|
|
So...what exactly is this? Well, it's $4 at Used Kids (har har har.)
I mean, It's not exactly that mysterious. It's obviously a curiosity that came out to capitalize on The Walker Brother's success. It's mostly instrumental (only "I Came To Dance With You," "Without Your Love," and "Lottin Dottin Da Da" have vocals, although "Swingin' At The Batcave" has some weird ambient yapping in the background.) Passable, but nothing worth hunting down. I only mention it here because I had never really heard about it before.
Four tracks are credited to Engel/Stewart ("Chick's Choice," "Wallflower," "Without Your Love," and "Nashville.") Scott's voice isn't really audible in the harmonies, although it seems I can pick a BIT of him up on "I Only Came To Dance With You." The rest of the tracks are credited to other composers.
Also, rumor has it that this is a complete fraud...John Maus, not John Stewart, was in the Walker Brothers...and some even think Scott's not on this recording! Yow...(thanks to Sandra Jenkinson for bringing this to my attemtion...)
But to further clarify, here's the liner notes on the back, grammatical errors and all (which are probably copyrighted, although I can't imagine anyone protesting. But if they do, I'll take 'em offa here. Well, I don't mean the errors are coyprighted...oh, never mind.)
Here in one collection are the instrumental amd vocal recordings made by the phenomenal John Stewart and Scott Engel during the period of their first tremendous acclaim.
Today John and Scott (along with Gary Leeds) are celebrated the world over, and especially in England and America, as the smash recording trio The Walker Brothers. This album presents the great songs John and Scott recorded as a duo when they were known as The Dalton Brothers: including Chick's Choice, Without Your Love, Swingin' At The Batcave, the romantic title song I Only Came To Dance With You, and many more. For their fans, this album will represent an indispensable memento of the boys' astounding success story-as well as a rich bounty of wonderful music from two enormous talents. And this is a success story with a suprising twist.
John and Scott first met in high school, when both played in the same orchestra. John went on to El Camino College, Scott to the California Institute of Art in Los Angeles, but they stayed friends, and formed their Dalton Brothers act in Los Angeles in April of 1963. Their impact as entertainers was immediately evifent: Their "singles" recordings amd club dates won them a strong and fervent following.
In 1965 John and Scott added Gary Leeds to their act, took note of the event by rechristening themselves The Walker Brothers, went into the famed Gazzari's on the Sunset Strip on a long-term contract, and became television favorites on "Hollywood-a-Go-Go." Then came the innocent career decision that was to rocket them to world fame.
It was suggested the boys make a three-weeks promotional tour of the British Isles, to win a modest fan following over there. What really resulted was beyond anybody's wildest hopes. Their recording of "Make It Easy On Yourself" shot to Number One position (sic) on the English popularity charts, and they were greeted all over the British Isles by what one English paper called "fan fever." Another publication wrote that a mere announcement that The Walker Brothers would appear generated "fan hysteria"-the kind usually reserved for the Beatles and The Rolling Stones.
What had happened was a rare reversal of the success story so common today. Again and again in the past three years, British rock 'n' Roll groups have "made it big" by coming to the States. Here was an instance of an American group finding success beyond their dreams, winning international renown, by going to England.
But these tremendously gifted guys have always been a wild recording group. And here are the sensational 1963 and '64 recordings of John Stewart and Scott Engel-then the Dalton Brothers-to prove it!
Back Home Scott 1 Scott 2 Scott 3 Scott 4 Til The Band Comes In I Threw It All... Climate Of... Tilt
The Godlike Genius... It's Raining Today
(WB) Introducing... (WB) The Sun... (WB) No Regrets (WB) Nite Flights (?) I Only Came...