Scott Walker’s first four solo albums - masterful pop genius with an inclredible voice

Late Scott Walker (born Scott Engel) was one of those musical mavericks that went from great pop success to avant-garde musical experiments, that sometimes even the most ardent fans had a hard time to swallow. As The Guardian described it: "imagine Andy Williams reinventing himself as Stockhausen."

When he started out in the late fifties and early sixties Walker was fashioned as another teen idol without much success to show for. Yet, when he formed The Walker Brothers with John Maus and Gary Leeds and moved to England, he seemed to have struck pop gold, their initial single, “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore” became one of the signature singles of the sixties.

Whatever Maus and Leeds contributed to the trio remained in the background to Walkers incredible sounding voice that dominated their output throughout their two-part career (Walker brothers broke up and then re-formed through the second part of the seventies).

It was his solo career that gained him critical acclaim and a staunch cult fan base, both being tested as his music got more and more experimental with latter day releases like latter-day albums The Drift (2006) and Bish Bosch (2012).

Scott Walker's best albums

What both critics and fans agree on as his best work is the first four solo albums, released in the period from 1967 to 1969, that were simply titled from number one to number four.

With initial inspiration from renowned crooners like Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett, Walker enveloped that crooner style pop European aura akin to one of his musical idols, late Belgian singer songwriter Jacques Brel and all the best elements of baroque pop and singer songwriter genre.

While the covers on these four albums (from Brel to Tim Hardin), it is Walker’s own songs that cross so many genres and stand above so many other singer songwriter fare that was being released at the time (and possibly later on). 

Songs like “Always Coming Back to You” (Scott 1), “The Bridge” (Scott 2), “It’s Raining Today” (Scott 3), and “Angels of Ashes” (Scott 4) stand as some of the best in any genre.

https://stairwayto11.com/posts/five-great-albums-music-critics-bashed-first-time-around-01hyn1rtwt7d

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