Scott 4 (studio album)
by Scott Walker

The surfeit of good music coming out in the late nineteen sixties resulted in many artists being seen as just another good singer in a good band releasing quality music. The Walker Brothers and their primary talent Scott Walker could be seen in just that light. The singles were mostly of very high quality but much of the band's success, and the following success of each of its members as solo artists, could be largely and often mistakenly put down to their own specific group of devoted fans.
The Walkers, and Scott particularly, deserve to be viewed as more than that. Without ever being comparable to McEwan, Brel, Lennon/McCartney, or any of the great songwriters of the 1950s and 60s, Walker's lyrics, and his very distinctive vocal strength and style, almost certainly make his music something a bit more significant more than the critics and market of the day gave him credit for.
This is an excellent album, of very good material, and deserves to be heard and heralded.

Scott Walker's vocal is simply phenomenal and he absolutely commands this album right from the first track right up until the conclusion. His voice feels so rich and warm which makes it such a pleasure to be able to listen to. He really has one of the greatest vocals of all time. He backs up his voice with some brilliant songs as well which are full of depth and create a fantastic atmosphere. The guitar playing is beautiful and the way he builds off of it is just genius. This makes the whole record feel grand as the diverse instrumentation weave a story in the background of the voice which is such a joy to explore. One of the best examples of this is Rhymes Of Goodbye which is such a delicate, emotional and stunning song that feels elegant and special to listen to. Overall, a couple weaker songs keep this album back from being amongst the greatest of all time but it still is truly brilliant and deserves the attention of every music fan as it is just so beautiful.

Great voice

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From teague 02/19/2021 20:17 | #266519

This is great, but I was under the impression this was an avant-garde album??? It's not in the slightest, it's just some nice baroque pop.

From Jameth 08/31/2020 15:26 | #257629

I won’t edit my finger-wagging comment below...

After listening to this again in the context of his first three albums, I’ve developed an admiration for it. I think I love “Angels of Ashes” and “The Old Man’s Back Again”. It’s still littered with weaker tracks and I still think it’s a little overrated, but not offensively so.

40/100 >> 75/100

From Jameth 05/15/2019 04:58 | #236262

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Scott Walker somehow eluded stardom despite coupling the kind of imagery and storytelling — that would show up later in the work of artists like Warren Zevon — and downright beautiful compositions. Scott 4 is probably the best of his early work and just a gorgeous album from a great vocalist.

From xMUSICSNOBx 01/02/2017 01:40 | #181446

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From flamingyesdept 12/13/2016 21:00 | #180089

Brilliant album, ahead of its time. Every song is wonderful, but highlights are The Seventh Seal, and the incredible The Old Man's Back Again. Underrated.