Scott Walker : Jackie

God love Jacques Brel, because he really needs it. Every song is drenched in that bitter Gallic sense of cynicism and bile, shot through with the gaudy spangle of the Moulin Rouge. But it's so good. In "Jackie", as he fantasizes about the splendor that would accompany his meteoric rise to the top of the charts as a famous rock star, he writes about getting drunk, owning a bordello, smoking opium, queers, virgins and singing to the ladies in heaven with a giant flowing beard; you know, all that rock star stuff. Ironically, he had a couple of hits here in the states with "Ne me quitte pas" and "Seasons in the Sun", though I have no idea if he ever bought the whorehouse.

Scott Walker was a big hit in the UK, first with the Walker Brothers, then as a solo artist. The brothers had a minor hit here in the states with a Bacharach tune, but other than that, they never disturbed the charts. "Jackie" hit #20 in the UK, which I assume means it got a lot of airplay, which considering the lyrical content, I find amazing. Also, it's no mystery as to why it never got played over here. Scott loved Jacques Brel, and sang three of his songs on each of his first three solo LPs.

Anyway, this piece is a pretty typical Walker/Brel workout. The tune kicks in right away with the strings, horns and other orchestral trappings, as well as a martial beat that runs constantly throughout. Scott dives right in with his beautiful deep baritone, singing with the perfect mixture of glory and scorn, fluffed up with just a touch of reverb. The song drives forward relentlessly, with the orchestra pounding away and Scott just singing his heart out.

I love this song. I want to start a band just so I could cover this song. I like it so much, I'd be willing to sing it at a karaoke joint. (Note: Not really.) The orchestration is superb, the lyrics are astounding, and Scott's delivery is just top notch.

You can find this tune on Scott Walker's 1968 release, Scott 2. Oddly enough, it doesn't look like there are any compilations out there.

[You can listen to Scott Walker's "Jackie" by navigating to the post "Song048" and clicking or right-clicking on the title or the link.]

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Jethro Tull : For a Thousand Mothers

I think Jethro Tull gets a bit of a bum rap in the rock world. Maybe it's because, while half their songs rock heavy ("Aqualung", "Hymn 43", "Cross-Eyed Mary"), the other half sounds like they were stolen from the local Renaissance Faire. Or, maybe it's because they stole the first Heavy Metal Grammy out from under Metallica's "One", even though Metallica had completely blown the song out live on-stage for the Grammy audience not more than fifteen minutes previous.

But Tull (as the fanboys call them) can throw down some serious licks. Say what you will, but their heavy songs are heavy, full of slightly broken proggy blues riffs and furious drumming. And of course, props to Ian Anderson for actually making the flute work as a rock instrument. He gets that thing howling as angrily as any sax or guitar out there. I once knew a flautist who hated Jethro Tull because Ian just played the flute wrong, to which I can only say, "Well, fuck you then" because you're missing the whole point of rock music in the first place.

Speaking of fuck-you's, even though the title sounds like a tribute, it's not exactly Mother's Day material. This piece is a bit of a kiss off to all the mothers and fathers out there who cast doubts on the dreams of their offspring. He's made it, and he's picking you up at eight in his limo to remind you just how seriously wrong you were.

"For a Thousand Mothers" is a serious rocker, with a prog bent. The guitar hammers the riffs hard and is matched in lockstep by the bass and drums, grooving on this 6/8 (maybe 12/8?) rhythm that shifts back and forth between twos and threes. Meanwhile, Ian shreds his flute, seriously pushing it to the limits with all sorts of nasty overtones crashing over the top. There's even a killer post-verse breakdown with just unaccompanied flute. And on top of all this, Ian delivers his parental kiss-off, which is thinly disguised by a rather nice melody. Very hummable.

Then, finally, after the song has been sung and the music fades, they go at it some more. It sounds like they looked at each other and decided, "Screw it, let's jam some more," and they kick it back into gear and jam for another sixty seconds or so, which unfortunately gets the fade out a second time.

You can find "For a Thousand Mothers" on Jethro Tull's 1968 release, Stand Up, which is a great LP, even with all the fay medieval stuff.

Actually, that's stuff's nice too. I just don't want you to think I'm a pansy.

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