Hi, folks. Rich here to mention a cover song I didn't see coming at the time.
The Yardbirds' recording career wasn't terribly prolific, but virtually everything they recorded with Jeff Beck playing lead guitar was a masterpiece. And, normally, it would be hard for me to classify any cover version of a Beck-era Yardbirds' single as better than the original.
However . . .
In 1987 Chris Isaak slowed down the tempo of "Heart Full of Soul," and with Chris's sultry baritone accompanied by the moody surf-oriented guitar of James Calvin Wilsey, their version of The Yardbirds' classic sounds like a perfect soundtrack for a modern neo-noir film.
Don't you think so, too?
James Calvin Wilsey should have a statue or something, somewhere. He is to Chris Isaak as Steve Stevens is to Billy Idol; without him, Isaak sold a lot less records.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more, Steve. When I first heard Chris Isaak back in the early '80s, the thing that drew me to him was the tasty-ness of his guitar player. His playing wasn't flashy, but it was always silky smooth and sultry -- the perfect fit (in my mind) for Chris's seductive voice.
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