Scott Walker
Scott 4

THE REVIEW

Discovered thanks to the highly recommended autobiography (head on/repossessed) of the eccentric and bizarre Julian Cope (a great one in my opinion, despite his countless plagiarisms, but who doesn’t?), Scott turns out to be an unexpected surprise (at least for me, a convinced psychedelic rocker and not just that). An American transplanted at a young age to London, a lover of the more decadent European charm, disfigured by two damn world wars and recited with solemn, pessimistic/poetic charm by Jacques Brel (his obsession) and Camus, a sound trip that is incredible, because never before had a crossover so distinctly pop and pessimistic been heard in years that were still not entirely ready to break away from the societal norms of the time, years still conservative yet revolutionary in the sense that sonic transgression, and not only, was growing, fortunately contrasting with the orchestrated light music norms, which still appeared as a sweetening and reassuring appealing boundary, especially to the wealthy of that time and even according to us now.

Confusion aside, even if all this is clear to me, assimilating and crossing vocal and partly instrumental setup akin to Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett (which, by the way, I recognize as talent, but doesn’t fit my difficult musical tastes), back then and even now, it's an orchestrated pop, pompous and ambitious like Phil Spector and Burt Bacharach, a damn disconcerting thing and attractive even for the new generations. A man who, if he had wanted to lighten the themes of his lyrics, would have reached the status of an acclaimed and loved star by all (hats off if he had succeeded, he deserved it), something he partly achieved with his beat group the Walker Brothers, which he immediately repudiated as he couldn’t stand the pressures of success. Scott, pressured by the media that wanted him to be the new John Lennon, steps into a misanthropic and antisocial phase (dear to various Syd Barrett, Roky Erickson, Skip Sence, and many others).

Scott 4 was supposed to be the LP that would have consecrated him as an undisputed cursed star, but instead, it was a commercial flop, a beautiful album understood by few, a masterpiece understood by few, but that now holds immense value, forget Tilt, listen to this, (you can find it for 10 euros, e.n.). Scott is exclusive, for the few, a great if you can endure the suffering dirges, Scott 4 is, for me, one of the albums of the century, buy it for 9.90 and take it home, I love you all, a kiss...........Scott 4 is good for any season, if you want an accompaniment for a starry sky, it’s perfect, kisses to all ;)))))))))))