A 1981 compilation of Scott’s recordings of Jacques Brel’s songs. I have them all on his previous albums, in fact it even duplicates the sleeve from “Scott”, so although there is nothing new here it’s cool to have them all in one place.

Brel was Belgian and wrote orchestrated, theatrical songs in the style known in the French speaking world as Chanson (literally “song” in French), a style of French language song that became popular in the 50’s and 60’s which concentrates on the lyrics and the rhythms of the French language rather than making concessions to English. This made Brel incredibly popular in France and Belgium and eventually around the world. His most famous song is probably "Ne me quitte pas" which was translated into English as “If You Go Away”. The song has been recorded an estimated 1400 different times in 52 languages ! His songs have been recorded by artists as varied as Frank Sinatra, David Bowie, Dusty Springfield, the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Marlene Dietrich and of course Scott Walker.

Two Brel songs, “Mathilde” b/w “My Death”, made up Scotts debut solo single in Japan and “If You Go Away” was issued as a single there too. “Jackie” was a #22 hit in the UK so it’s clear to see Scott really liked these songs. Even in their English translations there is something very European/French about their sound and the language used in the lyrics. They don’t feel at all English.

The Girls And The Dogs - https://youtu.be/8p70xFGQTOs?si=Q_A67237mZ8z0eSg