Soundtrack
Music Inspired by the Film: Scott Walker: 30 Century Man
Music By: Various Artists
Distributed by: Lakeshore Records
Reviewed by Melissa Minners
Scott Walker: 30 Century Man is a documentary about American singer Noel Scott Engel who in the late 1950s took on the stage name of Scott Walker
and eventually became a star in Britain. The movie explores his early career as a bass guitar
player on the Sunset Strip to his rise to superstardom as lead singer of The Walker Brothers
to his new album, The Drift, created at 63 years of age. The documentary features exclusive footage of the making of the album and interviews with friends, collaborators and fans including David Bowie
, Radiohead
, Pete Walsh, Phil Sheppard, Johnny Marr
, Dot Allison
, Sting
and more.
In Music from the Film: Scott Walker: 30 Century Man, director Stephen Kijak
sought to create "Not a soundtrack, but an extension of the work I started with the documentary." In the documentary, viewers are introduced to numerous performers who have cited Scott Walker as an influence and this album was created to showcase many of these artists. The album features music from Peter Broderick
, Sally Norvell
, Damon & Naomi
, Saint Etienne
, Laurie Anderson
, Nicole Atkins
, Dot Allison, Bee & Flower
, Stephanie Dosen
, Ulrich Schnauss
, Jarboe
and Little Annie & Paul Wallfisch
.
Having not been a huge fan of the 60s British pop
scene, the psychedelic ballads and angst-laden crooning on this album was lost on me. I tried my best to keep an open mind, especially when I considered that I at least liked some of Dot Allison's work prior to this album. Unfortunately, I was unenthused by what I was hearing and was quite happy when the album reached its conclusion.
It is possible that fans of Walker's early work will enjoy this album. Fans of David Bowie will definitely like the sound. I, for one, do not consider myself a David Bowie fan by any stretch of the imagination and found d d d Music from the Film: Scott Walker: 30 Century Man to be an excruciating experience I would not want to have to repeat in this lifetime.
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