MATTHEW EDWARDS AND THE FUTURISTS "The First Song of the Revolution EP" (Static Caravan Recordings)

MATTHEW EDWARDS AND THE FUTURISTS "The First Song of the Revolution EP" (Static Caravan Recordings) Listening to Matthew Edwards's new EP "The First Song of the Revolution" reminds me of all the things I like about music. Music that is textured and performed with taste, precise musicianship, and a reflection of one's past as well as the present. The title song reminds me of The Lovin' Spoonful's "Summer in the City" in its intense sense of place and time. The tune is not the same, but the sense of urgency is very much of those two songs. There are traces of Jack Thackery and early Scott Walker, not due to the voice, but more of the narrative snapshot images in these four songs. Edwards is an artist who takes you to an aural sensuality pool, with the added presence of beautiful lyrics. I bring up the past a lot when I write about music, and it is because I feel I live many lives in songs, and I think Edwards has the same aesthetic or approach to music as well. He's fantastic and very much a treasured and shared artist.

Various - "Lost Legends of Surf Guitar" 2xVinyl, LP, Mono, Compilation, 2012 (Sundazed Music)

The classic era of Surf Music is in the early 1960s and for me, it is more about the sound of the recordings than anything else.  Everything here on this excellent compilation is from small independent labels throughout the United States.   What they have in common is a sound that is very much like Joe Meek's recordings, but also you can hear the first Roxy Music album as well.  Especially with the horn sound that is similar to Andy Mackay's work with Roxy.   Of course, there's the guitar sound, which is magnificent and iconic. 

"Devil Surfer" is by Scott Engel, who a few years later will turn into Scott Walker, and that cut is great.  The orchestration that hints the big screen vision of Scott's vision for his future.  The other piece I admire is The Menn's "Ian Fleming Theme" which captures the John Barry Bond vibe, as well as the remarkable "Pray for Surf" by The Essex.  Both are produced by John Hodge.  

The great thing about this type of music is that it's rock n' roll but filtered through an Exotica aesthetic that is all about the blue ocean, or communities near the water.  Even though the recordings could have been made in the Mid-West, it still conveys a fantasy.  Sundazed does great compilations, and "Lost Legends of Surf Guitar" is an important document that one can dream and dance to.

Mort Shuman - "My Death" Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo, 1969 (Reprise Records)

I have met people who liked a Mort Shuman song or two but never met a hardcore fan of his overall work.   He had a remarkable career.  Wrote classic Brill Building songs with partner-in-crime Doc Pomus such as "Save The Last Dance For Me," and Elvis' "Surrender," "Little Sister" and "(Marie's the Name) His Latest Flame," among other iconic pop tunes.  Shuman then moved to France, where he became a songwriter there during the height of the Yé-Yé decade, but more importantly, he discovered the songs of Jacques Brel.   One can make a strong argument without Shuman's translations of Brel songs into English, there would be no Scott Walker recordings of Brel songs, nor obtaining the interest from David Bowie, regarding the world of Brel.  Along with Eric Blau, Shuman wrote the book for the musical "Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris" which is greatly responsible for the Brel presence in the English speaking world.  And on top of that, he co-wrote one of my all-time favorite songs - "Little Children" recorded by Billy  J. Kramer. 

In 1969, Shuman recorded a very odd solo album "My Death," which is a combination of old school pop songwriting, but with strong traces of Bertolt Brecht, Charles Baudelaire, and of course, Jacques Brel.   Perhaps a concept album about birth to death, but nevertheless, a very eccentric pop album, which of course makes it a masterpiece in my ears and brain. 

My favorite songs on the album are the title cut, which is a Brel classic, and was recorded by Bowie, Scott, and even Rod McKuen.  Shuman gives it a pop flair due to its arrangements, but it's a fantastic version of "My Death."  The other fave on the album is "She's Gonna Give Me a Baby" which is a six-minute epic that ends tragically, but a beautiful melody does remain in the listeners' consciousness. 

The Walker Brothers - "Nite Flights" Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, 2016/1978 (Music on Vinyl)

To follow Scott Walker's career is like traveling on a parallel universe where things look similar but are very different than things back home.   "Nite Flights" is the last album from The Walker Brothers.  I think they realize that this road is coming to a dead end, and decided to make an album that will please themselves, but also their need to explore other sounds, yet, keep The Walkers mystique in order.   In a sense, it's three solo albums in one package, with four songs by Scott, four by John Walker, and two by their 'drummer' Gary.  The big surprise is how good the Gary cuts are on this album.  "Death of Romance" and "Den Haague" have a groove, but Scott through the production gives it another dimension sonically.  I don't know the working relationship between the "brothers," but I feel that Gary was more in tune with Scott's experimentation and sense of adventure.   The John Walker cuts are OK, but the one song of his that stands out is "Rhythm of Vision" just due to the chorus hook. 

The masterpieces here are of course from Scott, and it is a blueprint of the type of music he will do in the future.   Although it seems he dropped out of releasing music for five years until his next recording "Climate of Hunter."  A lot of listeners separate the early Scott from the current Scott, but in my opinion, I think he has been consistent ever since his early work with The Walker Brothers.  He moves slow, but his thinking and art making of sounds has been consistent.  "Nite Flights" is the first 'obvious' step into making new music that is emotionally drained, dark humor, and contained in a space.  I often think of Walker's work as a piece of sonic sculpture, and here he takes the first step to make that happen.  

The way the album is set up is that you have four songs by Scott, two by Gary, and then the remaining four by John.  So physically there are two EPs by Scott and John, and a single by Gary.  The album opens up with the Scott Walker's set, and it is a collaboration in the sense that John sings along with Scott, but beyond that, the density of the recording/sounds is very much like a solo Scott album.  I feel that these four songs were very much influenced by David Bowie's "Low," in that they are pop songs, but filtered through a relentless rhythm that gives it a Claustrophobic feel with the urgent voices of Scott and John.  Probably the most well-known song here is the title cut, "Nite Flights" which Bowie covered on his album "Black Tie White Noise.  A beautiful song that seems to belong to both Bowie and Scott.  "The Electrician" is a combination of Scott's new direction, but also his later film composing.  The string section is lovely, but it does go against the darkness of the main melody, which causes tension.  And Scott Walker is the genius of music tension.  

Scott Walker - "Scott Walker Sings Songs From His T.V. Series" Vinyl, Album, Stereo, 1969 (Philips)

A phenomenal, great album on many levels.  Scott Walker is one of the handful greats in contemporary music.  Which sounds like an overblown statement, but the fact is that he has the combination of intelligence, vocals, compositional skills, and vision that doesn't seem possible in a mere human being.  From his career in The Walker Brothers to the classic Scott solo albums, (from "Scott 1" to "Scott 4") to the artful albums of his later career, including his work with Sunn O))) is a remarkable musical (and perhaps) life journey.   "Scott Sing Songs From His T.V. Series, an album that Walker doesn't admire much, is in fact, at least in my opinion, just as important as his renowned masterpieces.  

The thought of Scott Walker having his own TV music series in the UK is mind-boggling in itself, but if he was following the steps of crooners like Jack Jones (a singer he admired) his selection of these songs on this album are by no means hack work.   The core Scott orchestration is in place with the production of John Franz (who did the classic early Scott solo albums) and the arrangements of Peter Knight.  Both men worked with Scott at his solo height in the 60s, and this is not a minor project for any of those involved.

The album is a selection of songs that are from stage shows and film themes.  I'm not familiar with a lot of the songs, but I do know "The Look of Love by Bacharach and David, "The Impossible Dream," and "Lost in the Stars."  None of the songs on this album is Scott phoning in his vocals. I sense he is front and center with the recordings.  I don't know if he was ordered by his management or record company to make such an album, but to my ears, this is an extraordinary artist tackling not exactly the Great American Songbook, but covering some old and contemporary songs at that moment and time in his career.  Frank Sinatra comes to mind, especially the first track on side one, "Well You Still Be Mine" but perhaps his role model on this particular cut was Jack Jones.  Jones I feel was an underrated singer and was often thought of as a middle-of-the-road artist, but I suspect he had more depth than that.  And Scott recognized his talent, but I feel he took that inspiration and moved it into another plane or landscape. 

His version of the great Kurt Weill/Maxwell Anderson song "Lost in the Stars" is exquisite.  For me, I think of Scott as making sound sculptures.   The melodies are important, and maybe even the words are even more essential, but the way he performs his songs I can see it being a visual interpretation of his sounds.   I think his later work is very much in the sculpture mode, but I think he had this idea ever since The Walker Brothers and it just became more profound in his early solo albums.  Although "Scott Sings Songs" seems to be a work that is not part of his overall big picture, I feel it is part of the bridge between his early and later years.  To remove this album from his catalog is like removing "Rubber Soul" and not seeing the jump from "Beatles for Sale" to "Revolver."  This is an essential album by a major artist. It swings hard (in that Jack Jones/Sinatra mode) but also the ballads are crooned so perfectly that he puts others of his generation to shame.  At this time, Scott Walker was very much a songwriter.  So, in the sense of Bowie's "Pin-Ups" or Bryan Ferry's "These Foolish Things" this is a work that is commenting on the nature of popular music, and re-thinking it as not as a business plan, but more as of an artist.  Scott Walker rules. 

Scott Walker - "Scott" Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, 2008 (4 Men With Beards)

Probably one of the most unique artists that appeared in the 20th century.   Scott Walker is a remarkable singer of course, but what is even more interesting is that he's a singer that was placed in the teenage world of England and Europe, and as an American who has a strong taste in European culture, that goes beyond being a mere fan.  If one can transform oneself into another being or spirit, Scott Walker succeeds greatly.  

"Scott" is the first of many albums, and although he only wrote three songs out of the 12 cuts, each one has his stamp or personality tattoed on the grooves.  For one, it is a mature work done by a young man.  While Mick & Keith were concerned about getting a "Connection" or the Fab Four reflecting on Lovely Rita, Scott was meditating on "My Death."   For a pop album of that period, 1967, it must have stood out like a diseased object, swelling with strings and orchestration, and then Scott's voice cutting through the arrangements like a hot knife cutting bread.    One can compare his work at the time with the Sinatra world of the 1950s, specifically his ballad albums, but the truth is Scott's take is more internal, private, and of course, angst.  

None of the covers on this album are obvious.  Even though they are written by classic songwriters like Mann/Weil, Wayne Shanklin, and Andre Previn, it's mostly unknown material, at least to my knowledge and ears.  The big discovery here is both his Jacques Brel obsession, and one of the first singers to dwell into his work in English, and his songwriting.  "Montague Terrace (In Blue)," "Such a Small Love," and "Always Coming Back to You" sound like classic songwriting from an earlier era.  He has nothing in common with his age group of fellow writers.  Scott comes from an alternative universe, and listening to "Scott" is still a discovery of something new that seems to come from an imagined past. 

Lou Reed & Metallica - "Lulu" 2 x Vinyl, LP, Album, 2011 (Warner Brothers)

Probably due that I'm a regular type of consumer, who follows a brand name, but eventually turn to other interests.  For sure that's within the category when it concerns the solo albums made by Lou Reed.   Like thousands, I have read the great disappointment or disapproval of Lou Reed hooking up with Metallica to make "Lulu."  Which is a work that is based on the German playwright Frank Wedekind's "Lulu" cycle: "Erdgeist" (Earth Spirit, 1895) and "Die Büchse der Pandora" (Pandora's Box, 1904).  The two works focused on the character Lulu, who a young dancer and sexually active in her social circle.  This work is considered to be the foundation for German decadence and expressionism in the early 20th century.  Visualize and captured on film by G. W. Pabst, starring the iconic, smart, and beautiful Louise Brooks.   Alban Berg also made and compose an opera on "Lulu" in 1937.   This is a no-brainer subject matter for Lou, but Metallica?  

"Lulu" had the worse reviews and comments from both Lou and especially from Metallica fans.  They say its vulgar, or over-long, or Lou just riding on his reputation.  The truth is "Lulu" by Lou and Metallica is a masterpiece.  Without a doubt, it is one of the great Lou Reed albums like "Berlin," Street Hassle," and "Transformer."  And that includes the Velvet Underground albums as well.  It's hard for me to analyze the sourness of the critics regarding this album, but I think they didn't really listen to the record; instead, they're just commenting on what they 'think' is a proper Lou album or not.  

"Lulu" is very much into your face with the sheer volume and intensity, as well as the length of all the songs on this double vinyl album.   The songs themselves are beautiful.  Metallica offers a wall of guitar riffing that's majestic as well as being close to a drone hypnotic sound.  The electronics that filters through the mix and layers of sound adds a dimension to the riffs that one can separate the textures, so for me, it's a recording that sounds different to me in each different listening experience. If one likes the riffing of "Sweet Jane" or "White Light White Heat," I can't imagine one not liking the exquisite "Iced Honey" or the intensity of "Dragon."  "Lulu" is very much an angry or aggressive aural experience.  In essence, it reminds me a bit of David Bowie's "Blackstar," or the later works of Scott Walker, where you get the impression of naked fury or acceptance of how things turned out.  The fact that this is Lou Reed's last album project is an interesting gift to the public before bowing out on this physical world.  "Lulu" is an emotional ride for me, and it may be due to my aging process, or just the nakedness of the anger that is so articulated in the mind and voice of Reed.  "Junior Dad" the last song on the album, is over 19 minutes long, and it is one of his best songs.  Reed is relentless in portraying the dad as a major disappointment.  One can see this as a personal statement about his relationship with his father, or a commentary on the role of the dad in our culture.  I suspect both.  If "Lulu" is a failure, I hope more artists will get to this level to deliver such 'disappointment," because I'm bored with the commercial music market these days.  "Lulu" is like a spring bath where one meditates on the evils of the world, and you get it out of one's system.   Art working at its best.  

* I also made commentary on Lou Reed and Metallica's "Lulu" on my "Tosh Talks" program.  You can see it here:  https://youtu.be/2-BqJGdjvVU

Scott Walker - "The Childhood Of A Leader" Vinyl, LP, Album, 2016 (4AD)

I never separate Scott Walker by decades or music or his various albums.  I see his work as one whole piece from the first Walker Brothers album to his last album: "The Childhood Of A Leader."   In other words, there is no old or new Scott, just Scott Walker music.  From the very beginning, one could hear him from then to here.   He's the most consistent music maker who has now been making music for over 50 years.  "The Childhood Of A Leader" is a soundtrack album, but to me, that doesn't even make that big of a difference from his previous albums.  This is his first fully orchestrational instrumental album - but Scott always has done instrumental albums, with his vocals as part of the instrumentation of his recordings.  I can imagine some of the instruments here on this album replacing his vocal line.  The album is dense, with short pieces of music, but classical in tone, and in style.   I think Webern more than Bachrach.  Speaking of the devil (angel?) I have been listening to Webern's music, and it reminds me of Scott Walker's take on orchestration and intensity.   There is a lineage from Schoenberg, Berg, Webern to Scott Walker.   Walker is not only a great poet (lyricist) but also a fantastic composer.  

Scott Walker "Pola X" CD, Album, Soundtrack, 1999 (Barclay)

Scott Walker's film score to Leos Carax's "Pola X" is pretty magnificent.  For one, it's music of great taste.  Walker uses other artists on this score, and his choices such as Sonic Youth and Smog are excellent.  In fact, it's because of this album that I became aware of Smog.  Beyond that, the one cut "Light" may be the most beautiful piece of music from the 20th-century.  The melody is haunted, sad, and perfect for anyone in the loser mode at 3:00 AM.  My urge is to play this song over and over for 24 hours.  Which is not long enough.  

This is an excellent Scott Walker.  It's hard to find, and it really needs to be released.  From industrial to noise to 'that' beautiful work - it's Scott not singing, but clearly his instrumental work is equally as important as his singing or vocal work.   A great album. 

Rod McKuen - "Rod McKuen Sings Jacques Brel" Album, Vinyl, 1973

My one and only Rod McKuen album in my collection of vinyl.  The only reason I purchase this record is because it's music by Jacques Brel, sung by McKuen, who also translated the lyrics from French to English.  Beyond that, the album is great. 

I never warmed to McKuen's boho image, which I find very showbusiness related.  It's not he's talentless, it is just he's the mainstream American versions of someone 'out there' and that he's ain't. 

On the other hand, he is one of the first English-speaking artist (besides Scott Walker) who has committed himself in doing Brel recordings, as well as translating his words.  The truth is, McKuen does an excellent job in performing Brel's works. His voice is not the typical showman type of vocalist, but he in his gravel way gives the material real grit and soul.   The orchestrations on the album are also great - in being true to the material, and backing McKuen's vocalization.  This album is the flip side to Scott Walker's recordings of Brel's music.  I would get both.  

John & Scott from The Walker Brothers "I Only Come Dance With You"/"Greens" 45 rpm Japanese Vinyl

For a Christmas present, my sweetness in life purchased this record in Japan for me.  It's not exactly a Scott Walker solo recording or even a Walker Brothers release.  It's a recording made my Scott Engels and John Maus before they formed The Walker Brothers.  And to make it even more confusing,  the record list John as "John Stewart."   It's not.  Although Scott, I believe, was a good friend of John Stewart in those days (the early 60s.).

Maus and Scott Walker must have recorded this not that far off from the Walker Brothers.  It has a strong Phil Spector production sound, and I think it's more Maus singing lead than Scott.  But the Scott presence is very much part of this recording.  The flip side is an instrumental with a strong Jet Harris type of bass sound.  That, I have to presume is Scott playing the bass.  A cool record, with even a cooler record sleeve, which sounds incredible for a vinyl from 1966 - which I'm sure was released, both in Europe and Japan, due to the popularity of the Walker Brothers.  

DIANA DORS - "Swinging Dors" (Columbia) Vinyl, 1960

It took me forever to locate a copy of this album.   To be precise, Diana Dors herself is more important to me than, say, her music.  She was a magnificent figure in London culture circa pre-swinging 1960s.  If one just has to compare her to someone, I guess it would be Jayne Mansfield.  Busty, hour-glass figure, with a sexuality that is both enticing and alarming at the same time.  My type of gal.  A pal of the Kray twins, and other dark figures that made an appearance in London showbiz and gangster life, she strikes me as someone who liked to live life at its most bizarre and fullest.

With respect to this album, it's pretty good.  She can sing, and the beauty of her voice, is actually the character behind the vocals.  The Dors magic or personality comes through in these set of swing/pop classics.  The opening track "The Gentleman is a Dope" is very much the iconic Dors touch.   If nothing else, the title alone is a work of genius.  "Swinging Dors" is a time capsule, but not always filled with goodies.  Like all of life, there is the darkness - and it is there, if you give yourself time to swim into her 'darkness. '  For instance, Wally Stott did the arrangements and orchestration.  He worked with Scott Walker on his first three solo albums.  Doors can swing in both directions.

THE ROUTERS "Let's Go! With The Routers" (Scott Walker) Warner Brothers Records 1963

I found this album at Rockaway Records on Glendale Blvd, and there are two reasons why I bought this vinyl.  One, I love the song "Let's Go!"  Pre-glam drums (Hal Blaine?) mixed with a chorus yelling out "Let's Go," is a cocktail for the perfect aural listening experience.  The number 2, is the most important reason why I have this album in my collection.  Scott Engels plays bass on it.  In other words, Scott Walker.   From teenage singer to The Routers to Sunn)))0 - how can it be so perfect.  

Beyond these two and important facts above, this is a great instrumental surf/beat album.  Handclaps, beat drums, honking sax (roots of Andy MacKay/Roxy Music), and the knowledge of the bizarre twist of Scott Walker's entire career.  Also I played two sides of this album, and the record was finished before I could finish these two paragraphs.   Short, makes it point, and it's gone is a haze of hot rod exhaust.   

Scott Walker on bass on both photographs