Heart Shaped World

Chris Isaak

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 6, 1989)
• Original Release Date: June 13, 1989
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Reprise / Wea
• ASIN: B000002LGI
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #15,165 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording

Chris Isaak managed to turn his videogenic visage and brooding masculinity to his advantage in a big way, becoming a sort of MTV-era cross between James Dean and Elvis. Heady stuff, but don't hate him because he's beautiful. In fact, Isaak had been plying his trademark latter-day rockabilly sound for some years before the inclusion of "Wicked Game" in the David Lynch film Wild at Heart jolted sales of Heart Shaped World. (But the stylish Herb Ritts video certainly didn't hurt, either.) Still, the album is a moody gem, featuring the pensive title track, the smoldering "Blue Spanish Sky," and, of course, "Wicked Game." If you still doubt Isaak's good intentions, though, check out the album's rockin' finale, a fine version of Bo Diddley's "Diddley Daddy." --Daniel Durchholz

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wicked Heart, April 5, 2001

By	Thomas Magnum (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

Heart Shaped World was the album that made Chris Isaak a star, thanks to a song being included in David Lynch film. Mr. Isaak had released two critically acclaimed albums that sold poorly. Upon it's release in 1989, Heart Shaped World seemed destined to the same fate. But David Lynch used the dark and brooding song "Wicked Game" in his 1990 film Wild At Heart. The movie was heavily promoted and radio stations started playing the song. It really broke loose for the photogenic Mr. Isaak when MTV started playing the sexy black & white video for the song in late 1990 and over a year after the album's release, he finally had a much deserved top song and album. "Wicked Game" is a classic, but the album is full of equally great songs. The title track has a stinging guitar riff and an eerie reverb-filled vocal, "Blue Spanish Sky" has a slow, languid rhythm punctuated by a Latin jazz horn fill at the end, "In The Heart Of The Jungle" is a lengthy number with screeching feedback and fuzz guitars and a wild vocal, "Diddly Daddy" is a rockabilly rave up and "Wrong To Love You" may be the best song on the album and has a perfect vocal from Mr. Isaak. Heart Shaped World has so far turned out to be his only top ten album, but its success has helped keep an unique talent from sinking into obscurity and have a moderate degree of success despite making music that is far from the mainstream.

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Isaak's best and richest CD, June 1, 2000

By	kireviewer (Sunnyvale, Ca United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

About the other Chris Isaak CD's, I have written that one CD is nearly indistinquishable from the next. They all have some brooding numbers, some rockabilly numbers, some country influenced numbers and some rockers. I also wrote that the self-titled CD "Chris Isaak" may be the best one and that "Speak of the Devil" was the most musically complex CD. Then I relistened to "Heart Shaped World", after not playing it for a year.

"Heart Shaped World" still sounds like a typical Isaak CD, but it stands out from the rest. It is the richest, most musically complex CD. Each song tends to grab you and stay with you. This is opposed to the other CD's where most of the songs are good but forgettable. Plus it has three monster tracks (including Wicked Game) while the other CD's only have one or two.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A rare combination: musical talent & sexual magnetism, May 15, 2002

By	29-year old wallflower "Eric N Andrews" (West Lafayette, IN) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

When Chris Isaak debuted with his first album SILVERTONE in 1985, he was definitely an anomaly. In the time when everyone was going electronic & a song wasn't complete without the synthesizer arrangements, Chris's backtrack approach to music was light years away. His influences were only as recent as the early 1960s & his voice was definitely inspired by Roy Orbison. Because it wasn't the flavor of the month, SILVERTONE had to settle for critical acclaim than commercial, jeopardizing the self-titled follow-up that came in 1986.

However, Chris didn't give in to the times & released his 3rd album HEART SHAPED WORLD in 1989. Again, it seemed like another "under-the-radar" record that would be loved by critics & a small amount of fans without any mainstream exposure. Then the following year, David Lynch used the song "Wicked Game" in a pivotal scene in his 1990 film WILD AT HEART. While the film was not a box office success, Chris's record label decided to take a chance & release the song as a single. Excellent move, for it became a top 10 hit & gave both HEART SHAPED WORLD & Chris Isaak's career a much-needed shot in the arm. Of course, the classically erotic video for "Wicked Game" had a hand in it, too. This guy who couldn't even get a gold record was now a sex symbol!

However, "Wicked Game" isn't the extent of HEART SHAPED WORLD, which even now is probably Chris's best album. True to his idol Roy Orbison, Chris mostly concentrates on moody ballads that go well with both a broken heart & a late-night love session. The title track, the Spanish-laced "Blue Spanish Sky" (does that horn solo spell seduction or what?), "Nothing's Changed", "I'm Not Waiting" & "Don't Make Me Dream About You" are the perfect songs to either cry in your beer to or woo your mate, whichever comes first.

Still, Chris can rock out as good as anyone, it's just he prefers to do it only in moderation. HEART SHAPED WORLD has some of Chris's best uptempo tunes with "Wrong To Love You", "Kings Of The Highway", "Forever Young" & "In The Heat Of The Jungle" (the scariest 6 minutes you'll ever hear). Furthermore, the cover of Bo Diddley's "Diddley Daddy" is surprisingly faithful, considering that as an idol to most rockers from the 1960s, he was more butchered than celebrated.

It took a while, but Chris Isaak finally got the acclaim he had deserved ever since his 1985 debut. While it was thanks more to his sex appeal than his musical abilities, you have to take it where you can get it, I guess. But after the novelty died down, HEART SHAPED WORLD was still a great piece of music & a good introduction to an artist who deserved a breakthrough all along. Even better, it proved a sex symbol can have much more going for them than their looks.