Scott Walker deserves the medal for the least creative album title Scott 2. I believe titles are everything. If you want me to read something the title has to interest me first. That is one reason I changed the titles for this music series. Another important thing for me is the album cover art and Walker’s album art is horrible. I am not confident. But as someone told me once, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” This is not a book and I am a visual creature.
Maybe I should judge him by his music, after all he is singing baroque pop and that could be good when done right.
Walker’s music is great if you are an uncool grandfather or great-grandmother. I tried to see if it was just this album, but his first album Scott, although a bit better, and Scott 3 is exactly the same. Yes, he is not creative with album titles at all.
Surprisingly, Scott 2 is loved and had some controversy. I did not know my great-grandmother listened to controversial music. I think it is weird that there were some problems in the song “Jackie”, a song translated from Belgian chanteur Jacques Brel that mentions drugs, virgins and queers. The song was banned by the BBC.
The weirdness continues in “Next‘ another Brel song about young soldier losing his virginity,
“Oh, it wasn’t so tragic
The high heavens did not fall
But how much of that time
I hated being there at all
Next, next Now I always will recall
The brothel truck, the flying flags
The queer lieutenant who slapped
Our asses as if we were fags
Next, next”.
It seems the story has to do with being a soldier, losing your virginity and the strong possibility of dying. Scott 2 is dark and his voice adds to the darkness in the themes. It is all so eerie and queery.
I might have to check out how his music changed in the 70s and 80s. This sounds dated even for the 60s. His voice makes me expect soapy bubbles are surrounding him as he sings. His voice even wavers as if he is 70 years of age. 5/10.
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