Scott 2 - Scott Walker

Now THIS record, rather than his first, is what really signalled the arrival of Scott Walker- the serious songwriter and artist. Although covers still make up much of the tracklisting, the vast majority of standout tracks here are self written, and stunningly arranged by Wally Stott, Peter Knight et al. There is a strong case to be made for this being his best solo album- for me it is hard to separate this, and the two following records. Track by track- Jackie, the opener, is a brel track like much of his first album, but by contrast with much of the laid back pace of that record- this opener is a massive burst of energy that is the perfect album opener. It ...  Read the complete review

If you're unused to the sheer performance of Scott Walker's early solo releases, you might take a moment to get past the thumping great theatrical voice he has on him. On "The Amorous Humphrey Plugg", for example, he's as much of a crooner as he ever was with the Walker Brothers. But! you really need to give this big-lunged boy a chance. His quartet of early solo releases (entitled, helpfully, 'Scott 1' through to 'Scott 4') go from strength to strength. On this, the second (you don't say!), you can see how his own compositions (written under his real surname of Engel) have improved from his first album. His ...  Read the complete review

After the Walker Brothers broke up in 1967 Scott was very quick off the mark to establish his solo career, releasing the first of his 4 legendary solo albums in the same year. These albums allowed Scott to break away from the pop format of the Walker Brothers and share his apperciation for composers such as Jacques Brel, whilst at the same time developing his own songwriting skills. All 4 albums have their own highlights and are all very different in style, despite all being released within 3 years of each other. Scott 2 is my personal favorite and it is the only album which contains a hit single;'Jackie'. The production is huge with orchestra on ...  Read the complete review