Blast From The Past (Reckless - Bryan Adams)

Member Name: NikkiH

Product:	Reckless - Bryan Adams
Date:	30/10/02 (75 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: More hits than you know what to do with

Disadvantages: The album fizzles out rather than going out with a bang

I have been really daring this week, and I have listened to some CD?s which I have never considered to be to my liking previously, but I have to give them at least one listen, otherwise I might be missing out on something. Now, I like Bryan Adams, the odd song is nice, but I have not heard any of his earlier stuff, so I decided to give ?Reckless? a go, actually two goes, as I am listening to it again, whilst I write this review, just to make sure I have not missed anything. Anyway, I can?t review anything new, because it probably has not been added to the site!

I researched the album, and was mildly surprised to discover that it is 18 years old. No wonder I had never heard it....Duran Duran were my heroes in 1984! Rock music was something the oldies listened to.... I was only 10...oldies were anyone 20 or over. The cover is a shadowy picture of Bryan Adams trying to look mean and moody.

?One Night Love Affair? opens proceedings, and it passes without incident. It does not impress, but it does not make me want to switch off either. It is the story of a boy and girl who meet and have a one night stand. They both want more, but they know in the morning they have to say goodbye. Sounds like it could be a real heart wrencher, but the lyrics and the mood just don?t portray the emotion that they should. It makes me wonder how he can get better.

The second track is one that sounds vaguely familiar, and I can imagine that ?She?s Only Happy When She?s Dancing? would have been used on a B grade film soundtrack somewhere, because it is very very average song that has a mildly catchy chorus. It is about a girl who works all week, only looking forward to the weekend when she can go to her favourite bar and dance. I am sure there will be a film where the plot is loosely based around that idea.

The quality of the music shoots up dramatically with ?Run To You?. A classic track about a man who is torn between two women, one who is dependable and
faithful, and the other who satisfies him sexually. He decides to choose the latter! It is quickly followed up by the spine tingling ?Heaven?, which is impressive both lyrically and musically. I bet it has been played at many weddings just because of the one line ?Baby you?re all that I want, when you?re lying here in my arms?. Bryan wrote it about a women he met and fell in love with who he thought was his soul mate. Obviously not though, as he is still single!

I have seen Bryan Adams live, and ?Somebody? is an amazing live track. It gently rocks you along, then perks you up with the powerful chorus. I am happy, I have been missing something good. It is all about being alone, and then seeing someone who you want. The next song up is ?Summer Of 69?. This has become a real karaoke favourite which has sad, because this song is truly a masterpiece. This is the ultimate summer song. It always reminds me of balmy summer nights, singing at barbeques with friends.

?Kids Wanna Rock? could have been sung by any 80?s soft rock artist, as Adams does not own the song, and I really did not think that it suited his voice. He sings this song to the world, and tries to tell them that kids don?t want manufactured pop, but this song is really no better, but then he again redeems himself with the awesome ?It?s Only Love?, which is a duet with the brilliant Tina Turner. It is a song that rouses me from even the most melancholy mood. The guitars and drums add to the tension, and I have to admit that I have pretended to be Tina Turner on more than one occasion when this song is on!

Sadly, the album merges into one from here, and the remaining two tracks ?Long Gone?, a song about losing the love of your live when things go wrong, and there is no option left but divorce. ?Ain?t Gonna Cry? merge into one, and it is hard to tell where the first ends and the second starts. However, the middle section of the album has left me wanting more, and I am sure this will n
ot be the last time that this CD finds itself in my CD player.

At just on 38 minutes and 10 songs long, it is certainly not a masterpiece, but then I don?t think that there was the material to make it such. It doesn?t beat his greatest hits CD, but then I am not a committed fan, so only like the hits, and hate having to trawl through the rest of his material to get there. However, it is probably a welcome addition to most CD collections, as there are more hits here than you will find on your average CD, and it is a good example of what I now term 80?s bubblegum rock.

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