Mr. Bad Example is the eighth studio album by the American musician Warren Zevon, released through Giant Records in October 1991. Zevon supported the album with a North American tour, with Odds serving as both opener and backing band.
Production
Mr. Bad Example was produced by Waddy Wachtel. Los Angeles session musicians contributed to the album. Zevon sometimes struggled for songwriting ideas, but always finished a song once he had started.
Dwight Yoakam provided backing vocals on "Heartache Spoken Here"; Dan Dugmore played pedal steel. David Lindley played a variety of instruments on "Quite Ugly One Morning". "Searching for a Heart" appeared on the soundtrack to the film Love at Large.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Calgary Herald | C |
| Chicago Tribune | |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | |
| Rolling Stone | |
| Uncut | 8/10 |
| Vancouver Sun | |
The Boston Globe called Mr. Bad Example "a wonderful, resonant album, eclectic and accessible." The Chicago Tribune deemed it "a return to the terse guitar-drums-keyboard format of [Zevon's] '70s albums." The Sun Sentinel considered it to be "pure, earthy rock accessibly colored by Zevon's typically wry imagery."
The Calgary Herald wrote that "Zevon's become a somewhat torpid renegade wailing away about his rebellion while safely ensconced in L.A. security." The Austin American-Statesman determined that "Zevon's first-person characters on this record are shocking, reprehensible and relentlessly slapstick."
Track listing
All tracks composed by Warren Zevon, except where indicated.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Finishing Touches" | 4:05 | |
| 2. | "Suzie Lightning" | 4:04 | |
| 3. | "Model Citizen" | LeRoy Marinell, Waddy Wachtel, Zevon | 4:39 |
| 4. | "Angel Dressed in Black" | Julia Mueller, Waddy Wachtel, Zevon | 4:24 |
| 5. | "Mr. Bad Example" | Jorge Calderón, Zevon | 3:22 |
| 6. | "Renegade" | 4:51 | |
| 7. | "Heartache Spoken Here" | 3:48 | |
| 8. | "Quite Ugly One Morning" | 3:53 | |
| 9. | "Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead" | LeRoy Marinell, Waddy Wachtel, Zevon | 2:53 |
| 10. | "Searching for a Heart" | 4:16 |
Personnel
- Warren Zevon – guitar, keyboards, vocals
- Jorge Calderón – bass guitar on "Mr. Bad Example", "Quite Ugly One Morning" and "Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead", harmony vocals
- Dan Dugmore – guitar on "Model Citizen", pedal steel on "Heartache Spoken Here"
- Bob Glaub – bass guitar
- Jim Keltner – drums on "Mr. Bad Example" and "Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead"
- Tito Larriva – harmony vocals on "Angel Dressed in Black"
- Kipp Lennon – harmony vocals on "Searching for a Heart"
- Mark Lennon – harmony vocals on "Searching for a Heart"
- Michael Lennon – harmony vocals on "Searching for a Heart"
- David Lindley – fiddle on "Renegade", saz, lap steel guitar, cümbüş on "Quite Ugly One Morning"
- Jeff Porcaro – drums on all tracks except "Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead"
- Waddy Wachtel – guitar, harmony vocals
- Dwight Yoakam – harmony vocals on "Heartache Spoken Here"
- Jordan Zevon – harmony vocals
Production
- Producer – Waddy Wachtel
- Engineer – Marc DeSisto
- Assistant engineers – Andrew Ballard, Scott Blockland, Jeffrey Shannon, Brian Soucy
- Mixing – Niko Bolas, John Beverly Jones
- Dave Collins – Mastering
- Technical assistance – Peggy McAfee, Tom Smyth
- Art Direction and design – Jeri Heiden
- Photography – Diego Uchitel, Jimmy Wachtel
Charts
| Chart (2025) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Hungarian Physical Albums (MAHASZ) | 39 |
