Zevon wrote this one with a bartender and ex-mercenary David Lindell. That realization comes almost immediately with the next tune, “Roland, The Headless Thompson Gunner”. But consider Jackson Browne producing and playing on the record, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood appearing on “Werewolves” in peak post- Tusk cocaine delirium, and Linda Ronstadt singing back-up on the title track this is a man who the creative community had tremendous respect for. Zevon’s breakthrough album, Excitable Boy was bolstered by his hit single “Werewolves of London” that, despite its title, was one of the tamer tracks on the album. I’m using horrible in the classic sense of the word. And to my mind, no album is more horrible than Warren Zevon’s 1978 masterwork, Excitable Boy. Horror is different from terror because it’s realized, it’s shown, not so much psychologically manipulative as it is right there, in your face. No Halloween music truly keeps me up at night, though John Carpenter‘s Halloween theme comes close. And the soundtrack to Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas, which was released when I was at the tender age of 6, will always retain a certain level of seasonally gothic, stop-motion nostalgia. The music of Rob Zombie and White Zombie might conjure up some scares, too, for teens at the mall, but I’m far more spooked thinking about what became of the kids who liked that music than I am of that music itself. Sure, “Monster Mash” will always be a classic, to be covered on millions of themed CDs in the “for sale” bin at party-stores.