Unconventional. Enigmatic. Reclusive. Idiosyncratic. All these terms and more have been used to describe the life and career of the legendary Scott Walker whose death, at the age of 76, was announced earlier today. A bass player who became a teen idol, a pop star who developed into an avant-garde icon, his trajectory through the music world produced some of the most interesting and beautiful music I've been fortunate to hear.
Like most folk my age I first encountered Scott Walkers' voice via The Walker Brothers, most likely through hearing the rousing anthemic notes of The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore pouring forth from my Mum's hi-fi speakers, with it taking immediate residence in my mind's music library. It was only some years later before I stumbled across what he did next, the rich, dark pop of his first four solo albums.
Scott 1-thru-4, with their sumptuous production, lush strings that under-pin ever interesting lyrics, a sprinkling of judicious and eclectic versions, all topped with that voice. Oh, that voice. The man may be gone but his voice will always be with us and, I hope, ever will it be that people experience the joy of hearing it for the first time, wanting to hear it again and again.
Scott Walker 1943-2019
RIP
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