Scott 4

Scott 4 is Scott Walker's fifth solo album (a collection of songs he had performed for his BBC television series had been his fourth). It was originally released in late 1969 under his birth name, Noel Scott Engel (the name Walker did not appear on the original album sleeve), and was the first Walker album to consist solely of self-penned songs (Scott, Scott 2 and Scott 3 had each featured translations of Jacques Brel songs, which were later compiled to form the album Scott Walker Sings Jacques Brel, and the earlier albums had also featured some songs from other sources).

The album failed to chart and was deleted soon after. It has been speculated that Walker's decision to release the album under his birth name of Noel Scott Engel contributed to its chart failure. All subsequent re-issues of the album have been released under his stage name. Today it is considered as one of his strongest works and it's been acknowledged in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die amongst others. It's also critically acclaimed by known artists such as David Bowie and the members of Radiohead.

Scott 4 (band)

Scott 4 are a three-piece indie rock band from London, described by Allmusic as 'Electronic cowpunks' for their blend of country-blues, hip hop and indie-punk.

Career

The band was formed in mid 1995 in London, by Scott Blixen (vocals, acoustic guitar, synth, harmonica), John Moody (electric and acoustic guitars, bass, piano, organ, synth), and Ed Tilley (drums, programming, synth), the name taken from an album by Scott Walker. Their debut mini-LP, Elektro Akoustic Und Volkmechanic was released in June 1997, followed by the single, "Deutsche LP Record", which was named 'Single of the Week' in the Melody Maker. Their second album, Recorded in State followed in early 1998 to critical acclaim, leading to the band's signing to V2 Records.

As well as their records being well received, the band quickly acquired a formidable live reputation. Whilst many shows throughout 1995-1999 were played just as the three piece, certain extra musicians became more permanent additions for five piece touring band, those being Mark Rappard (bass) who was replaced in 1997 by John Thomson, and, Graham Thomson (keyboards/acoustic guitar). For one-off shows the number of personnel could vary wildly - Scott 4 supported Stereolab at The Astoria in 1998, with an 11 piece band including Les Hill (pedal steel), Kate Shipway (flute), Tim Kent (banjo) amongst others.