Nite Flights (album)

Nite Flights is the sixth and final studio album by the American pop group the Walker Brothers, released in July 1978 by GTO Records. Unlike their previous two albums which consisted almost entirely of cover versions, each member of the group wrote songs for Nite Flights; two by Gary Walker with Scott Walker and John Walker each contributing four. "The Electrician" was released as a single from the album. The four Scott-penned tracks were released on that year's Shutout EP.

Nite Flights
Studio album by
The Walker Brothers
ReleasedJuly 1978
RecordedFebruary 1978
StudioScorpio Sound, London
GenreArt pop, new wave, avant-pop
LabelGTO
Producer
The Walker Brothers chronology
Lines
(1976)		 Nite Flights
(1978)		 No Regrets – The Best of Scott Walker and The Walker Brothers 1965–1976
(1992)
Scott Walker chronology
Lines
(1976)		 Nite Flights
(1978)		 Climate of Hunter
(1984)
Singles from Nite Flights
  1. "The Electrician"
    Released: July 1978

Recording

The album was recorded in February 1978 in the UK at Scorpio Sound, London, England.

Content

Nite Flights was the last album the trio recorded as a group, although the structure of the album, effectively split into three sections in which each member writes and sings, has led to both critics and band members describing it as more akin to three miniature solo albums than a true group album.

The album is most notable for the first four songs, all written and sung by Scott Walker—his first original material since his 1970 solo album 'Til the Band Comes In, all of them notably darker in tone than the rest of the album, indicating the direction in which his later solo work would head.

The artwork was designed by Hipgnosis.

Release

Nite Flights was released in July 1978, through record label GTO. "The Electrician" was released as a single backed with "Den Haague", but did not chart. Scott Walker's four songs were also released as Shutout E.P. in 1978, under the Walker Brothers name.

Nite Flights was long out of print until the mid-1990s when it was re-released as a budget CD. In 2001, two outtakes from the Nite Flights sessions surfaced on the compilation album If You Could Hear Me Now. "The Ballad" written by John Walker is a complete song, the second outtake, "Tokyo Rimshot" is an unfinished instrumental written by Scott Walker.

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Trouser Pressfavorable[1]

In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Dave Thompson wrote, "Every once in a while, an album comes along that doesn't simply surprise you, it takes you down an alleyway, rips off all your clothes, then hares away with your socks on its head, singing selections from South Pacific."[2]

Midge Ure claimed that "The Electrician" inspired him to write Ultravox's "Vienna".[2]

Track listing
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Shutout"Scott Engel2:46
2."Fat Mama Kick"Scott Engel2:57
3."Nite Flights"Scott Engel4:25
4."The Electrician"Scott Engel6:10
5."Death of Romance"Gary Leeds3:44
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."Den Haague"Gary Leeds4:03
7."Rhythms of Vision"John Maus2:55
8."Disciples of Death"John Maus3:49
9."Fury and the Fire"John Maus3:58
10."Child of Flames"John Maus3:14

Personnel

Release details
Country Date Label Format Catalog
United Kingdom 1978 GTO Records Vinyl GTLP 033
1996 Columbia Records CD 484438 2
Netherlands 1978 GTO Records Vinyl 2321 133

References
  1. Neate, Wilson. "TrouserPress.com :: Scott Walker". TrouserPress.com. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
  2. Dave Thompson. "The Walker Brothers Nite Flights". allmusic.com.
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