Search - Bryan Adams :: Anthology

Keeping it simple but entertaining

Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 06/12/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This compilation of music by one of Canada's most important singers is presented in approximate chronological order, beginning in 1980 with Remember. The first Bryan Adams song that I became familiar with is Straight from the heart, which became his first top ten hit in America. It wasn't a hit for him in Britain but Bonnie Tyler covered it for her album, Faster than the speed of night. A hugely successful album that spawned a British and American number one hit, Total eclipse of the heart, it surely can't have harmed Bryan's career to have a cover of one of his songs on such a successful album, even though his name among the credits may not have meant anything to many Brits who bought the album at the time. Meanwhile in America, two follow-up singles to Straight from the heart (Cuts like a knife, This time) gained respectable top thirty chart placings.



It didn't take long before Bryan's singles started charting in Britain as well as America, although his British chart placings have generally (but not always) been lower than the corresponding American placings. By far the biggest hit of his career in either country is the Robin Hood movie theme, Everything I do. Number one in both countries, it spent sixteen consecutive weeks there in Britain. Bryan has returned to the number one spot in Britain just once, with Chicane on Don't give up. His other British top ten hits include Thought I'd died and gone to heaven, Please forgive me, All for love (with Rod Stewart and Sting), Have you ever really loved a woman?, The only thing that looks good on me is you, When you're gone (with Melanie C, a former member of the Spice Girls), Cloud number nine and Here I am. Most of these songs (and some others) also made the top ten in America.



Apart from the collaborations already mentioned, Bryan also teamed up with Tina Turner (It's only love) and Bonnie Raitt (Rock steady - though this is really a Bonnie Raitt solo for which Bryan wrote the song and provided instrumental backing). All the songs I've mentioned, along with many others, can be found on this wonderful double CD.



Bryan's mix of up-tempo rocking songs and slow romantic ballads doesn't please everybody but it pleases me immensely. His universal appeal cuts across many genres of music. Country singer T G Sheppard and Welsh opera singer Katherine Jenkins are among those who have covered Everything I do. Similarly, country group Highway 101 and the classical crossover group Il Divo both covered Have you ever really loved a woman?



In an age where musicians seemed to introduce complexity for its own sake, Bryan Adams opted for the simple approach. His music is raw rock'n'roll that has just enough embellishment to appeal to contemporary music fans, yet has a basic simplicity that appeals to older listeners. If you want just one collection of Bryan's music, this is surely the one to choose."