Long before Nickelback arrived to help polarize Canadian music fans, there was Bryan Adams. Love him or loathe him, there is no question Bryan Adams’ Reckless set the standard for which all other Canadian rock records should be measured. Originally released in 1984 as a follow-up to his breakthrough LP “Cuts Like A Knife”, Reckless spawned no less than six Billboard Top 15 singles (a feat that at the time had only been accomplished by Michael Jackson and Bruce Springsteen). Reckless earned Adams rock street cred internationally, with influential UK rock mag Kerrang naming it the 49th greatest heavy metal album of all time (Tina Turner duet aside). The 30th anniversary remaster comes with seven bonus tracks plus the Hammersmith Odeon live concert that captures Adams performing with “reckless” abandon. We know what’s happened to him since: pick up this album, take the blinders off, and simply enjoy it for what it is – a great collection of rock songs.

4 OUT OF 5