Adams, who is one of the hardest working artists in music, is set to release a CD and vinyl box set package titled Live at The Royal Albert Hall, which documents his three-night residency in May 2022 at London’s historic Royal Albert Hall, performing his iconic albums Cuts Like a Knife (1983), Into the Fire (1987) and Waking Up the Neighbours (1991) in their entirety.
In this Musical Musings Australian exclusive, Adams sat down to answer questions for me about the upcoming box set, inspiration and an Australian tour for 2024.
JM: What led to the idea to perform these three albums in their entirety at Royal Albert Hall?
BA: I’d only ever played the Royal Albert Hall solo with my Bare Bones tour, and we had booked it for three nights, but sadly, the pandemic killed touring and those shows.
Once we got touring back, we booked these shows again, and the production became a bigger thing than expected because we filmed and recorded it. I like to make the most of venues like this, like the film we made at the Sydney Opera House in 2011.
The crazy thing was we ended up recording all three albums in one day: two albums on the floor of the Royal Albert Hall in the afternoon before the crowd came in, and then the last album with the audience on the same night.
JM: Will we see your other albums get a similar live treatment?
BA: Yes, we’re doing it again in May 2024 with three different albums: So Happy It Hurts, 18 Til I Die and Reckless. Not sure how we’re shooting them yet; I’m exploring that now. I’d like to shoot it in a different way than the last time.
JM: After more than 40 years in the business, what keeps you motivated and inspired to do what you do? And also, never one to rest on your laurels, you still consistently bring out new music.
BA: Yeah, I’ve been kind of busy. In the past two years, I’ve released seven albums: two ‘classic’ re-recordings, one new album, So Happy It Hurts, Pretty Woman — The Musical, and these three live albums from the RAH. I guess you could say I’m quite inspired being an independent artist; it’s not something I’d have expected to do at this point in my life, but it’s been an amazing learning curve.
JM: Having been in the business for such a long time, what were the most important lessons you learned early that held you in good stead for all the years since?
BA: I don’t know. I was never interested in getting wasted, and I can’t imagine how much I’d have been ripped off by the music business if I hadn’t had my wits about me. But even though I did, I got horribly robbed by people in the business. I was young, naive and excited. I was the perfect target.
JM: Finally, are we likely to see you again in Australia in the near future?
BA: Bloody right! We’re coming next year, so stay tuned for dates.
For more info, go to: www.bryanadams.com
Music news
December 1 sees the release of Peter Gabriel’s new album, I/O, his first album of new original material in 21 years. Dire Straits Legacy, featuring many key original members of Dire Straits, and 1970s Scottish rockers Nazareth are booked for an Australian east coast tour in January 2024. And are AC/DC in talks for a possible Australian tour in 2024?
Music charts
This week, Australian singer/actor Troye Sivan debuts at No.1 on the Australian ARIA Album chart with Something to Give Each Other. On the US Billboard 200, Canadian rapper Drake debuts at No.1 with For All The Dogs. On the UK Top 100 chart, Welsh rapper Ren debuts at No.1 also with his album Sick Boi.
The view from here
After weeks of anticipation, the Rolling Stones’s new album Hackney Diamonds finally saw release last Friday. Does it live up to the hype? Absolutely!
Having not been old enough to follow their 1960s and early ’70s period, I first got into the Stones in their late ’70s/early ’80s period through albums Some Girls, Emotional Rescue and Tattoo You, and in my opinion, Hackney Diamonds is their best album since 1981’s Tattoo You.
What I like about the new album is that it echoes back to the late ’70s era Stones, and also, it’s quite a diverse outing, with a lot more pop flourishes. From the hard-edged rocking Get Close to the countrified Dreamy Skies to the stomping Driving Me Too Hard to the anthemic Whole Wide World, it’s the Stones at their most contemporary best.
They’re also joined by guests, with the slow-burning gospel-tinged Sweet Sounds of Heaven featuring Lady Gaga and Stevie Wonder, while Beatle Paul McCartney makes an appearance on the punk-ish Bite My Head Off, while the driving pop-rock of Live by the Sword features Elton John. The album closer, Rolling Stone Blues, a cover and the song from which the band named themselves, harks back to the early blues of the Stones.
On Hackney Diamonds, the Stones don’t sound like a band whose members are around the age of 80, but rather a band oozing youthful energy and swagger and remaining as relevant as ever.
Fun fact
Did you know that Freddie Mercury used the same piano on the recording of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody that Paul McCartney used seven years earlier for the Beatles’ Hey Jude?
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