View source for Genius: The Best of Warren Zevon

{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2025}}
{{Infobox album
| name       = Genius: The Best of Warren Zevon
| type       = greatest
| artist     = [[Warren Zevon]]
| cover      = Warren Zevon - Genius The Best of Warren Zevon.jpg
| alt        =
| released   = October 2002
| recorded   = 1975–2002
| venue      =
| studio     =
| genre      = [[Rock and Roll|Rock]]
| length     = 78:20
| label      = [[Rhino Records|Rhino]]
| producer   = [[Gary Peterson (record producer)|Gary Peterson]]<br />[[Warren Zevon]]
| prev_title = [[My Ride's Here]]
| prev_year  = 2002
| next_title = [[The First Sessions]]
| next_year  = 2003
}}
{{Music ratings
| rev1      = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1Score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref name="AllMusic">{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r611592|first=Stephen Thomas|last=Erlewine}}</ref>
| rev2      = [[Robert Christgau]]
| rev2Score = A<ref>[http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=warren+zevon Robert Christgau review]</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[The Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]''
| rev3Score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite book|last=Larkin|first=Colin|author-link=Colin Larkin|title=Encyclopedia of Popular Music|year=2007|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|edition=4th|isbn=978-0195313734|title-link=Encyclopedia of Popular Music}}</ref>
|rev4 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide|(The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
|rev4score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="Album guide">[https://books.google.com/books/about/The_New_Rolling_Stone_Album_Guide.html?id=t9eocwUfoSoC ''(The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide'']</ref> 
}}
'''''Genius: The Best of Warren Zevon''''' is a [[compilation album]] by American musician [[Warren Zevon]], released in 2002.

==Reception==
Writing for [[AllMusic]], [[Stephen Thomas Erlewine]] wrote, "Although there was the double-disc set ''[[I'll Sleep When I'm Dead (An Anthology)|I'll Sleep When I'm Dead]]'' and a 1986 hits collection, there was no set produced during the CD era that chronicled not just [Zevon's] heyday, but his late-1980s comeback while cherrypicking highlights from the 1990s. This does exactly that over the course of a generous, sharply selected 22 tracks. Given the space, it's inevitable that some great songs are missing."<ref name="AllMusic"/>

==Track listing==
{{track listing
| all_writing     = [[Warren Zevon]]
| extra_column    = Origin
| title1          = [[Poor Poor Pitiful Me]]
| extra1          = ''[[Warren Zevon (album)|Warren Zevon]]'', 1976
| length1         = 3:05
| title2          = The French Inhaler
| extra2          = ''Warren Zevon''
| length2         = 3:46
| title3          = [[Carmelita (song)|Carmelita]]
| extra3          = ''Warren Zevon''
| length3         = 3:34
| title4          = [[Hasten Down the Wind (song)|Hasten Down the Wind]]
| extra4          = ''Warren Zevon''
| length4         = 2:59
| title5          = [[Werewolves of London]]
| writer5         = LeRoy Marinell, [[Waddy Wachtel]], Zevon
| extra5          = ''[[Excitable Boy]]'', 1978
| length5         = 3:26
| title6          = [[Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner]]
| writer6         = David Lindell, Zevon
| extra6          = ''Excitable Boy''
| length6         = 3:44
| title7          = Excitable Boy
| writer7         = Marinell, Zevon
| extra7          = ''Excitable Boy''
| length7         = 2:39
| title8          = [[Lawyers, Guns and Money]]
| extra8          = ''Excitable Boy''
| length8         = 3:30
| title9          = Interlude No.1/Play It All Night Long
| extra9          = ''[[Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School]]'', 1980
| length9         = 3:17
| title10         =  [[A Certain Girl]]
| writer10         = [[Allen Toussaint]]
| extra10          = ''Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School''
| length10        = 3:06
| title11          = Looking for the Next Best Thing
| writer11         = [[Kenny Edwards]], Marinell, Zevon
| extra11          = ''[[The Envoy (Warren Zevon album)|The Envoy]]'', 1982
| length11         = 3:37
| title12          =  Detox Mansion
| writer12        = [[Jorge Calderón]], Zevon
| extra12          = ''[[Sentimental Hygiene]]'', 1987
| length12         = 3:13
| title13          = [[Reconsider Me (Warren Zevon song)|Reconsider Me]]
| note13 = Single Version
| extra13          = ''Sentimental Hygiene''
| length13         = 3:26
| title14          = [[Boom Boom Mancini]]
| extra14          = ''Sentimental Hygiene''
| length14         = 4:48
| title15          = Splendid Isolation
| extra15          = ''[[Transverse City]]'', 1989
| length15         = 4:28
| title16          = [[Raspberry Beret]]
| writer16      = [[Prince (artist)|Prince]]
| note16         = [[Hindu Love Gods (band)|Hindu Love Gods]]
| extra16        = ''[[Hindu Love Gods (album)|Hindu Love Gods]]'', 1990
| length16      = 3:53
| title17          = Searching for a Heart
| extra17          = ''[[Mr. Bad Example]]'', 1991
| length17         = 4:16
| title18          = Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead
| writer18         = Marinell, Wachtel, Zevon
| extra18          = ''Mr. Bad Example''
| length18         = 2:52
| title19          = [[Mr. Bad Example (song)|Mr. Bad Example]]
| writer19         = Calderón, Zevon
| extra19          = ''Mr. Bad Example''
| length19         = 3:21
| title20          = Mutineer
| extra20          = ''[[Mutineer (album)|Mutineer]]'', 1995
| length20         = 3:16
| title21          = I Was in the House When the House Burned Down
| extra21          = ''[[Life'll Kill Ya]]'', 2000
| length21         = 3:03
| title22         =  	Genius
| writer22         = [[Larry Klein]], Zevon
| extra22          = ''[[My Ride's Here]]'', 2002
| length22        =  5:01         
}}

==Personnel==
{{div col}}
*Warren Zevon –  [[synthesizer]], [[harmonica]], [[piano]], [[keyboard instrument|keyboards]], [[electric piano]], [[Singing|vocals]], synthesizer strings
*[[Bill Berry]] –  [[Drum kit|drums]]
*[[Charlie Bisharat]] –  [[violin]]
*[[Roy Bittan]] –  piano
*[[Jackson Browne]] –  harmony vocals
*[[Peter Buck]] –  guitar
*[[Lindsey Buckingham]] –  harmony vocals
*[[Linda Ronstadt]] –  harmony vocals
*[[Rosemary Butler (singer)|Rosemary Butler]] –  harmony vocals
*[[Jorge Calderón]] –  bass guitar, guitar, harmony vocals
*[[Mike Campbell (musician)|Mike Campbell]] –  guitar
*Larry Corbett –  [[cello]]
*Joel Derouin –  [[violin]]
*Kenny Edwards –  harmony vocals
*[[Don Felder]] –  guitar
*[[Anton Fig]] –  drums
*[[Mick Fleetwood]] –  drums
*[[Glenn Frey]] –  [[rhythm guitar]], harmony vocals
*[[Bob Glaub]] –  [[bass guitar|bass]]
*[[Richie Hayward|Richard Hayward]] –  drums
*[[Don Henley]] –  harmony vocals
*[[Jim Horn]] –  [[saxophone]]
*[[Jim Keltner]] –  drums
*[[Bobby Keys|Bobby Keyes]] –  saxophone
*[[Larry Klein]] –  bass
*[[Craig Krampf]] –  drums
*[[Russ Kunkel]] –  drums
*Kipp Lennon –  harmony vocals
*Mark Lennon –  harmony vocals
*Michael Lennon –  harmony vocals
*[[David Lindley (musician)|David Lindley]] –  [[fiddle]], guitar, [[slide guitar]], [[lap steel guitar]]
*[[Rick Marotta]] –  drums, harmony vocals
*[[John McVie]] –  bass
*[[Mike Mills]] –  bass
*[[Graham Nash]] –  harmony vocals
*[[Jeff Porcaro]] –  drums
*The Sid Sharp Strings –  strings
*[[Leland Sklar]] –  bass
*[[JD Souther]] –  harmony vocals
*[[Benmont Tench]] –  [[organ (music)|organ]]
*[[Waddy Wachtel]] –  guitar, harmony vocals, [[12 string guitar|12 string acoustic guitar]]
*[[Jennifer Warnes]] –  harmony vocals
*Winston Watson –  drums
*Evan Wilson –  [[viola]]
*Jai Winding –  piano
*[[Neil Young]] –  harmony vocals
*Larry Zack –  drums
*[[Jordan Zevon]] –  harmony vocals
{{div col end}}

'''Technical'''
{{div col}}
*Warren Zevon – compilation producer, producer, mixing, string arrangements, art direction, phtogoraphy
*Gary Peterson – compilation producer
*Duncan Aldrich – producer, engineer, mixing
*[[Niko Bolas]] – producer, engineer
* [[Jackson Browne]] – producer
*[[Paul Q. Kolderie]] – producer, engineer
*[[Greg Ladanyi]] – producer, engineer, mixing
*[[Sean Slade]] – producer, engineer
*Andrew Slater – producer
*[[Waddy Wachtel]] – producer
*Richard Bosworth – engineer
*Matt Chiaravasll – engineer
*John Cutler – engineer
*Michael Delugg – engineer
*Marc DeSisto – engineer
*John Haeny – engineer
* Andy Jackson – engineer
*Rob Jacobs – engineer, mixing
*Dennis Kirk – engineer, mixing
*Richard Landers – engineer
*Michael McDonald – engineer
*Tim Mulligan – engineer
*Kent Nebergall – engineer
*Jim Nipar – engineer
*Fritz Richmond – engineer
*Rail Jon Rogut – engineer
*Will Schillinger – engineer
* Noah Scot Snyder – engineer, mixing
*Bob Vogt – engineer
*Rob Jaczko – mixing
*John Beverly Jones – mixing
*Shelly Yakus – mixing
*Teresa Caffin – remastering
*Bill Inglot – remastering
*Mike Engstrom – product manager
*Randy Perry – project assistant
* Hugh Brown – art direction and design, photography
*Bryan Lasley – design
*John Austin – licensing
*Cory Frye – editorial supervision
*Tim Scanlin – liner notes coordination
*[[Will Self|William Lee Self]] – liner notes
{{div col end}}

==Charts==

{| class=wikitable
|-
! Chart (2003)
! Position
|-
| US ''Billboard'' 200
| align="center" | 168
|-| 2003
| US Top Internet Albums
| align="center" | 168
|-
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Warren Zevon}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Genius: The Best Of Warren Zevon}}
[[Category:Warren Zevon compilation albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Greg Ladanyi]]
[[Category:2002 greatest hits albums]]
[[Category:Rhino Entertainment compilation albums]]