It's Raining Today: The Scott Walker Story (1967-70)
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Scott Walker was born Noel Engel in Ohio more than 50 years ago, moved to England in 1965, and scored a series of pop hits there--initially as a member of the Walker Brothers, a duo in which neither member was named Walker, nor were they siblings. From 1967 onward, he worked solo. Walker charted only once in his homeland, but he connected regularly in England between '65 and '69 with rueful, heavily-orchestrated pop statements that sounded like Engelbert Humperdinck crossed with Louis-Ferdinand Celine. This overview features 17 flamboyant psychodramas. Walker's work faded into the ether for a couple of decades following their release (at least where Americans were concerned), only to catch on with a morose brood that includes Mark Eitzel, Nick Cave, Marc Almond, and Eric Matthews. The likes of "The Old Man's Back (Dedicated to the Neo-Stalinist Regime)" may take some getting used to, but, at a minimum, one must pay heed to a deadpan socialist teen idol who hosted his own variety show. --Steven Stolder
It's Raining Today: The Scott Walker Story (1967-70),Scott Walker,Razor & Tie,Baroque Pop,Pop,Popular Music,Rock,Rock/Pop,Soft Rock
Average customer rating: 
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It's Raining Today: The Scott Walker Story (1967-70)
Scott Walker Manufacturer: Razor & Tie ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD  General
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
Soft Rock
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
Pop Rock
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
Baroque Pop
| Oldies
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
General
| Rock
| Styles
| Music
ASIN: B000002ZAT Release Date: 1996-10-15 |
Tracks:
Amazon.com
Scott Walker was born Noel Engel in Ohio more than 50 years ago, moved to England in 1965, and scored a series of pop hits there--initially as a member of the Walker Brothers, a duo in which neither member was named Walker, nor were they siblings. From 1967 onward, he worked solo. Walker charted only once in his homeland, but he connected regularly in England between '65 and '69 with rueful, heavily-orchestrated pop statements that sounded like Engelbert Humperdinck crossed with Louis-Ferdinand Celine. This overview features 17 flamboyant psychodramas. Walker's work faded into the ether for a couple of decades following their release (at least where Americans were concerned), only to catch on with a morose brood that includes Mark Eitzel, Nick Cave, Marc Almond, and Eric Matthews. The likes of "The Old Man's Back (Dedicated to the Neo-Stalinist Regime)" may take some getting used to, but, at a minimum, one must pay heed to a deadpan socialist teen idol who hosted his own variety show. --Steven StolderCustomer Reviews:
Wow, what a voice!.......2002-06-14
This collection is very similar to "Boy Child", which I believe is only available as an import. "Boy Child" is the superior collection, and I recommend you choose it in preference to this collection, even at a higher price. You cannot sample the tracks of "Boy Child" on Amazon, so you'll have to take my word that it is better. But if "Boy Child" is unavailable, "It's Raining Today" will do almost as well. My favorites are "The Seventh Seal" and "The Old Man's Back Again". If you think you are completely unfamiliar with Scott Walker, but were around in the mid-60s, then you may remember "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" and "Make it Easy on Yourself". That was Scott Walker singing with the Walker Brothers.
Five stars for Scott Walker, 3 stars for this collection...........2000-10-26
I only recently discovered Scott Walker's music and it has affected me like nothing I have heard in years, and I listen to A LOT of music.
You may be tempted to automatically hit the "eject" button after the first few seconds of the very first song. Resist this impulse! This music requires you to acclimatize to it; the data streaming into your ears simply will not compute at first. You'll try to deny it, to laugh it off. You'll wonder where in the world this music came from, and ponder who the heck it was intended for (certainly not me!). You'll swear you could never possibly actually LIKE this stuff, but you'll keep coming back. Over and over. Scott Walker has you in his grip.
Prepare to do internet searches on Scott Walker to learn more about the originator of this inexplicable music. Prepare to invest in his first 4 CD's (from which this collection is culled), only to realize that there are now newly re-mastered editions available with restored artwork and 24-bit sound. You'll buy those, too, and end up with 2 copies of all of his early albums. Finally, prepare to invest in his more recent works as well (skip Climate of Hunter, and do not listen to Tilt in the dark by yourself). I know all this, because this is exactly what happened to me. And I'm not even mad about it.
Imagine a rock-and-roll Sartre with Sinatra's vocal chops and backing band, singing songs about man's inhumanity to man, all played entirely WITHOUT irony. I couldn't believe it either, until I finally accepted what I was hearing. Scott Walker is clearly a genius, but definitely not a happy man, and alienation is his primary theme.
If this description does not deter you (and it should deter some of you), I urge you to purchase Boy Child (or this disc) and fall in love with the pure unbelievable HUMANITY of Scott Walker's art.
BTW: Keep Scott Walker to yourself; your friends will never, ever understand. It's that special.
Five stars for Scott Walker, 3 stars for this collection...........2000-10-26
I only recently discovered Scott Walker's music and it has affected me like nothing I have heard in years, and I listen to A LOT of music.
You may be tempted to automatically hit the "eject" button after the first few seconds of the very first song. Resist this impulse! This music requires you to acclimatize to it; the data streaming into your ears simply will not compute at first. You'll try to deny it, to laugh it off. You'll wonder where in the world this music came from, and ponder who the heck it was intended for (certainly not me!). You'll swear you could never possibly actually LIKE this stuff, but you'll keep coming back. Over and over. Scott Walker has you in his grip.
Prepare to do internet searches on Scott Walker to learn more about the originator of this inexplicable music. Prepare to invest in his first 4 CD's (from which this collection is culled), only to realize that there are now newly re-mastered editions available with restored artwork and 24-bit sound. You'll buy those, too, and end up with 2 copies of all of his early albums. Finally, prepare to invest in his more recent works as well (skip Climate of Hunter, and do not listen to Tilt in the dark by yourself). I know all this, because this is exactly what happened to me. And I'm not even mad about it.
Imagine a rock-and-roll Sartre with Sinatra's vocal chops and backing band, singing songs about man's inhumanity to man, all played entirely WITHOUT irony. I couldn't believe it either, until I finally accepted what I was hearing. Scott Walker is clearly a genius, but definitely not a happy man, and alienation is his primary theme.
If this description does not deter you (and it should deter some of you), I urge you to purchase Boy Child (or this disc) and fall in love with the pure unbelievable HUMANITY of Scott Walker's art.
BTW: Keep Scott Walker to yourself; your friends will never, ever understand. It's that special.
The ideal introduction to one of the truly great voices.......2000-01-31
The choice of tracks is a good cross section of the period. It's mostly his own material but with a representative selection of covers such as 'Joanna' and 'Through a long and sleepless night'. Myself I would have chosen different cover versions than the ones here but as an introduction to the styles he was capable of executing so well they serve their purpose.
There are many shades of mood on this album but almost all share a reflective quality - the sound of a man baring some part of his soul to try and make sense of his part in a world that he finds bitter, confusing, mysterious and unreachable. Even on the lighter tracks, on other people's songs, Scott Walkers voice strikes a note that is somewhere between melancholy and a kind of world weary assessment of the human condition. 'Melancholy'can be a tiresome and affected musical atmosphere in the hands of lesser performers. But Scott delivers the real thing.
Occasionally, on his own material like 'It's raining today' or 'Big Louise' it feels like a the brooding, floating orchestral shapes of Vaughan Williams meeting a balladeer of the bitter sweet of human frailty, somewhere in the small hours of a still, crisp, dark night. On the whole it's a very European melancholy - Scott has famously been described as the only American popular musician to find a spiritual home in the darker parts of the European creative mind.
This album is a great starting point for those new to the artist and will probably leave you feeling you would like to explore more of his work. The CD contains a few of his greatest tracks but there are dozens of others that could well have been included. The wealth of his recorded work is out there and waiting and this collection is as good a point as any to start the journey.
A Gateway to the Glories of The Voice........1999-08-15
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