''Life'll Kill Ya'' is the tenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Warren Zevon. The album was released on January 25, 2000, by Artemis Records. It was later hailed in '' Rolling Stone'' 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 40 ...

''.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 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 The piccolo ( ; Italian for 'small') is a half-size flute and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. Sometimes referred to as a "baby flute" the modern piccolo has similar fingerings as the standard transverse flute, but the so ...

, vocals,

penny whistle The tin whistle, also called the penny whistle, is a simple six-holed woodwind instrument. It is a type of fipple flute, putting it in the same class as the recorder, Native American flute, and other woodwind instruments that meet such criteria. ...

, harmonica; theremin on "Porcelain Monkey" *

Jorge Calderón Jorge Calderón, originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico, is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and record producer best known for his collaborations with Warren Zevon and Buckingham Nicks. He began working with Buckingham Nicks in 19 ...

– 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 – guitar on "For My Next Trick I'll Need a Volunteer" * Jim Ryan –

mandolin A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...

on "Ourselves to Know" *Winston Watson – percussion,

snare drum The snare (or side drum) is a percussion instrument that produces a sharp staccato sound when the head is struck with a drum stick, due to the use of a series of stiff wires held under tension against the lower skin. Snare drums are often used ...

s Production *

Paul Q. Kolderie Paul Q. Kolderie is an American record producer, engineer, and mixer. He has worked with Pixies, Radiohead, Orangutang, Hole, Dinosaur Jr., Juliana Hatfield, Wax, Warren Zevon, Uncle Tupelo, Throwing Muses, Morphine, the Mighty Mighty Bosstone ...

– producer, engineer * Sean Slade – producer, engineer * Greg Calbi – 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