Reckless is the fourth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Bryan Adams, released by A&M Records on November 5, 1984, to coincide with Adams' 25th birthday. Like its predecessor Cuts Like a Knife, the album was entirely produced by Adams and Bob Clearmountain.
Reckless was commercially successful, selling over 12 million copies worldwide, making it Adams' second highest-selling studio album to date – behind his 1991 album Waking Up the Neighbours. It was also the first Canadian album to sell over one million copies within Canada, and is certified eleven-times platinum in the country. The album peaked at number one on the US Billboard 200. It has also received positive reviews from critics, with contemporary reviews praising its songwriting and sonic quality.
Six singles were released from the album: "Run to You", "Somebody", "Heaven", "Summer of '69", "One Night Love Affair", and "It's Only Love"; all six singles charted within the top-twenty on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Development
"Heaven" was the first song recorded for the album, which was originally written by Adams and Jim Vallance for the film A Night in Heaven. As the song was already released on the film's soundtrack album, the song was not initially planned to be included on Reckless, as it was considered too "light" for the album. They worked with producer Bob Clearmountain, who had co-produced Adams' previous album Cuts Like a Knife.
Nine tracks for the album were completed in August 1984, after Adams and Clearmountain flew to New York City to record some vocal overdubs at Power Station. However, Adams was not fully satisfied with the album, and he consulted his manager Bruce Allen, who listened to the album and asked him: "Where's the rock?". This prompted Adams and Vallance to return to Vancouver and re-record two songs: "One Night Love Affair" and "Summer of '69", as well as writing "Kids Wanna Rock"; the album was eventually completed later that month.
"Somebody" was issued as a single in January 1985.
"One Night Love Affair" was released as the album's fifth single in September 1985, peaking on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number 13 and at number 7 on the Top Rock Tracks chart.
To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the album, an expanded 30th Anniversary edition was released on 10 November 2014; the first disc includes seven previously unreleased tracks, while disc two includes live concert audio from his 1985 tour, recorded at Hammersmith Odeon, London on 20 April 1985 by BBC Radio 1. The Blu-ray audio release additionally includes a 5.1 surround mix; a Dolby Atmos mix was later made available on Apple Music.
Reception
Soon after its release, Reckless peaked at number 6 on the Billboard 200 in January 1985, before dropping out of the top 10. The success of the singles "Heaven" and "Summer of '69" in mid-1985 renewed interest in the album, and it began climbing back up the chart, eventually charting at number one in August 1985. Reckless also reached number 1 in Canada and New Zealand, number 2 in Norway and Australia while reaching the top 10 in the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Sweden. In Canada, it entered the top 10 shortly after its release, peaking at number 1 in February 1985, and charted in the top 10 periodically in 1985–86. Reckless has been certified eleven-times platinum by Music Canada, for 1,100,000 copies shipped in Canada, and was the first Canadian album to sell over a million copies in the country. It is also certified five-times platinum by the RIAA for 5,000,000 copies shipped in the U.S., and three-times platinum by the BPI for 900,000 copies shipped in the UK. As of 2014, 12 million copies of the album have been sold worldwide. Healy also noted that Adams and his longtime collaborator Jim Vallance "masterfully" tapped into the "pop/rock, radio-friendly vibe of the middle eighties". Classic Rock Review described it as a "particularly strong showcase for the layered guitars of Keith Scott", praised the "pristine sonic quality" of the album, and highlighted "Run to You" as having "just a tinge of surreal darkness". Dave Everley of Louder noted Reckless as "the one that turned [Adams] from upstart into champ", remarking that "may not have invented arena rock, but he certainly perfected it". Everley also complimented Adams' ability to write "catchy, memorable hooks" and "sing with passion and conviction". In a less positive review, Christopher Connelly of Rolling Stone praised Adams' "born-to-rock" vocals and Clearmountain's production work, but expressed contempt at the songwriting in "Run to You" and "Kids Wanna Rock", with the latter being unfavorably compared to "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me" by Billy Joel. Kerrang! named Reckless their 1985 "Album of the Year", and No. 49 on their "100 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time" list in 1989. The album also appeared as No. 12 in the book The Top 100 Canadian Albums by Bob Mersereau. "It's Only Love" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group, and won an MTV Video Music Award for Best Stage Performance in 1986.