Walkermania! Part Two

Take It Easy with the Walker Brothers came out in December 1965. However, I now intend to talk about the Walkers' music from that period in general, based on CD 1 of the box set Everything Under the Sun (which I felt compelled to buy).

Given that the Walker Brothers were mostly famous for big ballads, the music on their first album is not very much dominated by ballads. There are actually only a couple of songs that are clearly ballads. Mostly it is comprised of midtempo songs that aren't even particularly gloomy despite Scott Walker singing lead almost all the time. The Walker Brothers' music comes across as very classy, aurally massive, a bit melancholic but definitely more uplifting rather than dark.

The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore was originally performed by Frankie Valli without any huge success. The Walkers version could have suffered the same fate if Scott hadn't demanded it to be recorded once again after the first attempt. The end result was a huge classic, a track to cherish from now to eternity. Despite being rather dark in the lyric section, the overall feel you get from it is something completely different. It is a great song, great arrangement and performance by both Scott and the studio band.

Randy Newman's I Don't Want to Hear It Anymore is one of Scott's most fantastic vocal performances. It seems almost unbelievable that with this kind of power, style, emotion and flawless phrasing he is still pretty much a self-learned singer. And even though Scott is just as great as he is, he also sounds fantastic when singing together with John Walker. John's background vocals appear in many songs, and the lovely female choir also plays an important role. Therefore, don't forget to check out the Walkers' take on the Everly Brothers song the Seventh Dawn which was the b-side of the Love Her single. There we have probably the most heavenly, uniquely beautiful harmony ever recorded by Scott and John. And speaking of great harmonies, also check out their version of Bob Dylan's Love Minus Zero!

Even though Scott sang lead on almost anything, John got one lead vocal on the debut album. His performance on Dancing in the Street may sound even a bit too cool but is in fact very good. John's talents were at this point largely overshadowed by Scott's amazing performances on songs like The Girl I Lost in the Rain (chilling!), There Goes My Baby (probably Scott's best uptempo number here) and, obviously, Make It Easy on Yourself. One Engel composition is even included on the debut album, You're All Around Me. More of his compositions appeared on b-sides.

An interesting thing is that at times the Walkers seemed to be very much drawn towards soul and funk music. However, when it comes to the funk part, the results rarely were very commendable. Songs like Tell The Truth and Everything's Gonna Be Alright were great live numbers but not really Scott's strongest area. Land of 1000 Dances was included on the debut album and was also a very popular song but I think it just sounds bizarre when Scott Walker sings it – especially when you think about what was to come.

Take It Easy with... was certainly a worthy debut but if you're interested in hearing the singles and b-sides, which are all very, very good and not included on the album, I recommend checking out the extended version as a whole. You don't want to miss the uplifting beauty of songs like I Need You, After The Lights Go Out, and Young Man Cried. One of my personal favorites is My Ship Is Coming in, which will probably always amaze me. Scott and John make quite a theatrical opera duo!

Here are some samples:

The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore (promo video - now that's what I call Marketing! And by the way, can you imagine they also performed it live)

My Ship Is Coming in

I Don't Want to Hear It Anymore

The Girl I Lost in the Rain

Folk Rock Gates Opened

It is starting to look like I have been enticed into a small folk rock craze, mostly thanks to the Association. Listening to the Association was at some point like a learning session aiming at a deeper understanding of the band. Now, every second with the Association is like being in heaven... While getting acquainted with the band, I also learned to appreciate folk rock style, melodies and aesthetics more than ever. Now, when I put on anything that has those folky melodies my mind screams: aah yeah, folk rock, this is the good stuff!

Well, this isn't really the first time I have been interested in folk rock. However, we may have to say something about the term folk rock at first. There are countless different manifestations of folk rock. There is folk rock, folk pop, folk metal, neo-folk and who knows how many other variants of music that is based on folk. There are also local variants of folk and folk rock all around the world. For me, the starting point is the Association, so that defines my current interest. I am mostly talking about music that was inspired and developed from American folk music. Still, I don't wish to limit myself. Instead, I hope to keep an open mind. If I discover a great Arabic folk music band, I will definitely check it out...

Anyway, probably the most famous folk rock band I have listened to before is the Byrds. Both the Byrds and the Association have recorded Bob Dylan songs. If I haven't misunderstood all of this, those jangly and harmonic Dylan covers played a big role in the American folk rock success. Dylan himself also went electric which made him more and more popular.

We could now perhaps define folk rock as being folk decorated with elements that make it more appealing for large audiences. A traditional folk song is bare and has little decoration. There isn't much auditory spectacle. A folk troubadour singing alone and playing a guitar can obviously be wonderful, but a band like the Association with its rich full band arrangements and enormous vocals gives the music a whole different treatment.

This question has a lot in common with the dilemma of how much a song needs decorations, different instruments and production. Some people want more, some people want less... And it depends on the song, time, genre, etc. In my opinion, the composition (with its tunes and chords) is the core of any traditional (pop) song. Still, a rich sound with an excellent, carefully conducted arrangement can make a song rise to a whole new level. So, even though the bare song, the idea, is the most important thing and an achievement in its own right, it also helps a great deal to make it sound as appealing as possible.

My next goal is to find out and compare how different bands transform their folk songs into more ambitious arrangements – or decide to stick to more simple arrangements. I have a list of interesting performers. On that list there are the Mamas & the Papas, the Beau Brummels, the (New) Seekers, Donovan, and P. F. Sloan. Finally checking out Bob Dylan would probably be pretty useful, too.

I have to say I don't really know much about folk rock. I only know a few artists and I know who the most influential UK and US folk artists were. So, I could say that the search is now on. The real gems are often hidden I would be more than happy to get recommendations. What are your favorite folk rock bands?

Light in Darkness

Some time ago I reported about a debut EP (Studies in Timing and Coincidence, 2008) by a band called Pinstripe 45's. Now this group has finished their debut album – it is called Through the Darkened Window. The result is a peaceful, melancholic singer-songwriter release with lovely, organic sound policy of acoustic guitars, piano and strings.

In contrast to the EP, on this debut full-length bandleader Marshall Hanbury Jr. expresses himself a bit more freely, letting his voice to be heard more directly. Expressed suitably in the theme of the album, this time Hanbury places himself behind a window that is darker and clearer at the same time. Now the influences behind this music are also revealed somewhat differently – more clearly, in fact. Bob Dylan is of course still strongly present. Another name that comes to mind is James Blunt. Hanbury definitely bears some vocal similarity to the British singer.

Bob Dylan’s folky influence also seems to lead Pinstripe 45’s to present some slightly country-tingled expression on the album. Hanbury’s interest towards country-ish rendering can be sensed in his vocals in some places. Due to this country/folk aspect an artist such as Langhorne Slim might also be a relevant comparison. Fans of the Byrds’ early material will most likely enjoy the jangliness of Because She Waits and Even When You Cry.

The voice of Hanbury and his songs is sincere, melancholic and carries both desperation and beauty. If I were to describe Hanbury’s vocal style with one word that word would certainly be bittersweet. No matter how you would like to describe him, one thing is for sure: many songs on this album contain a hook that will make them quite easy to remember.

The music of Pinstripe 45’s will probably paint different pictures to the minds of different listeners. I think this music could suit as a soundtrack for any tranquil, wistful moment. The hopefulness that lies in the melancholy can however make listeners see a bright landscape in their minds rather than a darkening one. Now, with the debut album released, it is to time for the band to keep discovering new approaches to its expression. Through the Darkened Window describes a dark period in life. The next thing I would like to see is obviously what kind of an effect a nice flash of sunlight would have in the world of Pinstripe 45’s.

Pinstripe 45’s on MySpace
Through the Darkened Window last.fm page

Music for Summer Dusk

This thing came to me pretty much out of the blue and I'm really happy I decided to check out what this music sounds like. It immediately turned out to be a really nice find.

Pinstripe 45's are a quite new group led by Chicago-based multi-instrumentalist Marshall Hanbury Jr. The music could be described as acoustic folk-pop. It is an interesting mixture of bittersweetness, darkness and light added with folky arrangements and frequent presence of harmony vocals. Hanbury's narrative, moment-capturing songs are, according to Pinstripe 45's MySpace, influenced by the likes of Donovan and Bob Dylan. I'd say Hanbury's style could also be compared to the melancholy of Jim Ellison or Jesse Valenzuela. Good melodies mix with sincerity and organic insrumentation in Pinstripe 45's music.

The group has a new digitally released EP out. It's called Studies in Timing and Coincidence (2008) – a very solid package of good songs, emotion and sounds of acoustic guitar, moderate percussion and viola. These songs (such as Waiting on Your Words and Follow Me Down Once Again) sound like an exploration of day turning into the night: they are atmospheric and generally quite dark but also joyous in their melodic quality. I'd say Pinstripe 45's is very suitable music for summer nights. I'm looking forward to hearing what Hanbury and his band come up with in the future.

Listen to Pinstripe 45s at MySpace. You'll hear the EP there, as well as a few other nice tracks.

Pinstripe 45's at MySpace