Bryan Adams – Recless [24Kt Gold CD]

Bryan Adams – Recless [24Kt Gold CD]

Album Notes:

Reckless is the fourth studio album by the Canadian rock artist Bryan Adams. Co-produced by Adams and Bob Clearmountain, it was one of Adams’ most successful albums. Released on October 29, 1984 through A&M Records, the album was a huge international hit, selling over 5 million units in the United States alone. It was the first Canadian album to sell more than one million units within Canada. The album peaked at number 1 on the Billboard 200 and reached high positions in charts worldwide. The album has sold more than 13 million copies internationally to date.

Six singles were released from the album: “Run to You,” “Somebody,” “Heaven,” “Summer of ’69,” “One Night Love Affair,” and “It’s Only Love.” All six singles made the top 15 on the US Billboard Hot 100, a feat that at the time had been accomplished previously only by Michael Jackson’s Thriller. The album was ranked #49 on Kerrang!’s “100 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums Of All Time” and was named the #12 Greatest Canadian Album of All Time by Bob Mersereau in his book The Top 100 Canadian Albums. The album was recorded at Little Mountain Sound Studios, Vancouver, Canada. On December 12, 2009 the syndicated radio program In the Studio celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the album.

In March 1984, recording for Reckless began after extensive touring for the support of Cuts Like a Knife. However, unhappy with the recording process, Adams decided to take a month off. In August Adams headed back to the studio with Tina Turner for the track “It’s Only Love”; he also returned with more new songs and started re-recording songs which would lead to the development of such tracks as “Run to You”, Summer of ’69”, and “Heaven”.

“Run to You” was recorded after a tour in Asia. The recording for “Run to You” started on the March 27, 1984 and went through the summer at Little Mountain Sound Studios, Vancouver. It was mixed in New York by Bob Clearmountain, with mixing of the song completed on September 21. The recording of “Heaven”, co-written by Adams and Jim Vallance, started on June 6 and lasted only two days, ending on June 7. The song was recorded for the film A Night in Heaven, and was mixed by Bob Clearmountain on June 16, 1984 . “Summer of ’69” was written on January 25, 1984 with Jim Vallance. The recording took place at Little Mountain Sound Studios where the song was recorded three times over the winter. It was mixed in New York by Bob Clearmountain on November 22, 1984.

“Run to You” was released as the debut single from Reckless on October 18, 1984 in Canada and the U.S. and became one of the most successful songs from the album on the American rock charts; it would become arguably one of Adams most recognizable and popular songs. The song reached the top ten on the Mainstream Rock Tracks and was Adams’ first number one hit on the Mainstream Rock Tracks and number six on the Billboard Hot 100. It reached the top twenty on the Canadian singles chart and remained in the top twenty for seven weeks. With “Run to You”, Adams reached the highest Canadian chart position in his career to that time; it was his second top twenty hit single in Canada. “Run to You” was released in November 1984 in Europe where it peaked at the top ten in Ireland at number 8 and reached number eleven on the UK Singles Chart; it was his second single to chart in Europe.

“Somebody” was released in the winter of 1985 and became one of the most successful songs from Reckless on the American rock charts. The song reached the top five on the Mainstream Rock Tracks and was Adams second number one hit on the Mainstream Rock Tracks. It reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was in the top twenty on the Canadian singles chart where it remained for six weeks. “Somebody” was Adams third top twenty hit on the Canadian chart. “Somebody” was released the following month in Europe and peaked at the top twenty in Ireland at number 20 and reached the top forty on the UK Singles Chart at 35; it was his third single to chart in Europe.

“Heaven” was the third single from Reckless. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart and peaked at number 9 on the Billboard mainstream rock tracks. The song has appeared on all of Adams’ compilation albums with the exception of The Best of Me. The single was certified Gold in Canada in 1985.

“Summer of ’69” was officially released to US radio in 1984 and it appeared on the Billboard magazine’s Hot 100 chart at 5 and 40 on the mainstream rock tracks. In Canada, “Summer of ’69” was officially released to radio on November, 1984. The song reached the top twenty on the Canadian Singles Chart and remained in the top twenty for another month. “Summer of ’69” was the highest charting single from Reckless with “Heaven”.

The song was released in Australia, Europe and New Zealand in 1985. “Heaven” reached the UK top forty, while “Summer of ’69” peaked at the top forty. “Summer of ’69” continued the trend of higher-charting singles when it debuted and peaked at top twenty in most of the European countries it charted. Adams’ previous singles had charted much weaker in Europe and “Summer of ’69” would be Adams’ second single to chart in mainland Europe.

Although “Summer of ’69” reached the top ten in Norway and then the top twenty in the Austria, Ireland and Sweden, it was a moderate top hundred success in Germany where it peaked at 62.

In 2008, Adams was quoted as saying:
“‘Summer of ’69’ – I think it’s timeless because it’s about making love in the summertime. There is a slight misconception it’s about a year, but it’s not. ’69’ has nothing to do about a year, it has to do with a sexual position … At the end of the song the lyric says that it’s me and my baby in a 69. You’d have to be pretty thick in the ears if you couldn’t get that lyric.”

Co-writer Jim Vallance has always gone for the more conventional interpretation of the title being a reference to a year. He notes Jackson Browne’s “Running on Empty”, which contains references to 1965 and 1969, as his own influence, and recalls that Adams cited the film Summer of ’42 as his.

Although “One Night Love Affair” was officially released to US radio in 1985, it appeared on the Billboard magazine’s Hot 100 chart at 13 and 7 on the mainstream rock tracks. In Canada, “One Night Love Affair” was officially released to radio on February 1985. The song reached the top twenty on the Canadian Singles Chart and remained in the top twenty for another month. “One Night Love Affair” was the lowest charting single from Reckless.

EC1000	Bryan Adams – Recless
Label:	Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
Catalog#:	UDCD 544
Format:	CD [Remastered, 24Kt Gold CD, Limited Edition]
Made in:	USA
Released:	October 29, 1984 | Reissue 1991
Barcode:	0 15775 15442 1
Style:	Rock, Pop Rock

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Bryan Adams – Recless
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01. One Night Love Affair
02. She’s Only Happy When She’s Dancin’
03. Run To You
04. Heaven
05. Somebody
06. Summer Of ’69
07. Kids Wanna Rock
08. It’s Only Love
09. Long Gone
10. Ain’t Gonna Cry
Total Time: 00:38:00

Personnel ▼
Bryan Adams – rhythm guitars, handclaps, lead vocals, lead guitars, piano, harmonica, co-producer
Keith Scott – lead guitars, rhythm guitars, background vocals
Jim Vallance – percussion, associate producer
Dave Taylor – bass guitar
Pat Steward – drums and background vocals
Tommy Mandel – keyboards
Jody Perpick – backgrounds sounds and vocals
Mickey Curry – drums
Tina Turner – lead vocals on “It’s Only Love”
Steve Smith – drums on “Heaven”
Mike Fraser, Michael Sauvage – Engineering, Mixing
Bob Ludwig – Mastering

Notes: ▼
1984 A&M Records Inc.
• Manufactured and distributed by MFSL Inc., under license from A&M Records Inc.
• Ultradisc II™ 24 KT Gold CD from Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab “Original Master Recording” collection
• Made in U.S.A.