ZEVON ROCKS ON

After Warren Zevon died in 2003, son Jordan went about sorting through his father's belongings.

Much to his surprise, he found a box in a piano case with dozens of reel-to-reel tapes, which contained recordings of more than 100 songs.

Among them were compositions that never saw the light of day -- that is, until Tuesday (May 1), when Preludes: Rare and Unreleased Recordings (featuring six never-before-heard songs) arrived in stores via Ammal/New West Records.

The 16-track Preludes would be worthwhile if only for the moving "Empty Hearted Town" and the Walker Brothers-esque "Going All the Way." But it also includes different versions of such signature songs as "Werewolves of London" and "Accidentally Like a Martyr," plus a second disc containing a Warren Zevon interview circa 2000 with Jody Denberg of KGSR-FM in Austin, Texas.

In addition to the box of tapes, Jordan Zevon also found plenty of previously unpublished photos. Some are featured in the booklet to Preludes as well as in the new book I'll Sleep When I’m Dead: The Dirty Life and Times of Warren Zevon (Ecco/Harper Collins).

This memoir, much like Warren Zevon's music, is different from most others. Assembled by Crystal Zevon, the musician’s ex-wife, I’ll Sleep When I'm Dead is told in the words of such contemporaries/friends as Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne and Lindsey Buckingham, among others, in addition to family members.