Scott 4

Scott 4
Studio album by Noel Scott Engel
Released November 1969
Recorded Olympic Studios, London, 1969
Genre
Length 32:28
Label Philips / Fontana
Producer John Franz
Noel Scott Engel chronology
Scott: Scott Walker Sings Songs from his TV Series
(1969)Scott: Scott Walker Sings Songs from his TV Series1969		 Scott 4
(1969)		 'Til The Band Comes In
(1970)'Til The Band Comes In1970
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Pitchfork9.0/10[3]
Trouser Pressfavorable[4]

Scott 4 is Scott Walker's fifth solo album (a collection of songs he had performed for his BBC television series had been his fourth). It was originally released in late 1969 under his birth name, Noel Scott Engel, and failed to chart. Subsequent reissues have been released under his stage name. It has since received praise as one of Walker's best works.

Content

Scott 4 was the first Walker album to consist solely of self-penned songs—Scott, Scott 2 and Scott 3 had each featured translations of Jacques Brel songs, which were later compiled to form the album Scott Walker Sings Jacques Brel, and the earlier albums had also featured some songs from other sources.

The quote "a man's work is nothing but this slow trek to rediscover, through the detours of art, those two or three great and simple images in whose presence his heart first opened" (credited to the French-Algerian writer Albert Camus) appears on the back of the sleeve of the album.

The opening track, "The Seventh Seal," is based on the 1957 film of the same name by filmmaker Ingmar Bergman.

The second track on side B, "The Old Man's Back Again (Dedicated to the Neo-Stalinist Regime)" refers to the 1968 Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia.

Release

The album failed to chart and was deleted soon after. It has been speculated that Walker's decision to release the album under his birth name of Noel Scott Engel contributed to its chart failure. All subsequent re-issues of the album have been released under his stage name.

Today Scott 4 is considered as one of his strongest works and it has been acknowledged in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die amongst others. It has also been praised by known artists such as David Bowie and the members of Radiohead.

Track listing

All tracks written by Noel Scott Engel.

Side A
No.TitleLength
1."The Seventh Seal"4:58
2."On Your Own Again"1:48
3."The World's Strongest Man"2:21
4."Angels of Ashes"4:22
5."Boy Child"3:38
Side B
No.TitleLength
1."Hero of the War"2:29
2."The Old Man's Back Again (Dedicated to the Neo-Stalinist Regime)"3:43
3."Duchess"2:51
4."Get Behind Me"3:14
5."Rhymes of Goodbye"3:04
Total length:32:28

Release history

Region Date Label Format Catalogue
United Kingdom November 1969[5] Philips LP (Credited to 'Scott Engel') SBL 7913
UK August 3, 1992[5] Fontana CD 510 882-2
UK June 5, 2000[5] Fontana HDCD 510 882-2
United States February 15, 2008[6] 4 Men With Beards LP 4M152

References

  1. ↑ Frere-Jones, Sasha. "Struggle Session: Scott Walker's difficult, rewarding career". The New Yorker. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
  2. ↑ Allmusic review
  3. ↑
  4. ↑ Neate, Wilson. "TrouserPress.com :: Scott Walker". TrouserPress.com. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 "Release: Scott 4 - MusicBrainz". Retrieved 2010-08-10.
  6. ↑ "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.


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