Scott Engel, pretty-boy session man in Hollywood, still only in his early 20's. He decides that he wants a bigger slice of the pie and sets up a band with guitarist John Maus and drummer Gary Leeds. They move base to England, Scott Engel becomes Scott Walker and the legend begins.
How do you define the importance and beauty of the music created by Scott Walker and the Walker Brothers in a few paragraphs? It's almost impossible.
To begin with it was Scott Walker and The Walker Brothers. Between 1965 and 1967 they were responsible for some of the classic moments in pop. Think 'Make It Easy On Yourself' with it's sweeping orchestration and Scott's velvety smooth, impossibly beautiful vocals. It's a stunning song that is instantly recognizable. A song that, in 200 years, will still be so. Think 'The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore' building mournfully like one of Phil Spectors 'Wall Of Sound' productions. These are the songs that are lodged in our brains like D.N.A. These are the songs that you are just as likely to sing in the shower as in the darkest moments of your life when hope is dashed on the rocks.
Scott and the Walker brothers, like many of the popular music sensations of the day would sing and play the music of the cream of the songwriters of the time. For instance 'Make It Easy On Yourself' was a pop nugget from Bacharach and David. No matter, they made these songs their own, especially Scott. His voice is truelly something to behold. To imagine that this voice that sounds like it has seen a hundred summers is produced by a guy who is barely out of his teens is a revelation.
When they arrived on the scene Scott Walker and The Walker Brothers were a teen sensation. Somehow Scott turned this all around, from boyband to existential poet in a decade (more of which later). A modern comparison would not be Robbie Williams. Much as I admire Robbie's determination and contribution to pop, he can only dream of achieving a small percentage of what Scott did (talking creativity rather than money).
Scott became weary of the media circus and fan attention. He had created some of the most glorius pop gems in his time with the Walker Brothers (e.g. 'Lights Of Cincinatti', a beautifully crafted song about leaving a love behind) but yearned for more. He had little regard for the trappings of fame and even less regard for scoring hits and being popular. Following his adventures with the Walker Brothers he would go on to create some of the most revelatory music about love, life and death ever heard.
This compilation concentrates on the Walker Brothers years in the main, though there are six solo Scott pieces. The solo Scott stuff is mostly a selection of his more easily digestible stuff. One of my favourites, 'Joanna' (incidentally written by the same guy who wrote the theme tune to Crossroads [Tony Hatch]), can be taken two ways. Some people will see it as a cheesy love song, others (me included) relate to the guy who has lost a love and hopes beyond hope that one day she will change her mind and wander back into his life. Scott sings all his songs from the heart. It's like he's literally singing to a person that has just crushed him with a goodbye or farewell kiss. And this is how it is with Scott. If you are cold and without emotion you will find nothing here, otherwise a few listens and the power will grab hold and not let go.
Scott became fascinated with Jacques Brel, a Belgian troubadour, much in the same mould as Scott himself (Brel was very popular in France in the 50's). Brel wrote perceptively about the human condition. You'll know his songs, (for instance Brel wrote 'Seasons in The Sun', later covered by Terry Jacks [and horror of horrors Westlife!]) and two of his compositions are here (the jaunty 'Jackie' [covered most recently by Marc Almond]and 'If You Go Away' - An utterly beautiful song, a song for the broken hearted if ever there was one). As Scott's career progressed he wrote more and more of his own lyrics and had the music orchestrated by his own choice of composers.
In concentrating on the less challenging Scott Walker solo stuff ('Montague Terrace In Blue' and 'Boy Child' will give you some indication of how heavy and symbolic Scotts writing would become) this compilation seems like an introduction for all, which is how it should be. If after listening to this you want to investigate Scott more, you can. If you find his solo stuff all too much you can concentrate on the Walker Brothers period. I myself went off and and bought up some Scott solo stuff and found it very difficult. One day I will return to those records, but they take patience and time!
Scott is an enigma. He's still writing music (releasing yet another mind bendingly challanging CD only recently). He is held up as a hero by some of the cream of intelligent songwriting (Nick Cave, David Bowie, Julian Cope and Javis Cocker to name but a few). He also produced the rather off-centre Pulp album 'We Love Life'. Since the 60's he has spent most of his time in the UK and at one point in the late 80's, when asked where he had been for the last few years said, 'I've been sitting in pubs watching people throw darts'. So next time you see some middle aged guy supping a pint in the pub looking rather dour, just imagine it's Scott Walker.
TRACKLISTING --------------------- 1 - No Regrets - The Walker Brothers 2 - Make It Easy On Yourself - The Walker Brothers 3 - The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore - The Walker Brothers 4 - My Ship Is Coming In - The Walker Brothers 5 - Joanna - Scott Walker 6 - Lights Of Cincinatti - Scott Walker 7 - Another Tear Falls - The Walker Brothers 8 - Boy Child - Scott Walker 9 - Montague Terrace In Blue - Scott Walker 10 - Jackie - Scott Walker 11 - Stay With Me Baby - The Walker Brothers 12 - If You Go Away - Scott Walker 13 - First Love Never Dies - The Walker Brothers 14 - Love Her - The Walker Brothers 15 - Walking In The Rain - The Walker Brothers 16 - (Baby) You Don't Have To Tell Me - The Walker Brothers 17 - Deadlier Than The Male - The Walker Brothers 18 - We're All Alone - The Walker Brothers
Every home should have this. It's one of the few CD's that's in regular rotation on my player. If someone asked me which CD out of my whole collection I would recommend most highly - this is it! It truly has mystical powers behind it's shiny surface.
This product has not yet been reviewed. ![1968 Memphis Country Blues Festival, The/The Complete Blue Horizon Sessions [Remastered] - Various Artists](http://images.ciao.com/iuk/images/products/small/232/1968_Memphis_Country_Blues_Festival_The_The_Complete_Blue_Horizon_Sessions_Remastered_Various_Artists__6587232.jpg)
