Very Rare - T-Bone Walker

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

...life, the kids and the telly. "Pavements of poets will write that I died in nine angels arms... and they all were smiling!" And you can hear the huge grin on Scott's face as he sings that line. Some, such as "Big Louise" are heartbreakingly sad, others like the hedonistic "Girls From The Streets" are dizzyingly cheerful. "Boy Child" is all shimmering strings, impressionistic lyrics and one of Scott's most impressive vocals ever. Every track has beauty, wry amusement, Scott's glorious commanding croon and some splendid orchestral arrangements. Very few of the songs even seem dated and the sheer joie de vivre on offer here should be enough for you to fall in love with every track. If you don't have the Scott Walker 1960s albums then this is an essential introduction. And then you'll find yourself getting the albums themselves!... 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

...came up with two. They took lead vocals on their own songs. These were the first self penned Walker songs since the 1960s. Scott had had a very successful solo career after the 1967 break up and his superb albums contained a great number of brilliant Scott songs. But a crisis of confidence had led to a string of uninspired covers albums in the early part of the 1970s. The four songs that John wrote are all competent MOR rock. Gary's two are ok too, with "The Death Of Romance" even being considered as the album's title at one point. But it is Scott Walker's tracks that make the album worth buying. If you never listen to the other tracks - I have, but only once - then Nite Flights is still well worth tracking down. In short, Scott's four songs are nothing like any song he'd ever written before and would set the template for most... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: A great album and great value to boot
Disadvantages: Why have "the rest" when "the rare" and "the raw" are so good?

..., a band will put out a collection of rare material. It’s not a greatest hits, as there aren’t often any hits on there. Although some of the material may have already appeared in other countries, or hidden away on the B-Sides of singles, the album-focussed UK public will probably not own them. Both Anthrax (“Attack of the Killer B’s”) and Def Leppard (“Retroactive”) used this idea in 1994. Giving new insights into the bands concerned and, in Def Leppard’s case, providing fans with a better album than some previous studio efforts, this was truly music for the fans. And then, in 1999, came Thunder’s “The Rare, The Raw and the Rest”. Beating both albums mentioned before out of sight, it's a great example of Thunder's work, and a fine pop-rock album with a distinctive blues influence. And with eleven tracks that had never been available... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful