Warren Piece

The next screed concerns the 35th anniversary of a badass performance by a most legendary badass.

I've been looking for an excuse to put him on here and today we have one.

Today's hero almost personifies the definition of Revered Cult Artist.

His 1970s records are worshiped in a way few songwriters ever provoke.

I remember seeing him on TV just before he died.

Weirdly, I got into his stuff right as he passed away in the early Oughts.

They just don't make songwriters like him anymore... if he showed up today at the record biz office with all his tunes and wild attitude, they'd call security.

I have a couple of friends that hold him as their favorite of all time.

Come on, we've all been in situations where we needed dad to send lawyers, guns and money to save us, am I right?

Anyway 35 years ago this evening, this character called Warren Zevon played this great club in Houston, Texas, where the stealthy soundguy surreptitiously taped a whole lotta shows.

Warren Zevon

Rockefellers

Houston, Texas USA

5.23.1985

01 Frank and Jesse James

02 Start Me Up

03 Poor, Poor Pitiful Me

04 Veracruz

05 Reconsider Me

06 Detox Mansion

07 Bill Lee

08 Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner

09 Johnny Strikes Up the Band

10 Accidentally Like a Martyr

11 Tenderness On the Block

12 Boom Boom Mancini

13 The Factory

14 Werewolves of London

15 Not Fade Away

16 Lawyers, Guns and Money

17 announcements

Total time: 1:30:35

disc break goes after Track 08

Warren Zevon - guitars, piano & vocals

master soundboard cassettes of the early show, remastered by Mexminute in 2008

552 MB FLAC/May 2020 archive link

This one has it all -- all the trademark Zevon songs and madness are on full display -- and it's just the early set.

Whatever mayhem went on in the late set is lost to history, unfortunately.

Anyway I will be back midweek with more delectables, but you better not miss this audience with the Werewolves of Houston over which Mr. Z presided this day in 1985.--J.

1.24.1947 - 9.7.2003