Reviews (page 6 of 8)
I actually love this so much. I was not prepared to like this at ALL. So melancholic, debaucherous, lustful, old-fashioned. Jacques Brel meets Frank Sinatra? I listened to it three times in a row and enjoyed it each time.
Strange stuff! Interesting and not interesting!!
nezábavná dobovka, trochu uninspired, instrumentální část v solidní, jako celek spíše zapomenutelné
Was not aware that the phrase "stupid-ass" was in use in 1968. I got a giggle out of that. "In a stupid-ass waaaaaaaay!" Mention of "slapping ass" in multiple consecutive songs. Compare and contrast the benefits of girls vs dogs for emotional support. Lots of anxiety about military service, low-grade 60's sexism. I like the production, and Scott's voice is amazing, but the melodies and lyrics aren't sophisticated enough to support the subject matter.
I really don't want to listen to this again. Saved from one-star territory by some nice strings arrangements. But this would-be poet was not impressive, either in range or lyricism.
Mixed feelings on this album. Smooth vocals, some interesting arrangements, but the last few songs were super sappy.
Just like Scott 4, a superclassic Scott Walker album (nothing to add).
There are a few glimpses of songs, the rest is over the top self-indulgence.
Started okay, became gradually annoying then unbearable. But maybe I just wasn't in the right mood. I'll give it another chance another time
Yep! Love this :) Scott Walker - genius
The insipid lyrics and the pretentious delivery make this a horrible listen. Did we really need two Scott Walker albums?
That was some tasty, if unexciting, crooning.
3.5
So the music is okay, but what kind of lyrics are these? Very...interesting?
A beautiful take on chansons with a real baroque edge. The string swells are gorgeous.
mid ngl
Very bizarre, yet descriptively crooning lyrics/vocals. I think the accompanying classical arrangements really complete the deal here, creating an almost cinematic picture in your mind whilst listening. Not really my scene, but I can appreciate it.
Prolific voice, lyrics and musical whim.
This was like a combo of a poor man's Sinatra and Tom Jones. It was pretty awful.
He's got a powerful voice, but this all just came off as really cheesy.
i see how black midi took inspiration from this guy
Day265 - i don’t know if this is supposed to be serious or not but it’s kind of fun. he sounds like martin short singing jackie rogers jr
Not for me 1/5
I can see why this is on here… and I love the quality of his voice and machismo. But overall, not for me. Best song was jackie
thought this might be when I first hear Scott Walker for real, but it's a boring early album. listen to a couple minutes of it to have context for the later stuff - which we may not hear on this list, with all the Elvis Costello there is to see yet. music: hated. (⌐■_■)
Scott 2 is right. 2 stars. And that’s a stretch!!
This was an immediate love for me. I love how grand his voice feels. Paired with the lush instrumentals it's just beautiful. But the weird lyrics prevent this from being a perfect five stars.
3/5
In probably the longest time in-between I'll receive on the whole list, I received "Scott 4" on my fiftieth album, and this is 1074. It seems similar to Scott 4, though a little bit more toned down on the western songs (though their still present). The anti-war themes still seem pretty present, though maybe not as up-front about it. I still enjoyed this one as much as it seems I enjoyed "SW4". The vocals remind me of Tom Jones (in a good way) and Jacques Brel. There's a certain quality of magic to it, and it really nails me on a few tracks. Favorite tracks: "Jackie", "Wait Until Dark", "Come Next Spring"
Sinatra meets Meatloaf? if that makes any sense. kind of the big sinatra-esque vocals but with super maximalist, cinematic instrumentals. maybe shouldn’t work but it does
JACKIE!! This man’s voice is unreasonably good. None of this should work. But he’s fabulous.
Got me horny tho
Might be the horniest guy of all time
3.5 Another solid album from Scott, who I didn’t know before this project at all!! I love his interpretation of songs, his theatrical voice, his vibrato! This one maybe isn’t as good as the last one. It’s mostly covers, not his own work. But he still makes each song his own, and there’s some incredible tracks on here! Scott rules!
Not it
Started very musicly like, almost les mis or sm, then started going a bit more belle and Sebastian esq
Hoy toca artista desconocido que, ya desde la primera canción, capta mi atención con su voz grave y apasionada. Me recuerda a cantantes como Frank Sinatra, Tom Jones y, más hacia el presente, Beck. Lindo disco, romántico, ideal para una mañana de otoño o primavera.
Scott Walker made a particular, peculiar version of pop, which is called baroque pop. These songs sound like orchestrated musical theater songs, but are lyrically darker than the sound and style would suggest. For example, the subjects of the songs "The Girls From the Streets" and "Plastic Plastic People" seem at odds with music from a Frank Sinatra album. These are awkward, confusing songs, without the depth to be confusing in an interesting way. When Walker's rich baritone sings, "The Windows of the World are covered with rain.," it sounds trite, not profound. These songs are not unpleasant, but they are not endearing.
4/5
No.
ABSZOLÚTE hallgathatatlan az én füleimnek, végtelen unalom mindegyik perce, ha csak magában mint zenét hallgatom. de hogy '68BAN EZ??? summer of love meg minden? akkor amikor már volt pink floyd meg Frank Zappa??? ez így már kérem groteszk módon teátrális, ez vámpírosfilm-fíling, csipkék meg rózsák meg fekete bársony meg mittom, ez goth before goth, ez Murder Ballads-era Nick Cave. zene egyes, concept háznyinagy ötös :D
This is a subgenre I've heard before, but it doesn't really have a plce in the current cultural landscape. I'm seeing it called "baroque pop," and it's a surprising number of big hits that just got forgotten in the success of rock and electronic music. The only song I can think of that sounds like this that I can name is "MacArthur Park," and I don't know how seriously people treat that. I do enjoy the sound. It's big, layered, dynamic, and complex, while still being approachable. I would like to hear a modern interpretation of this niche of 60's music.
This contains some of the worst writing imaginable - and the style morphs out of Frank Sinatra and other crooners, Tom Jones or newer ones - Barry Manilow, (sp?), Neil Diamond, et. al. ad nauseum. No thanks.
It isn't possible to unhear Scott 4 before listening to this, which is unfortunate. I can say, nevertheless, that Marc Almond's cover of Jacky is better than Scott's. (Yes, this means nothing, obviously. Just wanted to say it.)
Märklig upplevelse. Vet inte vad det är för något. Vad vill han? Musikal? Det är svulstiga på något sätt. Intressant text i Next. Men är det bra. Nja.
Känns lite som musikalmusik. Diggar skivan, men den når inte till höga höjder. Ligger å puttrar runt en trea. Tycker sången och musiken är lite härlig, men det lyfter alltså aldrig.
Inte dåligt direkt, men det här är inte min typ av musik och jag har svårt att behålla intresset genom en hel skiva. Halvvägs in ville jag mest att det skulle ta slut.
Heard worse and heard better
Couldn’t stand this guy’s voice by the third or fourth track. The album really dragged and I lost count of how many times I hopefully check whether or not I was on the last track only to find the end was nowhere in sight
Weird album. More like a movie soundtrack. Didn't enjoy.
I listened to this a long time ago and forgot to rate it. I hated it the second time as much, if not more, than the first play.
What a weird album. But it’s weirder how much I liked it.
Such passionate voice. Great performance, charming songs. Scott Walker is hypnotizing.
Good, fun, easy listening
What in the actual fuck?!? I'll show mercy and withhold the one rating, considering how absurd and hilarious this is...🥴...2.
Scott Walker was a Plastic Palace Person operating high above the heads of everyone else. That song itself is like a Fellini film for all of its themes of innocence and artificiality, and the idea of young Billy floating blissfully above the world calls to my mind the opening sequence of "Eight and a Half". My take is this: Walker's music, so seemingly thick with syrup, so overindulgent and ambitious, it at first appears to be reminiscent of the usual orchestral pop-shlock of the 60s, the types of records you might find in abundance at Goodwill these days; but listen again and you start to discover a dynamic very artistic aesthetic that could never be found with Bing Crosby or in the career of any other crooner who's ever existed. This is the strange and alluring magic of 1960s Scott Walker, a young man ahead of his contemporaries and unwilling to share their style at the risk of being misunderstood and labeled as unfashionable.
Pop barroco. Dura 43 minutos y me ha parecido tres horas... Un dos.
Bonito ¿Baroque pop? Cantante con voz bonita cantando canciones bonitas, canciones tranquilas, baladas.
Had never heard of Scott Walker. Different...but no idea what that was. "I was still just a kid When my innocence was lost In a mobile army whorehouse Gift of the army, free of cost Next, you're next" Had to laugh at the last sentence of his bio on Apple Music: Walker blurs the line between the showman and the defiant songwriter who knows more about his subjects than he lets on.
I've never heard of this before. As the first song, Jackie, started playing, my eyes grew wide, and I mouthed "wow". Not sure what I expected but it certainly wasn't this. The song is filled with borderline inappropriate lyrics, and then halfway through I discover the singer was actually "Jackie". Didn't see that coming either! As much as I'd love to live-blog this album, I'll give the abridged version: - Psychedelic Cattle-driving song (the aforementioned "Jackie") - Weird Tom Jones - Vanilla Neil Diamond - Creepy James Bond Theme - Really creepy Spanish-themed soundtrack song ("Next", but could be called "Jackie Strikes Again") - Song to Murder Hookers To - Bad Trippy Beatles - Slightly Creepy Engelbert Humperdinck - Raunchy Rogers and Hammerstein - Sappy Burt Bacharach - If Ernest Hemingway was more misogynistic - Frank Sinatra sings a bad song. Glad I've heard this monstrosity, but will definitely never listen to this again.
Next.
Didn't enjoy it.
Lord Farquad bequeathed his lute and bellowed a tune most trivial.
This man has made some weird music later in his career, but this is easy on the ear. Favorite song: plastic palace people.
Not for me
Not for me at all
After reading some reviews, it's apparent to me this album is supposed to be a joke. I get the joke, and it's not funny. I would have also independently described it as a joke, but not in the way the artist intended
I've never listened to Scott Walker's music before, and I only learned of him recently, but I can't remember the context in which I heard about him. Maybe it was when I reviewed Jacques Brel? Beats the hell out of me. Regardless, the reviews for this album make it sound pretty interesting. The sixties have been one of my lowest rated decades, so maybe Scott Walker can pull that average up! Scott Walker isn't pulling up that average for the sixties, but this album was still pretty enjoyable. The orchestra's playing is absolutely fantastic throughout the album. Whether the song has a faster tempo, like "Jackie," or slower, like "The Amorous Humphrey Plugg," they provide crisp and interesting arrangements to accompany Scott Walker's singing. Other than the beautiful arrangements, the lyrics of the songs written by Walker were one of the brightest spots on this album. Walker's songwriting is more like poetry, and I found the imagery and ambiguity of his lyrics really interesting. Of the songs that Walker didn't write, his covers of Jacques Brel's songs were my favorites on the album, particularly "Jackie" and "Next." I wasn't expecting these songs to have such unconventional and dark lyrics, but it was a breath of fresh air to hear something from this time period that wasn't afraid to pull any punches. I think my biggest gripe with the album is that I found the second side of it really paled in comparison with the first. I'm not sure if the overall sound and composition just wore on me, or if I just felt like the second half of the album didn't have as much variation as the first half. Either way, this was still an interesting experience, and I'm curious to see what Scott Walker's other album on this list is going to be like.
Very William Shatner vibes, not my style
Most likely a 2.8 or something. It was fine, but I'm ready to move on.
In the era of the swinging sixties, such male hubris could be marketable. The voice is a pale imitation of a Robert Goulet. I weep for the folks that had to listen to Scott Walker one. I weep more for those that thought Scott Walker Two was needed... apparently really bad judgement from really good drugs
The Divine Comedy, I see you.
I found this a little tiresome. Jackie was a good song though
Can we have Neil Diamond? No! We have Neil Diamond at home. The Neil Diamond at home...
Scott feels like the definition of a crooner. Incredible poetry and lyricism mixed with some crassness and humor. I'm not sure I enjoy this, but certainly I can appreciate it and wouldn't object if he came on.
This was fucking awesome. Especially knowing how bonkers Scott gets later on in his career. Still, what a crazy record for 1968. Sounds like Jack Skellington does baroque pop. Very cool.
So far this reminds me of Tom Jones. Still reminds me of Tom Jones. Good album. Don’t know I would listen again though.
I totally hated this
Enjoyed the humour... but the songs themselves are irritating
Incel Musical Theater
This is why I use the generator. This album is so familiar yet so strange at the same time. His lyricism is mad, and he has a kind of Alex Turner thing going on lyrically. I preferred Scott 4 but this was a very unique listen.
Listened Before? N No idea why this is here. Clearly I need to be more British. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Jackie
Overall this album which is very similar to Engelbert Humperdincks whole thing was fairly enjoyable. “Jackie” was the first and best song of the album and then they all did start to sound the same. Perhaps the novelty of a man yapping over an orchestra had dilapidated quite quickly?
Nope
It was kind of weird, but I didn’t hate it. There’s kind of a grand, theatrical quality about it; I liked the orchestral arrangements, though the vocals and lyrics were a bit much at times. I’ve never been much a fan of musical theatre, so in the end, it was all a little too dramatic and cornball for me.
The positives on this album are that it's like nothing else I've heard before, his voice is clear and on key, and the instrumentals are solid. The negatives are how bad the lyrics are and the songs are out of place in any genre, which would usually be a positive for me, but not this time. Wouldn't listen again.
Oh man this started strong. From the opening notes I loved Jackie. I wish it could have kept up this energy for the entire album, but I feel like the rest was a bit more of a drag. I might have to add Jackie to my liked songs though.
Had never listened to his solo stuff before. It was fine. I prefer his collab with Sunn O))) way more.
I went into it thinking “no way it’s as bad as Scott 4,” which is technically correct… it’s even worse. It’s like show tunes without the show. Cheesy, self-indulgent nonsense.
Previously rated: Scott 4 (2/5) ******************** I didn't recognize the name, but when he started singing, I recognized the voice. Turns out I rated Scott 4 192 albums ago. I liked this one a bit more, though it still had some boring, over-orchestrated stuff. The lyrics were very interesting and unique. Two songs in a row mention ass-slapping, at least one of which will upset some people. This guy seems to be a more eccentric Neil Diamond.
Complete not my thing.
A pretty interesting style of performance, but not really my thing.
I’m not sure what I was expecting but given that it was a 60s album, it wasn’t to hear a funny song at the start of the album. I love his sound and it reminded me of who Seth McFarland might have listened to before creating funny songs.
The clash between the voice and instrumentation and expected subject matter is such fun. Really marvelous.
Like…kind of weird.
Got the Best of Both Worlds with this one, but had to Wait Util Dark to listen to it.
is this what it means to be a theater kid?
this was kind of weird but also not? i enjoyed this a bit more than i thought i would/should. the songs give more movie soundtrack aura but it kinda worked
like showtunes, not my thing
Ok another crooner, I just don’t care for this theatrical fluff. Sure, Walker’s voice is smooth but this genre can eat a dick. So obnoxious, you can tell this dude had an inflated ego. He barely wrote any of these tunes himself too, just join show tunes man. This was tough to get thru. Scott 2 stars
Didn’t really care for it.
Jackie 3 Best of Both Worlds 2.9 Black Sheep Boy 2.8 The Amorous Humprey Plugg 3 Next 3 The Girls from the Streets 3.1 Plastic Palace People 2.6 Wait Until Dark 2.7 The Girls and the Dogs 3 Windows of the World 2.7 The Bridge 2.7 Come Next Spring 2.5 Score: 2.833333333
This album comes out of the gate with grandeur and confidence and does not let up. The orchestral contributions are indispensable yet broadly ranging in mood. Walker doesn’t sing with a lot of range but his simultaneously powerful yet gentle voice makes it work. Crooner vibes. He also does a great job at conjuring up vivid imagery. Listened to: going to get fingerprinted. Favorite tracks: Jackie, Wait Until Dark, Come Next Spring
This was... an album. I know for a fact that I'll never listen to it ever again. **Shrugs** and carries on with my day.
Kudos to this guy for getting more than one album under his belt. I cannot fathom how this guy was remotely popular with his haphazard songs and lounge lizard singing, but you do you Britain.
Kinda like a worse Tom Jones. Sorry, but not sure I can take the singing seriously as it sounds a little silly? Like a bad singer on a cruiseline. 4/10.
6/10. It was a fun listen, but it wasn't too remarkable, in my opinion. :)
Nice voice but not really my thing.
Probably a 4.5
I will preface by saying I did not finish the album……. But what I did experience made me feel *insane* and I don’t even know what to do with the fact that it’s titled Scott 2
Really not my vibe, the musical/operatic singing
Not bad but not something I see myself coming back to
Some good music, but I just can’t appreciate the lyrics or singing. Second Scott Walker album I’ve heard and just not my thing. 2/5.
Hated this at first but it grew on me. Respect his unique POV and artistry even if it’s not my usual.
I know the Breul covers, Jackie has been a favourite song for decades. Next is magnificent. But the originals are new to me and holy shit. Masterpiece. The Girls From The Streets is the perfect follow up to Next.
It's not bad but it's mostly covers of french songs
Scott "Scott Walker" Walker writes a Disney musical soundtrack because he woke up feeling a bit silly that morning. The weakest of his four self-titled albums, but still pretty good. Those incredibly over-the-top theatrics tickle my brain for some reason.
Scott 2 I have never listened to these Scott Walker albums, despite knowing how much of an influence and touch point they are for bands and singers I like. I suppose liking this depends mainly on your capacity for musical cabaret slightly off beat baroque pop sung by a creepy uncle. There’s a fair bit of baroque pop I do like and while there is quite a lot to enjoy here, particularly the sense of oddness to it, musically it does get a bit much, and by the third listen I had to stop as it started getting on my tits. I wouldn’t be surprised if that was partially intended and would please Scott. I won’t bother with the track by track, but a couple of things stood out. I’m pretty familiar with Jackie and I do like it, it probably is the best of his Jacques Brel songs, and is musically the best exemplar of the over the top instrumentation and oddness. The Bosnian strings on Best of Both Worlds are very nice. I love the song Black Sheep Boy, Bobby Darin’s versions might be my favourite, but this is a good version too. Plastic Palace People is nice, the shimmering strings suits the slightly off kilter imagery. The Girls and the Dogs is pretty woeful and unpleasant. The Bridge is very good, the pick of the 2nd side. I did want to give it one more listen, but I couldn’t face it again today. I don’t think it’s bad and I would listen again, but I’d like to wait and while and not listen 3 times in a row again. ⭐⭐⭐
Not too bad, slightly movie themed music with a lot of (actual real, musical) sound effects. I felt like in a fairy tale with some of them, and also as if I was in Tom&Jerry travelling with a train to another place. Overall, very nice background listen.
This is brilliant. Laugh out loud funny. It’s so stupid, the lyrics, the strings, the whole ridiculousness of it all.
Dramatic style. I quite liked it. The only part I wasn't a fan of is the echo sounding vocals in a few songs. That was kind of distracting.
I didn’t expect it to, but it got really annoying. Why did he keep singing the same song over and over? There’s just no range. For 1968, this style is a little late to the game. Singer’s like this didn’t last past ‘63. There weren’t any interesting choices with the instrumentation or production. His vocals are technically good, but subjectively bland. The whole thing begins with a little cheekiness that quickly fades away. I enjoyed the first two, maybe, and then was either indifferent or annoyed by the rest. 2/5
A collection of twisted chansons about such charming subjects as sexual harassment, sexually transmitted diseases, and being cute in a stupid ass way delivered in an over the top theatrical bellow - this was a strange hoot to listen to.
Not a fan poo sorry
Wowowow. Such maximalist production. Classical influences and Broadway-y vocal performances give the album a great deal of variance, and it covers a gamut of dramatic qualities that range from Operatic to Cinematic to Theatrical. Full-throttle Pasodoble (Jackie), Flamenco sounds (Next), a touch of fairytale (Plastic Palace People), sorrowful laments (Window of the World, The Bridge), more traditional crooning (Come Next Spring)—multivaried songs, in essence, and marvelously so. Even the worst song, the mindlessly chauvinistic The Girls and The Dogs, is musically galvanizing. It’s fitting that the album cover is that of the artist in the pose of a conductor, because thie album and songs flow like a wonderful, dramatic symphony. Great great stuff.
Chamber pop at its finest.
De tracks waarop het orkest een klein beetje de rem erop houdt zijn het best. De overige tracks zijn een beetje een schelle bende. Het helpt daarbij ook niet dat alle instrumenten met hoge geluiden (strijkers, blazers) vol op je rechteroor gepanned zijn, waardoor je rechter trommelvlies al het zware tilwerk moet doen. Je linkeroor krijgt wat percussie en wat bas-tonen. Het is me ook wat te theatraal. Mary Poppins. Ik kan hier niet zo heel veel mee. Naarmate het album vordert groeit m'n zin om een één te geven, maar ik denk toch dat ik het op een 2 hou.
Edit: Scott 4 is still better, but this gets a 5 too. I love this weirdo and his weird ass music. I was so on the fence about him when I heard Scott 4, but I’ve since completely embraced his music. My favorite songs on this album are “Best Of Both Worlds,” “Black Sheep Boy,” and “Come Next Spring” but honestly it’s all pretty good. I think in general I preferred Scott 4 to this, but I like this a lot as well.
Really nice string and horn arrangements. Scott has a nice voice as well, but there's nothing on this album that I'm gonna have an itch to return to.
That was a fun listen. Love the cover of Jackie. Scott Walker as a great voice. This sounds like one of the great french singer (Brel, Aznavour, Holliday) but in English. 4 Stars
I came across this album a few weeks ago in an article on the most influential albums. I gave it a crack then and didn't see what all the fuss was about, and after giving it another shot, I still don't get it
I can see why folks might enjoy puzzling through the bizarre lyrics here but the pop crooning is just not my thing.
Kinda wild, especially for it’s time. 4/5
This guy is what I’d call an experimental Frank Sinatra. By that I mean, instead of clearly laid out songs and well thought out lyrics, Scott writes a bunch of lines, tears the lines up in strips, drops them in a hat and writes his songs by pulling those strips of paper out one by one. It’s like if druggy David Bowie wrote lounge music. I didn’t turn it off but I also don’t remember it a day later
It's a great sound and it will eventually work better on Scott 4. This is a more variable set of songs.
I've had 2 and 4 now. If I get Scott's 1 and 3 on this list I'm going to stage a mass burning of the 1001 albums book.
The title "Scott 2" implies the existence of a "Scott 1," which is not the best thought -- especially since this dude shares a name with one of Wisconsin's most odious politicians. This mashup (or at least that's what we'd call it now) of The Divine Comedy's baroque storytelling and cut-rate Neil Diamond vocals absolutely doesn't work for me. Sure, there's some wit here -- and that raises it higher than Slint, but I'm not going back to this one.
Scott 2 is an incredibly fitting name for this album. Scott 2 good songs on it, and the rest is a snooze fest.
Scott Walker? More like Scott Walk me out back and shoot me
This album is poetic and cheesy and hilarious and baroque and misogynist and original. The lyrics undoubtedly represent the experiences of a particular generation of men. However this means it hasn't aged very well - today it feels a bit like Ron Burgundy sings Sinatra.
The borrowed line “whenever rain appears/it’s really angel tears” should be a mawkish splat, but Walker lets it pass like the regretful afterthought of a minor god. He had something, a certain laconic intensity that is both exciting and fatalistic. I knew a handful of songs from this from compilation - Julian Cope’s most likely, and those hit me harder today than they did ten or twenty years back when I first heard them. The preponderance of covers, especially the heavy lean on Brel, suggests was just thrown out, a sketch on the run, which I like; the rich arrangements are camouflage (and there are some interesting BBC arrangers contributing to this, worth following up) - the dude was shooting on the move.
I get that he has a good voice, and that in 1967/1968 this career path was a bit unusual (Harry Styles sings Wagner?) but the MOR (plodding) production coupled with the somewhat unpleasant nature of the Brel songs in particular (and their hectoring delivery) just makes for a smarmy mess that I really have no desire to listen to, despite the alleged quality of it all. Sorry!
Another lovely Scott Walker album. Really nice orchestral singer songwriter fare, which adds a heavy does of atmosphere to songs which already have interesting and personal lyrics and simple melodies. The second half of this album trends a bit far towards croonfest and drags a bit, which is unfortunate given that the first half is excellent and interesting. Rating: 3/5 Playlist track: Jackie Date listened: 27/05/24
Are you fucking kidding with this? It's like a bad joke. HARD PASS.
Feels vaguely operatic and is quite nice
By far the weirdest album so far! Avant garde at it's strangest. If it were 20 minutes I would have given 4 stars, but it just went on a little too long.
Wow wow wow. What an album. Pop, baroque and weird combine in the most beautiful of ways. Also, the second cover of the same Jacques Brel song I've had in a week. This was the better version. Buying it. And soon.
It's light, it's fun, it's theatrical... It's campy? A lot of focus on lushing up the backgrounds to swim through the various moods and settings under Scott's almost country sounding voice. A great listen through for dynamic background and fun themes
This is really out there. Like Space Ghost in a velvet suit.
enjoyed it
Some of the lyrics were interesting, but it was a fairly junk album
Sorta funny at times but overall cheesy as hell... and sexist to round off the 60s feel. Decent listen overall.
Baroque pop/rock is very hit or miss to me. This one was a drag, sorry.
Scott Walker has a great voice- big and full, very dramatic. Perfect for the types of songs on this album. Am I in an old movie?
Totally thought I rated this one! Pretty interesting songwriting and English Jacque Brel covers.
Idk how to rate this lol, it’s so bizarre and dramatic. I wouldn’t say I enjoyed the music but it was so refreshing to listen to something interesting from this list lol
Ya know….i was gonna give this a 1 but fuck it. I laughed, I gasped…it’s so freakin weird. Good job Scott.
Such a weird album...especially for the time. Not really a fan however. 1.5/5
Trash, interesting and self indulgent
Reminds me of an ex, but not in a bad way.
Maybe his best?
Distinctive vocal with some fabulous storytelling.
Bit too show time for me
This opens with a bang on the song "Jackie." I'll always love the lyrics 'in a stupid ass way." Particularly without how much of the opening song sounds fitting for a western. Best of both worlds also is a very dramatic but uplifting sounding song. This seems if Sinatra was less jazzy and a little bit more baroque pop to me in a good way. Black sheep boy is a more straightforward singer songwriter acoustic tune. This really is an orchestral, beautifully sung and performed record. I know he got very experimental towards the end of his career but this just is a classy album.
88/1001 🌕🌗🌑🌑🌑
I feel like I’ve spent 45 minutes trapped in my parents house. Walker has a lovely voice and decent range. But I enjoyed listening to him not at all.
Unnecessary redundancy, but better than SW 4.
Guy's got a good voice, sounds a lot like Neil Diamond. But my God, the material is horrible. Campy and over-dramatic.
Täkkäsin yllättävän paljon! Jotenkin tällänen rokimpi tom jones 4/5
Tässä oli jotain viehättävää, mutten ehkä taustamusaa enempää saa irti. 3/5
Hyviä kappaleita, vaikkakin covereita ainakin osa, ja hieno ääni.
When I was a kid, I had read a Spider-Man comic that made mention of “Mantovani”. “Mantovani? What group does HE play in?” At the time, I didn’t totally get the joke, but I understood the point: the character was out of touch and out of date. It’s what I felt listening to every bit of this album. Well, maybe not the first song. That kinda felt like it had a bit of charm. But after that, it just felt so… dated. Next.
So is Scott Walker the English version of Jacques Brel? The opener Jackie (translated from Brel's Jacky) made me go there (he covers a couple other Brel songs), but the whole style of vocals front-and-center made me go there too. Walker is more baroque, you can hear that in the musical accompaniment right away. I enjoyed it. And I enjoyed Jackie - such cheeky lyrics especially for 1968. Curious how much it changed from the original French lyrics. By the time I got to the end of the album I felt like I knew exactly where the styles of artists like Interpol, Franz Ferdinand, The Arctic Monkeys, The Fratellis, and similar others came from - Scott Walker. Big voice, bombastic sound, goofy but clever lyrics. He's like Neil Diamond except doesn't take himself too seriously. Are either of these things why his album needs to be heard before I die? I don't know if it's a must hear, but it was fun enough for a few listens.
I'm more about Scott 4, but always liked how defiantly theatrical and of time all this was. The Jacques Brel obsession was always a bit much. 3.5 🌟
he had me with Jackie” but kinda devolved into martinis con queso
Very orchestral and boroque style.
No not my music. I know he is influential but I don’t like it at all..
Why doesn’t this thing do half ratings
I love this guys voice so much. It’s just delicious to listen to. The music is also pretty good, especially next but honestly it wasn’t revolutionary. It sounds like it comes from a decade before the 60s really but it does work in the albjm’s favour
Pretty fun album has some good tracks even if it was just some guy yapping over an orchestra
I didn’t hate it, so not a 1, but I really didn’t get anything out of this album. It’s like a crooner so except he swears so most people who do listen to that type of music wouldn’t really listen to this. That’s really it. It’s just kind of nothing for me, even though the lyrics are alright.
I don’t know what I was expecting but it definitely wasn’t this. Listening to this felt like I was watching a budding romance montage scene in a movie for 40+ minutes. Catchy enough to keep your attention but empty enough to not over power the scene. At least it’s not terrible music, just feels very hollow. Like he’s never felt a real emotion in his life.
What a bizarre album…feels like a classic 60’s Vegas act, but he words are just bizarre. However the songs about girls and dogs was so good, i gave it 3 stars. Maybe overshot a bit, but it was interesting.
It just goes along. It sounds like elevator music with a guy singing over it with an elevator voice.
Finally, all the questions that were left up in the air after Scott 1 will be answered! I don't know where to put this. It's hard to say I don't like it, but it's also not easy for me to like. It's Neil Diamond but hornier? "A cute cute in a stupid ass way"?? I can't dislike an album from 1968 with a line like that. But do I like it? Maybe Scott 3 will help...
This rules. Scott Walker is evidently doing just what he fancies here. Baroque pop, Big Pop, call it what you will - I like it, especially when served with a twist. I wish I could sing like this. Lush orchestration. I prefer the Sensational Alex Harvey Band's version of 'Next'.
So this is where Alex got his croon from. Black sheep boy was a nice surprise. 72/100 but not quite 4* worthy
This is absolutely my jam. Love it.
Very much of its' time and that's a time in which I don't belong.
Another interesting special album with tongue-in-cheek humour that contrasts nicely with the grandiose orchestration. I liked this more than the other Walker album.
Not for me. Wasn't paying though attention to pick up on the lyrics.
Some interesting lyrics but the music style is not my vibe
Bit weird at times, and occasionally creepy lyrics
Wtf is this
Nice mood-setting background if the time is right
Not a fan of his voice.
not my thing... always sounded like soundtrack music for 60's movies, and then I realized it was in fact music from soundtracks of the 60s
I can't believe I had to listen to another version of the awful panto dame spoken word song from last week. See said Alex Harvey 'Next' review for my feelings on this album except I did not enjoy it this time.
Scott 2 – Scott Walker Jackie – 4.5 Best of Both Worlds – 3.5 Black Sheep Boy – 3.5 The Amorous Humphrey Plugg – 3.5 Next – 4 The Girls from The Streets – 3 Plastic Palace People – 2.5 Wait Until Dark – 3 The Girls and The Dogs – 4.5 Windows of The World – 4.5 The Bridge – 3.5 Come Next Spring – 4 Average - 3.66 Scott Walker is beginning to grow on me Still didn't age very well
I’ve seen Scott Walker referenced by/in relation to numerous contemporary artists so I knew to expect orchestral melodrama, but this was less dark and more show tune-y than I would’ve predicted. Then again, the more I listened, the more I realised how weird and out there some of the lyrics were for its time. Clearly an absolutely massive influence on The Divine Comedy. I do have time for this sort of thing. Maybe not 43 minutes’ worth - I like it as something different, less so when it becomes the norm - and I should mark it down for being mostly covers. But man, I’d love to have a voice like Scott’s… 2.5 / 3
I’m not really sure what I just listened to; that first track totally disoriented me. He is reminded me of Martin Short’s style when he does his Broadway schtick, with a little Shatner-esque delivery on Next. I didn’t hate it, but it has no business being on anyone’s “must listen” list.
Just way too much pleasantness and pomp and circumstance and pathos.
Such a strange album, especially for its time. Lots of just weird lyrics. Not really bad, but not that good. Kind of funny though. 2/5 Won’t listen again
Scott 2 deserves a 2
# 201 : meh! "In a stupid ass way" ... Custard!
Not today buddy
First half was pretty good. Interesting lyrics in Jackie and Next. Don't like the sound of the second half, the music is slower, it bored me HE HAS A COLLABORATIVE ALBUM WITH SUNN O)))????
aggressively dogshit
Если бы каждый раз как скотт уолкер выпускает альбом названный в его честь я получал 10 рублей то у меня было бы 20 рублей. Это, конечно, не так много, но странно, что это случилось два раза. Что по музыке. Оркестр, чистый вокал. Такое ощущение, что это саундтрек для старого фильма какого-то, но какого? А, это ещё и кавер альбом. Ну круто вообще. А почему он здесь? Нет, слушается хорошо, но никаких ощущений не вызывает. Музыка это прежде всего для меня способ чувствовать эмоцию. А тут... это даже не оригинальные песни.
Next!
I love Scott Walker's voice. However, in the late 90's in the UK there was a comedy singer called Divine Comedy ( if you are interested search his version of the Oasis song Wonderwall and also National Express ) who sings in the same fashion as Scott.....and I can't take Scott seriously any more. Nonetheless, I don't think this was the best example of Scott work. Also...Marc Almond did Jackie much better. Sorry.
I get it, it was the 60s. These songs would have been huge hits on Merv or the 1967 version of Carson. I'll give it two stars for the novelty factor and the fact that Scott Walker could clearly sing. But that's it. Can't think of a reason to return other than as part of a pop music history tour of some kind.
Some pretty typical crooner pop music full of covers. I'm pretty surprised this topped the UK charts in the late 60s. Seemed like more of an early 60s thing. Walker lacks the essence of a Sinatra or a Bing Crosby, but I do respect him for pushing crooner pop to its limits. This is evidenced by the tracks on here banned by the BBC and some of his originals that have some psychedelic influences.
I've listened to this album before, about a year-and-a-half ago when my parter listened to it, and I remember being caught off guard by its quality, but otherwise forgetting most of the album, with only one or two tracks making it into my regular shuffle. However, re-visiting this album all this time later, I've heard far more that is obviously inspired by this record, such as The Divine Comedy, and I've in turn fallen in love with this style of music. The amateur-ish yet insanely captivating vocals, the questionable yet charming lyrics, and God those strings! The whole ensemble of instruments on this record in general is flawless, and makes the album what it is. Most of the songs are covers, and I feel that does help Scott Walker's serious case of "Huh?" lyrics, and I'd happily swoon over this album time and time again if it were only to enjoy each orchestral sweep, dive, and peak. Its an album that somehow displays raw emotion whilst feeling cold and distant, and I think the idea of a crooner in the late 60s matches this feeling perfectly. The style is dying out, the art of music is moving on, and yet something about this simple baroque pop record leaves a massive impact on me. If this is what I have waiting for me with the rest of Walker's material, but even better, then sign me up.
I'm not going to lie, after hearing the first song, I thought this was a satire crooning album a la Richard Cheese. And I would have enjoyed the hell out of it if that were the case. But no, he was being serious. I think. What a weird, tone deaf album.
From the first few seconds on track one, I thought I was going to hate this...how wrong I was! I think it's the surprisingly perverse lyrics that keep popping up unexpectedly that is so entertaining. I love it!
Scott's really singing his heart out here, but it's all a bit too much – they lyrics are overly dramatic for the narrative Walker is trying to tell, the emotion is layed on a bit too thick to be genuine, and while the instrumentals are great every track feels like it's the climax of a different album. There's great talent going into each part of this LP, but it would have come out much better if some restraint had been shown along the way.
had some bangers but also had some really weird lyrics
Walker’s vocals and the orchestration are so powerful and rich as usual, but the songwriting lacks the magic and unique character of his following two albums. Speaking of: Scott 4 has come up already, and was a 5. Scott 3 is somehow not on the list, and would also be a 5. Walker’s later and more abstract/experimental albums, most notably the trilogy of Tilt/The Drift/Bish Bosch are all somehow not on the list, and would all be 4s or 5s
Scott has a big voice. Sometimes I love it, sometimes it is too much for me. And what is with everyone slapping ass?
This one was a bit painful to get through. Heavily orchestrated with lyrics and a singing style completely at odds with each other. Definitely not sure why I had to hear this album..
Not my style
Scott number 2 is about right, this album was sh*t.
Is this a Martin Short character? He lost me at Gonorrhea. 0/5
I liked Black Sheep Boy. Everything after that was god awful.
Weird set of stories in these songs, but really interesting big band music throughout.
Bonito ¿Baroque pop? Cantante con voz bonita cantando canciones bonitas, canciones tranquilas, baladas.
The Brel-covers are by far the best part of this album. The rest is "of it´s time". He had a lovely voice though.
Kind of weird, reminded me of show tunes
Ummm. Show tune to open, shit to follow and then country, crooning, more shit. wtf? This was a #1 album in UK? I was 2, so may have missed the zeitgeist, but thank God I did.
first listen effortlessly timeless
So pompous, so melodramatic, so grandiose, so misogynistic, so homophobic. And that’s just the vocal…. This is a something only a creepy uncle could love when he’s taking time off from making women feel uncomfortable…
enjoyable but not my groove 👍✨️
Pretty decent and somehow fun.
The album is named "Scott 2," which felt like a bad sign. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but this was so big and overblown that I just started laughing when they went ahead and doubled up his voice so he could echo himself (badly).
Can't deny his voice. Hard to top Scott 4 though.
Wow, what an experience. I don’t know who this record is for. Every song is like its own terrible little musical.
I love his voice. I don’t love how overproduced this album is. Black Sheep Boy is a favorite of mine. Tim Hardin being one of my favorite singer/songwriter artists.
While the writing is interesting, I could find no connection to the plastic crooner voice and schmaltzy accompanying arrangements. This is music out of time and space and the world is better for it.
I enjoy Walker’s ultra-horny ballads.
Beautiful and a great cover of Next!!!
I laughed out loud more than once listening to this. So I suppose I enjoyed it. But I wasn't really able to take it seriously. "Next," in particular, was something. This was a strange combination of sincerity, irreverence, pushing boundaries, overly produced, totally ridiculous music.
wow. i was not prepared for this one. i love how bleak the lyrics are under the guise of being "normal" 60s pop-crooner tunes. but then often the tunes themselves devolve into near chaos. i'm not sure if i enjoyed this album, but i definitely admired it. and it's sending me down a Scott Walker rabbit hole. The dude recorded with SunO))))! Wild stuff. Looking forward to hearing more from this guy.
Goooong!
This was like if Frank Sinatra attempted to be Tom Waits. It's real cheesy and dumb.
Old school crooner stuff. Not for me.
really liked the first song
Nope, musical-sounding songs. Broadway perhaps?
Not sure what to make of this. Great music. Strange overall experience..
jackie- 4 best of both worlds- 2 or 3. bro thinks hes sinatra💀 black sheep boy- 3 amourous humphrey plugg- 2 next- 3. hey what in the fuck are these lyrics girls from the streets- 2 or 3 we're gonna have to ask you to give up the table, scott
Not my cuppa
Strings carried this mess
I wasn't a fan really. I could get the Neil Diamond vibes... but he didn't get there for me. I wonder if it's just missed me on too many fronts - not my genre really, not part of my 'upbringing' so no nostalgia, first time through so no familiarity...
Enjoyed it more than I expected. Love the grandiose story-telling.
I fallen for this fucker. I'm to the point where I can bend his will towards my way. Holy fuck am I tripping the light fantastic. But finally everything makes perfect sense. This is just putting a tag on something we all should like and live forever.
W T F. I have a love for the absurd. So I love it. It's like Frank Zappa lyrics set to Tom Jones songs, arranged and played by the 1968 CBS Television Orchestra.
Entertainer Sound mit viel Streichern. Könnte mehr swingen. Irgendwie kann ich seine Selbsteinschätzung vom Einsiedler nicht recht glauben…
Plutôt cool. Ça me fait penser a de la musique de film genre magiciens d'Oz ou Alice au pays des merveilles :)
Neutre. Difficile de déterminer le style de l'album, ça fait parfois penser à une BO ou au présentateur d'un spectacle de cirque.
I can appreciate the music and songwriting but there's something about his voice that just doesn't grab my attention. I think it sounds very late-'60s and the music is much like a film score in places. I know it is a highly regarded record but for me it is lacklustre.
Sehr schönes Album, eine Stimme wie Honig ohooo! relativ schnulzig, aber weil es gut aufgebaut und konsistent ist, passt das schon Baroque Pop trifft es ganz gut
Some crooner shit today. Alright. I didn't get laid listening to this so that didn't work as expected. Taking another start of for that.
This album reminded me of singers like Tom Jones or Wayne Newton. The songs sounded like the type of music that would have been in an old James Bond movie. Overall, a throw back album that doesn't really hold up in 2024.
Old Western show tunes mixed with some crooner flair?
'eh some interesting tracks but kinda slow and whiney and not my style. Skipped a few then had to stop listening.
It was ok, though his obsession with girls started to get uncomfortable
Fuck yeah I love Scott Walker. His music is very nostalgic for me. When I first got back from Australia and was trying to move back to Brighton I discovered Scott Walker by catching the Last night of the proms and they were doing his music. I was a bit drunk too which enhanced the experience and just loved it. Joanna (not on this album) is one of the most gorgeous pieces of music. This album was a delight, I didn't know an awful lot of it. Best of both of worlds, just beautiful. The chords he uses and the orchestral accompaniment is so rich and thick. There were some songs I didn't like so much.. slightly odd one about comparison girls and dogs. It's very pro dog, which I am too but it was also very anti girl, so a bit tricky to know what to make of that. I want to give a 5 star as I love Scott Walker so much but there were a couple of songs I didn't much care about which must have to make it a four
This was cool. I didn't know this guy but loved this album. Really individual. The opening track was great, really gripping and took me by surprise. Next was also a standout track. Good stuff.
not for me
You can hear the influence on people like Jarvis Cocker, Divine Comedy and Arctic Monkeys. But this was too much the balladeer for me.
Pretty cool actually
I liked some of the songs - 7/10
Kind of whimsical at times. Boring towards the end. Turns out these are all covers of other songs which is interesting. The cover for Scott 3 goes crazy though.
dated imo, can't see myself listening again but not terrible 5/10
Loved it! I like the guitar and the production a ton. The first song was really engaging. His voice sounds super authentic, and his style was sort of musical theater-esque which I dig. 8.5/10
7/10 - Pretty enjoyable but the songs kind of flowed together.
Not my type of music, didn’t really enjoy any of it 4/10
Hard to understand without the context of Scott 1. 5.5/10
Not that familiar with Scott Walker's work but really enjoyed this. While the melodies and arrangements must have sounded very old school in 1968 (with some of the songs not sounding out of place if in a Eurovision competition) the lyrics and highly sophisticated and very adult in the subject matter. Scott Walker's voice is just fantastic, with Best of Both Worlds a particular highlight
This was wild, maybe would’ve landed in a different context but I was not vibing with this at all
This record indicates that many listeners aren't actually listening. One review said this record had no personality!? Some of the lyrics are absolutely bonkers and brilliant.
Good Lord, why is this listed here? It's like having your drunk uncle grab the karaoke machine crooning for an hour of cringe lyrics.
Cat: Yikes
This is a total blast to listen to. Lots of funny, sometimes bawdy stories and the kind of lush orchestrations that you hear in a lot of pop from this era, but rarely this clever.
strong and pure voice,
There honestly isn’t too much to talk about. The vocal style isn’t really my thing and can take a while to get used to, and the lyrics can be a bit much at times. Its backing tracks are fun though. This one is just ok.
Scott Walker's "Scott 2" is the epitome of niche taste, a musical journey that serves as the equivalent of a unique kink. Walker's music tends to be either cherished or met with puzzled looks and grimaces, making it a divisive yet fascinating experience for listeners. The album opens provocatively with "Jackie," a Jacques Brel cover that immerses the audience in a captivating melodic arrangement of strings, winds, and percussion. Walker's lyrical narratives, once shrouded in ambiguity, take a more explicit turn, exploring decadence and hedonism while yearning for simpler times. "Next" delves into the explicit, narrating the story of a sexually distraught man. "The Amorous Humphrey Plugg" presents a deflated husband finding solace in the red-light district, inviting listeners to contemplate the characters' elusive pursuit of glory. "Scott 2" often embraces a highly orchestral approach, utilising bowed strings and French horns to create melancholic and dramatic harmonies. However, the album also explores diverse styles, introducing country ballads like "Black Sheep Boy" and poppier melodies in "The Girls And The Dogs." Despite comparisons to David Bowie, Scott Walker carves a distinctive space in music, remaining uncool but indispensable. "Scott 2" stands the test of time by defiantly staying out of step with prevailing trends, making it a timeless and unique musical endeavor.
I get what the Last Shadow Puppets are going for. But I still don’t quite get it. Close to 3.5 but I’m gonna go 3.
Unexpectedly enjoyable. There's some low reviews on here, but I'm not in agreeance with them. Whilst the songs can come across as a bit cheesy on first listen, they're full of interesting stories and characters. In fact, I was quite surprised by the directness in covering certain topics considering when the album was released. Didn't expect to like this as much as I did.
Really dated. Didn't care for a single song on the album.
It’s not my style
the conflation of big band, musical, and pop mixed with some tastefully crass lyricism at points just make this a fun album to listen to. big fan
Weird lyrics, good voice
Girl and the dogs seems very relatable today lol. Nice vibrato vocals with interesting lyrics. 3.3
I enjoyed the listen on this.
Not my style at all. But I can recognize a distinctive voice and an orchestral effort. It would probably be great for a film score. I'll still never seek out this album again, though.
Mal so James Bond Style, mal so komplett Banane.
I did not know what to expect with this album. I know I did not expect some of those lyrics to go along with the music.
This is a strange record. Not bad but very weird. It's sort of like a movie soundtrack. But also not? I don't love it, but I will say I think becoming familiar with this type of thing is why I'm doing this challenge.
A great follow up to Scott, more complex songs, Scott walkers voice really shines in this one. The covers and Scott's original music form a fantastic whole, his songwriting in particular is very good. A very playful album, juvenile feelings delved deeply into