Scott 4 [band]

[Peacock Johnson]

Been meaning to do a thread on these for a while.

I only got into the band with the European Punks LP joint album with Magic Car after reading a review that made it sound right up my street, which it was - it's a great album that got/gets very regular plays (have had to but it twice in fact). The Scott 4 stuff is the strongest on there and especially the two long gospel-y tracks.

So on the back of that I bought up their back catalogue and their The Works LP really is their masterpiece - as the title suggests it is a kitchen sink kinda album full of various styles of songs but works as a coherent whole.

After a hiatus following ..Punks they returned as the Scott 4 Free Rock Orchestra with the album ESP which is a great funky pop album.  And then that was that.

During lockdown I fully revisited the catalogue and collected all their singles which they were a great band for, the A-sides were usually different versions to the album track and, they were full of great B-sides (a fantastic 22 minute version of "You Set The Scene", "Sony" and "Famished" being favourites).

I actually ended up in touch with Scott Blixen the main songwriter and singer from the band and he sent me a CD of unreleased material and a written piece about the band, both of which are great. Scott did intimate he was working on new music...

...and in the last few weeks he duly released a new album on Bandcamp under his new moniker Crisp Wolves (working with his son) which is a great little electro album (there having always been an electronic tinge to latter Scott 4 stuff plus, Scott himself contributed to Electronic Sounds magazine).  More Crisp Wolves stuff to follow seemingly.

From what I see online Scott 4 tend to get labelled "underated" a lot. I love their body of work, including the new stuff - any other fans?

[dontpaintyourteeth]

They're one of those bands that I remember getting mentioned in Select a lot but I never heard their music.

This is a rubbish first reply, sorry

[wrec]

Tremendous band name. I had the Your Kingdom to Dust CD single, from a time when a 22 minute b-side felt like a real act of generosity.

[holyzombiejesus]

I worked in a second hand record shop when these first appeared and one of the managers really liked them, to the extent that he went and bought a load of new copuies of one of their records, to stash in the store room until the price soared. It was the only time I ever saw a manager do that.

30 copies from £1.64

[phantom_power]

The only ones I have heard are Recorded in State and Works Project and both are great. Neither are on Spotify, which is annoying

[Brundle-Fly]

Tremendous band name.

It's a ghastly name. It's like calling your band 'McCartney II' or something?

[Kankurette]

They're one of those bands that I remember getting mentioned in Select a lot but I never heard their music.

This is a rubbish first reply, sorry

Same, and the main thing I remember about Scott Blixen is him often wearing a cowboy hat, but I'm intrigued now.

ETA: European Punks reminds me of Van Dyke Parks a bit.

[TheAssassin]

It's a ghastly name. It's like calling your band 'McCartney II' or something?

Except there was never an album called McCartney II.

[SpiderChrist]

Except there was never an album called McCartney II.

There must be an amazing joke here that I'm completely missing.

[kalowski]

Except there was never an album called McCartney II.

Paul is shocked to hear this...


I do think you are setting your stall out calling yourself Scott 4. If there's nothing in your song list as good as The Old Man's Back Again you're too fucked to show.

[billyandthecloneasaurus]

What a fucking stupid band name

[wrec]

I do think you are setting your stall out calling yourself Scott 4. If there's nothing in your song list as good as The Old Man's Back Again you're too fucked to show.

I heard of them around the time I was getting into Scott. Nowadays every Gen Z whippersnapper has the lyrics to SDSS1416+13B (Zercon, A Flagpole Sitter) tattooed on their neck but Scott's stock was pretty low at the time (though Tilt was probably the start of a slow revival), so it made for an intriguing, slightly cult reference. The name is an obvious tribute but there's also significant audacity to it, and it's impressive how the Scott-led trio didn't opt for the name Scott 3. It also fulfils the B-Sharps rule of being slightly less funny every time you hear it.

I remember a friend being horrified after hearing them - but at least they got a reaction out of him. He gave them exactly what they wanted, you've got to give them that. He played right into their hands.

NB I happen not to have listened to the band this century or ever heard their album(s). Also got burned out on pre-Nite Flights Scott and haven't listened to it for years.

The exact opposite of that name is Death Cab for Cutie, a band who appropriated a Bonzos title seemingly without any interest in or indebtedness to that band.

[Elderly Sumo Prophecy]

Ironically none of them are called Scott, and there's actually 17 of them.

[Kankurette]

I thought they got their name from Scott Blixen and it was years later that I realised it was a Scott Walker reference. Whoops.

[Peacock Johnson]

...and in the last few weeks he duly released a new album on Bandcamp under his new moniker Crisp Wolves (working with his son) which is a great little electro album (there having always been an electronic tinge to latter Scott 4 stuff plus, Scott himself contributed to Electronic Sounds magazine).  More Crisp Wolves stuff to follow seemingly.

The Crisp Wolves stuff is now on Spotify and, YouTube