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Everything he does...
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... he does it for you, says PRASHANTH G.N. Folks, presenting the one and only Bryan Adams
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Bryan Adams: a compelling recklessness
THE FIRST thing that strikes you about Bryan Adams is his gravelly voice with just the right touch of coarseness. It kills. You hear that in "Run to You" and "Heaven" among other numbers. The next thing that strikes you about the man, if you've seen him on the videos in the mid-and-late Eighties, is that compelling air of recklessness about him — the hair not exactly in place, the sharp eyes and chin line, the athleticism in his T-shirt and jeans, and his guitar with which he creates all the magic. You'll get to see all of this in his "Run to You" video. Even if the man has moved on from there, you'll still want to see him if you are a die-hard fan. He is performing for the second time in the city as part of his India Live 2004 concert on February 8 at the Bangalore Palace Grounds, courtesy DNA Networks.
It is nice to know that a rock star thinks it is worth his time to come to India, and to Bangalore again. DNA honcho Venkat Vardhan. According to him, Adams loved the Bangalore crowd and liked the fact that he was popular in this part of the globe. "He was amazed that the crowd exhibited tremendous enthusiasm and knowledge for his songs. He had promised to come back." Adams could sound syrupy for many, and he might agree if you pushed him to it. But if you're 18 till you die, you'll love his lyrics. "Please Forgive Me" is typically Adams:
Please forgive me
I know not what I do
Please forgive me
I can't stop lovin' you
Don't deny me
This pain I'm going through
Please forgive me
If I need ya like I do
Please believe me
Every word I say is true
Please forgive me
I can't stop lovin' you...
Or even in "Run To You":
She says her love for me could never die
But that'd change if she ever found out about you and I
Oh, but her love is cold
It wouldn't hurt her if she didn't know,
'cause...When it gets too much
I need to feel your touch
I'm gonna run to you
I'm gonna run to you...
Reckless, for me, was and is still his best album: how can one forget "Run to You" with its remarkable guitar work; "Heaven", "One Night Love Affair", "Somebody", "Summer of '69", "It's only Love" with the rasping Tina Turner — all in one album? You will all remember that "Heaven" was part of the 20th Century Fox film, A Night in Heaven. "Cuts Like a Knife" was the best in that album.
Towards the late '80s, even if Into The Fire wasn't as raging as Reckless, four lovely numbers in that work were the title number, "Heat of the Night", "Victim of Love", and "Home Again". (Adams fans would not disagree that these probably are his best, apart from the Reckless numbers "18 Till I Die", "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman", "Do I Have to Say the Words", "Can't Stop This Thing We Started", "Thought I'd Died and Gone to Heaven, and "Everything I Do, I Do It For You".)
In between, the Ontario-born Adams performed for the Amnesty International tour, Prince's Trust Charity, the Free Nelson Mandela concert, and the one rubbishing the Berlin Wall. This was before his number that took his fans around the world by surprise — a kind of number that did not have the hard rock touch and yet likeable for its very slow, sentimental feel. "Everything I do I Do it for You" was number one for a long time in the U.S. and the U.K., and "the biggest-selling single in the history of A and M Records". The number was from the movie Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.
Then followed a series of hit singles, "All for Love", "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman", and the albums in the late '90s such as On A Day Like Today, MTV Unplugged, and Best of Me.
In 2002, Adams made a significant comeback with the soundtrack album for the animated film, Spirit Stallion of the Cimarron, his first since 1998. He said elsewhere: "Up to that point I did four albums in four years. I didn't stop making music. I took a rest and did a lot of touring. I think it's good to have Spirit to put me back in the public eye."
The music in Spirit kind of defines what Adams has always been. In fact, he says his music for Spirit is characteristic of the style that has kept him on the charts for 25 years. "My approach to music is pretty much summed up by the title of my album, 18 Till I Die." Adams was 18 when he released his first hit, "Let Me Take You Dancing". "Music is my life. It allowed me to run free, so maybe that's why I was able to identify with the horse in Spirit."
One of the songs that never made it into the body of the film is, "Don't Let Go", which Adams eventually recorded with Sarah McLachlan. "That song was written as the love ballad for Spirit and his girlfriend Rain...I thought it was so beautiful that it couldn't miss being in the film. But then, I'm not the best judge of what songs are going to be hits and which aren't." This from a man who has made a lot of money for music companies. What he has to say of one of his very popular singles, reflective of his matter-of-factness, is something we'll like: "When I wrote "Everything I Do" for Robin Hood, I thought it was a good B-side — that's how much I know about hits. "Everything I Do" became the biggest hit in the world. So, absolutely nothing surprises me anymore."
Whoever imagined that the scrawny boy who hit the road with local drummer Jim Vallance would turn a 10-time Grammy winner, have12 platinum hits, and sell 55 million albums?
Venkat Vardhan worked to bring the man again to the city. "We have taken almost 16 to 18 months to clear his tour. Negotiating with him over the months, finding sponsors, ensuring he gets his due as much as we do; well, all of this takes real work. To book someone like him takes time and effort. It is worth it because we know he has a guaranteed audience in Bangalore... "
He further points out that Bangalore was now easily comparable to South-East Asian destinations such as Malaysia and Singapore. "We generate as much revenue and popularity as in those countries, if not more. We are clearly on par with them. You can see that from the kind of rock groups that have come to Bangalore in the last five to eight years. Of course, we haven't reached the intensity of a Hong Kong, but we are sure to get there. It is only a matter of time."
DNA Networks has brought in rock groups/stars such as The Rolling Stones, Elton John, Deep Purple, Roger Waters, Richard Clayderman, Ricky Martin, Boyzone, Def Leppard, Samantha Fox, and Europe. Venkat observes that this was possible largely in the last 10 years due to economic reforms. "We opened up in the early '90s and people were ready to receive a lot of new things. Rock music was one among them. We hope to bring more in the future."
Meanwhile, rock fans here can enjoy the tremendous stage presence of vintage Adams who will give us numbers from Spirit that includes "Here I Am". Adams worked with Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer to provide six songs for the film plus another five for the soundtrack album.
Tickets to the concert, priced at Rs. 400 and Rs. 600, are available at Planet M — Brigade Road and Jayanagar (5580087/6340101), Not Just Wine And Cheese, Brigade Road (2126796), Dewar Wine Store, St. Marks Road (2214945), Show Off, Jayanagar (6646350), Event Photos, Airport Road (5267101), and all outlets of Café Coffee Day.
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