Best Of Chris Isaak

Chris Isaak | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 9, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Reprise / Wea
• ASIN: B000E5N63E
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (115 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #19,143 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. San Francisco Days

2. Somebody’s Crying

3. Wicked Game

4. Baby Did A Bad Bad Thing

5. Let Me Down Easy

6. Two Hearts

7. King Without A Castle

8. Only The Lonely

9. Speak Of The Devil

10. Blue Spanish Sky

11. You Owe Me Some Kind Of Love

12. Can’t Do A Thing (To Stop Me)

13. Let’s Have A Party

14. Dancin'

15. Blue Hotel

16. Please

17. I Want You To Want Me

18. Forever Blue (Acoustic Version)

Editorial Reviews

Chris Isaak begins his third decade as one of the most distinctive recording artists- and the epitome of modern cool-with his first career-spanning retrospective. Best of Chris Isaak CD features every hit, led by "Wicked Game," and including many fan favorites such as "Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing," plus four previously unreleased tracks.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great introduction to Isaak's music, but a second volume is needed June 20, 2006

By James E. Bagley

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

An intoxicating mix of Elvis Presley's early rockabilly and Roy Orbison's haunted crooning, Chris Isaak has maintained a sizable following over 21 years and nine albums despite having only one real pop hit, "Wicked Game." While all of his albums are inconsistent, they each contain plenty of highlights, making this 18-track Best Of long overdue.

Isaak wrote most of the songs on his albums except for the Baja Sessions project. Sometimes he's subtle ("Blue Spanish Sky," "Let Me Down Easy"), sometimes he rocks ("You Owe Me Some Kind Of Love," "Blue Hotel"). Occasionally, he builds from restrained to rowdy within the same recording ("Somebody's Crying," "Please") or breaks the musical mold completely, as with the sexy growler "Baby Did A Bad, Bad Thing." Almost always, though, he sings about heartbreak.

Along with the aforementioned Isaak classics, Best Of includes four previously unreleased tracks. The bluesy brooder "King With A Castle" and the boisterous relationship ender "Let's Have A Party" are nice additions to the Isaak catalog, and an acoustic version of "Forever Blue" is even lovelier than the original, but a live, noisy cover of Cheap Trick's "I Want You To Want Me" fails to approach the standard of the other enclosed recordings.

While far from a staple on the pop charts, the versatile Isaak has occasionally charted on other radio formats, with "Don't Make Me Dream About You" hitting at Modern Rock and his cover of Neil Diamond's "Solitary Man" making an impact at Adult Contemporary. Both are unfortunately omitted here. Other notably absent singles - which failed to chart, but remain fan favorites - include the rousing Yardbirds' remake of "Heart Full Of Soul," the hard rocking "Go Walking Down There," the breezy "Think Of Tomorrow," and the eerie "Graduation Day."

Isaak made some high-profile soundtrack contributions that were also ignored here. They include the secret agent parody "Suspicion Of Love" from Married To The Mob, the wistful "I Wonder" from Tin Cup, and the ultra-catchy "American Boy" which served as the theme for Isaak's acclaimed Showtime series. The quality of these omissions is such Reprise/Rhino could easily compile another 18-track set from Isaak's catalog that would be just as good. And hopefully they will, in the not too distant future.

The Best of Chris Isaak is also available in a two-disc edition containing a DVD with 18 music videos, some of which don't appear on the music CD. Fans familiar with Isaak's quirky humor will surely love the commentary that he provides for each video.

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Talented musician... and funny too! May 16, 2006

By Albert G. Smith Jr.

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

I'm a latecomer to the music of Chris Isaak. Sure, I saw the video for "Wicked game" and thought it was good, but I never bought any albums until about a year ago. While going through a break up, I was seeking out music to drown my sorrow, and was given the suggestion to check out Isaak. I bought one album, and after a couple of listenings, went back and bought three more. I swear, he was writing about my particular situation in several songs. For those that wish to know that they are not alone when feeling the pain of unrequited love, or if you feel that you were "done wrong" by your girl, these are your songs. Besides the subject matter, it doesn't hurt that the band can actually play, and Isaak can actually sing. In a world of manufactured "stars", it is nice to know that some musicians can actually do music.

As for the DVD part of this combo set, it is very well done. Technically, it is basic 2.0 stereo, which was a bit of a let down in a world of 5.1 surround sound, but this is not a limitation. I played the disc in 2.0 and it sounded pretty good. I then set my receiver to Dolby Pro-Logic II, and the sound got even better. It might not be true 5.1, but the music engulfed me and was very balanced from all of the speakers. In short, as I said, the rendering is not a limitation for listening enjoyment. One very unusual thing for a music DVD is the inclusion of Isaak's commentary for each song. I thought this might be some ego driven thing, but no. Chris Isaak is very funny. He has a dry, self-depreciating style of humor that is devoid of ego. The music alone is great, but the commentary is also terrific. Besides the commentary during the songs, also check out the "preamble", where Isaak very cleverly makes light of the production value. While watching very low tech pencil drawings of Isaak and his band in the studio, hear Issak's voice saying, "we were going to use film, and then hand puppets, then they gave me this pencil." And his request to the viewer about to watch the videos which span many years, "While watching the videos, see if you can see when in out career we became bitter." Funny stuff in the context of the visual.

The bottom line, this is a fine "get to know Chris Isaak" set for the uninitiated, and for fans, a chance to hear and watch the music from this talented group. You might also find, as I have, that he is also a very funny guy.

58 of 65 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Best Of? May 9, 2006

By R. M. Ettinger VINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD

Best of collections are so subjective. What is `best of' by my standards isn't what others might find an artists' best work. Obviously Isaak can't have a `greatest hits' collection - b/c it would unfortunately be a cd single.

`Best of Chris Isaak' isn't definitive, but it's a good start. Isaak is a talented vocalist and guitarist - yet somehow remains under the radar. I blame radio for their single-mindedness in programming practices. You'd think "Wicked Game" would have bought him some leeway - but it did not.

Most of his albums have a decent representation here, but again, it's not definitive. As many good songs that are on here, there are an equal number of great things left off. Again, though subjective, what would make it a `best of' for me are numerous - but some of the highlights would have been "Lie to Me", "Don't Make Me Dream About You", "Another Idea", "Wrong to Love You", "Heart Full of Soul" and "Talk to Me" (and that's just for starters).

You know - this probably could have been a double disk.

Since it's not my `best of' selections - I'll give him four stars. But for the consumer who hasn't owned any of his work, this would be the purchase for them.