''Life'll Kill Ya'' is the tenth studio album by American singer-songwriter

Warren Zevon Warren William Zevon (; January 24, 1947 – September 7, 2003) was an American rock singer, songwriter, and musician. Zevon's most famous compositions include "Werewolves of London", " Lawyers, Guns and Money", and " Roland the Headless Th ...

. The album was released on January 25, 2000, by

Artemis Records Artemis Records was a New York-based independent record label, founded in July 1999 by Danny Goldberg with Daniel Glass as President, and closed in April 2006. The label was acquired by E1 Entertainment. Artemis had a leading share of the U.S. ...

. It was later hailed in ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' as his best work since ''

Excitable Boy ''Excitable Boy'' is the third studio album by American musician Warren Zevon. The album was released on January 18, 1978, by Asylum Records. It includes the single "Werewolves of London", which reached No. 21 and remained in the American Top 4 ...

''.Rolling Stone album guide
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Themes

Several of the album's songs deal with the topic of death; for instance, "My Shit's Fucked Up" is a mournful lament on the aging process and the inevitable decay that accompanies it. "Life'll Kill Ya" and "Don't Let Us Get Sick" also have prominent death themes. Additionally, Zevon had a phobia of doctors leading him to avoid them for several years; that theme is included in the album as well. In 2002, just two years after the album's release, Zevon was diagnosed with

mesothelioma Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that develops from the thin layer of tissue that covers many of the internal organs (known as the mesothelium). The most common area affected is the lining of the lungs and chest wall. Less commonly the lining ...

and died a year later.

Track listing

Note *On some releases, track 9 is omitted from the rear U-card but appears on the song list in the case booklet.

Personnel

*Warren Zevon – percussion, keyboards, guitar, piccolo, vocals, penny whistle, harmonica;

theremin The theremin (; originally known as the ætherphone/etherphone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox) is an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the performer (who is known as a thereminist). It is named afte ...

on "Porcelain Monkey" * Jorge Calderón – bass guitar, percussion, vocals *Dennis Collins – vocals on "Fistful of Rain" *Babi Floyd – vocals on "Fistful of Rain" *Curtis King – vocals on "Fistful of Rain" *

Chuck Prophet Charles William Prophet (born June 28, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and record producer. A Californian, Prophet first achieved notice in the American psychedelic/desert rock group Green on Red, with whom he toured and reco ...

– guitar on "For My Next Trick I'll Need a Volunteer" * Jim Ryan – mandolin on "Ourselves to Know" *Winston Watson – percussion, snare drums Production * Paul Q. Kolderie – producer, engineer *

Sean Slade Sean Slade (born 14 November 1957) is an American record producer, engineer, and mixer. On many of his productions he worked in partnership with Paul Q. Kolderie. Career Slade was born in Lansing, Michigan, United States. He graduated from Y ...

– producer, engineer *

Greg Calbi Gregory Calbi (born April 3, 1949) is an American mastering engineer at Sterling Sound, New Jersey. Biography Greg Calbi was born on April 3, 1949, in Yonkers, New York, and raised in Bayside, Queens, New York. He graduated in 1966 from Bishop ...

– mastering * Michael Krumper – A&R * Warren Zevon – art direction *Jonathan Exley – photography, design

Charts

References

{{Authority control Warren Zevon albums 2000 albums Albums produced by Sean Slade Albums produced by Paul Q. Kolderie Artemis Records albums