Bryan Adams goes way back in new album Tracks of my Years
'You can't do a version of Hey Jude or Smoke on the Water' says the Canadian rocker
Bryan Adams went back — way back — when looking for material for his new album Tracks of My Years
The collection of cover songs, on sale Tuesday, is the Canadian rocker's first studio album in six years.
As the title suggests, the tracks were drawn from Adams's teen years when he decided he wanted to be a musician.
"I worked it out in my head, walking to school and walking back from school, because you had this time to reflect on your day," Adams revealed in an interview with CBC's Deana Sumanac-Johnson.
"I used to sing to myself, and that's how I figured out, maybe I should try singing."
It's also why a black-and-white image of a long-haired, 15-year-old Adams stares back at you from the album's cover.
"AM radio was king back then," explained Adams. "There was so much music, and it didn't discriminate between country, rock 'n' roll and R&B."
Even with that wide selection of memorable music, the 20-time Juno-award winner says the hardest part of making the album was finding songs.
"A lot of [the songs], the really important ones for me, you couldn’t record them because they’re too popular, I wouldn’t want to touch them,” said Adams. "
"You can't do a version of Hey Jude or Smoke on the Water."
Instead, Adams says he decided to cover songs that he wasn’t necessarily inspired by, but just songs that he liked to listen to, such as Bob Dylan’s Lay Lady Lay, Creedence Clearwater Revival's Down on the Corner and a strikingly reworked version of The Beach Boys' God Only Knows.
Adams reflects on his past and gives a sample of the new album in the video above.
Adams is currently on touring in the U.S. with plans to finish out the year with shows in Europe.