WARREN ZEVON "Sentimental Hygiene" LP NM/VG+ w SC, Gold Stamped Promo 1987

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Sentimental Hygiene Review by Mark Deming

After a rather well-publicized fall off the wagon following the release of The Envoy, Warren Zevon went five years without releasing an album, but his time in the woodshed seemed to have done him good, as Sentimental Hygiene was his strongest album since Warren Zevon in 1976. While a few members of the L.A. Mellow Mafia (David Lindley, Waddy Wachtel, Don Henley) made cameo appearances on the album, for most of the sessions Zevon worked with Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Bill Berry of R.E.M., who were about a year away from their mainstream commercial breakthrough; they made for a solid, no-nonsense rhythm section, and gave the music a passionate, forceful backbone that was largely absent from The Envoy (not to mention rocking harder than one might expect from the kings of jangle pop). Zevon put his newly muscular sound to good use; the songs on Sentimental Hygiene are Warren Zevon at his flintiest, as he indulges in his usual obsessions with machismo ("Boom Boom Mancini") and bad love (the title cut) while also exploring the media's skewed perspective on his addiction problems ("Detox Mansion," "Trouble Waiting to Happen"), his disgust with the music business ("Even a Dog Can Shake Hands"), and errors in both personal and political judgement ("Bad Karma," "Leave My Monkey Alone"). And Zevon scored three inspired musical guest shots on the album -- Neil Young, whose jagged guitar runs embroider the title cut; Bob Dylan, whose howling harmonica is the ideal punctuation for the Springsteen-gone-psychotic "The Factory"; and George Clinton, who adds a bed of menacing funk to "Leave My Monkey Alone." Sentimental Hygiene proved that Warren Zevon was still an artist to be reckoned with, and that which didn't kill him had only made him stronger (and more bitterly funny).

Warren Zevon – Sentimental Hygiene

Label:

Virgin – 7 90603-1, Virgin – 1-90603

Format:

Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo, Specialty Press

Country:

US

Released:

Jul 7, 1987

Genre:

Rock

Style:

Rock & Roll, Pop Rock

A1 Sentimental Hygiene

Bass – Jorge Calderón

Drums – Bill Berry (2)

Guitar – Peter Buck, Waddy Wachtel

Keyboards – Warren Zevon

Lead Guitar – Neil Young

Mixed By – Niko Bolas, Shelly Yakus

Written-By – Warren Zevon

5:01

A2 Boom Boom Mancini

Bass – Mike Mills

Drums – Bill Berry (2)

Guitar – Peter Buck

Lead Guitar, Piano – Warren Zevon

Mixed By – Niko Bolas, Shelly Yakus

Written-By – Warren Zevon

4:55

A3 The Factory

Acoustic Guitar – Warren Zevon

Bass – Mike Mills

Drums – Bill Berry (2)

Guitar – Peter Buck

Harmonica – Bob Dylan

Mixed By – Niko Bolas, Shelly Yakus

Written-By – Warren Zevon

2:47

A4 Trouble Waiting To Happen

Bass – Mike Mills

Drums – Bill Berry (2)

Guitar – Peter Buck

Harmony Vocals – Don Henley

Lead Guitar – Brian Setzer

Mixed By – Niko Bolas, Shelly Yakus

Piano – Warren Zevon

Written-By – J.D. Souther*, Warren Zevon

3:33

A5 Reconsider Me

Acoustic Guitar – Waddy Wachtel

Bass – Tony Levin

Drums – Craig Krampf

Guitar – Mike Campbell

Harmony Vocals – Don Henley

Keyboards – Jai Winding, Warren Zevon

Mixed By – Niko Bolas, Shelly Yakus

Written-By – Warren Zevon

3:11

B1 Detox Mansion

Bass – Mike Mills

Drums – Bill Berry (2)

Guitar – Peter Buck

Harmony Vocals – Jorge Calderón

Lap Steel Guitar – David Lindley

Mixed By – Niko Bolas, Shelly Yakus

Written-By – Jorge Calderón, Warren Zevon

3:10

B2 Bad Karma

Baglama [Bowed Saz] – David Lindley

Bass – Mike Mills

Drums – Bill Berry (2)

Guitar – Peter Buck

Harmony Vocals – Michael Stipe, Stan Lynch

Lead Guitar – Warren Zevon

Mixed By – Niko Bolas, Shelly Yakus

Sitar – Darius (8)

Written-By – Warren Zevon

3:14

B3 Even A Dog Can Shake Hands

Bass – Mike Mills

Drums – Bill Berry (2)

Guitar – Peter Buck

Lead Guitar – Warren Zevon

Mixed By – Niko Bolas, Shelly Yakus

Written-By – Bill Berry (2), Mike Mills, Peter Buck, Warren Zevon

3:25

B4 The Heartache

Acoustic Guitar – Waddy Wachtel

Bass – Leland Sklar

Drums – Bill Berry (2)

Guitar – Peter Buck

Harmony Vocals – Jennifer Warnes

Keyboards – Warren Zevon

Mixed By – Niko Bolas, Shelly Yakus

Written-By – Warren Zevon

3:18

B5 Leave My Monkey Alone

Arranged By – George Clinton

Bass – Flee*

Computer [Emulator] – Warren Zevon

Drums – Craig Krampf

Guitar – Blackbyrd McKnight

Keyboards – Amp Fiddler

Mixed By – Larry Fergusson*, Niko Bolas

Programmed By [Computer Programming] – Brian Bell, Will Alexander

Written-By – Warren Zevon

4:15

Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Virgin Records America, Inc.

Copyright © – Virgin Records America, Inc.

Recorded At – Record One, Los Angeles

Recorded At – A&M Studios

Recorded At – Cheshire Sound Studios

Mixed At – A&M Studios

Mixed At – Ground Control Studios

Mixed At – Record Plant, Los Angeles

Mastered At – Precision Lacquer

Pressed By – Specialty Records Corporation

Record Company – Virgin Records America, Inc.

Manufactured By – WEA

Distributed By – WEA

Manufactured By – Atlantic Records

Distributed By – Atlantic Records

Published By – Zevon Music Inc.

Published By – Night Garden Music

Published By – Unichappell Music, Inc.

Art Direction – Jeff Ayeroff*, Margo Chase

Engineer – Duncan Aldritch*, Richard Bosworth

Engineer [Assistant] – Bob Levy, Dan Nash, Mark McKenna, Richard Cottrell, Richard Landers

Management – Andrew Slater

Mastered By – Steve Marcussen*

Photography By [Back Cover] – Joyce Ravid

Photography By [Front Cover And Dust Sleeve] – Herb Ritts

Producer – Andrew Slater, Niko Bolas, Warren Zevon

Recorded By – Niko Bolas

Technician [Drum Technician] – Paul Jamieson

Specialty Records Corporation pressing identifiable by "E A S T" deboss near Side B spindle hole.

Issued with custom lyric / credit inner sleeve.

Catalog number 7 90603-1 appears on spine, 1-90603 appears on labels and inner sleeve.

Recorded at Record One

Additional recording at A&M Studios, Cheshire Sound, Atlanta

Mixed at A&M Studios

Additional mixing at Ground Control Studios, Record Plant

℗1987 Virgin Records America, Inc. ©1987 Virgin Records America, Inc.

All tracks published by Zevon Music Inc. (BMI) except:

B3 published by Night Garden Music/Unichappell Music Inc. (BMI)

Manufactured and distributed by WEA through arrangement with Atlantic Records

Bob Dylan appears courtesy of Columbia Records

Jennifer Warnes appears courtesy of Cypress/Polygram Records

Peter Buck appears courtesy of I.R.S. Records Inc.

Mike Mills appears courtesy of I.R.S. Records Inc.

Bill Berry appears courtesy of I.R.S. Records Inc.

Brian Setzer appears courtesy of EMI America

Neil Young appears courtesy of Geffen Records

Don Henley appears courtesy of Geffen Records

Flee appears courtesy of EMI America

Michael Stipe appears courtesy of I.R.S. Records Inc.

Barcode (Text): 0 7567-90603-1 0

Barcode (String): 075679060310

Matrix / Runout (Label A): ST-VR-876393

Matrix / Runout (Label B): ST-VR-876394

Matrix / Runout (Runout A etched [Var 1]): ST-VR 876393-A-DMM 1-2 1-1 Precision

Matrix / Runout (Runout B etched [Var 1]): STVR 876394C-DMM 1-5 Precision

Matrix / Runout (Runout A etched [Var 2]): ST-VR 876393-A-DMM 1-2 1-1 Precision

Matrix / Runout (Runout B etched [Var 2]): STVR 876394C-DMM 1-1 Precision

Rights Society: BMI

Pressing Plant ID (Debossed near center hole, Side B): E A S T

GOLDMINE GRADING

MINT ---- It should appear to be perfect. No scuffs or scratches, blotches or stains, labels or writing, tears or splits. Mint means perfect.

NEAR MINT ---- Otherwise mint but has one or two tiny inconsequential flaws that do not affect play. Covers should be close to perfect with minor signs of wear or age just becoming evident: slight ring-wear, minor denting to a corner, or writing on the cover should all be noted properly.

VERY GOOD PLUS ---- The record has been handled and played infrequently or very carefully. Not too far from perfect. On a disc, there may be light paper scuffs from sliding in and out of a sleeve or the vinyl or some of the original luster may be lost. A slight scratch that did not affect play would be acceptably VG+ for most collectors.

VERY GOOD ---- Record displays visible signs of handling and playing, such as loss of vinyl luster, light surface scratches, groove wear and spindle trails. Some audible surface noise, but should not overwhelm the musical experience. Usually a cover is VG when one or two of these problems are evident: ring wear, seam splits, bent corners, loss of gloss, stains, etc.

GOOD ---- Well played with little luster and significant surface noise. Despite defects, record should still play all the way through without skipping. Several cover flaws will be apparent, but should not obliterate the artwork.

POOR ---- Any record or cover that does not qualify for the above "Good" grading should be seen as Poor. Several cover flaws.