Maps of Music

Silvertone (1985)

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

The album carries the name of the band that made it, yet only guitarist James Calvin Wilsey is credited on it.

Place unknown

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Band line-up from 1980 to 1982: Isaak (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Wilsey (lead guitar, backing vocals), Jamie Ayers (upright bass), John Silvers (drums)
The band joined veteran producer Erik Jacobsen within a year of forming and signed with his production company
Jacobsen drew Warner Bros. Records to the band; the label gave a small budget for demos, and neither side was happy with them
Isaak fired Silvers in 1982 and Ayers a year later
Isaak promoted the release with multi-week residencies at the Nightbreak club in San Francisco and the Anti-Club in Los Angeles, then toured clubs in North America and Europe

Recording began in earnest in 1983 and ended in 1984
Jacobsen financed the sessions himself
Session drummers Prairie Prince and Jim Keltner and bassist Chris Solberg took part
Pee Wee Ellis plays saxophone

Isaak conceived the cover photograph as an homage to Elvis Presley's 1958 single sleeve for "Don't"
Front cover photography by Rick Lopez

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).

Spanish Wikipedia: despite no radio or MTV support, figures such as John Fogerty projected Isaak as a rising star
Album sold poorly in the US but became a minor hit in Australia
Australia: peak of number 77 in June 1986
Spanish Wikipedia: the album never reached foreign charts except Australia, where it built a loyal fan base

US sales: approximately 14,000 copies at release
Sales reached 147,000 copies by 2006
Spanish Wikipedia cites Nielsen SoundScan for the 2006 figure, which covers US sales only
Australia: peak of number 77 in June 1986

Bassist Jamie Ayers later claimed that his bass parts on two tracks stayed on the final album without credit; Jacobsen said this was possible but could not remember for certain.
Warner Bros. persuaded the band to downplay the Silvertone name to avoid a lawsuit from Sears, which held a trademark on the name for consumer electronics and musical instruments.
The band's original name was dropped from the album credit after a licensing problem, according to Spanish Wikipedia, and the act toured as Chris Isaak and Silvertone.
The album's first chart success came from the film soundtrack route: Isaak's later partnership with David Lynch began with songs used in film.