ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book presents close, comprehensive readings by the authors of their chosen debut, from the album concept, cover art design and images to lyrics, music, song sequence and genre to sociocultural, historical and biographical backgrounds. It then focuses on Warren Zevon's literary, cinematic songwriting, while identifying subtle and stark contrasts between his Asylum labelmates, among them Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, and the Eagles Henley, specifically their fast-lane excess epic Hotel California, also released in 1976. The book also identifies Willis Alan Ramsey as one of the handful of artists who have released a critically acclaimed debut only to withdraw from the music scene for an extended time, without recording a follow-up album for decades or ever, as is the case with the idiosyncratic Ramsey.
