Scott Walker was a pop turned avant-garde musician who was born in Ohio, lived in California, but became something of a British singer-songwriter by the end of his career. Walker passed away in 2019, unfortunately, but there is a fair amount of music that he left behind, as he continued to record until 2018. BBC described him as “one of the most enigmatic and influential figures in rock history”, after his death. Walker sang, and played guitar and keyboards. This album, Scott (1967), is Walker’s debut solo album, which was released in the U.K. in 1967 and then in the U.S. in 1968. I’m pretty intrigued, so with that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Mathilde” has immediately an incredibly intriguing sound with a rapid baroque movement of drums and horns. Oh wow, this is super interesting. Walker’s voice has a really nice, rich baritone sound that vaguely reminds me of Jim Morrison in terms of range. Wow, the instrumentation has a really epic sort of sound with rapid baroque movements in the different horns and strings while the drums drive the tune forward with a strong beat. Great track.
“Montague Terrace (In Blue)” has a much mellower sound than the first track, with pleasant chimes, sweet strings, some smooth, tasty bass that gently moves the tune along, and at times a big, distant bass drum that adds a ton of depth to the track. I really dig the vocal performance from Walker – there’s almost an enchanting sound as his baritone voice seems to take on a falsetto style at times. Oh wow, I really dig the delicate strumming of the acoustic guitar that’s adding some delicate accentuations to the string part. Great track, I’m super hooked into the album at this point.
Oh wow, “Angelica” starts out with some sort of ominous keyboards, which gently introduces the rest of the sweet, baroque orchestral soundscape. Oh wow, this is super interesting as the harp comes in and delicately plucks some notes to accentuate the harmony from the other orchestral instruments. Oh wow, the piano really provides a great baseline for the rest of the instrumentation to work off of. I’m reminded a ton of Richard Ashcroft – there’s a certain grandiosity to the soundscape that is pulled off effortlessly and with a great deal of sincerity. Oh wow, the flute adds a great little line at the end. Great tune.
“The Lady Came From Baltimore” is a Tim Hardin original that I listened to recently. Oh wow, this tune is super sweet, and Walker takes up the orchestral baroque sound from earlier tracks and transforms it into a nearly country folk sounding tune with the smooth bass, and the jangly acoustic guitar and sort of twangy electric guitar with the backdrop of a tambourine as well. Great track.
“When Joanna Loved Me” is super different from the previous track, nearly sounding like a song from Frank Sinatra with the pleasant orchestral instrumentation behind Walker’s deep, crooning baritone voice. Oh wow, the acoustic guitar gently moving around in the background adds a really nice dimension to the soundscape. Oh wow, this song is super nice sounding. Really sweet tune.
“My Death” has a super ominous sound at the beginning, with a strangeness to the instrumentation with some tremelo’d guitar and some harpsichord, all accompanied by some super sweet orchestral strings. Oh wow, the electric guitar plays some super tasty lines in this intricate soundscape. This soundscape reminds me bit of The Doors’ Soft Parade (1969), with plenty of orchestral sweetness, a deep assured voice guiding the tune, with interesting instrumentation that has a certain strangeness to it that is super tasty and resolves nicely as the tune progresses. Oh wow, this song keeps giving more as it continues along – I could listen to another 20 minutes of this track and not even realize it. Great track.
“The Big Hurt” has a super interesting sound that is almost like an ominous sweetness to the orchestral instrumentation, almost in a bluesy-tinged manner, with Walker’s voice guiding the soundscape in a manner nearly reminiscent of Frank Sinatra. Oh wow, I really dig the accentuations of the guitars and bass in the background as the orchestral instruments seemingly are the main melodic driving force in the soundscape. Oh wow, this tune crescendos quite nicely at the end of song. Great track.
“Such a Small Love” starts out in a nearly spacey ominous manner, with gentle rumblings of drums, nearly eerie strings that almost produce a minor discordant sound, while the keyboards produce some super pleasing melodic sounds in the soundscape that contrast nicely with the strings, and is accentuated by the acoustic guitar quite nicely. Oh wow, the chorus picks up the intensity quite a bit, and the eerie strings become a harmonious with the rest of the tune as some horns come into the soundscape as the soundscape swells – awesome. Super interesting soundscape – great tune.
“You’re Gonna Hear From Me” starts out with some super pleasant stringed orchestral instruments that fill up the soundscape with a nearly tangible sweetness. Oh wow, this is another tune that reminds me a bit of Frank Sinatra as Walker’s baritone voice guides the direction of the soundscape, with the orchestral strings trailing the melody of his voice really pleasantly. Oh wow, there’s an almost jazz-like rhythm backdrop with some smooth and airy drums, some gentle bass, and some light accentuation from the acoustic guitar. Oh wow, the piano really adds a nice layer to the instrumentation. Another super interesting and super sweet track.
“Through a Long and Sleepless Night” almost feels like a lullaby at first with the different sweet orchestral string parts, dream-like keyboard accentuations, a flute that sounds as if it guides you through a meadow, and really tasty parts from the harp, all with Walker’s voice sounding delicate, hopeful, and super sweet as he guides the different movements of the orchestral instrumentation. Super pleasant tune.
“Always Coming Back To You” starts out super differently from the previous track with a gentle gallop of the drums, the bass filling in the space between accented strikes of the beat, a harpsichord inducing a feeling of times long forgotten, and a super tasty hammond organ that gently swirl in the background of the soundscape, seemingly connecting the old times with the new. Great track.
“Amsterdam” starts out with the sound of what might be an accordion, with Walker’s voice being the only other thing in the soundscape, giving a feeling a sound reminiscent of traveling through the old streets of Europe as Walker’s voice peers down as though it is taking on the role of the moon. Oh wow, the instrumentation picks up a ton, and the tune almost becomes a somewhat waltz-like baroque folksy sea shanty. Great track and a really awesome way to finish up the album.
Wow, this album is awesome. It’s like some strange combination of The Doors, Frank Sinatra, and Richard Ashcroft, with an interesting avant-garde baroque twist. I’ve already started looking into getting this album on vinyl. There’s such a pleasant and pretty unique sound throughout the album, with a grandiosity that doesn’t seem as such and fits quite nicely. If you enjoy avant-garde or baroque pop music, you might want to consider checking out this album. If you do decide to give this album a listen, I sincerely do hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A