taking sides: Scott Walker singing Brel vs Momus singing Brel

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I think it's Momus by a nose. Scott way too schmaltzy. What say you?

― jacky, Thursday, 17 June 2004 09:28 (twenty-two years ago)

I say Marc Almond!

― Hanna (Hanna), Thursday, 17 June 2004 09:32 (twenty-two years ago)

I'll go for Brel singing Brel.

― Jonathan Z. (Joanthan Z.), Thursday, 17 June 2004 09:37 (twenty-two years ago)

I say, the schmaltzier the better and side with Scott Walker. But anyone covering Brel is fine by me.

― Charlie Rose (Charlie Rose), Thursday, 17 June 2004 10:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Alex Harvey doing Next obviously.

― tigerclawskank, Thursday, 17 June 2004 10:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Dusty

― Jim Eaton-Terry (Jim E-T), Thursday, 17 June 2004 10:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Scott Walker used pre-existing translations of variable quality, whereas Momus actually bothered to write his own translations/reinterpretations. Which happen to be rather good:

Suppose someday in Bromley, Kent
I live my nightmare and I'm sent
To sing for blonde suburban women
Before the wives of double glazers
I'd be Julio Iglesias doing the greats in Argentinian
Suppose they Barry Manilow me
Saying show me you're a man
With legs as mottled as salami
I'd say 'Ladies I'm doing the best I can '.

― thing of thing, Thursday, 17 June 2004 11:05 (twenty-two years ago)

Marc Almond seconded
http://www.servifans.com/marc_almond2.jpg

― Rob Bolton (Rob Bolton), Thursday, 17 June 2004 11:07 (twenty-two years ago)

Scott Walker used pre-existing translations of variable quality, whereas Momus actually bothered to write his own translations/reinterpretations.

In defense of Scott, it was the 1960's after all. That's like calling Bootsy Collins for not using the Mutron pedal when he was with James Brown...

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Thursday, 17 June 2004 13:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Most of those translations were by Mort Shuman and are actually quite good. "If You Go Away" is by Rod McKuen and is, by definition, shite

― Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 17 June 2004 16:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Scott Walker singing anything is better than Momus!! How bout a Death Metal Covers LP!!

― brg30 (brg30), Friday, 18 June 2004 09:53 (twenty-two years ago)

Yes, the Mort Shuman translations are pretty good - "authentic queers and phony virgins" indeed!

― Jonathan Z. (Joanthan Z.), Friday, 18 June 2004 09:59 (twenty-two years ago)

one year passes...

where are the momus versions?

anyway i'm reviving to say that the scott sings brel album is i think far and away the best thing i've ever heard from scott walker. i'm especially mad for "the girls and the dogs" but the wry turns on "next" are fantastic too. i mean yeah melodramatic, but the arrangements! so precise! the range of inflection! pardon the pop-theory but every track is like a crash course in dialogism. is each line in quotes, sideways quotes, winking quotes, bold quotes, quotes with sidelong glances to other quotes, etc.

also the album cover -- omg.

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Saturday, 11 March 2006 02:43 (twenty years ago)

And another cheer for Almond (why didn't I say anything before, I wonder).

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 11 March 2006 02:52 (twenty years ago)

i have to admit i don't love brel's own singing voice that much. maybe it'll grow on me. i hate momus's voice, although sometimes his arrangements are ok and his translation trumps rod mckuen's. and after all that...scott's brel covers...hm...i must admit i don't listen too much to those first 3 lps these days...and when i do it's scott's originals that stand out.

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Saturday, 11 March 2006 03:04 (twenty years ago)

i haven't heard either, but i vote for scott walker.

― killy (baby lenin pin), Saturday, 11 March 2006 06:36 (twenty years ago)

Anybody heard the original cast recording of the stage show "Jacques Brel is alive and well and living in Paris"? Heard about it in an interview with Marco Pirroni(!) It was a significant hit in the sixties. I'd guess it's the source of the most commonly-used translations of their songs, and of their currency in English from that point on. I've been tempted to buy, but it's never been quite cheap enough or easy enough to find . . having said that, there was even a DVD of the stage production on offer in Avalanche not so long ago.

― Soukesian, Saturday, 11 March 2006 16:21 (twenty years ago)

I dislike marc almond and hate alex harvey

― RJG (RJG), Saturday, 11 March 2006 16:29 (twenty years ago)

momus' take on jacky

http://s38.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3DV76FR2JOUT32ILGDYQY4B3HL

much better than walker's version..

― 1234567go, Saturday, 11 March 2006 16:35 (twenty years ago)

"I dislike marc almond and hate alex harvey"

They always spoke very highly of you!

― Soukesian, Saturday, 11 March 2006 16:42 (twenty years ago)

fifteen years pass...

I remember buying the cassette of this album for, like, 25p in a library sale because it had this cover version on it. It's a good one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHVU6dQBkKE

― Duncan Disorderly (Tom D.), Monday, 12 April 2021 15:55 (five years ago)

one year passes...

Scott Walker’s version of “Mathilde” rules so hard…omg i fucking *love* it!

― j.o.h.n. in evanston (john. a resident of chicago.), Wednesday, 21 December 2022 03:09 (three years ago)

Yeah it's great.

― Daniel_Rf, Wednesday, 21 December 2022 11:54 (three years ago)

I also love that its one of the few TV performances that have survived!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMlV2KfgxIw

― Mark G, Wednesday, 21 December 2022 11:59 (three years ago)

so good

― ꙮ (map), Wednesday, 21 December 2022 12:58 (three years ago)

oooo it's a good time of year to dip back into those first four scott records

― ꙮ (map), Wednesday, 21 December 2022 12:58 (three years ago)

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