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Editorial Review:
The nine songs collected here all made their first appearances in the late 1960s on Scott Walker's first three solo albums. In these contexts, Walker's readings of Jacques Brel's songs loomed as rather obvious signposts on the route Walker was trying to negotiate--the always treacherous path from teen idol to serious artist. Here, however, they hang together well as a discrete collection of sympathetic and often glorious interpretations of a great songwriter by a great singer. The Belgian-born Brel flourished in the Paris of the 1960s. His songs were strange, sordid little narratives populated with dissolute characters--the drunken sailors in "Amsterdam", the depraved pop icon who narrates "Jackie"--and it is likely he would have languished in terminal obscurity until his death in 1978 had Walker not become so besotted with his work. Walker's lachrymose vocals were the ideal vehicle for Brel's vignettes, and Brel's influence resonated, through Walker, to artists including Marc Almond (who also recorded an album of Brel's works, called Jacques), Roxy Music and The Divine Comedy. --Andrew Mueller
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Bargain musical genius At under £4.00 this has to be the bargain of the year if not the century.
Scott Walker does a great job of interpreting Jacques Brel's songs - my only complaint is that there are not enough of them.
I love all of the tracks some of which have been covered by other artists such as David Bowie, Alex Harvey, Dusty Springfield & Judy Collins all of whom have done a great job.
However this is the only English language compilation that I know of.
Scott may not have the soul of... more info
A creditable effort OK, so it's not the real thing. I personally prefer the real thing (see my review of 'Quand o'n n'a que l'Amour'), but sometimes it's more relaxing to listen to the songs in English translations. Brel does not translate well in to English. Most translations are either so literal that the English sounds stilted, or so far from the original that the meaning and atmosphere are lost or changed completely. But as far as performances of Brel songs in English go, those on this album are good. Scott Walker seems to... more info
A creditable effort OK, so it's not the real thing. I personally prefer the real thing (see my review of 'Quand on n'a que l'Amour'), but sometimes it's more relaxing to listen to the songs in English translations. Brel does not translate well in to English. Most translations are either so literal that the English sounds stilted, or so far from the original that the meaning and atmosphere are lost or changed completely. But as far as performances of Brel songs in English go, those on this album are good. Scott Walker seems to... more info
Even better than the real thing! In my mind I believe that Scott Walker is one of them angels that just happen to walk the Earth by some weird and peculiar accident. I heard Jacques Brel and I can tell you that Scott's versions of his songs are miles better, sung with swagger and feeling even Brel never possesed.Buy it!!
