Odds - Neopolitan (1991)

After re-locating from Canada to California, Warren Zevon took the Odds on tour with him, aiding in their major-label signing to BMG. Their debut album, Neopolitan, introduced them as a band with a slight alternative edge supported by a commercial-sounding base, appropriate enough to gain radio airplay. Both "King of the Heap" and "Love Is the Subject" contain the band's Weezer-like vocal style and guitar lines but only gained a minute amount of radio recognition, mainly in their homeland. "Wendy Under the Stars" turned a few more heads as a slow rock ballad emphasizing Steven Drake's warming voice while he recounts his first time making love to an older woman. The radio version included a change in the chorus, replacing one such verb with "made love." While sharper material emerged later on Bedbugs, Neopolitan represents a sufficient leap from the Odds' days as a cover band to a major-label signing.~Neopolitan Review by Mike DeGagne