I was shocked to hear the sad, sad news that Scott Walker has passed away. It's strange how these things - the news that someone over 70 - can still shock us, but such is the nature of artists who make music that will stay forever young in our memories.
Some things that I will forever link with my rediscovery and love of Scott Walker
1. Julian Cope. Although he briefly dismissed him in Reposessed, saying that he "sucked existential shite", JC was still a massive Scott fan and, if his vocal performance on China Girl (amongst others) wasn't enough, then the Fire Escapes In The Sky album that he compiled was a bit of a give away.
2. The Alan Rickman/Juliet Stevenson performance of The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore in Truly, Madly Deeply reinforced, and reminded me of, the fact that it is one of THE great songs and a true desert island disc.
3. The Crooning On Venus edition of David Toop's Oceans of Sound compilations, featuring a host of pioneering vocalists - one of the standout moments was Scott singing The Dealer, from his 1984 album Climate of Hunter - his sole album from the 1980s and an album that planted the seeds for his avant garde renaissance from the 90s onwards.
4. David Bowie. That bit on the radio where he is lost for words after hearing a happy birthday message from Scott Walker. And all those vocal performances where there was an undeniable Scott influence.
5. Loving Midge Ure's cover of No Regrets in 1982 without knowing the original and then discovering years later that Ultravox cited the Walker Brothers' track The Electrician as a key influence on Vienna.
6. Pulp (again, you can hear the Scott influence in much of Jarvis's singing) getting Scott Walker to produce their final album - a great understated sound with some exquisite sonic moments - and then, on one track (Bad Cover Version), complain that the second side of Scott's album 'Til The Band Comes In isn't much cop.
7. The video footage from 30th Century Man of him instructing someone on how best to punch a side of meat to get the right sound effect for the track Clara.
8. Montague Terrace in Blue and The Old Man's Back Again, amongst other songs.
