The Envoy

The Envoy is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Warren Zevon. The album was released on July 16, 1982, by Asylum Records. The album's lack of commercial success caused Zevon's label to terminate his recording contract, a fact that Zevon discovered only after reading about it in Rolling Stone. In reaction, Zevon went on a self-destructive binge that nearly killed him, followed by a rehab stint that kept Zevon clean and sober for the rest of his life.

The Envoy
Studio album by
Warren Zevon
ReleasedJuly 16, 1982
Recorded1981
StudioRecord One, Los Angeles, California
GenreRock
Length31:59
LabelAsylum
ProducerWarren Zevon, Greg Ladanyi, Waddy Wachtel
Warren Zevon chronology
Stand in the Fire
(1981)		 The Envoy
(1982)		 A Quiet Normal Life: The Best of Warren Zevon
(1986)
Singles from The Envoy
  1. "Let Nothing Come Between You"
    Released: 1982
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Robert ChristgauA−[2]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[3]
Music Box[4]

The title track was inspired by veteran American diplomat Philip Habib's shuttle diplomacy during Israel's Lebanon incursion of 1982.

Zevon later said of the album's lack of success, "I would start a record more or less as soon as I'd finished the one previous to it, and they took longer, cost more and more, and actually did sort of less and less well. Particularly The Envoy. I was a little discouraged after that.".[5] All of that, despite the fact that "Let Nothing Come Between You", a love ballad written by Zevon, charted as high as 24 on the Mainstream Billboard Rock chart.

Track listing

All songs written by Warren Zevon except as indicated.

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Envoy" 3:12
2."The Overdraft"Thomas McGuane, Zevon2:43
3."The Hula Hula Boys" 3:01
4."Jesus Mentioned" 2:45
5."Let Nothing Come Between You" 3:38
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."Ain't That Pretty at All"LeRoy Marinell, Zevon3:34
7."Charlie's Medicine" 4:48
8."Looking for the Next Best Thing"Kenny Edwards, LeRoy Marinell, Zevon3:41
9."Never Too Late for Love" 4:37
Bonus Tracks (2007 reissue)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
10."Word of Mouth" (Outtake) 4:01
11."Let Nothing Come Between You" (Alternate take) 3:40
12."The Risk" (Outtake) 2:34
13."Wild Thing" (Outtake)Chip Taylor2:29

Personnel
  • Warren Zevon – vocals, guitar on 1 and 7; piano on 1, 2, 5, 8, and 9; synthesizer on 1 and 5–8; electric piano on 3
  • Waddy Wachtel – guitar on 1–5 and 7–9; percussion and harmony vocals on 5
  • David Landau – guitar on 1, 2, 5, and 6; backing vocals on 6
  • Leland Sklar – bass guitar on 1, 2, 3, and 5
  • Jeff Porcaro – drums on 1–3, 5, and 8; log drums on 3; puili sticks on 3
Additional personnel
Technical
  • Jamie Ledner, Wayne Tadouye – engineers
  • Jimmy Wachtel – design, cover photography

Charts
Chart (1982) Peak
Position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[6] 100
Billboard Pop Albums 93[7]

References
  1. Mark Deming. "The Envoy – Warren Zevon | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  2. "CG: warren zevon". Robert Christgau. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  3. Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
  4. John Metzger (July 19, 2007). "Warren Zevon – The Envoy (Album Review)". Musicbox-online.com. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  5. Sylvie Simmons. "Warren Zevon". Rock's Backpages.(Subscription required.)
  6. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 348. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  7. "The Envoy – Warren Zevon | Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
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