20/85 The Experience - Hezekiah Walker & LFC

Advantages: utterly unique - an amazing album
Disadvantages: extremely hard to get into

...How do you go about describing something that is utterly unique? I can guarantee you will never have heard an album quite like The Drift. Not even previous Scott Walker albums prepare the listener for the experience of The Drift. It is, quite simply, the most beautiful, the most emotional, the most intense and the downright scariest album you will ever hear. I can't even imagine what was going through Scott's mind to compose and create such songs. The music is an uneasy mix of conventional instruments, bass, guitar, drums, with orchestral instruments and thoroughly unconventional sounds - on one track the percussionist is thumping a side of meat, on another concrete blocks are used. Lyrically Scott seems to be trying to convey the horror of war and terrorism with oblique asides concerning 9/11, the deaths of both Mussolini... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: five stars for the Scott Walker songs alone
Disadvantages: the rest of the album is forgettable, but Scott's songs are amazing

...In 1975 the Walker Brothers unexpectedly reunited, and they proceeded to pick where they left off - as purveyors of classy, but middle of the road, ballads. Dominated by Scott's mighty croon their first single since the 1960s was "No Regrets", a magnificent cover of a Tom Rush tune and a deservedly big hit. For some reason the No Regrets album, and the 1976 follow up Lines, contained no original songs, only covers. And this apparent lack of inspiration saw the Walkers reunion foundering fairly quickly. Their record deal was for three albums and so, in the knowledge that they were being dropped after album number 3, the Walkers embarked on their most unusual project ever. They decided to write everything themselves. But not together, not collaboratively. Scott Engel contributed four songs, John Maus another four and Gary Leeds... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: superb collection of Scott Walker originals
Disadvantages: none at all

...A wonderful collection of Scott Walker tracks from the 1960s. This compilation collects the self penned songs from Scott's first two albums, then cherry picks the best of his compositions from Scott 3, Scott 4 and Till The Band Comes In. And, without fail, they are all marvellous. Generally Scott's own songs, as opposed to the often MOR covers he recorded at the same time, are mini masterpeices of kitchen sink drama fused with with an archly romantic streak. "Such A Small Love" is a giddy whirl of images which sees the singer reminiscing about lost love and drunken nights where he ended up in jail. "Montague Terrace (In Blue)" is all about dreams and romantic attempts to set up home. "The Amorous Humphrey Plugg" is one of my favourites as the singer dreams of a better life away from the very sixties depection of home... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful