Excitable Boy is the third studio album by American musician Warren Zevon. The album was released on January 18, 1978, by Asylum Records. It includes the single "Werewolves of London", which reached No. 21 and remained in the American Top 40 for six weeks. The album brought Zevon to commercial attention and remains the best-selling album of his career, having been certified platinum by the RIAA and reaching the top ten on the US Billboard 200. A remastered and expanded edition was released in 2007.
Music and lyrics
"Excitable Boy" and "Werewolves of London" were considered macabrely humorous by some critics. The historical "Veracruz" dramatizes the United States occupation of Veracruz. It was the first song Zevon wrote with Jorge Calderón. Likewise, "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner" is a fictionalized account of former mercenary David Lindell's experiences in Africa. "Lawyers, Guns and Money" is a tongue-in-cheek tale of a young American man's adventures in Cold War-era Latin America. In addition, there are two ballads about life and relationships ("Accidentally Like a Martyr" and "Tenderness on the Block"), as well as the funk/disco-inspired "Nighttime in the Switching Yard".
Critical reception
Reviewing in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981), Robert Christgau wrote:
The further these songs get from Ronstadtland, the more I like them. The four that exorcise male psychoses by mock celebration are positively addictive, the two uncomplicated rockers do the job, and two of the purely 'serious' songs get by. But no one has yet been able to explain to me what 'accidentally like a martyr' might mean—answers dependent on the term 'Dylanesque' are not acceptable—and I have no doubt that that's the image Linda will home in on. After all, is she going to cover the one about the headless gunner?
Track listing
Bonus Tracks (2007 reissue)
| Title |
Writer(s) |
| 10. |
"I Need a Truck" (Outtake) |
Zevon |
0:50 |
| 11. |
"Werewolves of London" (Alternate version) |
Wachtel, Marinell, Zevon |
3:41 |
| 12. |
"Tule's Blues"" (Solo piano version) |
Zevon |
3:13 |
| 13. |
"Frozen Notes" (Strings version) |
Zevon |
1:59 |
Personnel
Additional personnel
-
Karla Bonoff – harmony vocals on "Accidentally Like a Martyr"
-
Jackson Browne – guitar, harmony and backing vocals
- Luis Damian – jarana on "Veracruz"
-
Kenny Edwards – bass guitar on "Veracruz", "Tenderness on the Block" and "Lawyers, Guns and Money"
-
John McVie - bass on "Werewolves of London"
-
Mick Fleetwood – drums on "Werewolves of London"
- The Gentlemen Boys (Jackson Browne, Jorge Calderón, Kenny Edwards, J. D. Souther and Waddy Wachtel) – backing and harmony vocals
- Arthur Gerst – Mexican harp
-
Bob Glaub – bass guitar on "Roland the Headless Gunner", "Excitable Boy" and "Nighttime in the Switching Yard"
-
Jim Horn – recorder on "Veracruz"; saxophone on "Excitable Boy"
-
Greg Ladanyi – bells on "Nighttime in the Switching Yard"
-
Rick Marotta – drums on "Veracruz" and "Lawyers, Guns and Money"
-
Jeff Porcaro – drums and percussion on "Nighttime in the Switching Yard"
-
Linda Ronstadt – backing and harmony vocals on "Excitable Boy"
-
Leland Sklar – bass guitar on "Johnny Strikes Up The Band" and "Accidentally Like a Martyr"
-
J.D. Souther – backing and harmony vocals
- Manuel Vasquez – requinto on "Veracruz"
-
Waddy Wachtel – guitar, synthesizer, harmony and backing vocals
-
Jennifer Warnes – harmony vocals on "Excitable Boy"
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
| Organization
|
Level
|
Date
|
|
RIAA – U.S.
|
Gold
|
April 17, 1978
|
|
CRIA – Canada
|
Gold
|
June 1, 1978
|
| RIAA – U.S.
|
Platinum
|
November 7, 1997
|
