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The Top 30 Best Scott Walker Songs Ever

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The Top 30 Best Scott Walker Songs Ever - 5/10/2011 11:06:48 PM   
Rhubarb


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 Hi is that a bandwagon I see? *JUMPS*


Hello and welcome to a thread about Scott Walker. I have handpicked the thirty songs of his that I like best. Some are cover versions, some are his own. Some are creepy, some are beautiful. All of them are brilliant, I assure you.




I hope that you will enjoy.

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RE: The Top 30 Best Scott Walker Songs Ever - 5/10/2011 11:08:24 PM   
Rhubarb


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 30 I Threw It All Away (Dylan)





When it came to putting together the soundtrack to To Have and To Hold, Nick Cave realised he wanted a couple of things – a drunken cover of My Way, and a crooned cover of the Bob Dylan song, I Threw It All Away. So he got hold of Scott Walker (I don’t know how you do this, obviously, but I suppose things are easier if you’re Nick Cave) and offered him the choice. Feeling that he could do My Way in his sleep, and perhaps anxious that he had managed to get away from crooning really obvious hits anyway, Walker picked the Dylan song, and it became the highlight of the record.
An unfairly overlooked gem even within Bob’s sainted back catalogue, I Threw It All Away is a wonderful, quiet mournful song, and Walker’s ghostly vocals bridge the gap between his perfect croon and his slightly scary late era wail rather perfectly. Walker apparently isn’t a particular fan of Bob either, but he certainly does him justice here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ken3dfr3FiU

Find it on: The To Have And To Hold Soundtrack, or the faintly incoherent Five Easy PIeces boxset.

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RE: The Top 30 Best Scott Walker Songs Ever - 5/10/2011 11:09:07 PM   
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RE: The Top 30 Best Scott Walker Songs Ever - 5/10/2011 11:10:43 PM   
Rhubarb


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 I was a bit dissapointed in the Guard when they didn't punch any donkeys in Galway, I must say.

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RE: The Top 30 Best Scott Walker Songs Ever - 5/10/2011 11:15:50 PM   
Piles


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 HOORAH FOR RHUBARB.

Spoilers

#1. Amsterdam (Brel)


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RE: The Top 30 Best Scott Walker Songs Ever - 5/10/2011 11:16:27 PM   
Rhubarb


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 I don't think its even his best Brel cover.

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RE: The Top 30 Best Scott Walker Songs Ever - 5/10/2011 11:35:11 PM   
Rhubarb


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 29 Track 3 (Walker)




After the success of his first 3 solo albums, Walker went on to make Scott 4, which is his best album, but failed to chart (will go into theories as to why in other entries) this forced his hand back to doing more cover versions and gradually going through a period of lost MOR stuff which is fairly impossible to find (due to Walker blocking anyone trying to re-release it). After these Wilderness years, his reformed The Walker Brothers, and finally made the album he wanted to make with them, with Nite Flights, an album that Brian Eno (who knows his shit) thinks was so far ahead of its time, and that its disgraceful noone has caught up. Anyway, Nite Fights was an experimental beast, and it suggested the direction that Walker was going to head in when he re-emerged.
Climate of Hunter would turn out to be his only album in the 1980s, and it is absolutely brilliant and set the tone for the latter part of his career. The lead single from this album was Track Three, which appropriately, was track three.
A super claustrophobic atmosphere resides over the whole track, but unlike some his later work, it retains some tropes from pop music, there is even a guitar solo at one point. Walker’s vocals are kind of shocking if you are expecting the deep pool of beauty from his Walker Brothers period, its distorted and a bit scary. There is some absolute beauty in it though of course, but a different kind, and something to get used to toward his later work.

There is an absolutely amazingly awkward interview where Walker turned up on 80s cult pop show The Tube, where neither interviewer or interview are really comfortable with the situation, you can watch it here http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=3e8vpoj0lDs#t=169s and the full proper video is on the end.

Find it on: Climate of Hunter, or the Track Three single if you want to scour ebay.

< Message edited by Rhubarb -- 7/10/2011 12:15:49 AM >

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RE: The Top 30 Best Scott Walker Songs Ever - 6/10/2011 10:11:17 AM   
Olaf


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 Does his stuff with the Walker Brothers qualify for this thread? Presuming that The Electrician will be high up if so. (though I suppose it nearly qualifies as solo Scott? I don't know really.)

Good entries so far. Haven't heard the first one until now (it's one Cave/Harvey/Bargeld soundtrack I haven't been able to track down), but I'm pretty sure I've mentioned my Climate of Hunter love to you before. Track Three is probably my favourite on it, either that or Rawhide/Track 5/Track 6.

(looking forward to seeing what else comes up anyway. either way it's inspired me to listen to Scott 3 on my walk to college today, so fanks for that.)

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RE: The Top 30 Best Scott Walker Songs Ever - 6/10/2011 10:28:04 AM   
matty_b


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 My Walker brother of choice -



Srsly though, I don't know much Scott Walker so I'll be reading this thread with interest.


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RE: The Top 30 Best Scott Walker Songs Ever - 6/10/2011 10:54:53 AM   
MovieAddict247


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I don't know much Walker, but Farmer in the City better be in the top 10.


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RE: The Top 30 Best Scott Walker Songs Ever - 6/10/2011 2:07:35 PM   
fuzzy


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 Missus fuzzy got weirdly obsessed with Walker's more recent output when his track 'Cossacks Are' was featured on one of those Adam Buxton web thingys last year. Then strangely, I happenned upon a documentary about the recording of his 2006 album 'The Drift'; I think it was on More4 - not entirely sure though. He's mad as a badger's ankle IMO, but the documentary was entertaining. There was footage of the recording of one track (not sure if it was Clara) where he had a percussionist to punch a slab of meat - then complained that he wasn't doing it right.  TV gold for me.

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RE: The Top 30 Best Scott Walker Songs Ever - 6/10/2011 2:21:17 PM   
Rhubarb


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quote:

ORIGINAL: Olaf

Does his stuff with the Walker Brothers qualify for this thread? Presuming that The Electrician will be high up if so. (though I suppose it nearly qualifies as solo Scott? I don't know really.)

Good entries so far. Haven't heard the first one until now (it's one Cave/Harvey/Bargeld soundtrack I haven't been able to track down), but I'm pretty sure I've mentioned my Climate of Hunter love to you before. Track Three is probably my favourite on it, either that or Rawhide/Track 5/Track 6.

(looking forward to seeing what else comes up anyway. either way it's inspired me to listen to Scott 3 on my walk to college today, so fanks for that.)


Yeah I'm going to include some Walker Brothers stuff. Pretty much anything he's ever put his voice to was eligible for this list basically. And yeah Scott 3 is amazing, thats a good walk with that on.

quote:

ORIGINAL: matty_b

My Walker brother of choice -



Srsly though, I don't know much Scott Walker so I'll be reading this thread with interest.




That's good but its not right.

Obv, Saint Scott was a bit influence on Jarv, so there's that if nothing else.


quote:

ORIGINAL: MovieAddict247

I don't know much Walker, but Farmer in the City better be in the top 10.



Oooh wait and see.



quote:

ORIGINAL: fuzzy

Missus fuzzy got weirdly obsessed with Walker's more recent output when his track 'Cossacks Are' was featured on one of those Adam Buxton web thingys last year. Then strangely, I happenned upon a documentary about the recording of his 2006 album 'The Drift'; I think it was on More4 - not entirely sure though. He's mad as a badger's ankle IMO, but the documentary was entertaining. There was footage of the recording of one track (not sure if it was Clara) where he had a percussionist to punch a slab of meat - then complained that he wasn't doing it right.  TV gold for me.



Yeah that'd be the docu 30 Century Man, which is rather brilliant. And yeah, there is meat punching as percussion from that album. Stuff from that will turn up on this list. And from the other periods, I'll probably alienate everyone by liking it all by the end.




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RE: The Top 30 Best Scott Walker Songs Ever - 6/10/2011 2:51:20 PM   
rawlinson


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 Is there going to be anything from the second side of Till the Band Comes in? Because the crossover potential with Matty's thread is too good to miss.

Excellent choices so far, btw.


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RE: The Top 30 Best Scott Walker Songs Ever - 6/10/2011 2:54:50 PM   
matty_b


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quote:

ORIGINAL: rawlinson

Is there going to be anything from the second side of Till the Band Comes in? Because the crossover potential with Matty's thread is too good to miss.

Excellent choices so far, btw.



quote:

Obv, Saint Scott was a bit influence on Jarv, so there's that if nothing else.


It will be a glorious day if that happens.

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RE: The Top 30 Best Scott Walker Songs Ever - 6/10/2011 8:46:15 PM   
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 I love Walker's voice. I'm more familiar with his Brel covers and Walker Brothers stuff than anything else though, so look forward to see what else crops up. 

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RE: The Top 30 Best Scott Walker Songs Ever - 6/10/2011 8:56:04 PM   
Rhubarb


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quote:

ORIGINAL: rawlinson

Is there going to be anything from the second side of Till the Band Comes in? Because the crossover potential with Matty's thread is too good to miss.

Excellent choices so far, btw.




Yeah. I think its actually a bit of an underrated record, although Jarv is right in the sense that the second side is weaker and did suggest where Walker was going next (i.e the wilderness)

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RE: The Top 30 Best Scott Walker Songs Ever - 6/10/2011 8:56:44 PM   
Rhubarb


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quote:

ORIGINAL: Lazy wolf eyes

I love Walker's voice. I'm more familiar with his Brel covers and Walker Brothers stuff than anything else though, so look forward to see what else crops up. 



I'm fairly sure when God sings in the shower, Scott's voice comes out.

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RE: The Top 30 Best Scott Walker Songs Ever - 6/10/2011 10:55:02 PM   
rawlinson


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 Your interview link is the same as the first video. 

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RE: The Top 30 Best Scott Walker Songs Ever - 6/10/2011 10:56:30 PM   
FritzlFan


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 Scott Walker is well good. Altho, shamefully, there are a couple of albums I've not heard yet.

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RE: The Top 30 Best Scott Walker Songs Ever - 7/10/2011 12:16:14 AM   
Rhubarb


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quote:

ORIGINAL: rawlinson

Your interview link is the same as the first video. 



INTERESTING THAT NOONE ELSE NOTICED/CLICKED ON THE LINK.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=3e8vpoj0lDs#t=169s

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RE: The Top 30 Best Scott Walker Songs Ever - 7/10/2011 10:30:57 PM   
Rhubarb


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 28 On Your Own Again (Engel)




Track 2 on his masterpiece, Scott 4 is at first sight a slight number – clocking in at comfortably under two minutes long – but its an infectious beast which sets the mood for an album that when you finish you’ll want to go back to the start again.
It does just fly past, but it’s the kind of song you keep returning to. In just two minutes, Walker manages to establish a beautiful relationship, its falling apart, his being nostalgic for the good times, the girl being better off on her own, but that being a lie, and then a final reconsilation, but with a wry side glance, the reconsilation makes Walker so happy that “I didn’t feel like me”, not only a nod to his own gloomy reputation, of course, but a twist in the final story, maybe its him who is better off on his own afterall.

Find it on: Scott 4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qg8-3wbCFi4


< Message edited by Rhubarb -- 7/10/2011 10:31:27 PM >

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RE: The Top 30 Best Scott Walker Songs Ever - 7/10/2011 10:46:13 PM   
Rhubarb


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27 Montague Terrace (In Blue) (Engel)



After chosing to open his début solo album with a cover of Jacques Brel’s Mathilde (more on him in a bit), Monatague Terrace is significant in that it is arguably the first really significant song penned by Walker himself (though credited to his birth name of Noel Scott Engel, like most of his work from this period) it is also arguably the best of the self penned songs from his first solo album. The scene set as a couple dreaming of a slightly better time than the dank cold day they find themselves on, in a place they don’t want to be in, but they know (don’t they?) and they’ll dream (won’t they) of the titular place. You can feel Brel’s influence in the lyrics, as the narrator scans the streets in a Rear Window style appraisal of the street he finds himself on, cheekily noting of one “her thighs are full of tales to tell”.
But the real star of the show is Wally Stott, who did the arrangements for this record, as well as the next couple. Real name Angela Morley, she had previously worked with the likes of Shirley Bassey, and it is her perfect arrangements that would come to define Walker’s early solo work, and when people like The Last Shadow Puppets try and “do” Scott Walker, it is Stott that they are imitating.

Find it on: Scott
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLOTAJQF0Fo


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RE: The Top 30 Best Scott Walker Songs Ever - 7/10/2011 11:17:15 PM   
Rhubarb


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From: No Direction Home
 26 Cossacks Are (Walker)



One thing that is often looked over when it comes to Scott Walker is his sense of humour. Back in the 60s he was always described the music press as gloomy, moody, dark Scott Walker. Even his Brel covers are usually nodded at reverently, when the records themselves are hysterical. His trio of albums from the last three decades, well they’ve hardly given the impression of a man who has a good sense of humour about himself.
And yet here we are, on The Drift, an album of nightmareish darkness, and yet on the opening track, in the eerie, frightening Cossacks Are, Walker’s ghostly vocals can be heard to say “you could easily picture this, in the current top ten”.
That isn’t to say, despite the jabs of humour, that Cossacks Are is a lighthearted romp. It’s a complex beast, and what is interesting about it is people’s interpretations. Its all short soundbites of scariness, and depending on which review you read, Walker is talking about a) global dictators, b) his own legacy, c) his critics d) something else entirely. It is not exactly Montague Terrace, but it does in a similar way paint a unsettling picture. Quite what the picture is supposed to be, I’m not entirely sure.

Find it on The Drift

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbpBxXEPQow


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RE: The Top 30 Best Scott Walker Songs Ever - 7/10/2011 11:31:30 PM   
rawlinson


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 Excellent choices, I wish Montague Terrace had been a bit higher, but glad it's in there. I'm hoping someone completely new to Walker is clicking on all the Youtube links and then having the jump from Montague to Cossacks startle the shit out of them.


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RE: The Top 30 Best Scott Walker Songs Ever - 7/10/2011 11:35:16 PM   
Rhubarb


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 Yeah, its a varied list, of nothing else.

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RE: The Top 30 Best Scott Walker Songs Ever - 7/10/2011 11:41:46 PM   
rawlinson


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 I'm hoping there's more from The Drift to come, Tilt too. I'm with MovieAddict in hoping Farmer in the City is in the top 10. If not you'll face the same empty threats I've made to Matty over I Spy.


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RE: The Top 30 Best Scott Walker Songs Ever - 7/10/2011 11:50:31 PM   
Rhubarb


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 There are some to come from both of those albums. And some of the songs from both of those albums are placed pretty high up.

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RE: The Top 30 Best Scott Walker Songs Ever - 8/10/2011 4:19:09 PM   
matty_b


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 Love the drums on that one.

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RE: The Top 30 Best Scott Walker Songs Ever - 8/10/2011 8:49:00 PM   
MovieAddict247


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Cossacks Are is amazing.

Thanks for doing this list - it's very well timed (I'm getting into Walker at the moment, and it's great to have some suggestions). I mainly know stuff by The Walker Brothers, but I think his solo stuff really shows how amazing his voice is.


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RE: The Top 30 Best Scott Walker Songs Ever - 10/10/2011 12:47:34 PM   
Harry Tuttle


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 Where would the denizens of Empire suggest a newbie to Scott Walker starts then?

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