Welcome fellow Otaku & Metalheads.....to my first every Music Overview!
That’s right, for the first time ever I’m handing the format I’ve been using since 2015 over to music that isn’t the genre I love with all of my heart. To be honest, I’ve been thinking about doing something like this for years, but never really thought about the right kind of artist. Well, with my dear friend Al’s birthday being this month, I figured now was as good a time as any to see if this experiment will work, and I picked quite the musician to try this with. Though he was a relic of the 1990s, this classically trained individual got a shot later in his life, and in turn became a recognizable figure not just in the world of Jazz, but of European Techno if you can believe it (Even managed to get a foothold in Japan for a brief period if you can believe it). So, get on your finest suit, walk on over to the nearest Jazz Club or Dance Hall, and enjoy my look at the iconic Scatman John. Let’s begin!
John Larkin (1986)
It was in March the 13th in the year of our lord, 1942, that John Larkin was born in the town of El Monte, California. By the time he learned how to speak, he found out that a severe stutter, and this led to an exceptionally traumatic childhood (He almost killed some bullies in a fit of rage, but was saved by his Dad). By the time he was 12, he was learning to play the Piano, and when he was 14, he was introduced to the art of Scat Singing by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong records, as well as a few others. The piano playing was particularly important to him, as Mr. Larkin said that it was a way to hide his voice, and he “Hid behind the piano because he was scared to speak”.
Fast forward to 1981, and the future Scatman first musical performance would be on the album Animal Sounds by Sam Phipps, who would be a future member of the iconic New Wave group Oingo Boingo. In 1986, he would release a self-titled Jazz album on the Transition record label, with the record itself being recorded by both him & his wife (Marcia Larkin). The release also featured the saxaphone playing of Joe Farrell, who I believe died after this album came out.
Best Track? I don’t know why, but Mr. Larkin’s tribute to Jazz legend John Coltrain stood out to me. There’s nothing in the way of instrumentation, save for piano playing that’s dramatic & loud in places, and Mr. Larkin’s singing has a big crooner sound and feel to it, even during the scat singing parts. The piano work can be a little intense upon listening to it for the first time, but once you get into it.....it’s quite the experience.
John Coltrain
Worst Track? Kinda like when I looked at the Rock Against Bush albums from last month, your enjoyment of this release will all depend on whether or not you like Jazz. If you like the style, then this record is essential, but you’ll definitely ignore it if you don’t like the style. Simple as that!
John Larkin. A nice & simple Jazz LP that has plenty of that old-school vibes, but it wouldn’t be until nearly a decade later that he really would gain ground in the music world, and would cement him in internet meme history a few decades afterwards. Next album!
Scatman’s World (1995)
In 1990, John Larkin moved to Berlin, Germany to advance his music career. When he got there, he discovered that the city really appreciated Jazz Culture, and began playing a few gigs once he got settled in. It was during these gigs that he decided to take a giant step from his speaking issues and incorporated singing into his act for the very first time, and was met with a standing ovation for a performance at the Cafe Moscow in Berlin. It was around then that his agent from Iceberg Records in Denmark (Manfred Zähringer) got the idea to combine scat singing with modern dance music and hip hop effects. John wasn’t on board at first, as he was terrified of being laughed at criticized again, but BMG Hamburg was open to the concept.
Mr. Larkin was worried that listeners would realize the stuttering, but his wife Judy suggested that he sang about it on the album, and that’s what he did. Working with dance producers Tony Catania and Ingo Kays, John would record his first single (More on that below), and after it became a big success, the persona of Scatman John was born!
As for the album itself, the release known as Scatman’s World would be released on July the 10th, 1995. Based loosely around the imaginary Utopian society known simply as "Scatland", the record would go on to be highly popular worldwide. In particular, Scatman’s World would become incredibly successful in Japan, where it would reach no. 2 on their music charts and stay there for 40 weeks, selling more than 1,560,000 copies, and ranked among the top twenty best-selling records of all time in the country recorded by a non-Japanese artist. Ironically, the title track would have a resurgence in recent years due to becoming an internet meme, but anyway that the Scatman can be discovered is a-okay in my book!
Best Track? I think anyone from my generation that got into Scatman John more that likely found him through the song simply titled Scatman. The beats & rhythms from the dance music and the hip hop effects are incredibly catchy, and the Scatman’s singing, while a little rough in some small spots, actually meshes with the music really well! Even the message within the track can really connect with some people.....hokey as it is.
Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop)
Worst Track? Look, I love Scatman’s World from top to bottom. Like a few other albums I’ve come across, this release is an example of two musical styles that should absolutely NOT mix together at all, yet the end result is nothing short of a pleasant surprise. Possibly the only hindrance potential fans might have would be the lyrical content, and let me just say that the Scatman goes full-blown Mr. Rogers when it comes to what he’s singing about. Peace, love, bridging racial divides, our just about any other stereo-typically hippish belief, and yet I don’t hold it against him at all! Mr. Larkin is incredibly sincere with the message he’s trying to convey with his music, and even the most cold-hearted in individuals out there will feel.....something.
Scatman’s World. A meeting of two music genres that should not be able to get along, but end up becoming surprisingly close friends, complete with a vocalist that’s giving it his all. The lyrical content might be sickeningly sweet most of the time, but if you take an insulin shot you’ll be fine. Next album!
Everybody Jam (1996)
Released on November the 25th, 1996, the second release on a major label (3rd release overall) was a little bit of a backpedal when compared to the scorching hot first release. Everybody Jam’s singles didn’t have as much of a success as the ones that came before in Europe (It would be No. 45 in Switzerland), gaining him the title of a two-hit wonder. Meanwhile in Japan, Mr. Larkin would continue to achieve more success than practically anywhere else in the world, with the album reaching no. 17 on the country’s music charts, and it would stay there for 9 weeks. Not only that, but the Japanese exclusive singles Pripri Scat and Su Su Su Super Ki Re i charted really well.
Best Track? The title track to this album quickly qualifies as the best track for me. A tribute to the legendary trumpeter Louis Armstrong, Everybody Jam is just a happy little tune. Filled with Techno-enhanced trumpet playing, it’s a wonderful complement to the Scatman’s singing, and the whole thing really captures that New Orleans style of Jazz, as the track was also a tribute to that area’s take on the style. If you’re not dancing or even smiling just a little bit, then this song just won’t work for you!
Everybody Jam
Worst Track? Just like Scatman’s World, the music on Everybody Jam is incredibly likeable, and continues to show off how Jazz/Scat-Singing & European Techno work as well as they do. Once again, the only theoretic fault this album would have is how diabetes inducing the lyrics can be. Pretty much any subject matter that the Scatman covered on his first album comes back in spades, and you better be ready for the blood in your veins to turn into red-colored syrup!
Everybody Jam. If you loved Scatman’s World, then you’ll love this record. However, the good times were sadly not meant to last for the Scatman, and it just a few short years some bad times would be coming in. Next album.
Take Your Time (1999)
By 1998, it seemed that the time of the Scatman was mostly done. Outside of Japan, where he managed to maintain a grip on that country’s zeitgeist with his music, his popularity took a hit. However, perhaps the biggest hit would come during one of his concerts, where he collapsed on stage. At first people thought it was part of the act, but that immediately changed when he was taken out of the arena. Not long after that, it was discovered that he had been singing & performing with Lung Cancer. This was a pretty big blow to Mr. Larkin, but he managed to pull himself up hard, and went back into the studio to record what would ultimately become his final output.
Released on the 1st of June, 1999 (6 months before he died, btw), Take Your Time did not have any music videos made, on account of his deteriorating health. TYT would go on to have 4 singles: Scatmambo was used in the German film Love Scenes from Planet Earth, Japan would get the double A side single of The Chickadee Song & the title track, and Take Your Time the tune would be released in multiple European countries (A six track version, then a four track version with a memorial caption on the cover after his passing). Finally, Ichi Ni San....Go! was released as a three track single in Europe, proving to be popular in Germany.
Best Track? Dream Again is something of an oddity on this album. Where as a majority of the tracks before it have a faster pace, this one has a laid-back & relaxed attitude to it. The instrumentation has a beach thing going for it, what with the simplistic drums & sound of the ocean waves and seagulls coming in at certain times. Even the Scatman’s singing is scaled back, as he sings at an equally relaxed pace when put alongside the drumming. Perhaps more than anything from his prior 2 albums, Dream Again is the most peaceful song that John Larkin ever sang in his entire career.
Dream Again
Worst Track? Even if he didn’t get Lung Cancer & die from it, there’s just this vibe on Take Your Time that scream out the word “Final”. From beginning to end, there is this feeling that the dream that was Scatman John is coming to an end. That maybe, just maybe, there was something in the back of the Scatman’s mind that was telling him the stagelight was going to turn off for the final time, and he was to end it all in style.....and end it in style he did.
A second fault would be the accompanying female vocalist, and it’s not because she’s bad. I can’t recall her name as I’m typing this, but she actually does a really good job on a massive majority of Take Your Time’s songs. The fault with her is that he presence takes away from Mr. Larkin’s singing, and in turn unintentionally takes some of the spotlight away from him. To play Devil’s Advocate, I suspect that she was brought on to help the Scatman with singing duty, which isn’t a surprise since he was suffering from lung cancer for a few months by this point. If that was the case, then I can’t hold it against the Scatman at all, as he probably needed the help.
Take Your Time. All good things must come to an end, but for the Scatman he managed to end it all on a damn good note. If you wanted Scatman John to have a streak of black in the mix, then you’ll get a kick out of this release. However, even when the Scatman left for the big Jazz café in the sky, there was one final message he would send to the citizens of Scatland. Next album!
Listen to the Scatman (2001/1990)
Released on the 11 of December, 2001, Listen To The Scatman was a collection of Jazz recordings that John Larkin had recorded all the way back in 1990, which in turn makes this release the “Lost” album of his discography. It’s actually pretty difficult to find information on this record, as this was probably put out to capitalize on the then still fairly recent passing of the Scatman’s death, but maybe that’s just my personal take.
Best Track? I have to give it up to the title track of this album, which oddly ends this release. Listen To The Scatman comes across like a prototype of what would appear on future albums: you have the Scatman’s patented singing style, complete with plenty of techno beats & rhythms, and strangely enough there’s also some disco-like guitars accompanying everything. At first it feels like a confusing mess, but after a few seconds it all congeals into a weird but pleasant whole.
Listen To The Scatman
Worst Track? To be perfectly honest, Listen To The Scatman doesn’t have a bad song on it. Like everything that came before it, there was a lot of love & care put into the music, and it shows! If there was one thing to complain about, I would say that the production quality wasn’t enhanced upon it’s release, and as such has a dated feel to it. Over 20 years since it’s release, and the dated feel has only gotten worst on certain tracks.
Listen To The Scatman. Like Made In Heaven from the iconic Queen, it was nice to hear Scatman John’s voice one final time, even if the words came from before his fame & fortune. Definitely a curious record to listen to if you’re curious.
And that was my look at Scatman John, as well as the conclusion to my first ever Music Overview. In a time where life is clearly going down the tanker, I think the message of a Scat singer with a stutter is needed now more than ever, and with the passing of Judy Larkin at the beginning of 2023, the two are reunited once again. Now, for those of you who are of the metallic persuasion, I got a mini Metal Overview coming in a few days, and it’s of a band that my friend Al actually got the one up on me with. See you soon!
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If you’re curious about listening to these albums, then click on the links below:
John Larkin
Scatman’s World
Everybody Jam
Take Your Time
Listen To The Scatman
Also, if you’d like to learn about Mr. Larkin’s history with stuttering, as well as an interview with him, check out the link below:
The Stammer Of Success (Tedium)
Scatman John - Interview with MTV Europe (Unaired footage, 1995)
