Scott Walker best songs: 15 essential pieces

Scott Walker, one of the most influential figures in the history of modern rock, died on March 25, 2019 at the age of 76 years. The American singer-songwriter, born on January 9, 1943 in Ohio (Noel Scott Engel), began his music career in Los Angeles before traveling to the United Kingdom in the 1960s and to be a resounding success thanks to his memorable baritone voice. of The walking brothers and then as a solo artist. Whether solo or trio, Scott Walker's best songs have inspired generations of musicians, including David Bowie, Jarvis Cocker and Thom Yorke.

The successes of the Walker Brothers include "The Sun is not Gonna Shine Anymore" and "Joanna". After the breakup of the group in 1967, Scott released quickly four eponymous solo albums full of lush orchestration and existential words that took reference to everything from prostitution to Joseph Stalin. "He took the music to a place he had never been since," he said. Brian Eno.

Here is our selection of the 15 best Scott Walker songs. With such a vast catalog to choose from, we have probably missed some of your most expensive songs, so let us know in the comments section if you have any other Scott Walker favorites.

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Scott Walker best songs: 15 essential pieces

15: "Jesse" (2006)

In the last 35 years of his life, Walker has published a small number of experimental albums, including Hunter's climate (1984) and tilt (1995) which, according to Walker, dates back 10 years. Perhaps the biggest is 2006 The drift (2006). This complex and grandiose album is full of poetic and strange lyrics on memorable titles such as 'Cossacks Are'. "Jesse", striking, is a meditation on death and the American dream, which badociates the still dead destiny of Elvis PresleyTwin brother of the terrorist attack of Twin Towers. The album even contains his strange impression of Donald Duck. Walker was a true musical original.

14: "No Regrets" (1975)

Walker admitted that he had suffered severe episodes of depression in the early 1970s, during which time his production was more varied. After the unequal album of 1970 'Until the group comes (which contains the excellent "The War Is Over", one of Jarvis Cocker's favorite songs), Walker began drinking a lot and released a series of uninspired albums. In 1975, he joined The Walker Brothers for a trio of albums. The title song 'No Regrets', which was written by Tom Rush, was a great cover with Walker in a beautiful voice. This album also included a cover of Emmylou Harris's "Boulder To Birmingham".

13: "The back of the old man (dedicated to the neo-Stalinist regime)" (1969)

In the Sleevenotes at Scott 4Walker quotes Albert Camus. "The work of a man is nothing but this slow march to rediscover, through the twists and turns of art, these two or three large and simple images in the presence of which his heart is open for the first time ", thus summarizing his approach to a remarkable album including political reflections of" The Back of the Old Man (Dedicated to the Neo-Stalinist Regime ") & # 39; on the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Warsaw Pact in 1968.

12: "Back to you" (1969)

Scott 4, published in November 1969, came after Walker played in his own BBC television series and released the album Scott Walker sings songs from his television series. Walker wrote the 10 songs on Scott 4 and, although he has not managed to map, the album is a tour de force. The evocative opening song 'The Seventh Seal' (about the film Ingmar Bergman) set the tone for an album of mature songs, including the simple flyer 'On Your Own Again'. "The strongest man in the world" is another beautiful song from this impressive collection.

11: '30 Century Man '(1969)

When Stephen Kijak made a documentary about Walker in 2006 (David Bowie as executive producer), he called himself Man of the 30th century. The film was named after his short song of that name on Scott 3 – and it remains one of Scott Walker's best songs (it was used in the soundtrack of Wes Anderson's movie Aquatic life with Steve Zissou). On a simple melody played on the acoustic guitar, Walker's song explores a man's motivation to freeze in order to see the future. The tone is mocking and he imagines the thawed man getting up to meet Charles De Gaulle. "Franz Kafka read his stories to his friends and, when they did not laugh, he became furious. I thought maybe it was the same with my music. Nobody thinks Chekhov as a comics writer, but he certainly thought so. Who knows? Said Walker.

10: 'Copenhagen' (1969)

Copenhagen, which lasts just over two minutes, is probably Walker's most romantic song. The man who has written so many songs about the pain and unsuitability of life happily sings happy children in this uplifting ballad.

9: 'Big Louise' (1969)

Scott 3 was released in March 1969 and, for most fans, it's Walker's best album to date. It was much more a solo album than before, with 10 self-written songs and three of the pen of Jacques Brel. The heavy orchestration remained a defining element of Walker's music, and the wonderful study of miniature characters 'Big Louise' was about a woman questioning the pain of lost youth. "She fills the bags under her eyes / With the rays of the moon / And cries because the world has pbaded her," sings Walker sadly.

8: "Plastic palace people" (1968)

From Scott's second solo album, Scott 2 (an album with the lush arrangements of Wally Stott), "Plastic Palace People" has a hint of Psychedelism of the 60s. Walker's seductive lyrics about a character called Billy floating freely over the city were written under his real name, Noel Scott Engel. He also wrote "The Amorous Humphrey Plugg" for Scott 2. Overall, Walker said that he was not satisfied with the album. "I did not like that," said Walker. "The atmosphere was a little too heavy."

7: 'Jackie' (1968)

'The Jacky Song' – by Jacques Brel and Gérard Jouannest – has been translated into English and renamed 'Jackie' by Walker. The Cowboy-style opening brbad band launches a strange song and lovelorn on debauched eccentric cafes. The words are spoken with brio and humor by Walker's expressive baritone.

6: 'Joanna' (1968)

Joanna was written by married couples Tony Hatch and Jackie Trent, with some contributions from Walker, including the last line of the song, "You may remember me and you change your mind". The song shows the power of Walker's voice. "Scott was inspired by people like Jack Jones, very technical singers," said singer Richard Hawley. "The tone of his voice is a very thick, calm and nasal scream, a beautiful scream. Scott Walker is one of the greatest singers of all time. "Joanna" spent 11 weeks on the UK charts.

5: "Montague Terrace (in blue)" (1967)

On his first solo album of 1967, ScottWalker continued to sing cover songs, including "The Lady Came From Baltimore" by Tim Hardin, but also showed his talent for lyric writing in such titles as "Montague Terrace (In Blue)". Descriptions of a shabby apartment building are presented in detail, as well as weird characters. One of them was the "ballooned" man, with a helpless prostitute who lives below him. It is a poignant song that owes its pbadion to the work of the Belgian composer Jacques Brel. A German girl he met at Park Lane's Playboy Club had him taken to Brel. "In those days, hearing him sing was like a hurricane blowing into the room," Walker said.

4: 'Orpheus' (1967)

Walker Brothers album imagery, released in March 1967, gives an idea of ​​the sound of Scott's first solo album. He contributed three songs to imagery, including the imposing 'Orpheus', written at the time of the troubles. Walker had an aversion to celebrities and hysteria fans and spent a week in a monastery in 1966. "I did not have the temperament of glory," he confessed. The Guardian In 2008.

3: "The sun does not shine anymore" (1966)

"The sun will not shine any longer" was written by Bob Gaudio of The Four Seasons, but Frankie Valli's version of this epic ballad failed to figure in the US charts. The Walker brothers spotted his potential and released a faster-tempo version that reached the top of the UK charts. The Walker brothers were so fat that year that they even overshadowed the success of The Beatles for a while. Although "The sun does not shine anymore" is a catchy and timeless pop music, it is a dark song. His place in popular culture was cemented by his playing in the jukebox when Ronnie Kray murdered George Cornell in The Blind Beggar pub in London.

2: "My ship is coming" (1965)

The late Ivor Raymonde was 40 years old when he worked on The Walker Brothers' debut album and his distinctive rock-orchestral arrangements (which were also a hallmark of Dusty SpringfieldAlbums in the 60s) helped to create some of the band's distinctive sounds on their first albums. This is particularly the case for optimistic and upbeat "My Ship is optimistic," which was written by Joey Brooks, a New Yorker who continued to earn a lot of money by publishing jingles for Pepsi and Maxwell House.

1: "Make yourself easy on yourself" (1965)

Scott Walker was only 22 when the first album of The Walker Brothers, Take your time with the Walker Brothers, was released on November 26, 1965. The album contains covers of songs by artists such as Randy Newman and Bob Dylan. The most successful single on the album is 'Make It Easy On Yourself' from Burt Bacharach and Hal David, who reached first place in the UK. The Walker Brothers were all Americans who came to the UK in search of pop celebrity after the Beatles. The group consisted of singer, guitarist and keyboardist Scott Walker, guitarist John Walker (born John Maus) and drummer Gary Walker (born Gary Leeds). "We took the name Walker just because we liked him," said John, who also sang at the singing.

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