Bryan Adams Interview Part 1 - Talks about "Tracks Of My Years"

BRYAN ADAMS TO RELEASE THREE ALBUMS 
IN THE COMING 15 MONTHS

The Canadian rocker is planning to release not one, not two but THREE albums in the near future. He talks to us in the following conversation via email. 

ROCK´N´TALK: First of all, thank you so much for doing this. I´ve been a fan of yours for almost 30 years now and it´s a pleasure and an honor to be able to have this conversation with you. 

Now, for people not following you on a daily basis, some may think you haven´t been very active recently since your last studio album, “11”, was released in 2008. Could you tell them what you have been up to ever since, both in music and other fields?

Bryan Adams: Touring, writing and starting a family. This year alone, I’ve been working on 3 albums: Tracks Of My Years, Reckless (reissue) and a new album of music with Jeff Lynne producing.

R´N´T: Ok, so today, October 6, you are releasing “Tracks Of My Years”, an album of all covers except one brand new song, co-written with Jim Vallance.

R´N´T: How did this project come about?

BA: I was approached by Verve Records and David Foster who wanted to make an album of covers. It was interesting in some respects as it's the first record deal I’ve had in the USA since the 1990’s.

R´N´T: Why did you choose these songs in particular?

BA: They weren’t necessarily the songs that influenced me, they were just popular songs that were around when AM radio was big in the 70’s around the time when I decided to make music.

R´N´T: Was there a concept behind these choices?

BA: The record company wanted songs that made the top 10 and I just wanted them to sound like me.

R´N´T: I know you grew up listening to hard rock. Did you ever consider including songs by Humble Pie, Deep Purple or Led Zeppelin, for example?

BA: Yes but those songs are mostly untouchable recordings. I did do the Muddy Waters classic “You Shook Me” which is as close to any of my Led Zep roots as I could get.

R´N´T: Let´s talk about some of the bands. Being a Beatlemaniac myself, I have to start with the Fab Four. Why did you choose “Anytime At All”?

BA: I needed to do one of their tracks, as it was their fault I even started to sing, but couldn’t really touch the big ones, so I did one of the lesser known Beatles' songs, if that is possible. 

R´N´T: Some of the songs you´ve written in the past sound very “Beatlesque” or even John Lennon influenced (“I Was Only Dreamin´”, off the “Room Service” album is the first one that comes to mind).

Have you ever done that on purpose like thinking “I want to write a tune that sounds like The Beatles” or did you just write it and thought that kind of arrangement would fit the song?

BA: Not really, but Beatles' songs and their arrangements, influenced me and hundreds of musicians all over the world…it's still going on.

R´N´T: You met Paul McCartney at the Prince´s Trust concert in 1986

and have been in contact with him after that. 

I suppose you don´t get starstruck anymore but, being a fan, do you still get nervous like, the day before, thinking “I´m going to be with Paul tomorrow!!”?

BA: Oh you’d be surprised,  it’s easy to get star-struck when you meet someone really influential.

R´N´T: Speaking about the Prince´s Trust, you met George Harrison in 1987

and he asked you for an autograph for his son. Have you met Dhani after that and talked about it? Have you listened to his music?

BA: I don’t remember George ever asking that, but you might be right (NOTE FROM THE EDITOR: I AM right 😉) . Dhani is doing really well with his music, he’s working in film now.

R´N´T: Getting back to “Tracks Of My Years”, another band you´ve covered is Creedence Clearwater Revival. one of the first albums you ever bought was “Willy And The Poorboys”. Is that why you decided to cover “Down On The Corner”?

BA: Yes that is the reason, I love John Fogerty’s songs.

R´N´T: What was it about CCR that attracted you in the first place?

BA: Probably the hair.

R´N´T: Moving on, you´ve also covered Kris Kristofferson.

Do you like country music? Who else besides Kris?

BA: There are lots, Hank, Dolly, Willie, George, Waylon…Alan Jackson, amazing songwriters

R´N´T: Your love of music includes hard rock bands, bluesmen, the singer-songwriter-guitarist figure, soul singers, even reggae or flamenco. Have you ever considered DOING a project of one specific genre?

BA: I think I’ll stick to what I’m doing.

R´N´T: “Lay Lady Lay” is another one, from arguably the best songwriter ever. What does Bob Dylan mean to you?

BA: I’ve done shows with Bob, he’s incredible, what can you say that hasn’t been said?

R´N´T: Of course, you couldn´t make a covers album and not do a song by one of your heroes, Ray Charles…

BA: Can’t Stop Loving You was the first song recorded for this album, the idea was to do it without the choir and all the reverb. Even so it’s still not as good as Ray.

R´N´T: Do you think he would have liked “The Right Place”, the song you wrote for him but never got to hear? 

BA: I like to think he would have…

R'N'T: YOU SAID STEVE MARRIOTT COULD HAVE SUNG "WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SO HARD TO LOVE", THE FINAL SONG ON YOUR "ROOM SERVICE" ALBUM. I THINK YOU DID AN AWESOME JOB YOURSELF

but who else would have done it justice? Etta James, maybe? Can you imagine that song in her voice?

BA: Etta could have sung anything. Steve was amazing, it’s really too bad he’s gone.

 

R´N´T: Most people who haven´t followed The Beach Boys associate them with “Surfin´ USA” and that kind of stuff. However, there´s much more to them than that. In fact, you´ve recorded the song that Paul McCartney once defined as “the best love song ever written”.

What can you say about that band?

BA: Great band, really unique, they influenced the Beatles if you can imagine that.

R´N´T: What´s the best love song ever written, in your opinion? (in Mine, it's “Heaven” 😉)

BA: Everything I Do, I Do It For You!

R´N´T: i LOVE YOUR COVER OF "MANY RIVERS TO CROSS"...

R´N´T: To finish off with “Tracks Of My Years”, there´s a brand new song by Adams/Vallance…

BA:  Yes, She Knows Me

aFTER YOUR SPLIT IN 1989, YOU STARTED WORKING TOGETHER AGAIN SPORADICAlLY A FEW YEARS AGO, BUT NOW YOU TWO HAVE WRITTEN A WHOLE ALBUM TO BE RELEASED SOMETIME NEXT YEAR, ABOUT WHICH I WILL ASK YOU LATER BUT, WHAT'S THE SITUATION BETWEEN YOU TWO RIGHT NOW? ARE YOU PLANNING ON WORKING AS A SONGWRITING TEAM AGAIN ON A REGULAR BASIS?

BA: Yes we write all the time now, and I think it's safe to say I think we will continue to write a lot more. Next year I hope the album will come out that we’ve been writing, and it’s being produced by Jeff Lynne.