Masterpiece or unlistenable drivel?
Anyone for Tilt?
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Musings on the byways of popular culture
Musings on the byways of popular culture
by 28 Comments
Masterpiece or unlistenable drivel?
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I find the opener absolutely incredible:
The first song from one of my favourite albums. I find it incredibly disturbing though, I hear it as being an Eastern European dictator in hiding, posing as a farmer. (Despite suggestions that it’s about Pasolini – although maybe inspired by…). The scene is set with bidding at a cattle auction (“do I hear 21…? 21? 21?). He’s hiding in plain sight. He’s remembering dark secrets but protecting them as being ordinary things that happen to a farmer. I could probably write endless drivel, and could be wrong entirely… but it doesn’t matter. This is pure art that makes you look deeply into yourself.
I love that interpretation. When it came out I played it to my girlfriend of the time, Austrian, beautiful, cultured, loved classical music. I turned out the lights and said concentrate on this. She hated it
I’m aware of Tilt and its reputation, but have never got round to listening to any of it. Based on this track, which is exactly up my moody, black-clad street, I will now go off and check it out. Thanks for sharing, @dai.
Glad to be of service, but bear in mind that this is easily the most accessible track on the album.
I like the way the truth bleeds in: gas, brains, fingernails, searching from house to house… but he keeps pushing it away and insists he’s always been a farmer.
Masterpiece of unlistenable drivel? (OOAA)
ISWYDT
A true masterpiece from the great man.
This reminds me, I have a lot of Scott and Walker Bros singles if anyone would like them. I could flog them but if any fans here want to pick them up from North Herts you’re welcome to them. Some picture sleeves. Fair to say they have been played a lot,.
Would love them if you could deliver to Ottawa, but thinking that’s not an option!
I’ll take them off your hands next time you’re passing by, and I’ll give you a shout out on my next episode of Charity Shop Classics, whenever that is… I’ve started my 3-day weeks, so should have more time for messing around in the music room.
I bought this back in 2023. I played it once and told myself it needed perseverance. I have not yet been sufficiently perseverant. As one of the Amazon reviews says, this is “not the best place to start with Scott Walker”.
I did give it a number of listens but concluded he was being wilfully challenging and I couldn’t be arsed with the game. I think I headed for “Till the band comes in” to recover.
I don’t think it’s wilfully challenging, so much as determination to be able to express something different from ‘normal music’. This is a different art form in my view- once you get to Bish Bosch it’s far removed from anything else.
Probably not, Scott to Scott IV, ‘Til the Band Comes In (Scott V more or less), then Nite Flights (Walker Brothers), then Climate of Hunter then Tilt.
Both. Beautifully produced as well.
In certain contexts (maybe at 4.00AM, lying on the floor having had too much red wine, in a hotel in an unfamiliar city), it’s the greatest album ever made. At any other time, it’s a masterpiece.
I love a challenge and Tilt is certainly a challenge. Bowie would have listened very closely. He released 1. Outside the same year. Walker’s voice is incredible on Tilt, totally enrapturing, whatever the noises in the background, all beautifully recorded. I don’t listen to it often, but then Coltrane’s Ascension doesn’t get a spin that often either. When I do I still find myself awestruck by both.
I have Tilt somewhere, but I think I’m off the train with Mr Walker at Climate of Hunter. The thing I love about Scott Walker is the contrast between dark content and the lush, almost easy-listening veneer of the music and his voice. Even the chorus of The Electrician could be mistaken for a Demis Roussos-ish ballad if processed casually on the edge of one’s attention. As it all gets more angular, that contrast is gone and it just becomes psychotic. Fascinating man.
After writing the above, I put on Climate of Hunter to accompany my morning work. Some deft guitar work on one track caught my ear, and in looking through the credits I saw that Billy Ocean provided background vocals for the song. Talk about worlds colliding!
Call me shallow, but I remain of the opinion (shared by Marc Almond) that Scott’s voice is the unimpeachable work of art in this context, and anything that shows its beauty and majesty off to the greatest effect, ie the soaring production and sublime melodies of the Brothers and Scott 1-4, are the real artistic treasures of his career.
Having said this, I admire and respect him for his integrity and being true to his creative vision.
For those interested in vinyl, Nite Flights is being reissued for Record Store Day tomorrow. I have an original copy which was quite hard to track down, would love to find the Scott Walker EP version though.
Wish I would have read this thread before I commented on the Tom Waits x Massive Attack thread! Both excellent pieces of music but how often & in what situation do you actually listen to stuff like this?
I had a massive spike in listening to Scott just after the Brexit vote, Trump 1, the attempt to overturn the defeat, Trump 2, Johnson prorogued parliament, invasion of Ukraine… so I guess I match the music content to current events.
It’s a hard listen but masterpiece I’d say
Farmer in the city is one of the greatest pieces of music ever
I can’t say I listen to it a lot but every time I do it fascinates and disconcerts.
If we’re allowing only one masterpiece from the later part of his career, I think it’s The Drift, but I like Tilt a lot, and it’s more accessible than The Drift which you really have to be in the mood to listen to.
Don’t ask me what the masterpiece is from his 60’s career though – the popular notion is that it’s Scott 4, but I played 1-4 back-to-back a few weeks ago, and didn’t skip a track.