Perhaps the greatest proof that the song "Jesse" -- on
Scott Walker's 2006 opus to beautiful weirdness, empty space, and percussion nightmares
The Drift -- is anchored in his fascination with
Elvis is "The Livin' End"'s placement as the opening track on
Humble Beginnings, a rockabilly tune disguised as an R&B number recorded in 1958, when
Scott Engle was 15. The same confusion and crackling tense energy
Presley revealed on his early sides, the very thing that made them so vital, is here, though without the mentor's masked self-assuredness and confused yet raw sexuality. What's really weird is that this track was written by
Henry Mancini with
Rod McKuen! The flip, "Good for Nothin'" was written by
Randy Sparks. These two cuts are the hardest-rocking
Engle ever got, and they feel completely unhinged. His ferocious faux-Southern vocal style may have resembled
Ronnie Dawson, but it was
Presley rockabilly worship pure and simple (the smashing pompadour on the cover is evidence enough). The remainder of these 18 sides were recorded for the fledgling Orbit label in Los Angeles, shortly after
Engel moved there form Ohio with his mother. There is another rocker, though not quite as intense as the former two or the original --
Johnny Burnette's "Comin' Home" -- but it tries hard anyway, The cheesy background vocals destroy the mix. The foreshadowing of
Engle's excess as a balladeer can be heard on
Burnette's "I Don't Wanna Know," there is a tremendous expression against the guitars and the skittering brushed snare. Production schlock is everywhere present on
McKuen's "Sing Boy Sing," but though much higher -- we're talking reedy tenor here -- the voice is already there (though he's off-key on the refrains). Right. The rest is all white-boy teen ballads and really bad attempts at faux doo wop. Ultimately, very few people will actually be interested in these sides, but for any serious music nut or fanatic
Walker fan, this package with its copious liners by
Bill Dahl will be irresistible.
–
Thom Jurek, Rovi