Scott Walker Til the Band Comes In (Scott 5) ( 180g vinyl )

Release date: 25-05-2014 (Originally released in 1970)

2014 EU repressing on 180g vinyl LP-Scott Walker's seminal studio albums - Scott, Scott 2, Scott 3 and Scott 4 are individually released along with the highly sought after ‘Til The Band Comes In (known in Japan as Scott 5). These vinyl are taken from last year’s highly acclaimed boxed set – ‘The Collection 1967-1970’. Each album was remastered at Abbey Road studios from the original analogue tapes.

Tracks:
A1 Prologue
A2 Little Things (That Keep Us Together)
A3 Joe
A4 Thanks For Chicago Mr. James
A5 Long About Now
A6 Time Operator
A7 Jean The Machine
A8 Cowbells Shakin'

B1 Til The Band Comes In
B2 War Is Over (Epilogue)
B3 Stormy
B4 Hills Of Yesterday
B5 Reuben James
B6 What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?
B7 It's Over

The 1990s rediscovery of Scott Walker, hitherto the Pop Star Who Time Forgot, was one of the most gratifying events of the mid-'90s. No man blessed with a voice like that, taste like that, talent like that, should ever have been consigned to the creaky oblivion of oldies radio. But one needs to tread carefully when plunging into the cult. Even at his best, and particularly at his most recent, Walker can be an excruciatingly difficult taste to acquire. Move into the early-'70s midpoint of his output, and oftentimes it's simply painful. Never regarded among Scott Walker's finest efforts and a resounding flop when it first appeared in 1971, 'Til the Band Comes In is, retrospectively, the most shocking of all the singer's early albums. His first four, after all, are dramatic slabs of MOR-noir, crucial experiences for anybody eager to discover Brel, Bergman, and a taste for truly surreal pop tones; by their standards alone, surely album number five should have traveled even further astray? It doesn't. Two tracks culled for the It's Raining Today compilation, "Thanks for Chicago Mr. James" and "Joe," are this album's sole concessions to such matters as reputation. A year earlier, the BBC gave Walker his own TV series, with the assurance that he would concentrate his tonsils on ballads and standards. He fulfilled the brief admirably, and released a soundtrack album to prove it. Unfortunately, 'Til the Band Comes In suggests he never got the saccharine out of his system. He even brings TV guest Esther Ofarim back into the action, but morbid curiosity and an incomprehensible fondness for "Cinderella Rockefeller" are surely the only reasons anyone could want to check out her solo contribution to the set. There is a reasonable rendering of Jimmie Rodgers' "It's Over," aptly closing the album on a merciful note, but while Walker's first four albums remain essential listening, and the TV LP at least has its moments, Til the Band Comes In is best left waiting at the stage door. Some "lost classics" were lost with good reason

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Scott Walker's seminal studio albums - Scott, Scott 2, Scott 3 and Scott 4 are individually released along with the highly sought after ‘Til The Band Comes In (known in Japan as Scott 5). These vinyl are taken from last year’s highly acclaimed boxed set – ‘The Collection 1967-1970’. Each album was remastered at Abbey Road studios from the original analogue tapes.

Scott Walker would leave the “pop” of the Walker Brothers to embark on an inventive, ground breaking solo career. Scott had begun to write his own songs when in the Walker Brothers but alone he could showcase his admiration of artists such as Michel Legrand and Ennio Morricone. Working with Wally Stott and John Franz, Walker would create lush sonic soundscapes which would acts as settings for his thought provoking lyrics. Specifically, Scott Walker is considered one of the foremost interpreters of the Jacques Brel catalogue. It is Scott’s mix of covers, Brel songs and his own compositions which make these five albums so mesmerising. Admired by fellow artists and an inspiration to bands today, Scott’s songs have been covered by artists such as David Bowie, Marc Almond and Saint Etienne.

Scott Walker remains one of music’s most enigmatic talents - an artist who does not compromise his artistic view. These five albums are highlights of those formative solo years.