FONTANA (UK):
WALKER, SCOTT: Boy Child: 67-70 CD (FONT 705). A best-of compilation
of tracks from the first 5 Scott Walker albums: Scott, 2, 3, 4 and
'Til The Band Comes In'. "Awesome 'greatest hits' collection, part
of Fontana's Scott reissue program, spruced up with a lyric sheet and
24 bit HBCD remastered sound from the original half inch masters.
Perfect for anyone who is wary of jumping in with one of the full
lengths, but as far as I'm concerned -- once you hear this you'll
want them all.Includes tracks from Scott's first five studio albums,
and the track selection is top notch, even considering the fact that
withthe idiosyncratic output of this guy, every fan is going to have
a different idea about which tracks are of the 'must hear' variety.
Another bonus: the inclusion of the B-side of Scott's 1967 single for
'Jackie', a track called 'The Plague', loosely based on the Camus
book of the same name, and we already find our hero staking out his
claim as a performer not afraid to confront subject matter others of
his (or any) era might find too "pretentious", for lack of a better
word. Who came up with the idea that self-indulgence is a bad thing
for an artist anyway? One minus: this collection originally had some
pretty great liner notes by one Marc Almond, which have been replaced
by some 'insightful' commentary by a blowhard named Neil Hannon, who
insists on mentioning his personal set of 'maple-finished Wharfdale
speakers', as if anyone gave a shit. Outside of that, this is a great
primer." -- Billy Kiely $13.50