I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
Released nearly a decade after Zevon's first best-of (A Quiet Normal Life),I'll Sleep When I'm Deadprovides a more comprehensive overview of the off-center California songsmith's fitful career. The first disc of the 44-song, two-CD set nearly duplicates the earlier retrospective, dropping only one song ("Ain't That Pretty at All") and tossing in the likes of "Hasten Down the Wind," "Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School," and live versions of "Mohammed's Radio" and "Jeannie Needs a Shooter" from Zevon's early, most popular period. Disc two cherry-picks highlights from the artist's more problematic but periodically inspired late '1980s and '90s recordings, tossing in such oddities as the Hindu Love Gods' spirited remake ofPrince's "Raspberry Beret" (HLG is Zevon backed by the instrumentalists fromR.E.M.) and live takes of "The French Inhaler" and "The Indifference of Heaven." Thorough and smartly sequenced,Sleepprovides the uninitiated an intro into the work of a true original and adds enough mislaid gems to please steadfast followers.--Steven Stolder