Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School

Warren Zevon

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 30, 1992)
• Original Release Date: 1980
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Elektra / Wea
• ASIN: B000002H47
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #34,138 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Japanese limited edition issue of the album classic in a deluxe, miniaturized LP sleeve replica of the original vinyl album artwork. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars We parachute in, we parachute out...., September 19, 2003

By	Tim Brough "author and music buff" (Springfield, PA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

There were, for a time, stories that Warren Zevon was working on a concerto for strings. If there was, we are sadly unlikely to ever hear it. But snippets from it appeared on his third Elektra/Asylum album, "Bad Luck Streak In Dancing School." Given a taste of rockdom via the surprise success of "Werewolves Of London," his ambition soared along with his excessive living. So the album opens with both beauty and brutality, a crescendo of strings ending with a pair of gunshots. And so it goes throughout the album, as Warren weaves tales of betrayal in "Jeannie Needs a Shooter" (I always wondered what Springsteen's version of this song would've sounded like), heartache with Linda Ronstadt on the gorgeous "Empty Handed Heart" and a sublimely funny look at the Los Angeles life as he trades places with "Gorilla You're a Desperado," and the monkey ends up in "Transactional Analysis."

As with his previous two albums, the playing is top drawer. It always amazed me that Zevon could take the usual stable of LA's Mellow Mafia and make them sound tough. The cover of "A Certain Girl" all but leers from force, with the call and response of "What's her name? I can't tell you!" taking on a near psychotic energy by the song's end. Zevon's literary humor is in fine form as he describes the mercs of "Jungle Work." It is a subtle prankster who can pair lines like "We parachute in, we parachute out" without going after a sledgehammer to pulverize the joke, but he manages to do exactly that.

The album's last two songs were the "Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School's" finest moments. "Bed Of Coals" and "Wild Age" are Zevon's most mature songs to that point. As a lover watches his life collapse, he realizes that he can't be a reckless child anymore, and immediately follows with the longing of "Wild Age," which fades out with The Eagles smooth harmonies and Zevon's desperate, joyous yelping for a time that he knows is no longer there. It cemented Warren's reputation as a songwriter of unflinching emotional capability.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A sociopath with a heart of gold, March 17, 2000

By	dev1 (Baltimore) - See all my reviews

Warren Zevon is back with another successful addition to his quirky but solid rock'n'roll output. Exploring `boy meets girl' is the common subject for popular music, but Zevon adds his personal bent. Bad Luck Streak In Dancing School is more like `boy with a gun in his pocket meets girl.' Hey, he may be a sociopath, but he's sociopath with a heart of gold. On the inside cover is a photograph of a Mack-10 with spent cartridges and an empty pair of ballet shoes lying on the floor. Death and beauty.

In the opening cut (Bad Luck Streak In Dancing School) Zevon promises to end his wicked ways and fly straight. The remaining eleven compositions break his promise. Mercenaries cause mayhem in `Jungle Work,' `Play It All Night Long' cures all the world's ills with loud music, and Zevon loses his girl to a hairy bully in `Gorilla, You're A Desperado.' Of course, all the songs were not written by the patients of `One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest.' Warren Zevon and Linda Ronstadt are beautiful and romantic in `Empty-Handed Heart.'

Bad Luck Streak is backed by Elektra's killer session band including David Lindley, Rick Marrota and Waddy Wachtel. Usually heard on releases by Jackson Browne and Linda Ronstadt, Zevon lets then cut loose. Top pick: "Wild Age' is one of the best teen anthems of the 1980's.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Zevon unrecognized, April 29, 1999

By	David A. Dawson "cyclones100" (Decatur, Illinois) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Warren Zevon is one of the most overlooked musicians of the past 20 years. His song writing is top-rate and his choice of musicians to accompany him are excellent. Many know him solely for Werewolves of London, which is a great song, but just one of many great Zevon songs. I've always felt this was one of Zevon's best albums, something that has been overlooked over the years. For those who can appreciate Zevon's view of the world and its ultimate absurdity, this album is a don't miss.