Wicked Game is a compilation album by American singer and songwriter Chris Isaak, released in 1991 by WEA on the Reprise Records label in the UK, Europe and Australia. It contains 11 songs from Isaak's first three studio albums.
Background and content In early 1991, after the song "Wicked Game" went top 10 in the UK and top 15 in Australia, a division of Warner Music Group, WEA released the album Wicked Game. Compiled by Phil Knox-Roberts of WEA UK, it contains highlights of Isaak's recording career to that point. Three of the songs are taken from his 1985 debut album Silvertone: "Dancin, "Voodoo" and "Funeral in the Rain", four from his 1986 album, Chris Isaak: "Blue Hotel", "Lie to Me", "Heart Full of Soul" (a cover of The Yardbirds 1965 top 10 hit) and "You Owe Me Some Kind of Love", and four from 1989's Heart Shaped World: "Wicked Game", "Nothing's Changed", "Blue Spanish Sky" and "Heart Shaped World". An instrumental version of the song "Wicked Game", from the 1990 David Lynch film Wild at Heart, is also included. The album was released on CD and LP. "Blue Hotel" was re-released as a single in support of the album, reaching No. 17 in the UK and No. 23 in Australia.
Warner Music Canada eventually added Wicked Game to their regular CD catalogue after years of it being a steady import seller.
Video compilation A VHS video compilation containing five videos of Isaak's songs was released, including "Wicked Game" (directed by Herb Ritts), "Dancin (Mary Lambert), "You Owe Me Some Kind of Love" (Jean-Baptiste Mondino), "Blue Hotel" (Mark Lebon) and "Don't Make Me Dream About You" (Geoffrey Barish). "Don't Make Me Dream About You" from Heart Shaped World was not included on the Wicked Game album.
Track listing All tracks written by Chris Isaak, except where noted.
Personnel Adapted from the album's liner notes.
Musicians Chris Isaak – lead vocals, guitar James Calvin Wilsey – lead guitar Rowland Salley – bass guitar, vocals Kenney Dale Johnson – drums, vocals Prairie Prince, Chris Solberg, Pat Craig, Christine Wall, Cynthia Lloyd – additional musicians
Technical Erik Jacobsen – producer Mark Needham, Lee Hershchberg, Tom Mallon, Dave Carlson – engineering Ric Lopez – front cover photograph Michael Zagaris, Pamela Gentile – live band photographs Henry Diltz – additional photography Wherefore Art? – design Phil Knox-Roberts – album compiler
Charts
Weekly charts Chart (1991) Peak position
Year-end charts Chart (1991) Position Australian Albums (ARIA) 34 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) 15 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) 26 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) 36 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) 33
Certifications and sales
References