Scott Walker - Sings Songs From The Movies (1972)

Scott Walker was the master of the majestic ballad...and where better to find these songs than at the movies. It was such an obvious place to source the sort of songs that he loved that he released an album very much along these lines in 1972, with his 'The Moviegoer' record, collecting a dozen songs from movies old and new, and giving them the distinctive Walker treatment. This album is a sort of follow-up to that one, as although it does include a few songs from 'The Moviegoer', it also has themes from other films which never made it to that release. People might have forgotten that songs like 'The Look Of Love' actually featured in 1967's 'Casino Royale', or that 'I Will Wait For You' came from 1964's 'The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg', as they have since become classic songs in their own right. I didn't even realise that the theme from 'The Godfather' had lyrics until I heard this version, as I'd only ever heard instrumental takes before. I would have loved to include 'The Impossible Dream' from 1972's 'The Man Of La Mancha', but it just didn't seem to fit with the general vibe of the album, which is also why songs like 'Joe Hill' and 'All His Children' had to go. We are therefore left with a beautiful collection of ballads which can only go some way to consolidating the 'godlike genius' epithet which was bestowed upon him before his sad death a few weeks ago at the age of 76.  

Track listing

01 I Will Wait For You (from 'The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg')
02 I Have Dreamed (from 'The King And I')
03 Come Saturday Morning (theme from 'Pookie')
04 The Look Of Love (from 'Casino Royale')
05 The Gentle Rain (theme from 'The Gentle Rain')
06 That Night (theme from 'The Fox')
07 I Still See You (love theme from 'The Go-Between')
08 The Summer Knows (theme from 'Summer of '42')
09 If She Walked Into My Life (from 'Mame')
10 Loss Of Love (theme from 'Sunflower')
11 Glory Road (theme from 'W.U.S.A.')
12 Easy Come, Easy Go (theme from 'They Shoot Horses, Don't They?')
13 Speak Softly Love (theme from 'The Godfather')
14 The Ballad Of Sacco And Vanzetti (theme from 'Sacco And Vanzetti')