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| Popmatters |
 In a recent interview with Billboard, Chris Isaak noted that if somebody asked him, “What do you know about better than anything else?,” he’d respond with, “Sun Studios.” He then added, “Those guys—Elvis, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, that’s what I’m made of. That’s in my DNA.”That Isaak’s music has been shaped by those artists is no surprise to anyone. Their imprint is all over his career. Isaak’s voice ranges from the angelic falsetto of Orbison to the country sneer of Elvis. His guitar riffs are often drenched in glorious reverb, much like those of Scotty Moore. And even his pompadour and garb look straight from mid-century Beale Street. Isaak isn’t just influenced by the classic Sun Studio roster—he’s their west coast offspring. Isaak’s statement to Billboard, though, is revealing in that it underscores an equally pertinent fact: beyond being influenced by Sun Studio and its artists, Isaak actually possesses a scholar’s knowledge of the studio and its legacy. Not only is Isaak familiar with how those classic Sun tracks arrived at their sound, he’s also familiar with the more obscure artists that recorded at Sam Phillips’ famed studio. For these reasons, Isaak is particularly equipped to take on his latest project, Beyond the Sun. Largely recorded at Sun Studio, the album features Isaak’s versions of some of rock n’ roll’s greatest songs by artists who got their starts at Phillips’ studio. Relying on his knowledge of the equipment, techniques, and arrangements used in the recording of these songs, Isaak is able to render versions that are both faithful to the originals yet unique to his own artistic vision....full text |
| Covermesongs |
| It’s unsettling to think what might have become (or not become) of rock music if not for one man in Memphis and his modest recording studio. The talent that Sam Phillips welcomed into his Memphis Recording Service in the early 1950s was legendary and included B.B. King, Rufus Thomas, Howlin’ Wolf, Junior Parker and Ike Turner. These early blues and R&B artists gave Phillips and his fledgling label, Sun Records, some minor notoriety that would soon attract rock, country and rockabilly upstarts such as Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and of course, Elvis Presley. His willingness to produce raw-sounding records featuring reverb and distortion caused some to say Phillips didn’t know what he was doing, and others to praise his unique genius. Perhaps Phillips’ biggest stroke of genius was seeing the potential in the young Presley boy that just kept hanging around. Pairing Elvis with guitarist Scotty Moore and Bill Black on bass in the summer of 1954 initially led to a lackluster session until, after a break, Elvis began goofing around with Arthur Crudup’s “That’s All Right.” Instantly Phillips knew he was hearing something special – the white artist with the “negro” sound that he had been seeking. Chris Isaak grew up in a Stockton, California home featuring a cupboard of his parents’ 1950s rockabilly records. While his friends liked whatever pop music was on the radio, Isaak spent his time and his allowance picking through stacks of old records at yard sales and second-hand stores. He was always especially excited to find a cast-off Sun Records disc, since most folks didn’t throw those away very often. With his friends in T-shirts and bell bottoms, Isaak attended class in his thrift store garb: hot pink shirt with matching socks, black slacks and alligator shoes. Although Isaak and his band would occasionally play Sun Records songs at soundchecks or as encores, he was careful to not cover them on his early albums, so as not to be pigeonholed as a nostalgia artist. Encouraged by a Sam Phillips interview he read in a magazine in 2000 (Phillips said Isaak was one of the few contemporary artists he enjoyed listening to) Isaak decided it would be okay to record a Sun Records tribute....full text |
| Allmusic |
| Some albums are so obvious it’s a wonder they didn’t exist before, and so it is with Chris Isaak's Beyond the Sun, a double-disc salute to the classic rock & roll label Sun Records. Ever since his first album, Isaak has exhibited an enormous debt to the titans who recorded at Sun, particularly Roy Orbison and Elvis Presley, whose work is showcased heavily here. Isaak doesn’t stick strictly to songs released on Sun -- he covers “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” which Presley did not release during his time on Sun -- but he doesn’t stick to the obvious, either, finding excellent songs from the likes of Warren Smith. Still, Elvis rules the roost, not only in terms of songs covered, but in approach. Isaak croons like the King, smoothing out the rough edges of Carl Perkins' “Dixie Fried” and Jerry Lee's “Great Balls of Fire,” smoothing them out enough to push them to a smoky, late-night torch song. Beyond the Sun plays it cool and plays it authentic -- these aren’t reinterpretations, but sincere homages -- and if this doesn’t have much grit, it has plenty of style and heart....full text |
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