Scott Walker: Boy Child The Best of 1967 -1970 (Fontana, 1990/2022)

 

Scott Walker: Boy Child by Tosh Berman

The One Album I Listened to in 2007: Scott Walker's "And Who Shall Go To The Ball? And What Shall Go To The Ball?

 

According to my detailed buying habits, in 2007 the only new music I purchased that year was Scott Walker's "And Who Shall Go To The Ball? And What Shall Go To The Ball?" Hardcore orchestration music for a Dance performed by CandoCo Dance Company. I think "Pola X" was the first all-instrumental score by Scott, but this album is a mixture of glitches and sometimes lush orchestration. In parts, it reminds me of Webern string quartets. Still, an intense listening experience. - Tosh Berman

The Albums That I Listened to in 2006

 

2006 brought me two icon music artists and a re-introduction to someone I didn't expect to hear from. Scott Walker's "The Drift" is one of the great aural masterpieces of this century. Its intensity and insane humor are so jarring yet focused. I think of this album as songs, but they are also sound pieces with words. More like a mixture of sound poetry and reads like a great poem. What he did was so remarkable and original. I still get goosebumps listening to this album.

Sparks's "Hello Young Lovers" is just another example of perfection, as Ron and Russell Mael practiced. Songs like "Perfume" and "Metaphor" make me think that even as a writer, how do they come up with such incredible lyrics? Or the beauty of "As I Sit To Play The Organ At The Notre Dame Cathedral." Their mixture of humor and pathos is an amazing tightrope in a song or in art. Yet, Sparks does this.

Being a mega-Serge Gainsbourg fan, it's heartening to find both Jane Birkin and daughter Charlotte Gainsbourg make superb music. With the assistance of the band Air and Jarvis Cocker, she came up with something magical, "5.55." These three albums alone made 2006 OK.

The Albums That Were Important To Tosh in 2001

 

2001 was the start of the 21st century, and it wasn’t a good way to start off the new season if you get my drift. I have been OK, but overall, it’s the downfall that continues and never ends. 9/11, Iraq War, American torture, Bush era, Obama unable to shift the bad mood, and then Trump and the virus to top it all. Still, the year 2001 had some odd and strange albums. And I only listened to these albums when they came out. Pulp’s “We Love Life” is orchestrated perfection with flourishes of darkness. Produced by Scott Walker was a listener’s addiction. 

What I discovered that year was the ‘hype’ band, or whatever they were, Fischerspooner. Electro-pop, but with a strong visual aspect, and I first heard of them because they played in a gallery.  I even saw them, but I have very little memory of their performance for some reason. To me, they are very vague, yet, I played their first album a lot. And they even did a Wire cover!  I also discovered Jim O’Rourke that year, and my first album of his was “Insignificance.” Now here was a rabbit hole I could jump into. I love Jim’s sense of playfulness, but serious at the same time. His music is almost impossible to realistically define, but such an adventurer still made an impression on me. Also, his presence in Tokyo was very strong. I ran into this album in many record stores in the Shibuya and Shinjuku areas of the metropolis. 

The one album that totally knocked me out is Fantomas’ “The Director’s Cut.” This was my first step into the Mike Patton world, and I was thrilled to hear them covering film theme classics. Exceptional taste, and done in a bold and in-your-face manner. How could I not resist!

Albums That Were Important to Tosh in 2000

 

The year 2000 sounded like being in the future, but I was very much in the present time of my memory. For me, nothing mega happened music-wise that year. Still, due to Scott Walker's "Pola X" soundtrack, I was introduced to the voice of Smog ( Bill Callahan) and liked "Dongs of Sevotion." Through my wife, I was seduced by Peaches and saw her live around this time as well. Her electronic 'in-your-face' lyrics and music appealed to my aural and visual pleasure. The moody Goldfrapp reminded me of Portishead, and I liked their take on pop as a mood piece, but melodically beautiful. Johnny Cash's "American III: Solitary Man" had his version of Nick Cave's amazing "The Mercy Seat." I love Cash's minimal take of the song, and with the Liberace flourishes by Benmont Tench on piano. It only lasts a few seconds, but I got excited just waiting for that part in the song/recording. Ute Lemper is a German theatrical singer. Leading toward a Lotte Lenya vibe but open to different types of music. "Punishing Kiss" is an amazing album. She arranged to have Tom Waits, Nick Cave, The Divine Comedy, Philip Glass, Elvis Costello, and the amazing Scott Walker to record and write songs for this album. What can go wrong? Nothing. "Streets of Berlin, music by Glass, is a stunning Cabaret style haunted piece of work. Also, Scott Walker's "Scope J" is an essential Scott music.

Albums Released in 1999 That's Important to Tosh

 

t's fascinating to know myself and how much I wasn't into contemporary releases for 1999. As we approached the 21st-century, I found comfort with Bryan Ferry's rather conservative arrangements of classic songs from the 20th-century "As Time Goes By" and Bowie's return to songcraft "Hours." What struck me about these albums by my music idols is how much they aged. The first time I realized that these artists are now approaching senior-age or middle-age, and their music reflects that adventure. Through them, I lost interest in "Youth." The other release of that year of interest to me is Sonic Youth's "Goodbye 20th-Century" and making music by John Cage, Yoko Ono, Cornelius Cardew, George Maciunas, Christian Wolff, and others. Fluxus meets Avant-rock! Scott Walker's soundtrack album "Pola X" has the most beautiful incidental music by Scott with lush orchestration. Also, songs by Sonic Youth and Smog. I know it sounds odd, but this was really my first introduction to Sonic Youth and especially Smog. He struck me as a middle America Scott! "Pola X" is not the easiest music to find, but I strongly recommend it. Especially for those who like the early Scott solo albums. It's Scott of "Tilt," but it also looks back to his melodic work as well. Essential.

Albums That Were Important to Tosh in 1995

 

These six albums were a significant find for me in 1995. Scott Walker's "Tilt" is a masterpiece. They are basically sound pieces with singing. And the lyrics were on another level as well. There was no going back home after this album. It took no prisoners. Bowie with his "Outside" project was also his first real avant-pop album. There are the Side B recordings from "Low and "Heroes," but this was very much a forward approach to music from David, Eno, and others. I was so excited to hear this album, and I wasn't disappointed.

I discovered Pulp's "Different Class" while crossing the Shibuya Tokyo Station. There was a giant video screen on the side of the building, and they were playing the video to "Common People." I immediately went over to the HMV music store to hear the album. It was love at first listening. The lyrics, Jarvis's voice, the musicians, arrangements, and the superb production from Chris Thomas, this is an instant classic.

The Tindersticks' second album was a beautiful relationship between orchestration and voice. It reminds me a bit of The Bad Seeds, but more soulful.

The first Elastica album was another opening to the current British world, and I remember loving this album. The same goes for Tricky's first album, which introduces me to a mixture of dark sounds with rap. The combination of the sound of dread, mixed with Tricky's moody vocals and the sweetness of Martina Copley-Bird's singing, was an incredible mix. I love how he embraced the experimental with the low-level groove. 1995 was an excellent year for music.

The Important Albums and Singles from 1984 for Tosh

 

Finishing up the Twenties and going into being 30-years old in 1984. And living the bachelor life in Hollywood, both West, and Central. The number one album for me at that time was David Sylvian's (of Japan) first solo album "Brilliant Trees." I remember feeling excited about the possibility of the release of this album. In my mind, this album is going to be a masterpiece. And to this day, I feel it is an important work from a pop star turning into a more serious sort of music artist. Embracing world music, and surrounding himself with very forward-thinking musicians this is an album that didn't disappoint me. Also, my real introduction to Scott Walker took place with the release of "Climate of the Hunter," which I wrote about earlier. I also bought my first Prince album "Purple Rain," and clearly this is an extraordinary talent that seems to have a hold on the entire music world at the time. I was working at the record store, and everyone there loved Prince and this album. The dicey area now approaches with Malcolm McClaren's "Fans," his aural approach of mixing opera with pop. Not bad for a total non-musician such as Malcolm. One can argue about the quality of this album, but there is something brilliant in its concept, plus having Jeff Beck on the record as well. Bronski Beat's 'Smalltown Boy" struck me at the time as a very beautiful and moving song about being on the outside of the social world - - meaning if you are Gay on a very hostile planet. "Relax" by Frankie Goes To Hollywood was a fave of mine, just due to the obvious hype and presentation. Also, another version of Gay culture came upon my world due to this song and Bronski Beat. The other 'gay' presence is The Smiths. I have always preferred the Smiths compilations to the actual album releases. "Hatful of Hollow" is a fantastic collection of b-sides and single releases of this once remarkable band. - Tosh Berman

January 9, 2021 by Tosh Berman

 

January 9, 2021

It seems throughout my life I have heard of Scott Walker but never actually heard his solo albums until the 1990s. I was aware of The Walker Brothers' "The Sun Ain't Going To Shine Anymore" because it was on the AM radio in my youth. Also, decades later, I heard that was the song being played on the juke box at the Blind Beggar when Ronnie Kray shot and killed George Cornell. Legend has it that the record got stuck with the word "Anymore" played repeatedly. Beyond that, I knew nothing of Scott. It wasn't until the musician Julian Cope put out a compilation of solo Scott music, "Fire Escape in the Sky: The Godlike Genius of Scott Walker," which focused on the music he wrote. At the time, Scott was a memory for mostly those who know him for his middle-of-the-road cover songs. The post-punk world was finally introduced to this magnificent artist, thanks to Cope. 

I never owned this compilation, and as far as I know, his original solo albums were out of print at the time. Scott was very much a mysterious figure at the time, and some say in retirement. It wasn't until 1984 that I purchased my first Scott album, "Climate Of Hunter." Strangely poetic, with a beautiful voice, and a strange sensibility. Eight songs on the album, including a piece by Tennessee Williams, "Blanket Roll Blues, "I believe was from the film "The Fugitive Kind, based on Tennessee's play "Orpheus Descending." The song is sung by Marlon Brando in the film, and oddly enough, Walker used the imagery of Brando in future songs. Like Bowie, Scott never loses influences; he just kept them as a collection and went into that closet to take out what he needed for inspiration and doing his art, the songs. It's interesting that as one of the great lyricists in the 20th-century, he named four of the songs on this album as "Track Three," "Track Five," "Track Six," and "Track Seven." An artist who wrote such passionate music to name songs in such a dry manner has always been a head-scratcher for me. 

Eleven years of silence from Scott until he released "Tilt." I bought it as a CD at the Virgin Mega Store on Sunset Bouvard. I came to that store to find that specific album. I had to look in the "w" section of British imports to find the damn album. They only had one copy, and they ordered just one copy for their inventory. When I took it home and played "Tilt," I was emotionally taken away by the words' density, but they were minimal as well. Every silence and space became part of the music. I never heard anything like this before in my entire life. 

Six other Scott Walker albums came after "Tilt," including the all-instrumental "And Who Shall Go to The Ball? And What Shall Go To The Ball?" and his two soundtrack albums "Pola X," and "The Childhood Of A Leader." Scott Walker's birthday was only a day apart from David Bowie's. It's interesting to note that Scott shares birthdays with Karl Čapek, Simone de Beauvoir, Heiner Müller, German filmmaker Harun Farock, and Richard Nixon. All of them could have easily been a subject matter for a Scott Walker song. 

Scott Walker Playlist on Spotify and Apple Music (Book Musik)

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6V1dtjIf1N2bAAV07EJ9PF…

https://music.apple.com/…/book-musik-scott…/pl.u-r20kCjDggL7

For our BOOK MUSIK Scott Walker special episode we (Kimley Maretzo & Tosh Berman)put together the ultimate Scott playlist. 

You can listen to either Spotify or Apple Music.

BOOK MUSIK, No. 13 "Scott Walker and the Song of the One-Alone" by Scott Wilson

Tosh and Kimley discuss Scott Walker and the Song of the One-All-Alone by Scott Wilson. This will most likely be the smartest book you’ll ever read about a singer-songwriter/musician. But Scott Walker is probably also the smartest singer-songwriter/musician you’re ever likely to encounter. From his early pop idol days as a member of The Walker Brothers in the 1960s to his highly experimental solo albums, Scott Walker is someone who will always challenge and intrigue. Never one to hide his intellectual inclinations, his music has always had strong political and philosophical leanings. Scott Wilson doesn’t hesitate to dig deep into this genius’s work and the well never runs dry.

Tosh & Kimley discuss their favorite lyric collections. Including collections by Sparks, Cole Porter, Lou Reed, Bob Dylan, Kate Bush, Ira Gershwin, Scott Walker, Jarvis Cocker and more…

Theme music: “Behind Our Efforts, Let There Be Found Our Efforts” by LG17

Book Musik 003 - Lyric Collections by Book Musik

Tuesday, April 2, 2019

I wrote a piece for Please Kill Me website on the legendary and brilliant Scott Walker.  His death was a terrible blow to me, and in many ways, perhaps my last pop music or cultural idol.  When he died last week it was hard for me to put in words how I feel about him and his music.  Gillian and Alan at Please Kill Me offered a platform to do an essay on him, and I did so.  Scott Walker.

Yesterday I spent the entire day at our home, while it was being fixed for various leaky pipes throughout the house.  I'm somewhat like a cat who doesn't like their place disturbed by neighbors or other animals.  I felt trapped in my room as the workers tore away the downstairs ceiling, and then eventually work on both of our bathrooms.  Of course, once they started to do serious work in my bathroom, I immediately needed to use the toilet.   Which got me thinking that perhaps we should get a Japanese computer toilet that can blow, wipe, and practically dress you up again after using the bog. But that will be expensive, and we decided that the American toilet is perfectly fine for our daily habitual use.  

After being stuck all day (and night) yesterday in my office space at home, I decided to spend the afternoon at Artbook at Hauser & Wirth Los Angeles to do my work.  I officially work for them, by writing on books for their Facebook page.  But I also do my own writing as well as studying culture, which means long hours reading posts on Facebook.  It's chilly inside the store and in all the galleries, so I decided to sit in the 'farm' part of the complex to do work.  I'm here with the chickens and herbs and personally, I feel that the chickens here are working harder than me. 

"Scott Walker: Man of Mystery" by Tosh Berman (Please Kill Me )

My appreciation and a little essay on one of the great figures in music.  The late and always fantastic Scott Walker.  

Tosh Berman on Scott Walker (Please Kill Me)

Sunday, March 31, 2019

I started my day by taking a hot bath in what seems to be a very warm day in Los Angeles.  I always read in the tub, and now I'm reading Kenward Elmslie's "The Orchid Stories" published by an interesting press The Song Cave.   I like how Elmslie plays with the language, and I have read somewhere that he is a fan of Raymond Roussel, who I suspect influenced "The Orchid Stories." 

I have spent a lifetime in the bath reading, and not once have I ever dropped my book into the bath water.   Nowadays it would be weird for me to be in the tub without a book.   I can look at my bookcase and remember which title I have read in the bath.  There is something organic and beautiful about being in a body of water and reading.  Not sure if anyone else feels that way.  

Throughout the day I have been working on a small essay on Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray" and although it's interesting to dwell on the novel, I find it difficult to write on.  It's not the subject matter or the book itself, but more of me wanting to go back to the bath and read more of "The Orchid Stories."  Still, I got back to my MacBook Air and kept on writing, while listening to Kristian Hoffman's radio show on LuxuriaMusic.com  called "Pepperland Spicerack" and today he's playing the late (and great) Scott Walker.  Which got me thinking of Scott and Oscar Wilde.  I wonder if he read "The Picture of Dorian Gray" and what was his thoughts on the book.  For a few moments today I tried to pretend that I was Scott writing my essay.   Actually, it went on for an hour or so, and I did come up with something else.  Still, I need to get back to my character, to write the essay. 

Tonight, as usual, we will be drinking wine at 7 pm, and then have our dinner.  I'm hoping to do our walk around the Silver Lake Reservoir before happy hour, but it's sunny outside, and I have this fear of getting skin cancer and/or my hatred of direct sunlight anywhere on my body. I like seeing a sunny day outside the window, but I dread going into the direct sunlight outside our door. 

Also tomorrow, we are having repairmen coming to the house to fix various problems we are having at this moment.  Our money situation is not so great, so I do worry about that. Then again, all that does is make me go to Rockaway Records, where I want to buy a $50 R.D. Laing album "Life Before Death."  

Scott Walker Sundog Selected Lyrics on Tosh Talks

Tosh Talks special!  I give a lecture (Tosh Style) on Scott Walker's music, image, and his new book of selected Lyrics: "Sundog."  (Faber & Faber).  I even do a bit of Scott, of course, in my own style. - Tosh Berman

"Sundog: Selected Lyrics" by Scott Walker (Faber & Faber)

ISBN: 978-0-571-32857-4

The great beauty or sadness of Scott Walker is how slow he moves in the 20th century.  From the very beginning as a teenage singer to now is a magnificent journey.   There are many who have long careers either in writing or music, but Scott Walker has always been a consistent quality-artist, who took his time, and not waste our time.   "Sundog: Selected Lyrics" is a remarkable book just focusing on Walker's lyrics.  As I read them, I can hear the music, but also I try not to listen to the melody that comes to the words (due to memory) and take the text away from the song.  It's very clear to Walker and to Eimear McBride, who wrote the introduction, that these are lyrics and not poems, but to me, there is a fine thread standing between poetry and lyrics -especially in the mind of Scott Walker.  

"Sundog" is part of a series that Faber and Faber have been publishing over the years. For instance, there is a Jarvis Cocker book of lyrics as well as Billy Bragg.    I suspect that Cocker may have something to do with the series, because he was (or still is) the editor at F&F.   They all have the same elegant design and reading the Jarvis book as well as Scott's, they stand alone as literature.  Walker is a genius in what he does.  Reading the lyrics without the music in the background is like watching sculpture made out of words.  In this sense, to me, he's very much a poet.  He's not a lyricist in the sense of Cole Porter or Elvis Costello, but more of a sound artist who uses words.  The brilliant aspect of his lyrics is that Walker can write about terrible violence or emotional distress but be funny at the same time.  He has this incredible talent for throwing in one or two words or phrases that cut the violence of the piece and make it almost like a music hall entertainment.  It's the contrast between his words, which are carefully written and thought out.  When you hear his music, the words sometimes matches with the intensity of the sound, but a lot of times he throws in something ridiculous and it's really funny.  The intensity of the work lightens up, but never loses its seriousness or purpose.  It's a balancing act.  In a way, it is like Jack Nicholson in "The Shining" yelling out "Here's Johnny." 

"Sundog" is superb poetry, or if you wish, song lyrics.   I read the book in one sitting, but I'm going to go back to it again and again.  The textures and how the word (or wordings) are placed on the page is equally important to the spaces in his music - where you reflect on what's happening aurally, as well as the sound mixing in with his magnificent voice.  Great book.

"Where Did You Go To, My Lovely: The Lost Sounds and Stars of the Sixties (published in 1983) by Fred Dellar

ISBN: 0-352-31374-9 A Star Book (UK)

Two stars for quality, and five stars for being such an interesting by-product of pop music culture. Fred Dellar, who wrote "Where Did You Go To, My Lovely?" is a legendary British music journalist who worked for New Music Express (NME), as well as Melody Maker, if not mistaken. He now works for Mojo Magazine, doing the "Ask Fred" column. 

Published in 1983, Dellar managed to locate most of the British Invasion bands and artists to find out what they were doing now (in 1983). Which mostly were retired, or still struggling with the music business. Some of the artists in Dellar's 'whatever happened to?" are now very much respected and well-known (still). The Zombies, Scott Walker, The Troggs, The Pretty Things, and the late Dusty Springfield. On the other hand who remembers The Temperance Seven or Eden Kane & Peter Sarstedt? My huge discovery in this outdated and out-of-print book is that Morgan Fisher of Mott the Hoople, and eventually moved to Tokyo to do music (and maybe still there) used to be in the band Love Affair. Or that bassist John Gustafson (played with Roxy Music for one album) was in The Merseybeats. Those two facts for some odd reason, I find totally fascinating. So that knowledge is five stars alone, but as a book, it's only for the obsessive people like me. 

Music I Listened to today on Vinyl (June 14, 2016)

April 28, 2014

April 28, 2014

I know I’m being naive, but to see such horror in such a horrifying context is …. Horrible.   As a meditation, there are those who turn away from horror thoughts, but I choose to go into the pool of such imagery, to attempt to make it not as worthy or to remove its importance to my life. Benito Mussollni’s death, at the hands of his fellow citizens is a series of images that are hard for me to erase in my mind.   In 1945, him and his mistress Clara Petacci, were shot to death in Mezzegra, and then taken to Milan, where their bodies were hung upside down in front of a gas station.  The crowd there vented their frustration and rage, and it is shocking to see Mussollni’s body like it was slaughtered meat at a butcher’s shop.  The execution of Saddam Hussein now comes to mind as well.  Is it justice, or is it the brutality of our times being expressed over and over again?

The dialogue between Saddam and his executioner is almost like a Noel Coward comedy, except within minutes we see the body of Saddam with a broken neck, dead, dangling far from the ground.  The cell phone footage makes the death even more obscene.  I’m so disgusted with images such as these, yet, I feel obliged to watch them, and watch them again.  I feel if I watched them once, it will remain in my mind forever. The shocking aspect of seeing dead bodies, especially being placed in a historical context, makes it even more nauseating to me.   The pornography of violence, whatever it is at a NRA convention or on YouTube is extremely disturbing.  I think what I find depressing is the fact that we accept violence as an everyday occurrence, and in the sense it is part of our lives.  Even though I’m quick to condemn it, I am drawn to the images of destruction, specifically the smashed-in face of Mussollni and Saddam’s image of death in the hands of a crowd that knew the narration and how it will take place in front of the cameras as well in their hearts.  The only piece of art that comes to mind, that expresses the horror is Scott Walker’s song from “The Drift” called “Clara.” Here you can hear the aural sounds of the execution and the beatings of Mussollni and Clara.  It’s a gorgeous piece of music.  Jarring, yet a meditation on evil and the brutality that seem to be married forever in our way that we look at the world.

On the other hand, as like throwing dice against a wall, I appreciate the numbers in my favor coming up, and therefore I like to bath myself in the imagery of Yves Klein, who conveys a certain amount of magic or a blissful state for me.  I can easily focus on that world as well.  When I see his blue paintings or sculptures it is a perfect world to me.   I don’t think of hate, anger, just the pure color of blue penetrating my soul into a euphoric state of consciousness. Klein also did a musical piece called “Monotone” Symphony.  It is a symphony that consists of one note and it is performed by a 10 piece orchestra.   The piece consists of two parts.  The first 20 minutes is the one note being performed, and then the second part is exactly 20 minutes of silence.

If I can somehow take all the ugly obscene images that're inside my head and transform it into a world of Yves Klein, that would be my ideal life.   That, and some Jacques Dutronc music, of course.