Scott 2

Last updated
Scott 2
Scott 2 - Scott Walker.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedMarch 1968 (1968-03) [1]
July 1968 (1968-07) (US)
Recorded1967–1968
Genre Art pop, baroque pop
Length43:47
Label Philips, Smash
Producer John Franz
Scott Walker chronology
Scott
(1967)
Scott 2
(1968)
Scott 3
(1969)
Singles from Scott 2
  1. "Jackie" b/w "The Plague"
    Released: 1967
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [2]
Pitchfork Media (9.1/10) [3]

Scott 2 is the second solo album by Scott Walker, released in 1968 by Philips Records in the UK and Smash Records in the US. Featuring the minor hit "Jackie", it arrived at the height of Walker's commercial success as a solo artist, topping the UK Albums Chart.

Contents

This album, alongside Scott , features Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound" recording technique.[ citation needed ] Like its predecessor, Scott 2 comprises an assortment of pop cover versions, selections from Walker favorite Jacques Brel, and a handful of original songs. His following three albums would feature mostly or entirely original material.

Overview

Scott 2 follows the formula of Walker's début release, with a mixture of contemporary covers ("Black Sheep Boy", "The Windows of the World") Jacques Brel interpretations ("Jackie", "Next", "The Girls and the Dogs"), film songs ("Wait Until Dark", "Come Next Spring") and his own original compositions ("The Amorous Humphrey Plugg", "The Girls from the Streets", "Plastic Palace People", "The Bridge"). The content of his own and Brel's material was markedly more risqué than on Scott, with "Jackie", "Next" and "The Girls from the Streets" standing out with themes of sexual tribulations and decadent lifestyles, while the contributions of Walker's regular arrangers and the structures of his own compositions were becoming more adventurous and progressive.

According to Jonathan King, writing in the liner notes to Scott 2, not long after the album had been completed Walker described it as the "work of a lazy, self-indulgent man." He added, "Now the nonsense must stop, and the serious business must begin." King continues about Walker: "I have no doubt that many years from now, over a space age dinner of vitamins, [...] he will say: 'Well, the last fifty years have been great fun, but now we must get down to doing something worthwhile.' And he'll mean it." [4]

Release and reception

The album, released on Philips Records in March 1968, reached #1 for one week and stayed in the UK Albums Chart for eighteen weeks. [5] The album was preceded by the single "Jackie" in late 1967. The single met with controversy in the UK because of lyrics like "authentic queers and phony virgins" and drug references. [6] The song was banned by the BBC and was not performed on BBC TV or played on the mainstream radio channels. The song eventually charted at #22. [5] The album was eventually released in the United States in July 1968 with different artwork, but sold poorly.

"A record about real stuff with quite disturbing imagery," remarked Neil Hannon, frontman of The Divine Comedy. [7] British singer/songwriter Marvin B. Naylor referenced Walker's song Plastic Palace People in the title of his 2009 album The Last Flight Of Billy Balloon and in the song Beautiful Balloon from the same album.

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Jackie" Jacques Brel, Gérard Jouannest and Mort Shuman 3:23
2."Best of Both Worlds" Mark London and Don Black 3:14
3."Black Sheep Boy" Tim Hardin 2:39
4."The Amorous Humphrey Plugg"Scott Walker4:31
5."Next"Jacques Brel and Mort Shuman2:50
6."The Girls from the Streets"Scott Walker4:11
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
7."Plastic Palace People"Scott Walker6:06
8."Wait Until Dark" Henry Mancini, Jay Livingston and Ray Evans 2:59
9."The Girls and the Dogs"Jacques Brel, Gérard Jouannest and Mort Shuman3:10
10."Windows of the World" Hal David and Burt Bacharach 4:25
11."The Bridge"Scott Walker2:50
12."Come Next Spring"Lenny Adelson3:24

Chart positions

ChartYearPeak
position
UK Albums Chart [8] 19681

Personnel

Release history

RegionDateLabelFormatCatalogue
Germany1968 Philips LP844 210 BY
United KingdomMarch 1968 [1] Philips LP7840
United StatesJuly 1968 Smash LP7106
UKApril 27, 1992 [1] Fontana CD510 880-2
UKJune 5, 2000 [1] Fontana HDCD510 880-2
USFebruary 15, 2008 [9] 4 Men With BeardsLP4M150

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Release: Scott 2 – MusicBrainz" . Retrieved 2010-08-10.
  2. Unterberger, Richie. Review: Scott 2. AllMusic. Retrieved on 2010-08-10.
  3. "Scott Walker: Scott: The Collection 1967-1970". Pitchfork .
  4. "Scott 2 by SCOTT WALKER – LP – Boomkat – Your independent music specialist". Boomkat. Retrieved 2012-03-08.
  5. 1 2 "The Official Charts Company – Scott Walker". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 2009-02-12.
  6. Williams, Lewis (2006). Scott Walker – The Rhymes of Goodbye (1st ed.). London: Plexus. p. 68. ISBN   0-85965-395-1.
  7. Thornton, Anthony: 'Neil Hannon's Record Collection', Q #146, November 1998, p67
  8. "The Official Charts Company – Scott Walker – Scott 2". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 5 June 2011.
  9. "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.