Review: Bryan Adams – Live At The Royal Albert Hall
BMG (Friday 8th December, 2023)
Reviewer: Mark Jackson
I first saw Bryan Adams on the Reckless Tour 1985,which I went to with a good ‘ol rock n’roll gal who really dug him!…a kickass gig and great songs so I have great respect for the Man and his music.
Fast forward the clock to the present day and here we have a 3 CD boxset of recordings at the Royal Albert Hall, released this Friday by BMG. I’m not gonna do this in chronological order, just my fave first, second and third.
The ‘Ol Canuck ladies man charmer is on fine vocal form from the outset, his voice has aged exceptionally well and like a lot of rock singers, he get’s more emotion with age.
‘Into The Fire‘ is a classic Rock album, this is a killer recording, stripped down and natural, some rough edges, but all the better for it. The standout songs? ‘Into The Fire‘, ‘Only The Strong Survive‘, ‘Remembrance Day‘, ‘Hearts On Fire‘ and the awesome ‘Native Son‘. More power to my Lakota and Blackfeet brothers and sisters in Canada and the US!..I always cry on this one!
On to the band. First off, Keith Scott, who is an unsung guitar hero ,melodic, rocking and emotive. There’s no way Bryan would have had his career without him, period! Pat Steward (drums) and Soloman Walker (Bass) also nail their parts so good! The drum sound is awesome as are the guitars, real pro’s, and the small adlib lines from Mr Adams gives it even more fire!
Next up, the Mutt Lange produced ball and bronco bustin’ chart bothering behemoth ‘Waking Up The Neighbours‘. This time with an audience, it lifts the whole shebang! The cool breeze of ‘Is Your Mama Gonna Miss Ya‘ is a fine opener the sound is slightly muddier, but not a big issue, as the crowd supports the whole recording.
‘Hey Honey – I’m Packin’ You In!‘ is an awesome track, one of his most overlooked IMHO.
Bryan Adams live is humble, a born rocker with a hefty romantic side, who always seems slightly bemused at the all the attention he’s getting!…like a deer in headlights!.
‘Do I Have To Say The Words?‘, great song, lovely vocals. This is better than the album version!
This CD finishes on ‘(Everything I Do) I Do It For You‘, which to me is one of the classic rock ballads of all time, it’s also got me a lot of beers in Karaoke!.
A missed opportunity though. This should’ve been a double live vinyl record with the best tracks selected, it would be a fantastic product.
CD 3 we get ‘Cuts Like A Knife‘, again without a crowd?. Standout tracks for me here are ‘The Only One‘, ‘Take Me Back‘, ‘Cuts Like A Knife‘, ‘Straight From The Heart‘ and a special mention for ‘What’s It Gonna Be‘ a totally unrecognised monster song, I may have to get Medicine Hat to cover it on our next album!
To sum up, the Canuck kid has released a trio of high calibre recordings. There are Classics and some tracks you kinda skip past. For fans though, this is a great nostalgic ride..oh yeah!, and Mr Adams, no more sequencers and autotune pleeaasse!..ha ha.
The box set will be available in CD, vinyl and digital formats, along with a Blu-ray of all of the performances and 32-page photo book featuring exclusive images from the events.
Tracklist:
‘Waking Up The Neighbours‘:
01 Is Your Mama Gonna Miss Ya?
02 Hey Honey – I’m Packin’ You In!
03 Can’t Stop This Thing We Started
04 Thought I’d Died And Gone To Heaven
05 Not Guilty
06 Vanishing
07 House Arrest
08 Do I Have To Say The Words?
09 There Will Never Be Another Tonight
10 All I Want Is You
11 Depend On Me
12 Touch The Hand
13 If You Wanna Leave Me (Can I Come Too?)
14 Don’t Drop That Bomb On Me
15 (Everything I Do) I Do It For You
‘Into The Fire‘:
01 Into The Fire
02 Heat Of The Night
03 Victim of Love
04 Another Day
05 Native Son
06 Only The Strong Survive
07 He’s A Rebel
08 Remembrance Day
09 Hearts On Fire
10 Home Again
‘Cuts Like A Knife‘
01 The Only One
02 Take Me Back
03 This Time
04 I’m Ready
05 What’s It Gonna Be
06 Don’t Leave Me Lonely
07 Let Him Know
08 The Best Was Yet To Come
09 Cuts Like A Knife
10 Straight From The Heart
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