Scott Walker (singer)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Scott Walker | ||
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 Scott Walker on the cover of one of his compilation albums
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| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Noel Scott Engel | |
| Also known as | Scott Walker | |
| Born | 9 January 1943 | |
| Genre(s) | Contemporary/Avant-garde, Pop music, Rock, Country, 60's Beat Music | |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar, Electric bass, Keyboard, Vocals | |
| Years active | 1958 - Present | |
| Label(s) | 4AD | |
| Associated acts |
The Walker Brothers | |
| Website | Scott Walker @ 4AD | |
Scott Walker is the stage name of the American singer-songwriter Noel Scott Engel (born 9 January 1943 in Hamilton, Ohio). He was named after his father. Walker has long resided in England.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Originally championed by Eddie Fisher in the late 1950s, Scott appeared several times under his real name on Fisher's TV series as a teen idol type in the vein of Fabian or Frankie Avalon. The music and lyrics were standard teen fare and he displayed an immature but curious confidence in inhabiting these light tunes with an impersonality verging on the clinically anodyne.
Walker was among the first to adopt the electric bass guitar, mastering it to a proficiency to win regular session work in Los Angeles studios while still in his teens. This experience may explain the prodigious recording talent evident only a few years later in London.
[edit] The Walker Brothers era
After playing in many bands he eventually joined with John Maus then Gary Leeds to form The Walker Brothers in Los Angeles in 1964. Leeds had recently toured the UK with P.J. Proby and was the catalyst to their relocation to London.
The Walker Brothers arrived in London in early 1965 and attained worldwide popularity with pop ballads. Their first single Pretty Girls Everywhere, with John Maus as lead singer, crept into the charts. It was only when Love Her, the B side with Scott's deeper baritone in the lead, was picked up for radio play that they made any real chart impact and executives at Philips, their UK record label, noticed the rangy émigré Americans.
The Walker Brothers next release, Make it Easy on Yourself, a Bacharach/David ballad swept to No. 1 in the UK charts on release in August 1965. When their second No. 1, The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore shot to the top in early 1966 their popularity and fan base is said to have exceeded The Beatles in the UK and Europe. As lead singer, Scott attained pop star status.
But life at the top was precarious. Finding suitable material was always a problem. The Walkers' 60s sound is unique, mixing Spectorish "wall of sound" techniques with fluid symphonic orchestrations featuring Britain's top musicians and arrangers. Scott Walker claimed authorship of this sound in recent interviews.
Many of their earlier numbers have a driving beat, but by Images, their third album, ballads predominate. John's (Maus) musical influence clearly wanes by the third album, despite featuring in a fine solo of the standard Blueberry Hill and an original composition. His spirited harmonising on tracks Everything Under the Sun, Stand By Me and Just Say Goodbye, boosts them to levels rarely heard on pop recordings. But it was Scott Walker's artistic momentum driving the group now, and his artistic growth was also driving it apart.
Artistic differences and the stresses stemming from overwhelming pop idolatry led to the break-up of The Walker Brothers in 1967, although they reunited briefly for a tour of Japan the following year. On their return to the UK Scott produced a solo album for the tour's musical director and guitarist Terry Smith. The Walker Brother's last two singles, Stay With Me Baby and Walking in the Rain, struck fans and critics alike as retro, dated choices, harking back to earlier pop. Their failure to reach the top ten provided Scott with the necessary trigger for the split. It is noteworthy then that producer Johnny Franz and John Walker wanted to release the upbeat Everything Under the Sun as the single from Images, but Scott Walker 'put his foot down', he later confessed and scored another miss.
[edit] Scott Walker's Emerging Solo Work
Scott Walker shed the Walker Brothers' mantle cleanly and began a solo career in a style clearly glimpsed in Images, the Walker's last album. To this he added a provocative mixture of risqué recordings of Jacques Brel songs, ably translated by Mort Shuman. These combined a literary quality, foreign to the English speaking pop scene, with vivid orchestrations. Jackie celebrated a jaundiced view of the life of a popular singer and fame while at the same time capturing its driving verve. The BBC banned the song because "queers", "phoney virgins" and "bordellos" featured in its striking lyrics. Nonetheless, it made it to the pop charts. Nine of these intense chanson art songs feature on the first three solo Walker albums and remain the standout cover versions of Brel classics in English almost 40 years later.
Walker's own original songs of this period are a late, last flowering of a dark Romanticism tinged with Surrealism and Existential angst. They are influenced by Brel and in some inchoate way, the writing of Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus and early twentieth century European thought, poetry, art and music (despite the fact that by then Existentialism was waning as a philosophical and literary fashion). Walker explored European musical roots while paradoxically expressing his own American experience and alienation. He was also inching to a new maturity as a recording artist. This would bear incredible fruit with his marvellous country recordings in the early seventies.
As the Walker Brothers phenomenon had rolled on Scott threw himself into intense study of contemporary and classical music, even living in a monastery to learn Gregorian chant. His own songs gradually course into Lieder and classical musical modes and appear more musically developed than those of that virile Belgian, Brel, who formed his deceptively direct style in Paris's post war boites and cabarets. Sung in a voice reminiscent of Jack Jones or with power of a hip Frank Sinatra, each song is treated uniquely without any house style evident. The breadth of subject and musical means used to deliver them remain impressive, while the power of Walker's delivery probably discouraged cover versions.
Scott Walker's early solo career was extremely successful in Britain; his first three albums, titled Scott (1967), Scott 2 (1968) and Scott 3 (1969) all sold in large numbers, Scott 2 topping the British charts. There were also early indications that this concentrated attention was not conducive to his emotional well being. He became reclusive and somewhat distanced from his audience. During this time, he combined his earlier teen appeal with a darker, more idiosyncratic approach hinted at in songs like Orpheus on the Images album. Walker drove a fine line between classic ballads, his own poetic compositions and great Brel covers, all delivered inimitably.
At the peak of this fame in 1969, he had his own British TV series, Scott, featuring solo Walker performances of ballads, big band standards and introductions of his own and Brel compositions. In recent interviews he admits that a self-indulgent complacency crept into his choice of material and his reliance on slow tempos by his third album.
When Walker released his fourth solo LP, Scott 4, his first made up entirely of his own material, an artistic Rubicon was crossed. The ballads and Brel were gone and the Walker sound pared down. It brings to a close a very intense period for the then still young singer and songwriter. References to topics like the figure of death in a song version of Ingmar Bergman's famous film, The Seventh Seal, or to Sartre's analysis of Stalinism in The Old Man's Back Again, make this a significant work of art for those willing to listen.
Unfortunately, many did not, it failed to chart and was deleted soon after. Walker had left the pop buying public behind. Perhaps, it was confused by the lack of similarity between the lone romantic image of the Scott TV shows and the bare, demystified approach of Scott 4, where Walker shed even his "lonely" persona. The songs are nakedly about death, contemporary politics - the end of the Prague Spring and Soviet repression, the Vietnam War (still raging) - and personal redemption through love.
Some have speculated that because it was originally released under his birth name, Noel Scott Engel, this fact contributed to its chart failure. This is an odd rationalisation given its title. The failure perhaps might better be laid at the door of poor management. Walker was a large and difficult artist and at 26, in the process of shedding another skin.
The result was his 1970 follow-up, Till The Band Comes In, a dynamic and socially attuned collection of songs slicing viscerally through what Walker saw as an increasingly alienated society. Scott's signature songs of personal anguish are also singularly absent. This was a development too far and too soon for his fan base and the record failed to chart. Walker and pop were travelling in different directions and no one appeared to be steering the ship.
As a result, Walker spiralled into a different direction, leaving his own fraught compositions behind. The early 70s saw him revert to cover versions of popular film tunes and a development perhaps few would have predicted unless they had been listening closely to a couple of songs on Scott 4, a serious flirtation with the country and western scene. These songs are delivered with a depth and conviction investing them with the aura of original compositions. Walker regards these as his lost years as an artist, but they yielded at least 3 fine albums. However, the 4 solo albums—The Moviegoer (1972), Any Day Now (1973), Stretch (1973), and We Had It All (1974)—featured no original material whatsoever.
Nonetheless, Walker's performances display a rare humanity and artistic maturity in conveying a broad spectrum of experiences, lives and characters. Some claim they border on genius. One African/American session musician opined in awe that Walker could sing Three Blind Mice and make it into a profound work of art, a claim later repeated by Marc Almond in the sleeve notes of his compilation of Walker's songs, boy child. In retrospect, his choice of material now appears as a deliberate antidote to his own complex original compositions. Walker says he lost confidence in his composing at this time. Despite a new found maturity as a recording artist, Scott's time at the top of the pops was almost over.
[edit] Walker Brothers Reunite
Perhaps for mutual protection, the Walker Brothers "who never were", as one writer had once described them, reunited in 1975 to produce three standout albums. Their first single, No Regrets, climbed to No. 7 on the British charts.
Follow up singles, Lines and others from the second album of the same title failed to chart. This was the heyday of punk. Walker regards Lines as the best single the Walkers released. Its soaring harmonies are recorded with a spare purity that makes it special, but choice of material and downbeat tone were possible contributing factors to its chart failure.
In the wake of this icy reception and with the imminent demise of their record label the dam broke for Scott Walker. Having nothing to lose the Walkers collaborated on an album of original material that was in stark contrast to the country flavoured tunes of the first two albums. It was edgy and sharp but went completely unheeded till musical acolytes rediscovered it. The Walkers were back on the contemporary pulse but with no record label. Personal issues intervened for John and they split once more, a move he says he now regrets.
Nite Flights captured the bleak post-modern world in a nutshell, celebrating the death of romance, as one of Gary's songs terms it. It is, in any case, still the precursor of all that was to come from Scott Walker till today.
[edit] Return to Solo Works
Known for being private and reclusive, Walker's recording activity has been sporadic since the late 1970s. He has released just three startlingly original albums since 1980: 1984's Climate of Hunter, the darker and more powerful Tilt in 1995 and the critically acclaimed The Drift in 2006, where this development may be carried to its ultimate conclusion.
Critics were slow to come to terms with these disturbing recordings; however, their artistic power, seriousness and originality gradually filtered through various cultural, social and political strata. One of the most thoughtful expositions of Tilt appeared years later on the World Socialist website. Almost universal critical acclaim for The Drift placed it as high as No*2 on the Metacritics chart on release in June 2006. It was still listed at No*12 at the end of September 2006. In The Drift Walker confidently and unself-consciously combines startling exposition and uncompromising subject matter in a dramatic intensity to rival Wagnerian Opera or Greek Tragedy.
In tangent developments in 1993 Walker co-wrote and co-performed (with Goran Bregović) a single Man From Reno c/w Indecent Sacrifice for the soundtrack of the film Toxic Affair. In 1996 he recorded the song I Threw It All Away under the direction of Nick Cave for inclusion in the soundtrack for the film To Have And To Hold. Three years later he recorded the David Arnold song Only Myself To Blame, for the soundtrack of the Bond film The World Is Not Enough. That same year he wrote and produced the soundtrack for the Léos Carax film Pola X, which was released as an album. Scott Walker wrote and produced two songs for Ute Lemper the following year, and went on to produce the Britpop band Pulp's 2001 album We Love Life.
Walker is a strong continuing influence on other artists, in particular Marc Almond, Billy MacKenzie of the Associates, the Divine Comedy/Neil Hannon, and cult performer Glyn Styler. In 2000 he curated the London South Bank Centre's annual summer live music festival, Meltdown, which has a tradition of celebrity curators. He did not perform at Meltdown himself, but wrote the music for The Richard Alston Dance Project item Thimblerigging.
In October 2003 Walker was given an award for his contribution to music by the British music magazine Q. This was presented by Jarvis Cocker of Pulp, and Scott received a standing ovation at the presentation. This award has been presented only twice before, the first time to Phil Spector, and the second to Brian Eno. The release of a retrospective box set, 5 Easy Pieces, comprising five themed discs spanning Walker's work with The Walker Brothers, his solo career (including film soundtrack work), and the two pieces composed for Ute Lemper, followed soon after.
The British independent label 4AD Records signed Walker in early 2004 and his first album in 11 years, The Drift, was released on 8th May 2006 to rapturous reviews. All critics noted the apocalyptic power of Walker’s recording. In recent interviews he appears more at ease with media attention. He reveals a wish to produce albums more frequently and hints at significant changes in material if and when it suits him. One should expect the unexpected from Scott Walker.
In June of 2006 MOJO Magazine and Radio honoured Scott Walker with The MOJO Icon Award: "Voted for by MOJO readers and Mojo4music users, the recipient of this award has enjoyed a spectacular career on a global scale". It was presented by Phil Alexander.
A documentary film, Scott Walker: 30 Century Man, was completed in 2006 by New York film director Stephen Kijak (Cinemania and Never Met Picasso). Interviews were recorded with David Bowie (executive producer of the film), Radiohead, Sting, Gavin Friday and many musicians associated with Walker over the years. The World Premiere of Scott Walker: 30 Century Man took place as part of the 50th London Film Festival. Ironically, a phrase from the opening track of The Drift: “You could easily picture this in the current top ten…”, proved prophetic when The Independent released its list of "Ten must-see films" at the 50th London Film Festival- Scott Walker: 30 Century Man, was among them.
Most recently Walker released Darkness as part of a CD compilation of the Margate Exodus project, a re-telling of the Book of Exodus, the story of Moses and his search for the promised land. Ten singer-songwriters were commissioned by Artangel to write and record a song inspired by one of the ten biblical plagues. Walker’s evocation of Darkness appears as the ninth. Stephen Kijak's critical comment is: "I’ve just heard...DARKNESS. More like a blast of BLINDING LIGHT...Breathtaking. This is no Drift b-side, have not heard the likes of this from [Scott Walker] before."
[edit] Discography
[edit] The Walker Brothers
- Take It Easy with the Walker Brothers (1965)
- Portrait (1966)
- Images (1967)
- No Regrets (1975)
- Lines (1976)
- Nite Flights (1977)
[edit] Solo
- Scott (1967)
- Scott 2 (1968)
- Scott 3 (1969)
- Scott—Scott Walker sings songs from his TV series (1969)
- Scott 4 (1969)
- 'Til The Band Comes In (1970)
- The Moviegoer (1972)
- Any Day Now (1973)
- Stretch (1973)
- We Had It All (1974)
- Climate of Hunter (1984)
- Tilt (1995)
- Pola X (soundtrack) (1999)
- The Drift (2006)
[edit] Selected compilations
- After The Lights Go Out
- Scott Walker Sings Jacques Brel
- Boy Child: 67–70
- Fire Escape in the Sky: The Godlike Genius of Scott Walker (1981)
- The World Is Not Enough (1999)
- 5 Easy Pieces (2003)
- The Collection (2004)
- Classics & Collectibles (2005)
- Plague Songs (2006)
[edit] As producer
- Pulp - We Love Life
- Terry Smith - Fall Out (1968)
[edit] Tribute Albums
- Angel of Ashes (2005)
[edit] Quotation
"I've become the Orson Welles of the record industry. People want to take me to lunch, but nobody wants to finance the picture...I keep hoping that when I make a record, I'll be asked to make another one. I keep hoping that if I can make a series of three records, then I can progress and do different things each time. But when I have to get it up once every 10 years... it's a tough way to work." —in an interview for The Independent, April 1995
[edit] External links
- Scott Walker @ 4AD
- Montague Terrace
- Scott Walker Fanpage Germany
- Scott Walker @ pHinnWeb
- Scott Walker Film Blog
- Photo archive of Scott Walker and The Walker Brothers by Rock Photographer Chris Walter
- 1995 interview with Richard Cook, from The Independent
- Scott Walker Track Samples
- Scott Walker documentary from "The Culture Show"
- The Wire: Transcript of interview (March 2006) with Scott Walker
- Trouser Press entry
