I can’t say I know anything about Scott Walker’s days as an “experimental”
musician, who was apparently a major influence on Radiohead and presumably
others. I do remember him as the lead singer of the Walker Brothers, who were
neither related nor born with the surname Walker. As Wikipedia notes, “they
provided a unique counterpoint to the British Invasion by achieving much more
success in the United Kingdom than in their home country, a period when the
popularity of British bands such as The Beatles dominated the U.S. charts.”
Nevertheless, the managed to release three singles (“Make It Easy On Yourself”,
“My Ship Is Coming In”, and “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine (Anymore)”) that rivaled
the best blue-eyed soul that the Righteous Brothers (or anyone else) could come
up with.
The Righteous Brothers, of course, had more great material to work with. I went back and listened again to a Walkers compilation I picked up quite a few years ago; there are a few other good songs, but most leave something to be desired other than the 3 U.S. "hits".
ReplyDeleteI also second-guessed myself a bit for not going with "My Ship Is Coming In" as my top pick. It has a great blue-collar vibe, similar to "Magic Town" by the Vogues. (OTOH, Righteous Brother Bobby Hatfield would have done a better job of nailing the high notes near the end.)