Warren Zevon - Excitable Boy [2-lp, 45 RPM]

Sourced from the Original Analog Tapes for Definitive Sound: Mobile Fidelity's Numbered-Edition 180g 45RPM 2LP Set Plays with Explosive Dynamics and Airy Openness Mastering Source to Be Determined Closer to Production Date; Specifics Will Be Posted Here When Authenticated Excitable Boy established Warren Zevon as rock's gonzo figurehead - or, as Jackson Browne aptly called him, 'the first and foremost proponent of song noir.' A supreme collision of over-caffeinated energy, acerbic wit, dark humor, irreverent reporting, bittersweet romance, swept-under-the-rug truth, and illicit desire sent up with booze, pills, and therapist confessions, the breakthrough album zeroes in on frightening aspects of American culture with an incisiveness that's even sharper today than upon the effort's release in 1978. And the music has never sounded so excitable. Sourced from the original analog master tapes and pressed on dead-quiet vinyl, Mobile Fidelity's numbered-edition 180g 45RPM 2LP set elevates the best-selling album of Zevon's distinguished career to audiophile status. Co-produced by Browne and Waddy Wachtel - and featuring contributions by members of Fleetwood Mac plus Linda Rondstadt, J.D. Souther, Leland Sklar, and Browne - the platinum-certified record now plays with a verve and explosivity that match it's subject matter. Listeners will experience wide separation between the instruments; full-range dynamics that underscore the depth of the arrangements; sterling transparency that draws a through-line to the original sessions at the Sound Factory; warmth on a par with the finest analog recordings; presence that elevates the body and tenor of Zevon's vocals; and an openness and balance resulting from the freedom that Browne and Wachtel afforded recording engineer Greg Ladanyi. That lenience coincides with the record's primary themes and speaks to the freewheeling spirit in which it was made. Excitable Boy delightfully teeters on the verge of chaos - and, often, causes us to question what the zany singer-songwriter has gotten into (and what he is going on about). Not yet two years removed from his critically acclaimed self-titled major-label debut, Zevon had already established a fabled reputation for debauchery and grown more perceptive about the twisted underbelly and self-destructive nature of U.S. politics and society.