Chris Isaak,LP,Heart Shaped World,Reprise 25837-1,USA 1989 1stP,EX,"Wicked Game"
£
41
$
54
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Description
Chris Isaak
Rockabilly
Title and label: Heart Shaped World, Reprise 25837-1, 1989 USA 1st Press.
Condition of vinyl: EX
Matrix Side 1: 1-25837-A SR3 1-1 [SRC logo] [Artisan logo]
Matrix Side 2: 1-25837-B SR3 1-1 [SRC logo] [Artisan logo]
Condition of sleeve: EX Plus a double sided inner picture sleeve EX.
Heart Shaped World Review by Steve Huey
When filmmaker David Lynch backed a disquieting scene in Blue Velvet with Roy Orbison's "In Dreams," he demonstrated the eerie atmosphere behind its pre-'60s innocence.
Orbison disciple Chris Isaak played those qualities to the hilt in his shimmering, spare "Wicked Game," so it was no surprise when Lynch included the ballad in Wild at Heart.
What was surprising, given the fact that it sounded like nothing else on pop radio in 1990, was that "Wicked Game" became a breakout Top Ten hit, pushing Isaak's accompanying album Heart Shaped World to platinum status.
Of course, there's more than that one moody masterpiece of a single to recommend Heart Shaped World.
Isaak faithfully recreates his influences with production that's infinitely cleaner than Sun rock & roll, drawing more on its form than its attitude, but he's particularly suited to the sort of Orbison/Presley-style balladry that brought him a mass audience. His rich, sobbing croon is simply a gorgeous instrument, whether he's in a sonorous baritone or quavering falsetto.
And he uses that instrument to tremendous effect here, coming across as a brooding romantic with a broken heart and swoon-inducing style.
Of itself, Heart Shaped World is a pretty effective mood piece, showcasing Isaak doing a whole lot of what he does best.
He does attempt a couple of rockers, but they never really rock -- much like Orbison, it's clear that ballads are his true forte, and given the spirit Isaak wants to channel, the numbers feel much too tame.
But aside from that flaw, the rest of Heart Shaped World is a supremely elegant late-night soundtrack, equally suited to steamy romance or solitary heartache.
Side 1:
Heart Shaped World
I'm Not Waiting
Don't Make Me Dream About You
Kings Of The Highway
Wicked Game
Side 2:
Blue Spanish Sky
Wrong To Love You
Forever Young
Nothing's Changed
In The Heat Of The Jungle
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