Scott 3

Last updated
Scott 3
Scott 3 (Front Cover).jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedMarch 1969
Genre
Length37:22
Label Philips / Fontana
Producer John Franz
Scott Walker chronology
Scott 2
(1968)
Scott 3
(1969)
Scott: Scott Walker Sings Songs from his TV Series
(1969)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Pitchfork Media (8.5/10) [2]

Scott 3 is the third solo album by American singer songwriter Scott Walker, released on March 1, 1969, in the United Kingdom through Philips Records. It was produced by John Franz. Though a majority of the tracklist features original songs from Walker, the final three tracks are covers of compositions by Jacques Brel.

Contents

Upon release in 1969, it met with slightly fewer sales than his previous albums, as pop audiences struggled to keep pace with Walker's increasingly experimental approach, though it still reached #3 on the UK Album Chart.

The album's slightly muted reception and subsequent failure of his short-lived BBC TV series signified the beginning of Walker's decline in popularity. Since its release, however, it has been regarded by many of Walker's fans as a favourite. [3]

The title of the compilation Fire Escape in the Sky: The Godlike Genius of Scott Walker is taken from the lyrics of the song "Big Louise", and the 2006 documentary Scott Walker: 30 Century Man is named after "30 Century Man".

Mark Lager, in a retrospective review, wrote that the album contained "contemplative, delicate, and nostalgic songs surrounded by a string section of somber darkness. The opening track “It’s Raining Today” is autumnal, gray, misty, and overcast and his lyrics share similarities with Leonard Cohen’s songs from around this same time period. “Copenhagen” contains Christmas chimes and, at the end, a carnival carousel. His voice is reminiscent of crooner Andy Williams, yet the lyrics are akin to Marcel Proust’s Swann’s Way in their recollections upon faraway childhood innocence. “Winter Night” is a crystalline, melancholy mood piece that is best accompanied by a glass of Amontillado sherry." [4]

In September 2019, Thom Yorke named "It's Raining Today" as one of the eight pieces of music he would take to an imaginary desert island on the BBC Radio 4 show Desert Island Discs . [5]

Marc Almond covered the song "Big Louise" in 1982 with his band Marc and the Mambas on the album Untitled .

Track listing

All tracks are written by Scott Walker (credited as Noel Scott Engel), except where noted

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."It's Raining Today"4:02
2."Copenhagen"2:22
3."Rosemary"3:22
4."Big Louise"3:10
5."We Came Through"1:59
6."Butterfly"1:42
7."Two Ragged Soldiers"3:07
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
8."30 Century Man" 1:29
9."Winter Night" 1:45
10."Two Weeks Since You've Gone" 2:48
11."Sons Of" Gérard Jouannest, Jacques Brel, Mort Shuman 3:45
12."Funeral Tango"Jouannest, Brel, Shuman2:56
13."If You Go Away"Brel, Rod McKuen 4:57

The original U.S. Smash label vinyl issue omitted "30 Century Man", replacing it with "Lights of Cincinnati", a UK non-LP single from the same period. This issue also featured a different cover design from the UK Philips release.

Personnel

Release history

RegionDateLabelFormatCatalogue
United Kingdom March 1969 [6] Philips LPSBL 7882
United States June 1969 Smash LPSRS 67121
UKJune 22, 1992 [6] Fontana CD510 881-2
UKJune 5, 2000 [6] Fontana HDCD510 881-2
USFebruary 15, 2008 [7] 4 Men With BeardsLP4M151

Charts

ChartPosition
UK Albums Chart [8] 3

Related Research Articles

Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. They comprise Thom Yorke ; brothers Jonny Greenwood and Colin Greenwood (bass); Ed O'Brien ; and Philip Selway. They have worked with producer Nigel Godrich and cover artist Stanley Donwood since 1994. Radiohead's experimental approach is credited with advancing the sound of alternative rock.

<i>OK Computer</i> 1997 studio album by Radiohead

OK Computer is the third studio album by the English rock band Radiohead, released on 21 May 1997. With their producer, Nigel Godrich, Radiohead recorded most of OK Computer in their rehearsal space in Oxfordshire and the historic mansion of St Catherine's Court in Bath in 1996 and early 1997. They distanced themselves from the guitar-centred, lyrically introspective style of their previous album, The Bends. OK Computer's abstract lyrics, densely layered sound and eclectic influences laid the groundwork for Radiohead's later, more experimental work.

<i>Amnesiac</i> (album) 2001 studio album by Radiohead

Amnesiac is the fifth studio album by the English rock band Radiohead, released on 30 May 2001 by EMI. It was recorded with the producer Nigel Godrich in the same sessions as Radiohead's previous album Kid A (2000). Radiohead split the work in two as they felt it was too dense for a double album. As with Kid A, Amnesiac incorporates influences from electronic music, 20th-century classical music, jazz and krautrock. The final track, "Life in a Glasshouse", is a collaboration with the jazz trumpeter Humphrey Lyttelton and his band.

<i>Hail to the Thief</i> 2003 studio album by Radiohead

Hail to the Thief is the sixth studio album by the English rock band Radiohead. It was released on 9 June 2003 through Parlophone internationally and a day later through Capitol Records in the United States. It was the last album released under Radiohead's record contract with EMI, the parent company of Parlophone and Capitol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thom Yorke</span> English musician (born 1968)

Thomas Edward Yorke is an English musician who is the main vocalist and songwriter of the rock band Radiohead. A multi-instrumentalist, he mainly plays guitar and keyboards and is noted for his falsetto. He has been described by Rolling Stone as one of the greatest and most influential singers of his generation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Walker (singer)</span> British-American singer-songwriter, composer and record producer (1943–2019)

Noel Scott Engel, better known by his stage name Scott Walker, was an American-British singer-songwriter and record producer who resided in England. Walker was known for his emotive voice and his unorthodox stylistic path which took him from being a teen pop icon in the 1960s to an avant-garde musician from the 1980s to his death. Walker's success was largely in the United Kingdom, where he achieved fame as a member of pop trio the Walker Brothers, who scored several hit singles, including two number ones, during the mid-1960s, while his first four solo albums reached the top ten during the later part of the decade, with the second, Scott 2, reaching number one in 1968. He lived in the UK from 1965 onward and became a UK citizen in 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Creep (Radiohead song)</span> 1992 single by Radiohead

"Creep" is the debut single by the English rock band Radiohead, released on 21 September 1992. It was included on Radiohead's debut album, Pablo Honey (1993). It features "blasts" of guitar noise by Jonny Greenwood and lyrics describing an obsessive unrequited attraction.

<i>Tilt</i> (Scott Walker album) 1995 studio album by Scott Walker

Tilt is the twelfth studio album by the American/English solo artist Scott Walker. It was released on 8 May 1995. It was Walker's first studio album in eleven years.

<i>Scott 4</i> 1969 studio album by Scott Engel

Scott 4 is Scott Walker's fifth solo album. It was released in late 1969 under his birth name, Scott Engel, and failed to chart. Reissues have been released under his stage name. It has since received praise as one of Walker's best works.

<i>Climate of Hunter</i> 1984 album by American singer Scott Walker

Climate of Hunter is the eleventh studio album by the American solo artist Scott Walker. It was released in March 1984 and reached number 60 on the UK Albums Chart. It includes the single "Track Three". It was his only album of the 1980s.

<i>Scott Walker: 30 Century Man</i> 2006 British film

Scott Walker: 30 Century Man is a 2006 documentary film about Scott Walker. The film gets its title from the Scott 3 song "30 Century Man". It is directed and co-produced by Stephen Kijak, with Grant Gee serving as director of photography. It charts Walker's career in music, with a focus on his songwriting, and features exclusive footage of recording sessions for his most recent album, The Drift including a memorable sequence in which Walker oversees the recording of the punching of a joint of pork, for the percussion on the song Clara. Rock legend David Bowie, who often professed to having been inspired by Walker, acted as executive producer of the film. Actor Gale Harold is one of the associate producers.

<i>Scott 2</i> 1968 studio album by Scott Walker

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.

<i>Scott</i> (album) 1967 studio album by Scott Walker

Scott is the debut solo album by Scott Walker, originally released in the United Kingdom on Philips Records in 1967. The album received both strong commercial success as well as critical praise, hitting No. 3 on the UK Albums Chart. The album was produced by John Franz, who had previously worked with Walker's group the Walker Brothers, while its instrumental accompaniments were arranged and conducted by Angela Morley, Reg Guest and Peter Knight.

<i>The Eraser</i> 2006 studio album by Thom Yorke

The Eraser is the debut solo album by the English musician Thom Yorke, released on 10 July 2006 through XL Recordings. It was produced by Nigel Godrich, the longtime producer for Yorke's band Radiohead.

<i>Fire Escape in the Sky: The Godlike Genius of Scott Walker</i> 1981 compilation album by Scott Walker

Fire Escape in the Sky: The Godlike Genius of Scott Walker is a compilation album of material by singer Scott Walker, compiled by musician Julian Cope and released by independent Zoo Records in August 1981. The material on the album was drawn from Walker's orchestral pop solo albums released between 1967–70, and focuses on songs that the singer had written himself. After Walker's popularity declined in the 1970s and his albums became out-of-print, Cope conceived the album to rescue Walker from obscurity and present his material to a new audience. Whereas he had previously appealed to middle-of-the-road fans, the compilation was created to help promote Walker to a post-punk audience.

<i>The King of Limbs</i> 2011 studio album by Radiohead

The King of Limbs is the eighth studio album by the English rock band Radiohead. It was self-released on 18 February 2011 as a download, followed by a physical release on 28 March through XL Recordings internationally and TBD Records in North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burn the Witch (Radiohead song)</span> 2016 single by Radiohead

"Burn the Witch" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead, the lead single from their ninth studio album, A Moon Shaped Pool (2016). It features a string section playing with guitar plectrums, producing a percussive sound. Radiohead first worked on the song during the sessions for their fourth album, Kid A (2000), and developed it for over a decade.

<i>A Moon Shaped Pool</i> 2016 studio album by Radiohead

A Moon Shaped Pool is the ninth studio album by the English rock band Radiohead. It was released digitally on 8 May 2016, with a retail release on 17 June 2016 through XL Recordings. It was produced by Radiohead's longtime collaborator Nigel Godrich.

<i>OK Computer OKNOTOK 1997 2017</i> 2017 compilation by Radiohead

OK Computer OKNOTOK 1997 2017 is a reissue of the 1997 album OK Computer by the English rock band Radiohead. It was released in June 2017, the album's 20th anniversary, following the 2016 acquisition of Radiohead's back catalogue by XL Recordings from EMI.

<i>Suspiria</i> (2018 soundtrack) 2018 soundtrack album by Thom Yorke

Suspiria (Music for the Luca Guadagnino Film) is the soundtrack for the 2018 horror film Suspiria, composed by the English musician Thom Yorke and produced by Yorke and Sam Petts-Davies. It was released on 26 October 2018 through XL Recordings.

References

  1. AllMusic review
  2. "Scott Walker: Scott: The Collection 1967-1970". Pitchfork .
  3. Baddeley, Kieran (2019-02-13). "Album Review: Scott Walker - Scott 3". The Rockhaq Community. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
  4. Lager, Mark (January 2022). "Cinematic Genius and Haunting Poetry of Noel Scott Engel". Vinyl Writers.
  5. "BBC Radio 4 - Desert Island Discs, Thom Yorke, musician". BBC. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
  6. 1 2 3 "Release: Scott 3 - MusicBrainz" . Retrieved 2010-08-10.
  7. "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.
  8. "The Official Charts Company - Scott Walker". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 2009-02-12.