Warren Zevon is nothing short of a musician's musician - the type of artist who earns the respect and veneration of nearly everyone in the rock business, and yet never seems to make it big himself. Popularity, however, is not always a precursor to ability, as Zevon's case certainly attests; though he lived in the shadow of more celebrated California rockers like Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt and the Eagles, his brilliantly cynical lyrics and skillful amalgamation of folk and classical styles make him one of the most eminent musicians to rise out of Los Angeles' 1970s rock scene.

Both of these attributes are plainly evident on his 1993 live release, "Learning to Flinch," which, in part with 1991's "Mr. Bad Example," salvaged his floundering and drug-soaked career throughout the ǃÚ80s and began a productive, decade-long comeback that returned him to his beginnings as a solo artist before his death in 2003. Each of the album's 17 tracks is taken from a different live set, all of which consist of only him and his guitar or piano. Most songs feature the classical sensibilities of Igor Stravinsky, under whom Zevon studied as a child before turning to the dark side; chord-driven piano numbers are often eschewed in favor of more complex, melodic riffs, coupled with a rhythmic backing that bridges the gap between rock and classical with undeniable elegance.

The album begins with "Splendid Isolation," a satirical homage to the virtues of solitude, before progressing to "Lawyers, Guns and Money" and "Excitable Boy," the latter the grotesquely humorous title track of his outstanding 1978 album. Several other songs from this release make a live appearance: "Werewolves of London," the howling chorus of which should be familiar to many, and "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner," the fanciful story of a Scandinavian assassin in the Congo that is transformed into a 13-minute epic example of instrumental prowess. The album ends with an impressive guitar-laden rendering of "Poor Poor Pitiful Me," yet another of his humorously pessimistic musings, and "Play It All Night Long," a ballad on Southern poverty that's as graphic as it is heartbreaking.

These are some of the album's highlights, but, like any decent LP, all of its songs are well worth a listen. "Learning to Flinch" stands as a worthy sampling of Zevon's work, packed with the ferocious energy that only a live album can provide.