Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
BY MELISSA RUGGIERI
Surely you remember the album cover.
Stark black and white. Close up of a chiseled face with smoldering eyes surrounded by the popped collar of a black jacket.
Simple. Classic.
That was “Reckless.”
Bryan Adams’ landmark 12 million-selling album turned 30 in November – yes, Gen X-ers, it’s OK to start the hand wringing at that realization – and to celebrate, he and his band are unveiling the whole thing live.
At least that will be the first part of his concert, which opens the season at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park in Alpharetta on Friday.
Then comes a heaping – or, really, a sampling because it would take all night to play them all – of Adams’ myriad other hits, the ones that are etched in our DNA, such as “Cuts Like a Knife,” “This Time” and the power ballad to end all power ballads, “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You.”
Adams, 55, checked in recently from a tour stop in Latvia – he’s now in the U.S. through August – to talk about the durability of “Reckless,” his photography career and with whom he’d like to record.
Q: Does it feel like “Reckless” is 30 years old?
A: I love the songs. It's a lot of fun because having its anniversary has brought a lot of the older songs back into the fray, songs we don't usually play.
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Q: You did a lot of stripped down shows the past few years. How hard is it to go between that and shows with a full band?
A: It's not difficult at all. That's what I've been doing for years. I'd do the summer with the band and it's a very different vibe. The new tour with the band was completely revamped summer of last year in anticipation of the 30th anniversary of "Reckless," so it will be fun to be out with there.
Q: Do you like being on the road?
A: I like it for a limited amount of time. My tour in the U.S. is 10 days a month… I can deal with being anywhere for 10 days.
Q: You have two young kids (Bunny, almost 4 and Lula, 2), which must make it hard to leave.
A: It's difficult to go away, but it's fun when you come home.
Q: What do you remember about recording “Reckless”?
A: It was a lot of work. I was on a tour/write/record treadmill in the beginning of the '80s and it culminated with this album. It was a great feeling because I knew there were certain songs that I knew would be received really well. Some have stood the test of time so much so that they have a younger audience now. This album is a testament to the amount of the time Jim Vallance and I spent songwriting, and also that the record is performed with real musicians, not with computers. It's a very real-sounding record. That's the way I've always recorded, to my detriment perhaps, since nowadays people are used to hearing things very produced. I forayed into dance music a few times, and it's always been interesting, but ultimately I always wind up back here.
Q: There were six massive hits from that album (“Run to You,” “Kids Wanna Rock,” “Somebody,” “Summer of ’69,” “One Night Love Affair,” “It’s Only Love”). Seven if you count the re-release of “Heaven.” Do you think that success could be reproduced in today’s music climate?
A: I don't think "Reckless" would have survived today. But then again, it's hard to say. I've had other hits, but nothing to the size of the magnitude of "Reckless." I've had bigger hits – "Summer of '69" – wasn't really a hit outside of America and Canada. But now when you play it overseas, it's like it was a massive hit. Time has given it a place in history. I put the longevity down to the songs having solid arrangements. People have migrated to them.
Q: With your long career, have you ever been approached to judge one of the singing talent shows?
A: Lots of times.
Q: So it’s just not your thing?
A: No. It's an enormous amount of time to commit to. Secondly, I don't like judging people and thirdly, and most importantly, very few acts have come out of those shows that have been reputable. It's kind of just a TV show. I don't necessarily want to be on a TV show. I like to fly below the radar, so the idea of being on TV and having to judge people, it's just not my thing. But I've always enjoyed watching Simon Cowell because he was brutally honest.
Q: Your side career as a photographer has included a lot of interesting topics. What do you still hope to capture for a future book or exhibit?
A: It's perfect for me, what I'm doing. I'm doing another book this year (of abstract photography). I'll probably continue to make books and create portfolios. If I commit to something, I do it all the way. In the same way I'm dedicated to my music, I'm dedicated to photography.
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Q: Do you shoot a lot on the road?
A: I keep a camera onstage. If I see something bizarre, I can take a picture of it. I just started doing it, so I missed out on a lot of things!
Q: I remember when you did backup vocals on Glass Tiger’s “Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone).” Is there anyone out there now you’d like to do something with?
A: I wouldn't mind doing a song with Taylor Swift. That would be nice. I think it would be cool.
Bryan Adams. 8 p.m. April 17. $19.50-$99.50. Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park, 2200 Encore Parkway, Alpharetta. 1-800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com.
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