Desperados Under the Eaves

This track from Warren Zevon's 1976 eponymous album describes his growing alcoholism. Zevon's ex-wife, Crystal, recalled in the sleevenotes for Preludes: Rare and Unreleased Recordings: "'Desperados Under The Eaves' is a very autobiographical song. During a low period in the late '60s, Warren was living from motel to motel. At one point when he couldn't afford The Tropicana anymore, he checked into the Hollywood Hawaiian. He spent several weeks stepping over the junkies who blocked his doorway and sharing stories with the winos camped out on the corner of Yucca and Gower. Of course, he had no way of paying the bill, so one night his buddy who had been one of the original Beach Boys, David Marks, pulled mother's station wagon into the alley behind the motel and Warren climbed out the bathroom window and left with the bill still unpaid." "The song started while he was still at the motel, listening to the air conditioner hum. He finished it shortly after we started living together. Years later, he returned and tried to pay his bill. They settled for an autographed copy of his Asylum album."

This song helped Zevon land a deal with Asylum Records after years struggling in the business. Zevon was managed by Bones Howe, a producer who worked with The Association and The 5th Dimension. David Geffen, who ran the label, had heard "Desperados Under The Eaves" and offered to sign Zevon if the deal included that song. Howe agreed, telling Geffen that Zevon was quite talented, but he wasn't able get his career going. Howe signed over the contract and Zevon released his first album on the label, Warren Zevon, in 1976. It included "Desperados Under The Eaves" and was produced by Jackson Browne, a huge Zevon supporter who championed him to Geffen.

"Desperados" features background vocals from Carl Wilson of The Beach Boys. Zevon's producer Jackson Browne had plenty of A-list contacts that were happy to help out with the album. Glenn Frey of the Eagles appears on "Carmelita" and Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac is on "Poor Poor Pitiful Me."