX MANSION" - This song takes a tongue in cheek approach to describing Warren's treatment for alcoholism. Nowadays, it's almost a requirement for a successful celebrity to go in for rehab.

"BAD KARMA" - I don't believe in reincarnation, but Warren has me convinced that predestination is responsible for a lifetime of bad luck. I especially like the sitar playing on this song.

"EVEN A DOG CAN SHAKE HANDS" - It's a hard rocker whose melody reminds me of Chuck Berry's "Brown Eyed Handsome Man." Warren seems to be implying that show business agents and other Hollywood types may not be the sincerest people in the world. Go figure!

"THE HEARTACHE" - This bluesy ballad about unrequited love features tasty backing vocals by Jennifer Warnes.

"LEAVE MY MONKEY ALONE" - There will always be an England, but the British Empire ain't what is used to be. "Down in Kenya where the Masai roam, and the grass grows tall on the veldt, in our old colonial home we drank our bitters while the empire fell. Leave my monkey alone." The funky production of this song was done by George Clinton.

"NOCTURNE" (previously unreleased) - The first bonus track is an instrumental. It's not very melodic and was wisely left off the original album.

"LEAVE MY MONKEY ALONE" (previously unreleased) - Not only is this bonus track sung in Spanish, it also features more background vocals and jungle sounds.

"Sentimental Hygiene" is one of Warren Zevon's strongest albums, and the excellent remastering job makes this CD an essential purchase.

Warren Zevon's "Sentimental Hygene," recorded a decade after his late 1970s heyday as a popular songwriter, stands now in light of his recent terminal illness as the best of his original studio albums. The ten tracks are all pure Zevon and are all outstanding. The rocking title track kicks things off strongly preceeding the burning putdown of boxer "Boom Boom Mancini." Of the rest of side 1, "Trouble Waiting to Happen" is another excellent rocker while "Reconsider Me," is an actual tender ballad.

Things don't slack off in the second half. "Detox Mansion," "Bad Karma" and "Even a Dog Can Shake Hands," are the kind of quirky humorous rockers Zevon seems to write effortlessly. The
album then ends with the truly bizarre chant "Leave My Monkey Alone." On most of the songs Zevon is backed by the then-up and coming R.E.M., and as a result the music absolutely crackles.

Note: This reissued version of the CD is not really enhanced by its two extra tracks. The first is an instrumental that is nothing more than grating noise, while the second is a Spanish language version of "Leave My Monkey Alone." In other words, if you already own an older version of this CD, there's no compelling reason to replace it with this one.

Five years of waiting to get an album out sharpened Warren Zevon. "The Envoy" was a very good album that wasn't given a good reception, and - even though he was already getting his life on track beforehand - this was the album that spotlighted Warren under full command of his powers. Backed mostly by the members of R.E.M. (along with a line-up diverse enough to include Bob Dylan and George Clinton), "Sentimental Hygiene" was simply one of Warren's best albums to date.

There was considerable muscle being flexed here. R.E.M. were not yet the megastars that they would be in another year, but they were probably the coolest band on the planet. Minus Michael Stipe (who does contribute a background vocal on "Bad Karma"), they were obviously having a grand time providing Warren with some rocking drive on the topical "Boom Boom Mancini" and Springsteen-ish "The Factory." The sardonic irony that is one of Warren's strongest points is also given joyous reign in "Even a Dog Can Shake Hands" and "Detox Mansion." Who else but Warren Zevon could take such a turning point in his life and twist it so gleefully?

Yet an adult sense of responsibility surfaces here. "Reconsider Me" is one of the best pleas for forgiveness ever set to tape, even getting some airplay when the album was released. It's the sound of a man who recognizes what his self screw-ups have done to those around him, and is delivered with a rare courage. It's the central heart of "Sentimental Hygiene." The album's other attempt at a "hit" (including a video) was "Leave My Monkey Alone," which was funked up by "Atomic Dog" walker George Clinton.

Worth its wait and its weight, this was one of the best of 1987. The remastering makes it even heavier sounding. The bonus cuts, unfortunately, offer no revelations. "Nocturne" sounds like some noodling noise that eventually became the intro to "They Moved The Moon" on "Transverse City," and the Spanish mix of "Monkey" is kind of pointless. Regardless of those additions, "Sentimental Hygiene" remains an essential not just for Zevon fans, but for lovers of R.E.M.

I love this album and first got it on vinyl. Backed largely by Messrs. Buck, Mills and Berry from R.E.M., Zevon shows the black humor and sincere sentimentality that marked his earlier stuff.

A guitar solo on the title track sounded like Neil Young and Crazy Horse in full glory, and sure enough there's Neil in the credits. Boom Boom Mancini is a great sports bio; Reconsider Me and The Heartache a classic love ballad that ODs on true sincerity; I'm sure Detox Mansion was autobiographical and because it probably was is funnier than hell. Ditto Bad Karma and Even a Dog Can Shake Hands.

This truly is a 5 star album folks. I'm sorry I missed Warren last time he swung around here on tour. His more recent stuff is a bit less accessible but no less rewarding once you get into it.

I bought this CD knowing absolutely nothing except from five songs on the new anthology and that Bob Dylan plays harmonica on one track. I don't think I've stopped listening to it since. Not only are the songs well-written and well-sung, they're also incredibly fun to listen to, jump around your room and dance to, or play at 2000 decibels and irritate the neighbors with. These aren't just some of the best of Warren Zevon, they're the best of rock in general. Buy a copy for your self. If he doesn't come out with a new album soon I'm going to go stark raving mad. But in the meantime, get this album and listen to it until the songs playing in your head wake you up at three in the morning.

I am a huge Zevon fan, and this is Warren's finest album. Oh, the self-titled debut (er, semi-debut) sounds solid and boasts some great songs (I'll Sleep When I'm Dead, Desperados Under the Eaves), but it sounds a bit tepid, like an Eagles album. Exciteable Boy's production is more on par with Warren's rocking, tough-guy (yet sensitive) aura...but alas, there's some terrible filler on that record (Nighttime in the Switching Yard) and it's kind of short. Bad Luck Streak is purely for true Zevon fans; it's uneven and somewhat of a disappointment. The Envoy is a decent comeback.

But Sentimental Hygiene is the true Zevon album: cynical, witty, sensitive (Reconsider Me), and damned funny!!! Oh, and did I mention that it rocks, too? With REM essentially acting as Warren's backup band, these songs flat out jam.

Rooting through my dad's record collection I stumbled across this asolute gem of an album. From the in your face rockin' of the title track through to the gentle and heartfelt ballad 'Heartache', this album does not disappoint. Fantastic from start to finish, a must for any music lover's collection.

Working on a Warren Zevon session was not as crazy as one might think. I was doing overdubs on a project that would later become Warren Zevon's Sentimental Hygiene. Niko Bolas was the main engineer on the session and I was a big fan of his work. I did simple overdubs on the sessions and yet those days were magic for me. Reconsider Me, was the one song that has stayed with me and perhaps always as a profound musical piece of the soul. This record will be the only time (as brief as it was) I've gotten close enough to Warren to shake his hand and smile to the music he created that day in the studio. I am a Warren Zevon fan and will always be.

As a long time fan, this cd is the one I most often lend to friends when trying to create converts. Warren's style is so unique, his melodies catchy & his lyrics comparable to any other songwriter going. Is's rock n' roll with brains & balls!

I've heard them all and feel confident in saying this is his best work. If you don't like it, you just don't care for the man. If you're a fan and don't have this CD, do yourself a favor and order it immediately!