The Envoy [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

Warren Zevon

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 27, 2007)
• Original Release Date: March 27, 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Rhino / Wea
• ASIN: B000MGV9WK
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #17,862 in Music (See Bestsellers 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

15 of 15 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	Wayne Klein "If at first the idea is not absu... (My Little Blue Window, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

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.

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 (REAL NAME)

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.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An oft-overlooked, but essential Zevon album, April 12, 2007

By	DanD - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

THE ENVOY was a great rock record. Period. It kicks off with a politically-charged number that's as important today as it was then, fueled with electric guitars and impassioned vocals. It ended (the original, at least) with a beautiful ballad about never giving up (the last words of the song: "Don't stop believing in tomorrow." It's a shame the bonus features follow this song; because this line is, overall, the message of the album.

I hope I'm not boring you by reading something philisophical into Zevon's music; Zevon fans have been doing it for longer than I've been alive. And, let's face it, Zevon records are FUN; you never know where he's gonna go next. The title track is tongue-in-cheek political commentary; "The Hula Hula Boys" is probably the most hilarious break-up song I've ever heard (the image of a woman leaving a rocker for "the fat guy from the swimming pool" is classic; and then there's the Polynesian chanting...). "Jesus Mentioned" is the creepiest (and tenderest) Elvis tribute of all time; when Zevon's not singing about digging up the King's body, he's reminding us how Elvis walked on whater (with his pills, of course). "The Overdraft," lyrically beautiful, is made all the better by Lindsey Buckingham's crazed background vocals. In "Charlie's Medicine," a drug pusher dies (and Zevon shows up to pay his bill). And "Looking For the Next Best Thing" remains an anthem for all those who are willing to settle for silver. The "new" instrumental "Word of Mouth" is compelling; as is "The Risk" and Zevon's take on the classic "Wild Thing."

The reissue of THE ENVOY makes a great addition to Zevon collections, or rock collections in general. It is simply a great rock record, one of many Warren Zevon managed to make before his untimely death. Zevon was one of the great folk/rock artists whose legacy will live on as long as there is music for us to listen to.