Best of Chris Isaak

by Chris Isaak

Overview

In many ways, Chris Isaak is a perfect candidate for a "best-of" compilation: he has been consistent over the years, not only in the quality of his output but in his music, which hasn't strayed much from the sweetly moody retro-pop -- part Elvis, a large part Roy Orbison, a small part early Neil Diamond -- he essayed on his 1985 debut, Silvertone. As such, his records can be a little interchangeable, but even the bad ones are enjoyable, and when they're mixed and matched as they are here on his first-ever compilation, they hold together as well as if it were a proper album. Not that Best of Chris Isaak is exactly a "greatest-hits" -- he only had seven charting Billboard singles, and three of them aren't here; it's understandable that the 2004 Christmas tune "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" isn't here, but 1989's "Don't Make Me Dream About You" and 1995's "Go Walking Down There," while not big hits, may be missed by some casual listeners, particularly since this is a generous 18-track compilation that finds space for such OK relative rarities as a cover of Cheap Trick's "I Want You to Want Me" and an acoustic version of "Forever Blue." But these are the kind of complaints that are found only if somebody is looking for flaws, since otherwise Best of Chris Isaak is an expertly chosen selection of his best easy-rolling, slyly sexy retro-pop, containing his four big hits ("Wicked Game," "Can't Do a Thing (To Stop Me)," "Somebody's Crying," "Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing") along with many of his best album tracks, like "San Francisco Days," "Two Hearts," "Speak of the Devil," "You Owe Me Some Kind of Love," and "Dancin'," among others. It's so well done and so comprehensive, it's easy to imagine that for many listeners -- particularly those who liked Isaak's style, whether musical or personal -- that this will be all the Chris Isaak they'll ever need. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	02/25/2022
Label:	Chris Isaak / Wicked Game
UPC:	0792755801123

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Chris Isaak   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals
Kenney Dale Johnson   Drums,Vocals
Jimmy Pugh   Organ (Hammond)
Chris Solberg   Bass
Rowland Salley   Bass,Guitar,Vocals,Guitar (Bass)
Pee Wee Ellis   Saxophone
Johnny Reno   Vocals,Saxophone
Prairie Prince   Drums
Hershel Yatovitz   Guitar,Vocals
James Calvin Wilsey   Guitar

Technical Credits

John Shanks   Audio Production,Producer
Chris Isaak   Audio Production,Composer,Lyricist,Producer,Illustrations
Eric Rosse   Audio Production,Producer
Erik Jacobsen   Audio Production,Producer
Stephen Bishop   Musician
Steve Ferrone   Musician
Jimmy Pugh   Musician
Kenny Aronoff   Musician
Stuart Mathis   Musician
Curt Bisquera   Musician
Jeff Watson   Musician
Mark Needham   Mixing,Engineer,Musician
Rick Nielsen   Composer
Jim Keltner   Musician
Roy Orbison   Composer,Lyricist
Tom Brumley   Musician
Brian Elliot   Composer
Nick Lashley   Musician
Danny Gatton   Musician
Dave Palmer   Musician
Brian Macleod   Musician
Pat Craig   Engineer
Dave Carlson   Engineer
Christine Wall   Musician
Mike Johnson   Engineer
Cynthia Lloyd   Musician
Poplar Haines   Musician
Mia Rose Antonelli   Musician
Rick Knoch   Musician
Matt Chamberlin   Musician
Bruce Gilmer   Arranger
Cynthia Corra   Musician
Patrick Warren   Musician
Paul Bushnell   Musician
Chris Solberg   Musician
Jack Joseph Puig   Mixing
Joe Melson   Composer,Lyricist
John Golden   Mastering
John Pierce   Musician
Johnny Reno   Musician
David Grissom   Musician
Waddy Wachtel   Musician
Joni Haastrup   Musician
Rob Cavallo   Producer
Pete Scaturro   Musician
Matt Chamberlain   Musician
Prairie Prince   Musician
Danny Clinch   Photography
Tom Mallon   Engineer
Bruce Kaphan   Musician
Terry Wood   Musician
Chris Lord-Alge   Mixing
Steve Hall   Mastering
Jamie Muhoberac   Musician
David Grisman   Musician
Lee Herschberg   Mixing,Engineer,Mixing Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Mark Goldenberg   Musician
Scott Plunkett   Musician
Aaron Chang   Photography
Frank Martin   Musician
Kathleen Philpott   Design
Saori Miyazaki   Photography
Stephen Walker   Design,Art Direction
Gregg Arreguin   Musician
James Calvin Wilsey   Musician
Jason Morgan   Musician
Mike Zagaris   Photography
Ron Thompson   Musician
Julie Lorch   Musician
Mary Dunaway   Musician
Wendy Waller   Musician