Track Listing

1. Mathilde - Peter Olliff, Scott Walker, Wally Stott, John Franz
2. Montague Terrace (In Blue) - John Franz, Scott Walker, Peter Olliff, Wally Stott
3. Angelica - John Franz, Peter Olliff, Reg Guest, Scott Walker
4. The Lady Came From Baltimore - John Franz, Peter Olliff, Reg Guest, Scott Walker
5. When Joanna Loved Me - John Franz, Peter Olliff, Scott Walker, Wally Stott
6. My Death - John Franz, Reg Guest, Scott Walker, Orchestra
7. The Big Hurt - John Franz, Peter Olliff, Scott Walker, Wally Stott
8. Such A Small Love - John Franz, Scott Walker, Peter Olliff, Wally Stott, Orchestra
9. You're Gonna Hear From Me - John Franz, Peter Knight, Peter Olliff, Scott Walker
10. Through A Long And Sleepless Night - John Franz, Peter Knight, Peter Olliff, Scott Walker
11. Always Coming Back To You - John Franz, Peter Olliff, Reg Guest, Scott Walker
12. Amsterdam - Peter Olliff, Scott Walker, John Franz, Wally Stott Orchestra

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12361 in Music
• Released on: 2000-06-05
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .22 pounds
• Running time: 40 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
When Scott Walker recorded this, his first solo album, he was 23 years old and sounded about two hundred. He was rich, handsome, absurdly famous--and he hated it. Though The Walker Brothers, the band his cavernous croon decorated, specialised in lavishly over-produced, heroically lachrymose ballads ("Make It Easy On Yourself", "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore"), any subtlety they attempted was being lost beneath the screams of their teenage audiences. Scott Walker took to spending his days in darkened hotel rooms and becoming steadily obsessed with the work of legendarily louche Belgian songwriter Jacques Brel.

On the cover of Scott, a sunglass-wearing Walker stares tetchily at his shoes, as if the merest intrusion of a camera was, by this point, becoming intolerable. He needn't have looked so glum: the sleeve contained a masterpiece. Of the 12 tracks on Scott, three were written by Walker, three by Brel and the rest by other famously consumptive writers such as Tim Hardin and Kurt Weil. Walker sang all of them like they were his valedictory message to humanity, finding greater depths than ever in his awesome voice, and drenching the whole thing in great surges of strings. This is a classic, which generations of self-consciously misunderstood young men have clasped close to their hearts ever since. --Andrew Mueller

CD Description
Following the dissolution of the Walker Brothers in 1967, Scott Walker (born Noel Scott Engel) embarked on an adventurous solo career, steering the dramatic pop sensibility of hisformer group into darker, stranger waters. On this debut, the American-born/British-based crooner assertively stakes out his territory as one of the preeminent interpreters of Jacques Brel (as translated by Mort Shuman) by offering up three of the often macabre French songwriter's compositions--thegalloping "Mathilde", the gloriously melancholy "My Death",and the gloomy "Amsterdam".
Even more notable, however, are Walker's original numbers, particularly "Montague Terrace (In Blue)" and "Such a Small Love", which pull listeners in with delicate intros, only to dive headlong into bombasticorchestral passages that, remarkably, are kept in check by Walker's bold baritone voice and emotive lyrics. Although the singer's enigmatic aesthetic isn't for everyone, those whofall under his spell are strongly affected, as revealed in the work of admiring artists such as David Bowie, Bryan Ferry, Nick Cave, and Pulp's Jarvis Cocker. While BOY CHILD is the best introduction to the fascinating performer, this is the ideal point of departure for delving further into Walker's early--and most influential--material.

Customer Reviews

A trip down memory lane
Having played the original LP of Scott 1 till it was unplayable I was intrigued to discover if this cd would rekindle the fond memories I have cherished over the years of the superb baritone of Scott Engel. Yes, it did with a vengeance! Such a wonderful collection of songs with every nuance of Scotts voice and superb diction making you feel the sentiments of each song.
It would be wrong I feel to try and elaborate on this wonderful remastered cd; I can sum it up in two words: SHEER PERFECTION.

The first solo masterpiece. Buy this and you're hooked
I have had this album since it's original release in 1967. It is a powerful and perfect reflection of Scott Walkers tremendous talent as a vocalist. The passion and meaning he brings to the songs is breathtaking. No one has come close to achieving the depth of feeling heard in these lyrics. All the songs stand on their own but,for me, Montague Terrace is the one that stands out. For an album nearly 35 years old this is still fantasticly relevant today. An absolute must for anyone who has just encountered this fantastic artist. Buy the next three as well.

Not bad for openers!
This album is so vastly different from his work with the Walker Brothers, it is very much an adult recording - not for teeny boppers!

Mathilde, Angelica and When Joanna Loved Me are all big ballad songs, fairly straight. Montague Terrace is a beautiful but seedy song (written by Walker). He does a great version of The Lady Came From Baltimore which is a country song. The song My Death (you can imagine Marc Almond doing it) is weird. The second half starts with mediocre ballad The Big Hurt and then the dynamic Such A Small Love. You're Gonna Hear From Me is forgettable, one too many big ballads really. I think Through A Long And Sleepless Night is beautiful and different enough to merit inclusion. The final 2 tracks are really good -Always Coming Back To You is a bit like his group work, full of hope and I think that even the most miserable man on earth could not fail to be uplifted by the amusing Amsterdam.

The best 4 tracks are Such A Small Love, My Death, Montague Terrace and Amsterdam.