Scott Walker Scott 3

Scott Walker’s third solo album features many of his finest compositions. It’s his first solo album to be dominated by his own songs. Naturally, his hero, Jacques Brel, is covered for the final three tunes, but they segue perfectly from Walker’s own idiosyncratic style. The orchestrations are rich and complex, not the easy listening that their timbre suggests. “It’s Raining Today” is a rush of melancholy and romance. “Copenhagen” drifts with a sense of European mystery (not bad for a U.S. born singer-songwriter). “Big Louise” is a literal deconstruction of an aging prostitute. “30 Century Man” (later the title of a must-see documentary on Walker) is a jarringly straight-forward folk song. “Winter Night” is a perfect song for a roaring fire and chestnuts roasting.  “Rosemary” is another sad tale of youth slipping away. This album would be Walker’s final British top-ten album. He would go on to record what is often considered his masterwork, Scott 4. Its chilly reception would send him into a frustrated tailspin. Though four decades later, all of Walker’s early solo work is accorded great respect.