Scott 4
Scott 4 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1 November 1969 | |||
Recorded | Olympic Studios, London, 1969 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 32:28 | |||
Label | Philips / Fontana | |||
Producer | John Franz | |||
Scott Engel chronology | ||||
|
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
Pitchfork | 9.0/10[3] |
Trouser Press | favorable[4] |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [5] |
Scott 4 is the fifth studio album by Scott Walker, released in 1969. It is Walker's only release on which he is credited with his birth name, Scott Engel, though reissues have been released under his stage name. The album was a commercial flop, failing to chart and being largely ignored by critics. It has since received praise as one of Walker's best works, considered the culmination of his early career which saw him gradually move away from his previous mainstream crooner image and embrace experimental influences.
Content
Scott 4 was the first Walker album to consist solely of self-penned songs. The preceding Scott, Scott 2 and Scott 3 albums had each featured a mixture of originals and covers, including several translations of Jacques Brel songs, which were later collected to form the album Scott Walker Sings Jacques Brel. Scott 4 also features slightly less ornate orchestral arrangements than its predecessors, opting instead for a more skeletal, folk-inspired sound with greater emphasis on the rhythm section.
The opening track, "The Seventh Seal," is based on the 1957 film of the same name by filmmaker Ingmar Bergman.[6] The second track on side B, "The Old Man's Back Again (Dedicated to the Neo-Stalinist Regime)" refers to the 1968 Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia.
The quote "a man's work is nothing but this slow trek to rediscover, through the detours of art, those two or three great and simple images in whose presence his heart first opened" (credited to the writer Albert Camus) appears on the back of the album sleeve.
Release
The album failed to chart and was deleted soon after. It has been speculated that Walker's decision to release the album under his birth name of Scott Engel contributed to its chart failure. The disappointment had an immediate effect on Walker's career, forcing him to abandon his experimental ambitions and record more conventional pop albums at the behest of his label.
Today Scott 4 is considered one of his strongest works and it has been acknowledged in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die amongst others. It has also been praised by known artists such as David Bowie[citation needed] and the members of Radiohead.[7]
It was voted number 760 in the third edition of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000).[8]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Scott Engel
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "The Seventh Seal" | 4:58 |
2. | "On Your Own Again" | 1:48 |
3. | "The World's Strongest Man" | 2:21 |
4. | "Angels of Ashes" | 4:22 |
5. | "Boy Child" | 3:38 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Hero of the War" | 2:29 |
2. | "The Old Man's Back Again (Dedicated to the Neo-Stalinist Regime)" | 3:43 |
3. | "Duchess" | 2:51 |
4. | "Get Behind Me" | 3:14 |
5. | "Rhymes of Goodbye" | 3:04 |
Total length: | 32:28 |
Release history
Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalogue |
---|---|---|---|---|
United Kingdom | November 1969[9] | Philips | LP (Credited to 'Scott Engel') | SBL 7913 |
UK | August 3, 1992[9] | Fontana | CD | 510 882-2 |
UK | June 5, 2000[9] | Fontana | HDCD | 510 882-2 |
United States | February 15, 2008[10] | 4 Men With Beards | LP | 4M152 |
References
- ^ Frere-Jones, Sasha. "Struggle Session: Scott Walker's difficult, rewarding career". The New Yorker. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
- ^ "Scott 4 - Scott Walker | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ "Scott Walker: Scott: The Collection 1967-1970". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ Neate, Wilson. "TrouserPress.com :: Scott Walker". TrouserPress.com. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0857125958.
- ^ "Scott Walker – The Seventh Seal". Genius.com. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ "Ed O'Brien, The First Time With... – BBC Radio 6 Music". BBC. Archived from the original on 27 June 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
- ^ Colin Larkin (2006). All Time Top 1000 Albums (3rd ed.). Virgin Books. p. 240. ISBN 0-7535-0493-6.
- ^ a b c "Release: Scott 4". Musicbrainz.org. Retrieved 2010-08-10.
- ^ "VinylFanatics.com Vinyl Records, Vinyl Record Reviews, News, Forum Vinyl reviews Audiophile vinyl The best site for vinyl records - UPDATE : Vinyl Lovers - New record label?". © 2010 VinylFanatics.com. Archived from the original on October 13, 2008. Retrieved 2010-08-11.