Forever Blue

Chris Isaak

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 23, 1995)
• Original Release Date: May 23, 1995
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Reprise / Wea
• ASIN: B000002MWG
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (80 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #14,457 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

With his singular retro-rock vision, Chris Isaak had already graduated from cult figure to music-video heartthrob when he delivered this 1995 album. But if all the surface elements are intact, he has assimilated his chief vocal influences, Orbison and Elvis, even further, and Isaak's songs dig even deeper into his favorite subject, heartbreak, to shorten the distance between writer and singer. "Baby Did a Bad, Bad Thing," the set's opener, employs the same growling rock-speak as George Thorogood's notorious "Bad to the Bone," but without a trace of irony--Isaak lashes the listener with the torment of a betrayed lover, telegraphing fear, desire, and anguish as he wheels from rumbling accusations to keening falsetto cries. Elsewhere, he withdraws to the more lyrical croon of his previous work, his band wreathed with the throbbing tremolo and ghostly reverb that are their natural elements. There's a folk-rock jangle to the lovely, forlorn "Somebody's Crying," a disarming directness to the simple but aching title song, and another burst of fevered agony, "Go Walking Down There,"which gallops over a perfect mid-'60s guitar arrangement. For all its letter-perfect allusiveness, though, Forever Blue feels authentically heartbroken, not just cleverly crafted. --Sam Sutherland

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Forever Blue is THE Chris Isaak album to own!, May 2, 2004

By	Moses Alexander (Alabama, USA) - See all my reviews

I've been a Chris Isaak fan for over a decade or so, and I'd say that "Forever Blue" is undoubtedly his best album. "Baja Sessions," "Heart Shaped World" and "San Francisco Days" are amazing (and his other albums are really quality too), but "Forever Blue" stands head and shoulders above them all. Every song on it is top notch, the songs on the album fit very well together thematically, and there's a great range of material on it.

"Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing" opens the record with a gritty guitar line. Up next is "Somebody's Crying" which is a sweet sounding pop tune, but one that actually relays a tale of heartbreak. "Go Walking Down There" is probably the most aggressive song Isaac's ever written and finds him railing against someone that broke his heart and the song has a hypnotic, driving beat. The title track "Forever Blue" is a quiet ditty with guitar and the lightest percussion. It is the ultimate mopey breakup song. This is the song I would always put on repeat when I'd split up with somebody and it helped get me through some tough times. "Goin' Nowhere" is a sarcastic tune that finds him over his grief and is actually funny because he's just ripping on this girl.

The album incorporates driving rock, quiet ditties, country-esque steel guitar and a host of other great things. This is the ultimate breakup record. It will lift you up when things have gone splitsville. More importantly, its Chris Isaak at his musical finest.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chris's masterpiece, October 15, 2000

By A Customer

I own all of Chris Isaak's albums (and some non-album tracks). I have come to consider Forever Blue to be Chris's true masterpiece. Not only are there no bad songs, every song is a heartbroken gem, full of wonderful hooks and sung with emotional power. This is one heck of an album. Isaak wrote this one right after the break-up with his girlfriend, and sometimes depression brings out the best music.

The band is excellent throughout, silky smooth on the ballads and absolutely smoking on the faster tunes such as "Go Walking Down There."

I enjoy all of Isaak's albums, but Forever Blue is the one I keep coming back to the most. Some of his other albums have songs that, while never actually "bad" songs, annoy me at times: "Voodoo" on Silvertone, "Wild Love" on his self-titled album, "In The Heat Of The Jungle" on Heart-Shaped World, "Round and Round" on San Francisco Days, "Like The Way She Moves" on Speak Of The Devil. Not so with Forever Blue. This is one album I enjoy thoroughly from beginning to end. (Baja Sessions also comes in at a very close second.)

Anyway, just buy it! This is the perfect introduction to Isaak's work.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kind Of Blue, December 21, 2000

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

Forever Blue continues Chris Isaak's streak of making winning retro-rock albums. This album doesn't vary from any of his previous releases, but who cares. Mr. Isaak and his band, Silvertone, are a well oiled machine and Forever Blue is a polished, high quality release. "Baby Did A Bad Bad Thing" is a raunchy rocker that simmers and comes to an explosive boil. "Somebody's Crying" is a jangling rocker while "Graduation Day" is a spooky, haunting tune. "Go Walking Down There" is another pounding and driving number. The title track is a soft lullaby and is one of the best vocals performances of his career. If you like Chris Isaak, then Forever Blue is a must have and if you're not a fan, then this is a great introduction to his work.