Scott Walker: A Deep Shade of Blue

by Mike Watkinson, Pete Anderson

Here is the first and only biography of one of pop music's last surviving enigmas. Lead singer with the Walker Brothers in the Sixties, Scott scored massive hits with No Regrets, The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore, Make It Easy On Yourself and many more. As a solo artist his hit singles included Jacky and Joanna, gaining the respect of critics and contemporaries alike. Yet by 1969 he was a recluse, silent and hidden from view.

Musicians as diverse as Bono, Marc Almond, David Bowie, Chris Lowe and Julian Cope all acknowledge the influence of Scott Walker. Admired and emulated, he seemed to have it all - but success was only half the story. Close friends, fellow musicians and Scott's own relatives speak out for the first time to reveal a tale of attempted suicide, confusion and Sixties mayhem in this intimate and revealing portrait of a living legend.

A comprehensive overview of Walker's career... a really good Scott Walker biography... excellent piece of pop history - The Sunday Times

Watkinson and Anderson have done exhaustive research - The Mail on Sunday

The writers have diligently pieced together every available clue - Vox

Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction

287 pages, Paperback

Published September 1, 1995

Reviews

[Tosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scott Walker is one of my all-time favorite 'pop' music artist. And he's an Artist with a capital 'A.' This book by all means is not the perfect biography (I believe the authors didn't interview him) but it's good to get an overall look at his very long career. There is very little personal information on Scott. No interviews with his ex-wife or his daughter. So one is forced to go through his work - and that is not a bad thing at all. But from the Sunset Strip to London, it has been one wild and strange trip.

There is a new documentary out at the moment that sounds fantastic. I am looking forward to seeing it. It shows him recording his fantastic "The Drift" album. A must in everyone's collection.

[Peter Wexler · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating biography of one of the most important and talented song writers.

[George · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of the truly great artists of the 20th century, whose influence extends even wider than the appreciation of his work, the book touches on the nuances of Walker's lyrical and thematic preoccupations with thoughtfulness and pop scholarship. Walker, a peerless vocalist, has such a complex body of work, that he deserves multiple writers to weigh in on his achievement. Walker, the creative link between David Bowie/Roxy Music and the later work of talents such as Nick Cave/Tindersticks/Radiohead and many other artists who privilege the cosmic croon forged by Sinatra, as opposed to the mostly blues-based delivery, which normally informs Rock and Roll vocals. Walker, no doubt, deserves a more refined critical appreciation of his oeuvre comparable in depth and scholarship to the attention given to writers such as Beckett, or Kafka. But rock artists, with the exceptions of Dylan and Leonard Cohen, are rarely afforded a seriousness of this kind.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book although to be honest like most biographical works of the subject matter isn't of interest there would be little point reading this.
It is an interesting tale of a career that peaks and stalls and the legend that grows around this..from a clutch of late sixties solo works the Scott walker legend is sealed however bad marketing decisions and a few sideways moves ultimately create an enigmatic figure of sorts...an interesting read if only to read how a career has been built on some strange decisions.

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lent this book out about 10 years ago, it never came back. Really need to read it again!

[Frenchy · Rating 2 out of 5]

A really not good book about Scott Walker. It's rather gossipy and full of factual errors and not very interesting if you care about the music.