Album of the Day

Warren Zevon's self-titled Asylum album – released 40 years ago today - wasn't his first or his most commercially successful, but it might be his best. With a decade in the business under his belt (singing in a folk-rock duo, penning commercial jingles and leading the Everly Brothers' band, among other things), the performer had earned a lot of musical fans, and Jackson Browne and members of Fleetwood Mac, The Beach Boys and Eagles are among the stars lending support here. WARREN ZEVON delivers a superb set of 11 occasionally dark songs including “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead,” “Hasten Down The Wind,” “Poor Poor Pitiful Me” and “Carmelita.” You may know some of these from Linda Ronstadt's versions, but the originals showcase the keen eye and sharp tongue of Southern California's most literate singer-songwriter, WARREN ZEVON.