How does one follow up a hit that defined a career? For Warren
Zevon, that was the question he had to face in 1980. He had opened
people’s eyes to his work thanks to “Warewolves Of London” on
Excitable Boy, his 1978 album. What would he do for an
encore?
The answer,
Bad Luck Streak In Dancing School, left more questions than
answers. Moving away from a “top 40” style, Zevon hunkered down
with a string section and the usual cast of celebrities, including
Linda Ronstadt, Joe Walsh, Glenn Frey and – as a songwriter, not a
performer – Bruce Springsteen.
It was a risky gamble, to say the least, and for Zevon, it
didn’t pay off in the dividends one would have hoped for. There are
a few numbers that have a catchy hook to them, but many others will
leave you wondering if this is the same artist that wowed them just
two years prior.
Zevon – a songwriter not exactly known for a happy-go-lucky
demeanor – seems to take a trip to an even darker side on some of
the tracks. Through the songs of lost love (“Empty-Handed Heart”
and the title track) and the tales of trying to find hope where
there may be none (“Bed Of Coals”), Zevon dares to bring the
listener on a voyage that doesn’t suggest a happy ending.
Musically,
Bad Luck Streak In Dancing School runs aground by moving
away from a radio-friendly atmosphere. Granted, songs like
“Lawyers, Guns And Money” and “Excitable Boy” aren’t exactly
“top-of-the-pops” tracks at first glance, but at least they had a
beat that caught the listener’s ear and kept them hooked throughout
the song. On this album, such a beat isn’t present as often as one
would like. “Jeannie Needs A Shooter,” co-written with Springsteen,
does fall into this category.
At times, it also seems like Zevon is pushing himself to write
songs in the mode of the sarcastic clown. “Gorilla, You’re A
Desperado” is an example of this, a song that I’m sure was written
with good intentions, but ends up sounding forced. A better example
(if a less pop-friendly number) is “Play It All Night Long”, a song
which does have some disturbing images – which I think was Zevon’s
point all along.
In a sense, it’s almost like Zevon was thumbing his nose at the
success he enjoyed with
Excitable Boy, and wanted to create an album that was as far
removed from that vein as possible. In that manner, he succeeded –
but what a price to pay.
Bad Luck Streak In Dancing School is an album that can be
called a “for the fans” disc, and regrettably might have left
people wondering if Zevon was a one-hit wonder. Unfortunately, this
album does nothing to remove that suggestion.
