The 24-bit, digitally remastered CD of Warren Zevon's "Sentimental Hygiene" sounds better than ever.

"SENTIMENTAL HYGIENE" - The literal translation of the song title means nostalgic for practices, such as cleanliness, conducive to health. It's ironic, since Warren had recently gotten clean and sober enough at that time to write and record this album. I would imagine he was longing to get drunk or high again! Neil Young's blistering guitar solo highlights this classic Zevon song.

"BOOM BOOM MANCINI" - It's a hard rocking tribute to a great boxer, who could take it as well as he could dish it out. It could also be an analogy for a particular singer-songwriter.

"THE FACTORY" - It's a Springsteen style ode to the working man, featuring Bob Dylan on harmonica.

"TROUBLE WAITING TO HAPPEN" - The song title is an apt description of Warren's wild lifestyle. Much like Ozzy Osbourne, Warren seems to suffer from memory lapses. "The mailman brought me the Rolling Stone, it said I was living at home alone. I read things I didn't know I'd done. It sounded like a lot of fun. I guess I've been bad or something. Trouble waiting to happen."

"RECONSIDER ME" - This is a ballad in which Warren tries to persuade his former lover to take him back. Boasting a memorable melody, a moving vocal performance, heartfelt lyrics and tasteful production, it's one of Warren's best songs. It should have been a big hit.

"DETOX MANSION" - This song takes a tongue in cheek approach to describing Warren's treatment for alcoholism. Nowadays, it's almost a requirement for a successful celebrity to go in for rehab.

"BAD KARMA" - I don't believe in reincarnation, but Warren has me convinced that predestination is responsible for a lifetime of bad luck. I especially like the sitar playing on this song.

"EVEN A DOG CAN SHAKE HANDS" - It's a hard rocker whose melody reminds me of Chuck Berry's "Brown Eyed Handsome Man." Warren seems to be implying that show business agents and other Hollywood types may not be the sincerest people in the world. Go figure!

"THE HEARTACHE" - This bluesy ballad about unrequited love features tasty backing vocals by Jennifer Warnes.

"LEAVE MY MONKEY ALONE" - There will always be an England, but the British Empire ain't what is used to be. "Down in Kenya where the Masai roam, and the grass grows tall on the veldt, in our old colonial home we drank our bitters while the empire fell. Leave my monkey alone." The funky production of this song was done by George Clinton.

"NOCTURNE" (previously unreleased) - The first bonus track is an instrumental. It's not very melodic and was wisely left off the original album.

"LEAVE MY MONKEY ALONE" (previously unreleased) - Not only is this bonus track sung in Spanish, it also features more background vocals and jungle sounds.

"Sentimental Hygiene" is one of Warren Zevon's strongest albums, and the excellent remastering job makes this CD an essential purchase.

Warren Zevon's "Sentimental Hygene," recorded a decade after his late 1970s heyday as a popular songwriter, stands now in light of his recent terminal illness as the best of his original studio albums. The ten tracks are all pure Zevon and are all outstanding. The rocking title track kicks things off strongly preceeding the burning putdown of boxer "Boom Boom Mancini." Of the rest of side 1, "Trouble Waiting to Happen" is another excellent rocker while "Reconsider Me," is an actual tender ballad.

Things don't slack off in the second half. "Detox Mansion," "Bad Karma" and "Even a Dog Can Shake Hands," are the kind of quirky humorous rockers Zevon seems to write effortlessly. The
album then ends with the truly bizarre chant "Leave My Monkey Alone." On most of the songs Zevon is backed by the then-up and coming R.E.M., and as a result the music absolutely crackles.

Note: This reissued version of the CD is not really enhanced by its two extra tracks. The first is an instrumental that is nothing more than grating noise, while the second is a Spanish language version of "Leave My Monkey Alone." In other words, if you already own an older version of this CD, there's no compelling reason to replace it with this one.

Five years of waiting to get an album out sharpened Warren Zevon. "The Envoy" was a very good album that wasn't given a good reception, and - even though he was already getting his life on track beforehand - this was the album that spotlighted Warren under full command of his powers. Backed mostly by the members of R.E.M. (along with a line-up diverse enough to include Bob Dylan and George Clinton), "Sentimental Hygiene" was simply one of Warren's best albums to date.

There was considerable muscle being flexed here. R.E.M. were not yet the megastars that they would be in another year, but they were probably the coolest band on the planet. Minus Michael Stipe (who does contribute a background vocal on "Bad Karma"), they were obviously having a grand time providing Warren with some rocking drive on the topical "Boom Boom Mancini" and Springsteen-ish "The Factory." The sardonic irony that is one of Warren's strongest points is also given joyous reign in "Even a Dog Can Shake Hands" and "Detox Mansion." Who else but Warren Zevon could take such a turning point in his life and twist it so gleefully?

Yet an adult sense of responsibility surfaces here. "Reconsider Me" is one of the best pleas for forgiveness ever set to tape, even getting some airplay when the album was released. It's the sound of a man who recognizes what his self screw-ups have done to those around him, and is delivered with a rare courage. It's the central heart of "Sentimental Hygiene." The album's other attempt at a "hit" (including a video) was "Leave My Monkey Alone," which was funked up by "Atomic Dog" walker George Clinton.

Worth its wait and its weight, this was one of the best of 1987. The remastering makes it even heavier sounding. The bonus cuts, unfortunately, offer no revelations. "Nocturne" sounds like some noodling noise that eventually became the intro to "They Moved The Moon" on "Transverse City," and the Spanish mix of "Monkey" is kind of pointless. Regardless of those additions, "Sentimental Hygiene" remains an essential not just for Zevon fans, but for lovers of R.E.M.

Working on a Warren Zevon session was not as crazy as one might think. I was doing overdubs on a project that would later become Warren Zevon's Sentimental Hygiene. Niko Bolas was the main engineer on the session and I was a big fan of his work. I did simple overdubs on the sessions and yet those days were magic for me. Reconsider Me, was the one song that has stayed with me and perhaps always as a profound musical piece of the soul. This record will be the only time (as brief as it was) I've gotten close enough to Warren to shake his hand and smile to the music he created that day in the studio. I am a Warren Zevon fan and will always be.

After battling addiction to drugs and alchohal, Warren Zevon returned from a worrying absense...with his strongest album yet (and possibly ever). Of all the album he ever made, this is rocks the hardest and his songwriting returned with renewed power. For the most part, he is backed by the musicians of R.E.M., who had not yet achieved their full success. The songwriting, however, is almost all his and it shows, despite the plethora of guest stars.
He starts out with the strong steady kick of the title track, proclaiming that he 'needs some Sentimental Hygiene' and musing that 'everybody's at war these days'. A strong tune (Neil Young plays lead guitar) but nothing amazing for Zevon. 7/10 stars.
'Boom-Boom Mancini', the second song, is possibly the heaviest rock song he ever wrote and paints a dark (and true) storyscape of the famous boxer (who apparently, after hearing this song, became good friends with Zevon). One of his best, darkest songs ever. 10/10.
'The Factory', a Springsteen-ish number with BobDylan on harmonica, is catchy (try to not like him shout 'yes, sir, no, sir' as loud as he can during the chorus). 7/10.
'Trouble Waiting To Happen', written with J.D Souther, is plainly about his addiction. 'The mailman brought me the Rolling Stone. It said I was living at home alone. I read things I didn't know I'd done. It sounded like a lot of fun.' Depressed but witty. 9/10.
'Reconsider Me' is one of the few ballads on the albums and also one of the best he'd ever written. Reportedly, when asked if he had ever written songs personal enough for him to consider not using them, he pointed at once to this song. It's easy to see why, as he begs someone, perhaps everyone, to reconsider him and promises that he'll 'never make them sad again'. He seems to be speaking of his addiction again, especially when he says 'if it's the past that make you doubt, darling, that was then and this is now'. Excellent. One of his best. 10/10.
'Detox Mansion', written with long-time callaborater Jorge Calderon, is a joky look at how his alchohal detox. Funny, with a bitter side hiding under the numorous jokes and puns. 10/10.
'Bad Karma' finds him blaming the fates for his mifortune. Michael Stipe, the lead singer of R.E.M., joins his bandmates to sing the harmony on this and the music includes a sitar. Zevon wails that he can't get away from his fate and wonders what he did to deserve it. Dark. 8/10.
'Even A Dog Can Shake Hands' is the only song on the album that Warren Zevon actually wrote with R.E.M. It's one of his quirkiest rockers, filled with witty indictments of the way Hollywood and the music business work. Funny. 9/10.
'The Heartache' finds Warren Zevon joined by Jennifer Warnes to sing a sad tale of loving someone who does not share your affection. 9/10.
'Leave My Monkey Alone' is a dark, funky tale about Kenya and the Mau Mau inscurrectionists. It features Flea (of the Red Hot Chili Peppers) on bass and was produces and arranged by George Clinton. 10/10.
The bonus tracks are hardly essential or great new additions. 'Nocturne' is awful, a mess of random synthasizer sounds that sounds as thought he was fooling randomly around on his keyboard. The Spanish version of 'Leave My Monkey Alone' is interesting and features some slightly different music and more jungle noises.
All in all, the best from a man who seemed unable to produce anything truly bad. It should be the first in your Warren Zevon collection, along with 'Excitable Boy'.