Customer Reviews

Transverse City

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The 24-bit, digitally remastered CD of Warren Zevon's "Transverse City" sounds better than ever. The album's commercial failure upon its release may be attributed to the fact that the subject matter truly was ahead of its time.

"TRANSVERSE CITY" - Warren sings the lyrics at a breakneck pace, echoing the sensory overload pictured on the cover of the album. "Show us endless neon vistas, castles made of laser lights. Take us to the shopping sector in the vortex of the night...Down among the dancing quanta, everything exists at once. Up above in Transverse City, every weekend lasts for months." This could easily be the theme song for any number of sci-fi movies.

"RUN STRAIGHT DOWN" - Outside of Transverse City is a virtual wasteland. "Fluorocarbons in the ozone layer; first the water and the wildlife go. Pretty soon there's not a creature stirring, except the robots at the dynamo." The apocalyptic mood of the song is greatly enhanced by David Gilmour's superb guitar playing.

"THE LONG ARM OF THE LAW" - Paranoia runs deep when you're living in a police state.

"TURBULENCE" - The then current turmoil in Moscow not only brought turbulence, it would eventually lead to the fall of communism. Even though Warren is writing about current events, the song does not sound dated.

"THEY MOVED THE MOON" - This could be Warren's answer song to Ben E. King's "Stand By Me." "When the night has come, and the land is dark, and the moon is the only light we'll see. No, I won't be afraid, just as long as you stand, stand by me." Unfortunately, Warren's lover deserted him. "I was counting on you to stand by me, to see me through. I was counting on you. They moved the moon while I looked down."

"SPLENDID ISOLATION" - Warren at his misanthropic best. Splendid isolation is easily achieved in the computer age. Thanks to the internet, anyone can survive without direct human contact.

"NETWORKING" - Not having a computer at work when this album was released, I had no idea what Warren was singing about at that time. Now I can understand the lyrics! "Networking, I'm user friendly. Networking, I install with ease. Data processed, truly basic. I will upload you, you can download me." With organs and brass, this song is somewhat overproduced. The acoustic demo version makes for a nice contrast.

"GRIDLOCK" - Anyone who works in a major city can understand the irony of calling the time when everyone is stuck in a traffic jam "rush hour."

"DOWN IN THE MALL" - Warren's satirical jab at consumerism hits the mark. Then again, overcommercialization is an easy target.

"NOBODY'S IN LOVE THIS YEAR" - Leave it to Warren Zevon to close out his futuristic concept album, featuring synthesizers and electric guitars, with a tender ballad about lost love, featuring brass and strings. Putting a unique spin on the subject, Warren equates love to financial management. "No one's invested enough of themselves to yield to maturity. And the rate of attrition for lovers like us is steadily on the rise. Nobody's in love this year, not even you and I."

This overlooked album definitely deserves a second listen, especially considering the superb remastering job they did on it.

Ok, so this is only Zevon's second best album of the 80s! It's probably more like 4 and a half stars, but this is one great album. And, surprisingly, it has held up very well. It probably helps that it doesn't sound like anything else released the same year.

Originally started as a cyber-concept album, Warren and his producers used up the money Virgin fronted them for this album, and abandoned the cyber-theme for straight forward versions of the remaining songs.

There are many strong cuts on here, "Splendid Isolation," "Networking," and "Turbulence," but the high-point is the closing ballad, "Nobody's In Love This Year." Possibly the best ballad of 1989 -- a year that also includes Tom Petty's "Free Falling" and Don Henley's "The Heart Of The Matter."

Virgin has remastered this set and thrown in a bonus, acoustic version of "Networking" (just Warren on guitar and harmonica). Well worth the cost, especially since it's been years since this title has even been available in this country. Now, if only Elektra would get on the stick and (re)release his late 70's/early 80's material!

Since Amazon.com has not listed the tracks, here they are: 1. Tranverse City, 2. Run Straight Down, 3. The Long Arm Of The Law, 4. Turbulence, 5. They Moved The Moon, 6. Splendid Isolation, 7. Networking, 8. Gridlock, 9. Down In The Mall, 10. Nobody's In Love This Year, 11. (BONUS) Networking (Acoustic).

This disregarded album is nothing less than a masterpiece. Sure, it's easier to love if you're familiar with the cyberpunk genre of science fiction, and the arrangements are not typical of Zevon's other work, but who cares? The orchestration perfectly captures the strung-out feeing of a world of urban rot, where technology runs amok and ethics seem to have vanished. Although this album was recorded 15 years ago, the issues it addresses are still current. This is utterly characteristic of Zevon's best work--he effortlessly identifies the essential elements of the zeitgeist and renders them into finely polished, classic tunes that remain fresh forever. This album features some of his best compositions, strictly from a musical standpoint, and his singing is impassioned. "Down in the Mall" is satire on a par with "Gorilla You're A Desperado", and "Run Straight Down" can stand up to comparison to "Ronald the Headless Thompson Gunner." Yes, lines such as "down among the dancing quanta, everthing exists at once; up above in Transverse City, every weekend lasts for months" are a lot more trouble to understand than "poor poor pitiful me." However, those who care to do the work of truly listening will not be disappointed. This is an album by a man who deeply cares about his subject; and when that man is Warren Zevon, it's a masterpiece.

Home computers were so far ahead of the basic consumer in 1989 that "Transverse City" pretty much blipped right over the heads of most WZ fans who first heard it back then. Now that it's been reissued, it shows itself as being way ahead of the curve. Let's face it, aside from Kraftwerk, few other artists would have thought up a couplet like "I will upload you, you can download me." And like Warren's wild hair on the jacket cover, "Transverse City" echoed the modern disarray of the times and Warren's vision of the future. After the straightforward rock of his comeback "Sentimental Hygiene," it was more than most of us could take.

Now remastered and back in print, that sprawling density makes more sense than ever and makes "Transverse City" essential. The timeliness of "Networking" in the pre-Windows Era spoke to Internet addiction while Al Gore was probably inventing it, and the mall addicts of the claustrophobic, rushed title track (where "everything exists at once") are now just as likely to be picking this CD up via Amazon as at their local record store - "Splendid Isolation" indeed.

"Isolation," along with "Nobody's In Love This Year" revisit one Warren's strongest topics; the futility of love in the modern world. Even in the "concept" format, these are Warren at his best. With guests like Chick Corea, David Gilmour and Jerry Garcia, the musicians are Zevon's usual array of top drawer players. You may have bypassed "Transverse City" two decades ago, there's no reason to miss out on it now.

Death--for the music biz it's a living. Why else would the biz reissue albums by dead and dying artist's ad nauseum? Luckily, the talented but terminally ill Warren Zevon has managed to live long enough to see the new Bond film, see a new best of collection issued and three important albums reissued. Transverse City is probably the most "produced" album Zevon has made. It suffers from an excess of sounds--which was entirely as its maker intended.

The sound is terrific--Transverse has been remastered in the 24 bit format. There's a bonus track here as well although it isn't essential. I'd go with one of Warren's other classic albums first, Transverse has been maligned over the years because of its over the top production. Style is as important as content here as it provides a context for Zevon's acidic observations. TIme has caught up with Transverse. Many of Zevon's witty observations about our world have come true to an extent. When it was released it was seen as influenced by the cyperpunk science fiction movement. It was criticized for the cluttered production and busy arrangements. That was, again, the point really. That really does a disserve to this under rated album. It took me quite some time to appreciate the album for the innovative touches and songwriting that Zevon uses throughout. While it isn't Zevon's richest treasure, it sparkles nonetheless.

Oh, and the acoustic version of Networking is a nice added treat.

Way back in 1989 one could find Warren Zevon's Transverse City CD on Virgin Records right here in the U. S. of A. Now, you must get it from some foreign country, and it costs big bucks too. So much for the trade deficit. The acute and savage singer/songwriter is back with a scathing commentary of the nineteen-nineties. The citizens of Transverse City are suffocating for chemical pollutants (Run Straight Down), "doing lunch" all over town (Networking), and partaking in the new social institution (Down In The Mall). As a child, the first words that Zevon recalls hearing are "Nobody move. Nobody gets hurt" (The Long Arm Of The Law). Boy, talk about planting the seed of rebellion. And as if living in Transverse City wasn't enough punishment, Zevon is jilted by his lover (They Moved The Moon & Nobody's In Love). Escape? Yes, Zevon moves to the desert (Splendid Isolation).

Transverse City is a contemptuous trip through a wasted city, and a fierce musical experience. The band (including Waddy Wachtel, David Gilmore, Chick Corea and Jerry Garcia) rocks like they've been playing together for years. `Turbulence' sounds like a dueling Wood - Richard blues guitar rocker. The melodic organ introduction, bass drum and angelic harmony of `They Moved The Moon" are heartbreaking. Zevon's solitary harmonica opens each verse of `Splendid Isolation.' And the ripping grunge lead guitar on `Gridlock' could only be one person - Neil Young. Transverse City is a lewd, brutal and despicable place. Hey, isn't that what rock is supposed to be? So the heck with the trade deficit, get Transverse City.

Travese City is an unknown gem. A flawless album with great lyrics and music. I'm amazed this never got anywhere. It's a masterpiece. This is his 'Armed Forces.'

Having over 3,000 8-tracks,albums,cassettes and/or C.D.s does not make you a music expert. If nothing else it sort of numbs you to the sameness of it all and can burn you out to the corperation's ideal.Be it Sinatra, Nirvana,Metallica or Britney Spears,if you buy music based on name or style alone you can't be sure of the quality of the music you're getting. But you buy anyway in hopes of finding that 'album'that makes you want to play it over & over again.MTV ,ironically,has taken this vision out of most modern C.D.s(even movie soundtracks aren't what they used to be),so ,how do you define 'good-music'? I define it thus :If I hum it at work/If I can't crank it loud enough(when applicable). Such a 5 star gem is Warren Zevon's 'Transverse City'.The album as a whole compares to any classic(ie;'London Calling' or 'Slowhand'),but has 4 standout songs.These 4 are 'Splendid Isolation(an at work favorite);'Nobody's In Love This Year';'The Long Arm Of The Law',and what I consider one of the ALL TIME ROCK CLASSICS,'Run Straight Down'.WOW ,what a jam.I ,personally,can not get enough of this song. I haved cranked it until my ears have rung,and it still wasn't LOUD enough.I wish that David Gilmore would do more with Warren Zevon ,because Mr. Gilmore had not played this well in years.How a finely crafted song like this does not get radio over-played is beyond me.

Warren Zevon made a huge stylistic departure when he released this album-long essay on the rising technocracy, fueled by the cyber-punk visions that were so popular in the late 80s and early 90s. The romance is (mostly) gone, the piano makes only token appearances, and his sharp sense of humor is only overtly on display once or twice.

He's traded in those things for a sharp, pointed, cynical, and occasionally angry mix of synth and guitar. Guest spots from Neil Young ("Gridlock") and Jerry Garcia (title track and "They Moved the Moon") only shore up the differences.

The songs themselves are very well done, and tackle a number of themes from city living ("everyone's choking on monoxide fumes"), consumer culture, and basically just attacks everything about current society and what it's turned/turning into. His pointed comment on celebrity obsession ("Splendid Isolation") seems mild now in our age of internet gossip and TMZ.

Still, it's not at all unpleasant to listen to. Zevon seems here like the cranky guy next door who's going through a rough patch, but is so damn witty about it that his bitterness proves entertaining. By the end of the album, the listener knows he's seen a side of Zevon not previously on display, and it's a great exploration of a society's effect on the individual.

Highly recommended.

A terrific record - almost as good as "Sentimental Hygiene". On some tracks, Zevon's intelligence and vocabulary sound incongruous in the straight rock setting but, in the end, it all adds up to a complete package - insightful and incisive lyrics backed by excellent rock music.

Fans of Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" please take note that this disc is worth buying just for the mighty "Run Straight Down". Not only is it similar in structure, tempo and even subject matter, but David Gilmour guests and provides another blistering performance. Plug in that air guitar and crank it up!

I have the vinyl so can't comment on the quality of the CD. If you're keen enough, the double retrospective "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" would be an even better buy for newcomers.