In his early years, Scott Walker (born Scott Engel in Ohio) was a teen pop idol. In the 1960s he helped form The Walker Brothers (none of them were brothers or named Walker) and found huge success in Britain; in fact, they out-charted the Beatles there a couple of times.
After a time, Walker's interests drifted away from pop music (which he was really astoundingly good at) and toward more high-concept material. In 1969 the BBC gave him his own show, Scott. They expected him to play his pop hits, but when he opted to play more avant-garde stuff, they were like "oh God what the Hell is this," refused to air the show, and destroyed the recordings. Around this time, he also released Scott 4 (on which "Boy Child" is found). It's recognized today as a phenomenal album, but for one reason or another, it was a complete bust commercially.
Since then, Walker's musical output has been sporadic and increasingly crazy. In 1995, after an 11-year hiatus, he released Tilt, which included the last song on this playlist, "The Cockfighter." This is one of the most frightening songs I've ever heard, in part because the song itself is fuckin' bananas, and in part because I can't help but think of his earlier work when I listen to it.
1. The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore (1966)
2. Mathilde (1967)
3. Boy Child (1969)
4. Fat Mama Kick (1978)
5. Dealer (1984)
6. The Cockfighter (1995)
