Bryan Adams came close to losing classic album

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By ( Classic Rock ) published

He says loss of master tapes threw plans for Reckless 30th anniversary edition into doubt

Bryan Adams is to release an expanded 30th anniversary edition of Reckless.

It originally launched in 1984 and produced a string of hit singles, including Summer Of ’69, Run To You, Heaven and It’s Only Love with Tina Turner. But as Adams was planning the remastered release, he discovered the album’s master tapes and original artwork had been lost, throwing his plans into chaos.

And it was only thanks to finding a copy of the master tape at home which saved the project from being scrapped.

He tells Ultimate Classic Rock: “Not only did they lose all of the artwork, they lost all of the master tapes. Luckily, I used to keep a vault of tapes from my sessions. I thought, ‘Did I keep a copy of this?’ Sure enough, I kept this thing and I’ve had it in my vault for 30 years.

“We made the transfer to digital and remastered it just in time, because the oxide was falling off the tape.”

The four-disc super-deluxe edition of Reckless includes the 2014 remastered audio and seven bonus tracks, a concert recorded for the BBC in London in 1985, and a DVD titled Reckless: The Movie.

The fourth disc is an audio recording of the original album along with a remastered mix on Blu-ray. It will also be available as a standard CD, a Deluxe Edition, double vinyl and Blu-ray. It launches on November 10.

Meanwhile, Adams will release Tracks Of My Years, a compilation of covers, on September 30, and he’s also working on his next studio album, with Electric Light Orchestra mainman Jeff Lynne handling production duties.

And Adams reveals his new material could be “the best record I’ve ever made.”

He says: “At the rate I’m working with Jeff, this record we’re making together is going to be the best record I’ve ever made. I say that with great trepidation, because I know it’s not done yet. But so far, the six tracks we’ve done, they’re just blinding.”