Jump to content

The Moviegoer (album): Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Pauldrach (talk | contribs)
1,387 edits
m cover art
No edit summary
 
(48 intermediate revisions by 32 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Infobox album
{{Infobox Album <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Albums -->
| Name = The Moviegoer
| name = The Moviegoer
| Type = [[Album]]
| type = [[Album]]
| Artist = [[Scott Walker (singer)|Scott Walker]]
| artist = [[Scott Walker (singer)|Scott Walker]]
| Cover = The Moviegoer - Scott Walker.jpg
| cover = The Moviegoer - Scott Walker.jpg
| Released = October 1972
| alt =
| released = October 1972<ref name="Deep Shade of Blue2">{{cite book
| Recorded =
| first1= Mike
| Genre =
| last1= Watkinson
| Length =
| first2= Pete
| Label = [[Philips Records|Philips]] <small>6308 120</small><br />Contour <small>6870 633</small>
| last2= Anderson
| Producer = Johnny Franz
| year= 1994
| Last album = ''[['Til The Band Comes In]]''<br />(1970)
| title= Scott Walker - A Deep Shade Of Blue
| This album = '''''The Moviegoer'''''<br />(1972)
| edition= 1st
| Next album = ''[[Any Day Now (Scott Walker album)|Any Day Now]]''<br />(1973)
| publisher= Virgin Books
| location= London
| isbn= 1-85227-482-4
| page= 168}}</ref>
| recorded = Summer 1972
| venue =
| studio =
| genre = {{hlist|[[Easy listening]]|[[Pop Music|pop]]}}
| length = 38:00
| label = [[Philips Records|Philips]]<br />Contour (1975 re-release)
| producer = [[Johnny Franz|John Franz]]
| prev_title = [['Til the Band Comes In]]
| prev_year = 1970
| next_title = [[Any Day Now (Scott Walker album)|Any Day Now]]
| next_year = 1973
| misc = {{Extra album cover
| header = Alternative cover
| type = album
| cover = The_moviegoer.jpg
| border =
| alt =
| caption = 1975 Contour reissue
}}
}}
}}
{| class="infobox" style="width:20em;"
'''''The Moviegoer''''' is the seventh solo studio album by the American singer [[Scott Walker (singer)|Scott Walker]]. It was released in October 1972 but failed to chart. No singles were released from the album, though "This Way Mary" was later released as a b-side to Walker's 1973 single "[[Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1972 film)#Soundtrack|The Me I Never Knew]]". The album consists solely of renditions of film [[theme music|theme songs]] originally performed by other artists.

The album was the first of six consecutive studio albums (the last two as [[The Walker Brothers]]) in which Walker did not contribute original material. Having lost creative control of his music after the commercial failures of his previous two studio albums ''[[Scott 4]]'' and ''[['Til the Band Comes In]]'', Walker was tasked with recording "inoffensive, middle-of-the-road material that could be easily processed, marketed and sold".<ref name="The Impossible Dream">{{cite book
| first= Anthony
| last= Reynolds
| year= 2009
| title= The Impossible Dream
| edition= 1st
| publisher= Jawbone Books
| location= London
| isbn= 978-1-906002-25-1
| page= 258}}</ref> By way of compromise Walker had some say in the song selection and drew together a selection of themes from some of his favourite films.<ref name="Deep Shade of Blue2"/>

The album was recorded quickly in the summer of 1972 with Walker's usual studio team consisting of producer [[Johnny Franz]] and engineer Peter J. Olliff. In a change from previous work, Robert Cornford was brought-in to produce the orchestral arrangements. Despite a push for commercial viability the album received negative reviews when released as an [[LP album|LP]] in October 1972. The album was re-issued in 1975 by Contour record label with new sleeve art. The album has since been deleted and has not been reissued.

In Japan, the album was released under the title '''''The Impossible Dream (The Moviegoer)''''' with a different sleeve, an altered running order and the inclusion of "The Impossible Dream" in place of "Easy Come Easy Go".

==Availability==
The continued unavailability of ''The Moviegoer'' is believed to be due to Walker's dissatisfaction with his albums from the early to mid-1970s, as well as the 1969 ''[[Scott: Scott Walker Sings Songs from his T.V. Series]]'' album, all of which were made up entirely of cover versions and which he describes in the documentary ''[[Scott Walker: 30 Century Man]]'' as his "wilderness years". Walker blocked CD re-releases of ''T.V Series'', ''The Moviegoer'' and ''[[Any Day Now (Scott Walker album)|Any Day Now]]'' (1973), while ''[[Stretch (album)|Stretch]]'' (1973) and ''[[We Had It All]]'' (1974) were re-released on CD in 1997 by an independent label without Walker's own approval.<ref name="The Rhymes of Goodbye1">{{cite book
| first= Lewis
| last= Williams
| year= 2006
| title= Scott Walker - The Rhymes of Goodbye
| edition= 1st
| publisher= Plexus
| location= London
| isbn= 0-85965-395-1
| page= 105}}</ref>

In spite of the album's deletion, the majority of the songs were released on Scott Walker compilation CDs during the 2000s. Glory Road", "The Summer Knows", and "The Ballad of Sacco and Vanzetti" are included on the 2003 ''[[5 Easy Pieces]]'' box set, while "Loss Of Love", "Come Saturday Morning", "That Night", "This Way Mary", "A Face In The Crowd", "Speak Softly Love" and "Easy Come Easy Go" can be found on 2005's ''Classics & Collectibles''. Only "Joe Hill" and "[[All His Children]]" remain unavailable.

==Reception==
{{Album reviews
|rev1 = [[Allmusic]]
|rev1score = {{Rating|2|5}}<ref name="allmusic review">{{cite web |author=Erlewine, Stephen Thomas |title=Review: ''The Moviegoer - Scott Walker'' |url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r52262|pure_url=yes}} |publisher=[[Allmusic]] |accessdate=June 22, 2010 |author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine}}</ref>
}}<!-- Automatically generated by DASHBot-->
In common with Walker's 1970s output, ''The Moviegoer'' was poorly received by critics but has been reassessed since Walker was critically reappraised in the decades following The Walker Brothers' 1978 album ''[[Nite Flights (album)|Nite Flights]]''. In their Walker biography ''A Deep Shade of Blue'', Mike Watkinson and Pete Anderson recommend the album to only the most die-hard of Scott Walker fans,<ref name="Deep Shade of Blue2"/> but cite "The Ballad of Sacco and Vanzetti" as the album's undoubted highlight for its [[Spaghetti Western|Spaghetti-Western]] feel vaguely reminiscent of "The Seventh Seal" from ''[[Scott 4]]''.<ref name="Deep Shade of Blue2"/>

[[Stephen Thomas Erlewine]] writing retrospectively for [[Allmusic]] summarises ''The Moviegoer'' as a "harmless mainstream pop album [delivered] without much care".<ref name="allmusic review"/>

==Track listing==
{{tracklist
| headline = Side one
| title1 = This Way Mary
| writer1 = [[John Barry (composer)|John Barry]], [[Don Black (musician)|Don Black]]
| note1 = Theme from ''[[Mary, Queen of Scots (1971 film)|Mary, Queen of Scots]]''
| length1 = 2:30
| title2 = [[Speak Softly Love]]
| writer2 = [[Nino Rota]]
| note2 = Love theme from ''[[The Godfather]]''
| length2 = 3:50
| title3 = Glory Road
| writer3 = [[Neil Diamond]]
| note3 = Theme from ''[[WUSA (film)|W.U.S.A.]]''
| length3 = 3:32
| title4 = That Night
| writer4 = [[Lalo Schifrin]], [[Norman Gimbel]]
| note4 = Theme from ''[[The Fox (1967 film)|The Fox]]''
| length4 = 2:50
| title5 = The Summer Knows
| writer5 = [[Michel Legrand]], [[Alan Bergman]], [[Marilyn Bergman]]
| note5 = Theme from ''[[Summer of '42]]''
| length5 = 3:30
| title6 = The Ballad of Sacco and Vanzetti (Here's to You)
| writer6 = [[Joan Baez]], [[Ennio Morricone]]
| note6 = Theme from ''[[Sacco e Vanzetti (1971 film)|Sacco and Vanzetti]]''
| length6 = 3:32
}}

{{tracklist
| headline = Side two
| title7 = A Face in the Crowd
| writer7 = Michel Legrand, Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman
| note7 = Theme from ''[[Le Mans (film)|Le Mans]]''
| length7 = 3:22
| title8 = Joe Hill
| writer8 = [[Stefan Grossman]]
| note8 = Theme from ''[[Joe Hill (film)|The Ballad of Joe Hill]]''
| length8 = 2:22
| title9 = Loss of Love
| writer9 = [[Henry Mancini]], [[Bob Merrill]]
| note9 = Theme from ''[[I Girasoli|Sunflower]]''
| length9 = 3:07
| title10 = [[All His Children]]
| writer10 = Henry Mancini, Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman
| note10 = Theme from ''[[Sometimes a Great Notion (1971 film)|Never Give an Inch]]''
| length10 = 2:51
| title11 = [[Come Saturday Morning (song)|Come Saturday Morning]]
| writer11 = [[Fred Karlin]], [[Dory Previn]]
| note11 = Theme from ''[[The Sterile Cuckoo|Pookie]]''
| length11 = 3:34
| title12 = Easy Come Easy Go
| writer12 = [[Johnny Green]], [[Edward Heyman]]
| note12 = Theme from ''[[They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (film)|They Shoot Horses, Don't They?]]''
| length12 = 3:00
}}

;Japan track listing
{{tracklist
| headline = Side one
| title1 = The Ballad of Sacco and Vanzetti (Here's to You)
| writer1 = [[Joan Baez]], [[Ennio Morricone]]
| note1 = Theme from ''[[Sacco e Vanzetti (1971 film)|Sacco and Vanzetti]]''
| length1 = 3:32
| title2 = Loss of Love
| writer2 = [[Henry Mancini]], [[Bob Merrill]]
| note2 = Theme from ''[[I Girasoli|Sunflower]]''
| length2 = 3:07
| title3 = This Way Mary
| writer3 = [[John Barry (composer)|John Barry]], [[Don Black (musician)|Don Black]]
| note3 = Theme from ''[[Mary, Queen of Scots (1971 film)|Mary, Queen of Scots]]''
| length3 = 2:30
| title4 = Glory Road
| writer4 = [[Neil Diamond]]
| note4 = Theme from ''[[WUSA (film)|W.U.S.A.]]''
| length4 = 3:32
| title5 = That Night
| writer5 = [[Lalo Schifrin]], [[Norman Gimbel]]
| note5 = Theme from ''[[The Fox (1967 film)|The Fox]]''
| length5 = 2:50
| title6 = The Summer Knows
| writer6 = [[Michel Legrand]], [[Alan Bergman]], [[Marilyn Bergman]]
| note6 = Theme from ''[[Summer of '42]]''
| length6 = 3:30
}}
{{tracklist
| headline = Side two
| title7 = [[Speak Softly Love]]
| writer7 = [[Nino Rota]]
| note7 = Love theme from ''[[The Godfather]]''
| length7 = 3:50
| title8 = A Face in the Crowd
| writer8 = Michel Legrand, Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman
| note8 = Theme from ''[[Le Mans (film)|Le Mans]]''
| length8 = 3:22
| title9 = Joe Hill
| writer9 = [[Stefan Grossman]]
| note9 = Theme from ''[[Joe Hill (film)|The Ballad of Joe Hill]]''
| length9 = 2:22
| title10 = [[All His Children]]
| writer10 = Henry Mancini, Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman
| note10 = Theme from ''[[Sometimes a Great Notion (1971 film)|Never Give an Inch]]''
| length10 = 2:51
| title11 = [[Come Saturday Morning (song)|Come Saturday Morning]]
| writer11 = [[Fred Karlin]], [[Dory Previn]]
| note11 = Theme from ''[[The Sterile Cuckoo|Pookie]]''
| length11 = 3:34
| title12 = [[The Impossible Dream (The Quest)|The Impossible Dream]]
| note12 = Theme from ''[[Man of La Mancha]]''
| writer12 = [[Mitch Leigh]], [[Joe Darion]]
| length12 = 3:00
}}
==Personnel==
* [[Scott Walker (singer)|Scott Walker]] – Vocals
* [[Johnny Franz]] – Producer
* Peter J. Olliff – Engineering
* Robert Cornford – Orchestra director

==Release history==
{|class="wikitable"
! Region
! Date
! Label
! Format
! Catalogue
|-
| [[United Kingdom]]
| {{start date|1972|10}}
| [[Philips Records|Philips]]
| LP
| 6308 120
|-
| [[Japan]]
| {{start date|1972|10}}
| [[Philips Records|Philips]]
| LP
| SFX-5052
|-
| [[United Kingdom]]
| {{start date|1972|10}}
| [[Philips Records|Philips]]
| Cassette
| 7108 076
|-
| [[United Kingdom]]
| {{start date|1975||}}
| Contour
| LP
| 6870 633
|-
|-
!style="background:orange;" colspan="3"|'''cover of Contour edition'''
|- style="text-align:center;"
|colspan="3"|[[Image:The_moviegoer.jpg|200px]]
|}
|}
'''''The Moviegoer''''' is a 1972 album by [[Scott Walker (singer)|Scott Walker]]. Produced by [[Johnny Franz]] and engineered by [[Peter J. Olliff]]. Features orchestra directed by [[Robert Cornford]].


==References==
The album consists solely of renditions of film [[theme music|theme songs]] originally performed by other artists.
{{reflist}}


{{Scott Walker}}
==Track listing==

#"This Way Mary" ([[John Barry (composer)|Barry]] / [[Don Black (musician)|Black]])
{{Authority control}}
#*Theme from ''[[Mary, Queen of Scots (film)|Mary, Queen of Scots]]''
#"[[Speak Softly Love]]" ([[Nino Rota|Rota]])
#*Theme from ''[[The Godfather]]''
#"Glory Road" ([[Neil Diamond|Diamond]])
#*Theme from ''[[WUSA (film)|W.U.S.A.]]''
#"That Night" ([[Lalo Schifrin|Schifrin]] / [[Norman Gimbel|Gimbel]])
#*Theme from ''[[The Fox (film)|The Fox]]''
#"The Summer Knows" ([[Michel Legrand|Legrand]] / [[Alan Bergman|A Bergman]] / [[Marilyn Bergman|M Bergman]])
#*Theme from ''[[Summer of '42]]''
#"The Ballad Of Sacco and Vanzetti" ([[Joan Baez|Baez]] / [[Ennio Morricone|Morricone]])
#*Theme from ''[[Sacco e Vanzetti]]''
#"A Face In The Crowd" (Bergman / Legrand)
#*Theme from ''[[Le Mans (film)|Le Mans]]''
#"Joe Hill" ([[Stefan Grossman|Grossman]])
#*Theme from ''[[Joe Hill (film)|The Ballad of Joe Hill]]''
#"Loss Of Love" ([[Henry Mancini|Mancini]] / [[Bob Merrill|Merrill]])
#*Theme from ''[[I Girasoli|Sunflower]]''
#"All His Children" (Mancini / A&M Bergman)
#*Theme from ''[[Sometimes a Great Notion (1971 film)|Never Give an Inch]]''
#"Come Saturday Morning" ([[Fred Karlin|Karlin]] / [[Dory Previn|Previn]])
#*Theme from ''[[The Sterile Cuckoo|Pookie]]''
#"Easy Come Easy Go" ([[Johnny Green|Green]] / [[Edward Heyman|Heyman]])
#*Theme from ''[[They Shoot Horses, Don't They?]]''


[[Category:Scott Walker albums|Moviegoer, The]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moviegoer, The}}
[[Category:1972 albums|Moviegoer, The]]
[[Category:Scott Walker (singer) albums]]
[[Category:1972 albums]]
[[Category:Philips Records albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Johnny Franz]]

Latest revision as of 20:16, 2 April 2024

The Moviegoer
Studio album by
Scott Walker
ReleasedOctober 1972[1]
RecordedSummer 1972
Genre
Length38:00
LabelPhilips
Contour (1975 re-release)
ProducerJohn Franz
Scott Walker chronology
'Til the Band Comes In
(1970) 		The Moviegoer
(1972) 		Any Day Now
(1973)
Alternative cover
1975 Contour reissue

The Moviegoer is the seventh solo studio album by the American singer Scott Walker. It was released in October 1972 but failed to chart. No singles were released from the album, though "This Way Mary" was later released as a b-side to Walker's 1973 single "The Me I Never Knew". The album consists solely of renditions of film theme songs originally performed by other artists.

The album was the first of six consecutive studio albums (the last two as The Walker Brothers) in which Walker did not contribute original material. Having lost creative control of his music after the commercial failures of his previous two studio albums Scott 4 and 'Til the Band Comes In, Walker was tasked with recording "inoffensive, middle-of-the-road material that could be easily processed, marketed and sold".[2] By way of compromise Walker had some say in the song selection and drew together a selection of themes from some of his favourite films.[1]

The album was recorded quickly in the summer of 1972 with Walker's usual studio team consisting of producer Johnny Franz and engineer Peter J. Olliff. In a change from previous work, Robert Cornford was brought-in to produce the orchestral arrangements. Despite a push for commercial viability the album received negative reviews when released as an LP in October 1972. The album was re-issued in 1975 by Contour record label with new sleeve art. The album has since been deleted and has not been reissued.

In Japan, the album was released under the title The Impossible Dream (The Moviegoer) with a different sleeve, an altered running order and the inclusion of "The Impossible Dream" in place of "Easy Come Easy Go".

Availability

[edit]

The continued unavailability of The Moviegoer is believed to be due to Walker's dissatisfaction with his albums from the early to mid-1970s, as well as the 1969 Scott: Scott Walker Sings Songs from his T.V. Series album, all of which were made up entirely of cover versions and which he describes in the documentary Scott Walker: 30 Century Man as his "wilderness years". Walker blocked CD re-releases of T.V Series, The Moviegoer and Any Day Now (1973), while Stretch (1973) and We Had It All (1974) were re-released on CD in 1997 by an independent label without Walker's own approval.[3]

In spite of the album's deletion, the majority of the songs were released on Scott Walker compilation CDs during the 2000s. Glory Road", "The Summer Knows", and "The Ballad of Sacco and Vanzetti" are included on the 2003 5 Easy Pieces box set, while "Loss Of Love", "Come Saturday Morning", "That Night", "This Way Mary", "A Face In The Crowd", "Speak Softly Love" and "Easy Come Easy Go" can be found on 2005's Classics & Collectibles. Only "Joe Hill" and "All His Children" remain unavailable.

Reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[4]

In common with Walker's 1970s output, The Moviegoer was poorly received by critics but has been reassessed since Walker was critically reappraised in the decades following The Walker Brothers' 1978 album Nite Flights. In their Walker biography A Deep Shade of Blue, Mike Watkinson and Pete Anderson recommend the album to only the most die-hard of Scott Walker fans,[1] but cite "The Ballad of Sacco and Vanzetti" as the album's undoubted highlight for its Spaghetti-Western feel vaguely reminiscent of "The Seventh Seal" from Scott 4.[1]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine writing retrospectively for Allmusic summarises The Moviegoer as a "harmless mainstream pop album [delivered] without much care".[4]

Track listing

[edit]
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."This Way Mary" (Theme from Mary, Queen of Scots)John Barry, Don Black2:30
2."Speak Softly Love" (Love theme from The Godfather)Nino Rota3:50
3."Glory Road" (Theme from W.U.S.A.)Neil Diamond3:32
4."That Night" (Theme from The Fox)Lalo Schifrin, Norman Gimbel2:50
5."The Summer Knows" (Theme from Summer of '42)Michel Legrand, Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman3:30
6."The Ballad of Sacco and Vanzetti (Here's to You)" (Theme from Sacco and Vanzetti)Joan Baez, Ennio Morricone3:32
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
7."A Face in the Crowd" (Theme from Le Mans)Michel Legrand, Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman3:22
8."Joe Hill" (Theme from The Ballad of Joe Hill)Stefan Grossman2:22
9."Loss of Love" (Theme from Sunflower)Henry Mancini, Bob Merrill3:07
10."All His Children" (Theme from Never Give an Inch)Henry Mancini, Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman2:51
11."Come Saturday Morning" (Theme from Pookie)Fred Karlin, Dory Previn3:34
12."Easy Come Easy Go" (Theme from They Shoot Horses, Don't They?)Johnny Green, Edward Heyman3:00
Japan track listing
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Ballad of Sacco and Vanzetti (Here's to You)" (Theme from Sacco and Vanzetti)Joan Baez, Ennio Morricone3:32
2."Loss of Love" (Theme from Sunflower)Henry Mancini, Bob Merrill3:07
3."This Way Mary" (Theme from Mary, Queen of Scots)John Barry, Don Black2:30
4."Glory Road" (Theme from W.U.S.A.)Neil Diamond3:32
5."That Night" (Theme from The Fox)Lalo Schifrin, Norman Gimbel2:50
6."The Summer Knows" (Theme from Summer of '42)Michel Legrand, Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman3:30
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
7."Speak Softly Love" (Love theme from The Godfather)Nino Rota3:50
8."A Face in the Crowd" (Theme from Le Mans)Michel Legrand, Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman3:22
9."Joe Hill" (Theme from The Ballad of Joe Hill)Stefan Grossman2:22
10."All His Children" (Theme from Never Give an Inch)Henry Mancini, Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman2:51
11."Come Saturday Morning" (Theme from Pookie)Fred Karlin, Dory Previn3:34
12."The Impossible Dream" (Theme from Man of La Mancha)Mitch Leigh, Joe Darion3:00

Personnel

[edit]
  • Scott Walker – Vocals
  • Johnny Franz – Producer
  • Peter J. Olliff – Engineering
  • Robert Cornford – Orchestra director

Release history

[edit]
Region Date Label Format Catalogue
United Kingdom October 1972 (1972-10) Philips LP 6308 120
Japan October 1972 (1972-10) Philips LP SFX-5052
United Kingdom October 1972 (1972-10) Philips Cassette 7108 076
United Kingdom 1975 (1975) Contour LP 6870 633

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d Watkinson, Mike; Anderson, Pete (1994). Scott Walker - A Deep Shade Of Blue (1st ed.). London: Virgin Books. p. 168. ISBN 1-85227-482-4.
  2. ^ Reynolds, Anthony (2009). The Impossible Dream (1st ed.). London: Jawbone Books. p. 258. ISBN 978-1-906002-25-1.
  3. ^ Williams, Lewis (2006). Scott Walker - The Rhymes of Goodbye (1st ed.). London: Plexus. p. 105. ISBN 0-85965-395-1.
  4. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Review: The Moviegoer - Scott Walker". Allmusic. Retrieved June 22, 2010.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Moviegoer_(album)&oldid=1216929830"