Maps of Music

Christmas (2004)

Where the lyrics of Christmas take you, and where it was really made.

Chris Isaak's Christmas album came out in October 2004, in the same period that his own Showtime series ended.

Place unknown

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Christmas: 2004 holiday album by Chris Isaak
Released 12 October 2004 on Warner Bros. Records (Spanish Wikipedia also names Reprise and Isaak's own imprint Wicked Game)
Sixteen tracks mixing standard Christmas songs with Isaak's own compositions
Standards include Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Blue Christmas, The Christmas Song, Let It Snow, White Christmas, Mele Kalikimaka and Auld Lang Syne
Isaak originals include Washington Square, Hey Santa!, Christmas on TV, Brightest Star and Gotta Be Good
Track listing credits Isaak as composer of all tracks except where indicated

Isaak featured his cover of Blue Christmas in live setlists in the months before release
Release coincided with the end of his Showtime program, The Chris Isaak Show
Promotion included a special PBS presentation with guests Michael Bublé, Brian McKnight and Stevie Nicks

Mark Needham credited for recording and mixing
Core band: Chris Isaak (vocals, guitar), Hershel Yatovitz (guitar, vocals), Rowland Salley (bass, vocals), Kenney Dale Johnson (drums, vocals)
Stevie Nicks guests on vocals and percussion
Additional musicians: Jamie Muhoberac, Jimmy Pugh, Mark Isham, Patrick Warren, Rafael Padilla, Robin DiMaggio, Scott Plunkett
Backing vocals: Bob Joyce, David Joyce, Jon Joyce, Walt Harrah

1	Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer	2:12
2	Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas	3:10
3	Santa Claus Is Coming to Town	2:30
4	Washington Square	3:22
5	Blue Christmas	2:20
6	The Christmas Song	2:47
7	Hey Santa!	2:43
8	Let It Snow	2:29
9	Christmas On TV	2:19
10	Pretty Paper	2:33
11	White Christmas	2:32
12	Mele Kalikimaka	1:56
13	Brightest Star	3:03
14	Last Month of the Year	2:14
15	Gotta Be Good	2:42
16	Auld Lang Syne	1:09

Christopher Joseph Isaak, born June 26, 1956, in Stockton, California.
After college he formed his first band, Silvertone, a rockabilly group; the name came from the Silvertone guitar brand popular in the 1950s.
The group remained his permanent backing band.

Original Silvertone members included James Calvin Wilsey (guitar), Jamie Ayres (bass), and John Silvers (drums).
Ayres and Silvers were later replaced by Rowland Salley (bass) and Kenney Dale Johnson (drums).

Signed with Warner Bros. Records in 1985 and released the debut album Silvertone to critical acclaim.
Known for a reverb-heavy rockabilly revivalist style and a wide vocal range; often compared to Roy Orbison, Elvis Presley, Ricky Nelson, and Duane Eddy.
His breakthrough and signature song is "Wicked Game" (1989 album Heart Shaped World), which became a national top 10 hit in 1991.
Other international hits include "Blue Hotel", "Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing", and "Somebody's Crying".
Has released 13 studio albums over four decades.
Worked closely with director David Lynch, who used his music in several films; Isaak acted in Lynch's Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me.
Starred in the sitcom The Chris Isaak Show (2001-2004) and hosted the talk show The Chris Isaak Hour (2009).

Released 12 October 2004 on Warner Bros. Records
Spanish Wikipedia lists Reprise as label, with Isaak's own imprint Wicked Game
Release coincided with the end of Isaak's Showtime program, The Chris Isaak Show
Before release, Isaak performed his cover of Blue Christmas in live setlists
Promotion included a special PBS presentation with guests Michael Bublé, Brian McKnight and Stevie Nicks
Sixteen tracks with a combined running time of 40:01
Stevie Nicks appears on vocals and percussion
Recording and mixing credited to Mark Needham

Nielsen SoundScan figures for August 2006: 152,000 copies sold in the United States alone, per Spanish Wikipedia
The sales figure covers the United States only
No chart positions or certifications are given in the sources

Isaak performed his cover of Blue Christmas in live setlists in the months before the album appeared
The album's release period overlapped with the end of his Showtime program
The PBS special featured Michael Bublé, Brian McKnight and Stevie Nicks as guests
Nielsen SoundScan counted 152,000 US sales as of August 2006
Stevie Nicks sang and played percussion on the album