I have never listened to note one by this guy. Should I or shouldn't I?

SecondEdition wrote:I have never listened to note one by this guy. Should I or shouldn't I?

Definitely.

He's not an easy listen at times, but a really rewarding one.

I think of him as the parallel universe Jandek, in that he started out famous, then turned inward, and started making these incredible record that plumb the depths of his soul. Jandek just started out inward and has slowly been letting other people in.

It's not a very pretty place sometimes.

I recommend starting with either Tilt or The Drift (one of my favorite records last year) because they are what Scott's been working towards for 35 years or so. They are wholly other.

Above all, there's the voice - which is, as Isabelle said above, an incredible instrument. I can't think of anyone who sounds like him, but can think of a lot of people who try to sound like him.

A long time ago, in a movie, I heard someone describe Frank Sinatra as "the singer who sounds like a trombone." Following that logic, Scott Walker sounds like a cello.

My first exposure to SW was in the '80s. There was a compilation on Zoo records called Fire Escape In The Sky: The Godlike Genius of Scott Walker.
I only bought it because it was compiled by Julian Cope (NC). Great album it was, focused exclusively on the Scott 1-4 albums, all tracks written by Scott Walker.

I've since gotten just about everything by him, but that compilation is still my favorite.

Not crap for the horns alone.
Also not crap because it's just not.

US people can't see the clips for this (dammit) but I suspect it's just footage from 30 Century Man.

I will never tire of that pork-punching.

My wife and I have a deal. I don't listen to Scott Walker when she's around. I love his music, but I find myself laughing at it manytimes. So ham-fisted. Interesting in a freakish way, but utterly bizarre -- I could completely understand how someone might hate it. So over the top. I've only owned 1 through 4 for the last few months, so I need to absorb them a little better, but I really need to be in the right mood to hear that stuff. Half 'I want to kill myself' & half goofy.

I don't get it. I wish I did though.

Crap.

I first heard of Scott when I was working at MVE (UK chain of record shops; Nick Hornby apparently based Championship Vinyl largely on having worked in one briefly). One of the music bodhisattvas there turned me on to him with the Boychild comp, which I immediately fell in love with.

My sister loves him, too but my wife can't stand him. Oh well. I love Scotts 1, 2, 3 & 4; there's brilliance on every album. Dark, looming, majestic pop. I guess I kinda hear the Neil Diamond comparison (a few people have made it when I introduce them to Scott), but I feel like that relates to a surface-level similarity of sonic & stylistic palettes. But you don't have to go too deep to realize the vast differences between the two dudes.

Haven't heard "Stretch" or "Have It All," & am vaguely curious. "Til the Band Comes In" is a catalog late-entry stunner, though.

I do feel like lyrically, he's got some 'splainin to do -- mainly re: "Tilt," & parts of "Drift." I don't know what "long, long eye gas" is, but it's just not enough of an artfully-crafted phrase to offset or justify its ambiguity/potential gibberishness.

Anyhow. I could talk about Scott all day. Just stopped by to vote. Not crap!


Mr. Graham

burun wrote:US people can't see the clips for this (dammit) but I suspect it's just footage from 30 Century Man.

Exactly. '30 Century Man' hastily re-edited so that it's only 60 minutes long, with some rather awkward cuts along the way. It's fantastic that someone could have potentially tuned into this by accident though, and had their head turned all the way around.

There was one scene not in the cinema release, centering on the monastery where Scott spent some time as a retreat from rabid teenage fans (apparently they camped outside with banners and called after him constantly). When he left he was given the key to his room there and told that he was welcome to return at any time. That's what's around his neck on the cover of 'Sings Songs From His TV Series'. Although in a TV interview last year to promote 'The Drift' he said that he only ever went there to learn gregorian chant.

Isabelle Gall wrote:There was one scene not in the cinema release, centering on the monastery where Scott spent some time as a retreat from rabid teenage fans (apparently they camped outside with banners and called after him constantly). When he left he was given the key to his room there and told that he was welcome to return at any time. That's what's around his neck on the cover of 'Sings Songs From His TV Series'. Although in a TV interview last year to promote 'The Drift' he said that he only ever went there to learn gregorian chant.

Steven Kijak (the director of 30 Century Man) referred to this at his Q&A session and I was pissed it wasn't in the movie, but he said it would be on the DVD.

I had heard/read the Gregorian chant statement before, and thought that he was only giving half the story. I think that's pretty boss that the monks gave him a blanket invite back.

Now I must Bittorrent this.