Scott Walker – Scott 2

You know, I was sure this was my least favorite of the first 4 Scott albums until I heard this pressing, now I’ve got no idea. Sounds fantastic, but similar to the Japanese press of Scott 1, I feel the bass could be a bit more prominent. Regardless, the guitars and strings glimmer and his voice sounds wonderful as ever. The full packaging with the booklet is beyond wonderful and I’ve gotta say I prefer this album cover to the UK in this case. The extra two songs are a more than welcome addition as well!

Fine sound quality, booklet and two hard to find non albums tracks, both from the same era ("The Plague" song is great). Possibly the must have edition of Scott 2.

To everyone selling this CD: Before you sell a copy of this can you PLEASE check it has the actual 1992 CD inside and not the 2000 version?

Edit: 4th time's the charm!

Great pressing. Plastic Palace People and Black Sheep Boy are my favorites.

At first glance Scott 2 has virtually the same track selection as his first LP (3 Brel covers, a Tim Hardin cover, originals by Scott), but it's a touch more varied (The Amorous Humphrey Plugg, Windows of the World) and a bit weirder (Plastic Palace People, Next). There are no bland songs (like You're Gonna Hear from Me on Scott), although once you've heard Hardin's recording of Black Sheep Boy, you might find Scott's take is a bit too slick. Most underrated track: Best of Both Worlds.

Beautiful sound. I’ve got originals of all 4 early Scott albums and if there is any difference in SQ it’s negligible. I’ll use the reissues as player records and put the others to one side to flog at a later date.

The sound is lovely. I bought a sealed copy but it came scratched with an audible tick at the end of the last song on side 1. Side two has a few light scratches, but nothing that I could hear. Perhaps this is due to the cheap paper inner sleeve used or simply an oversight.

This sounds surprisingly great for a 4 men with beards release. Usually they suck but grab this one if you see it

Anyone have the Canadian version of this LP? Looking to buy a copy please!

Like the first, his self-penned tracks are where the real interest is. I prefer the mono mix of this LP, particularly on Plastic Palace People, where the plunky bass is much more dominant and underpins the whole song in a very satisfying way in the choruses. On the stereo mix the bass is on the far edge of one side of the stereo spectrum, obscured by the horns, almost like an afterthought. In a song attempting to contrast dreamy weightlessness with grim solid reality, that intent is much less effective in the stereo mix.

Plastic Palace People is also often misinterpreted I feel, and available lyrics on google are wrong. Clearly a song about an unnamed child and Billy is his balloon, which flies through the sky and bursts at the end. The choruses are almost like a separate narrative within the song that I think is far more autobiographical and personal for Scott, reflecting his real life at that time which he really wasn't enjoying. But I think the contrast and connections between the 2 narratives both lyrically and musically are where the real genius in this song lies and it is just opaque enough to make sure you can never quite fully grasp it on a logical level, even if emotionally it feels very direct and complete.