Chris Isaak In Paradise
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So there I was, on this huge Cruise ship, staring at the glistening turquoise water, waves heading for the beach in Grand Turk, where boys and girls played chicken with the water, when Chris Isaak began to sing. The song was “Wicked Game,” the hit that catapulted him from obscurity to mainstream success back in 1991.
Rockin' Chris Isaak. In most of the public areas of the ship they play a steady stream of ‘80s and early ‘90s MOR sounds, pop songs such as Culture Club’s “Miss Me Blind,” and Sting’s “Moon Over Bourbon Street.” Sometimes they up the ante and blast bass-heavy techno or reggae. But mostly it’s bad pop music.But this time it was Chris Isaak. I love Chris Isaak’s music, particularly his first three albums: Silvertone, Chris Isaak and Heart Shaped World (the one with “Wicked Game”). These days, in the wake of “The Chris Isaak Show,” most people probably don’t think ‘edgy’ when they hear Chris Isaak’s name. Nothing like a huge hit to take the edge off.But I hear the heart of rock ‘n’ roll when I listen to my favorite Isaak songs, the ones he recorded when James Calvin Wilsey was in the band, lending his reverb-heavy riffs to Isaak’s sound.The first time I saw Isaak was in the ‘80s, before he had a record deal. He was playing the Berkeley Square, a new wave/punk club in Berkeley. His sound was raw ‘50s/early-‘60s styled rock ‘n’ roll. One song, which Isaak and Wilsey both sang, had a distinct Everly Brothers feel. Others, like “Blue Hotel,” reminded me (still remind me) of Elvis and Roy Orbison. The songs are exquisitely crafted. If you listen to those first three albums now, songs such as “You Owe Me Some Kind of Love” and “Lie To Me” and “Tears” and “The Lonely Ones” and “Funeral In The Rain,” will knock you out. If you’re open to what Isaak was doing. In those days, his manager/producer was Erik Jacobsen. When Jacobsen was a young man in his twenties, he produced a string of hits for the Lovin’ Spoonful. Jacobsen is a perfectionist, the kind of record producer who will record and record and record and then re-record until the song, the arrangement and the performance come together.I wrote a lot of stories about Isaak including his first mention in Rolling Stone, and a Rolling Stone cover story after “Wicked Game” propelled him into the big time.You probably remember the “Wicked Game” video, Chris and a hot model rolling in the sand on some pristine beach.Isaak’s music brings to mind walking along pristine beaches. But this time the beach was already there. “Wicked Game” simply provided the prefect soundtrack.
Rockin' Chris Isaak. In most of the public areas of the ship they play a steady stream of ‘80s and early ‘90s MOR sounds, pop songs such as Culture Club’s “Miss Me Blind,” and Sting’s “Moon Over Bourbon Street.” Sometimes they up the ante and blast bass-heavy techno or reggae. But mostly it’s bad pop music.But this time it was Chris Isaak. I love Chris Isaak’s music, particularly his first three albums: Silvertone, Chris Isaak and Heart Shaped World (the one with “Wicked Game”). These days, in the wake of “The Chris Isaak Show,” most people probably don’t think ‘edgy’ when they hear Chris Isaak’s name. Nothing like a huge hit to take the edge off.But I hear the heart of rock ‘n’ roll when I listen to my favorite Isaak songs, the ones he recorded when James Calvin Wilsey was in the band, lending his reverb-heavy riffs to Isaak’s sound.The first time I saw Isaak was in the ‘80s, before he had a record deal. He was playing the Berkeley Square, a new wave/punk club in Berkeley. His sound was raw ‘50s/early-‘60s styled rock ‘n’ roll. One song, which Isaak and Wilsey both sang, had a distinct Everly Brothers feel. Others, like “Blue Hotel,” reminded me (still remind me) of Elvis and Roy Orbison. The songs are exquisitely crafted. If you listen to those first three albums now, songs such as “You Owe Me Some Kind of Love” and “Lie To Me” and “Tears” and “The Lonely Ones” and “Funeral In The Rain,” will knock you out. If you’re open to what Isaak was doing. In those days, his manager/producer was Erik Jacobsen. When Jacobsen was a young man in his twenties, he produced a string of hits for the Lovin’ Spoonful. Jacobsen is a perfectionist, the kind of record producer who will record and record and record and then re-record until the song, the arrangement and the performance come together.I wrote a lot of stories about Isaak including his first mention in Rolling Stone, and a Rolling Stone cover story after “Wicked Game” propelled him into the big time.You probably remember the “Wicked Game” video, Chris and a hot model rolling in the sand on some pristine beach.Isaak’s music brings to mind walking along pristine beaches. But this time the beach was already there. “Wicked Game” simply provided the prefect soundtrack.
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