“Vallance is by far the finest musician I’ve ever worked with”
Bryan Adams was recently interviewed by Tom Harrison from Canwest News Service
How is this record being marketed?
I’m not sure, ask Bruce Allen! (Adams’ manager). Seriously, I’m not a marketing person, but in order to re-introduce myself, I’ve decided to do acoustic shows where I play a combination of new and old songs, chat a bit about them and do a show a day. I could actually do more, but during the day I do press interviews and TV…
Has this record presented a particular challenge to you?
Every record is a challenge. The music is, of course, the most difficult part, but I don’t feel pressured to deliver. I just make songs and then one day I have enough for a record. It’s really no different than it has ever been; I just plod along and one day it all comes together.
How was it produced?
I produced it on tour and backstage just like the last album. I really enjoy the process of having all this time on tour to record music. It’s quite funny, sometimes, when people from the hotels we’re staying at walk into my room and see microphones in the bathrooms, mattresses from the bed against walls to make the room dead sounding — not to mention all the sheets hung all over the place.
What do you want from a record these days?
Actually, I don’t look for anything particular, I just get on with making the best songs that I can. I have never liked following a trend. If I look back I think it’s all quite consistent. I mean, you could take any of the songs off this album and they would work on any of the other albums. My voice is really hanging in there. I feel like it’s sounding better than ever, perhaps that’s because I tour so much.
Is there a song on the album you regard as pivotal — a song that pointed to the sound you wanted, or said what you wanted the album to say?
Yes, perhaps the opening song of the record, Tonight We Have The Stars. After that song was done, I knew there was an album in the making.
The way people hear or buy music has changed. The recording industry has changed so much to the extent that there is talk of the CD’s demise. Starbucks is stepping up, Radiohead is selling directly to fans, some labels are selling purely digitized music and not bothering to make CDs. Did you have to consider your options?
My theory is, if the songs are good enough, the rest will take care of itself. After all, it’s music that everyone wants, so just get on with it. All this chit chat about digital downloading . . . I mean bootlegging has been there all along. I can remember in the mid-90’s when we were touring Asia, the record company was apologizing to me for all the bootlegging and album rip-offs. It was a joke actually. They estimated that for every CD we sold, 10 were being counterfeited. So what is the difference today? Nothing. Musicians have to take it on the chin, as usual.
Is the album a continuation of the previous record or a reaction?
It was good to get back into making records with the last album. I was slightly disillusioned at the beginning of the decade as the record company I was signed to was sold off, and all of my friends that I had there had been fired or laid off. In retrospect, I took it kind of personally. I didn’t like the way these people had been treated and I didn’t like the way I became a number. Plus, I got stuck with Jimmy Iovine (president of Interscope Records, where Adams ended up), who was about as interested in my music as I was in being a rap artist. Now I see it was just the system in turmoil and that if you stay true to yourself, the system will adapt . . . and so will you.
As you get older, is it becoming harder to write?
I don’t think so. I think it was always hard to write songs. Let me clarify that; it was easy to write songs, just hard to write good ones. Songwriting was always a bit of a graft, Vallance and I spent years grafting away. It’s the only way to get things done. Dedication to the craft.
Do you get complacent and have to kick your butt when you become aware that you might be growing complacent? Or does touring and other pursuits circumvent that?
Ask anyone about me and the last adjective you will ever hear about me is complacent! I’ve worked out a way to work and enjoy my life while working — that is simply not to do it all the time. I simply dedicate myself to art, and creating it, when the spirit moves me. Then, when I feel like I need to make the time for it, I go away, rent a house somewhere by the sea, and write.
What prompted you to write with Jim Vallance again?
There was never a time I didn’t want to work with Jim. He is by far the finest musician I’ve ever worked with. This is not to say other people I’ve worked with aren’t as talented, because they are. It’s just that Jim and I created a kind of sound together. Plus, he can play so many instruments so well. I remember when we first started writing in the 70s, I was blown away with how he could play drums and bass with so much ease, not to mention piano and guitar. It was like working with a one man band. I’m super happy to have him included on this latest album.
Were there a few awkward moments initially or did you pick up where you left off?
We wrote over the internet; it was simple.
Was it a good experience?
Very.
You also use a mixture of old and new associates such as Pat Steward and Colin Cripps. Why?
Pat has worked with me before on classic tracks like Summer Of ‘69 and Colin was with us on tour with his wife, Kathleen Edwards. I remember hearing this guitar sound during their soundcheck and I ran out to see what it was, and introduced myself to him. I’m always searching for something to enhance what I do. Sometimes it’s an instrument like the Irish flute on the Unplugged album. Or sometimes it’s another musician.
I get the feeling that you might be entering a new phase of your career where you are more relaxed. The record just seems more reflective
Perhaps so. It’s reflective but, for me, it’s also forward thinking. People always ask about the past and for me it’s just that . . . past. I only think about today and tomorrow, but it’s mostly about today . . . that way tomorrow will take care of itself.
Credits: Canwest News Service, Photo: APA
Filed under: General News
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March 27th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
It’s alwaya lovely to read BA’s interview but what I want to know is, if any singles arer going to be released from 11? I’ve got my copy but many of my friends are not aware of the album’s release. Any way the music’s is great so it will sell.