Learning to Flinch

Untitled

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link
Robert Christgau
Rolling Stone	link

Learning to Flinch is a live solo acoustic album by American singer/songwriter Warren Zevon, recorded at various venues in the U.S., Europe and Australia and released in early 1993 (see 1993 in music). Zevon's second and final live set, it featured three new songs ("Worrier King," "Roland Chorale" and "The Indifference of Heaven"). While not an official MTV Unplugged title, the stripped-down format of the album is in line with the live acoustic trend that flourished in the early 1990s.

This album is the only time Zevon played a version of "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner" that lasted more than the average 4 minutes on an album, although he did it frequently in live performances. This version of the song includes a piano solo at the beginning of the song and another between the last two verses. Also, this version of "Lawyers, Guns and Money" is played in the key of C major rather than D Major, the key in the studio version. "Mr. Bad Example" is played in E Major rather than F#Major as heard on the studio version.

Track listing

All tracks composed by Warren Zevon, except where indicated.

1. "Splendid Isolation" – 4:20
2. "Lawyers, Guns and Money" – 3:22
3. "Mr. Bad Example" (Jorge Calderón, Zevon) – 3:08
4. "Excitable Boy" (LeRoy Marinell, Zevon) – 2:41
5. "Hasten Down the Wind" – 3:41
6. "The French Inhaler" – 4:22
7. "Worrier King" – 4:05
8. "Roland Chorale" (David Lindell, Zevon) – 1:30
9. "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner" (Lindell, Zevon) – 11:18
10. "Searching for a Heart" – 3:05
11. "Boom Boom Mancini" – 3:18
12. "Jungle Work" (Calderón, Zevon) – 4:53
13. "Piano Fighter" – 4:08
14. "Werewolves of London" (Marinell, Waddy Wachtel, Zevon) – 4:10
15. "The Indifference of Heaven" – 4:12
16. "Poor, Poor Pitiful Me" – 9:38
17. "Play It All Night Long" – 3:49

Personnel

• Warren Zevon - guitar, keyboards, vocals, Harmonica

Production

Producers: Warren Zevon, Duncan Aldrich

Charts

Album

Year	Chart	Position
1993	The Billboard 200	198