Waking Up the Neighbours is the sixth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Bryan Adams, released on 24 September 1991. The album was recorded at Battery Studios in London, and at The Warehouse Studio in Vancouver, mixed at Mayfair Studios in London, and mastered by Bob Ludwig at Masterdisk in New York City. The album reached the number one position on the album charts of at least eight countries. Its first single, “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” was number 1 on the British charts for a record sixteen weeks. The album sold more than 16 million copies worldwide.
The album was recorded at Battery Studios in England and the Warehouse Studios in Canada. Recording began in March 1990, and along with mixing, finished in June 1991. Robert John “Mutt” Lange, previously known for his work with AC/DC, Foreigner, and Def Leppard, was helping Adams writing the songs for his next album. Adams spent much of his time in Hindhead and London, England with Lange working on his sixth album.
“(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” was the most successful single off the album, and has become one of the most successful songs of all time, having spent seven weeks at number one in the United States’ Billboard Hot 100, sixteen consecutive weeks at number 1 on the UK Singles Chart, eleven weeks on the Dutch Top 40 and nine weeks at number 1 on the Canadian singles chart in Canada. The song won a Grammy Award for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television at the 1992 Grammy Awards, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song of 1991.
The song came about when Adams was approached to write something by the producers of the then-upcoming Kevin Costner film, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, and was asked to work on a theme song. He was provided a tape of orchestration written by the composer of the film score, Michael Kamen. With this, he and Lange used a section of Michael’s orchestration and created “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You”, which was then placed deep into the closing credits of the film when it opened on June 14, 1991. The song went to number 1 in the United Kingdom the week before the film’s British release and went on to top the charts in 16 countries and sold over 10 million copies worldwide, becoming one of the biggest selling singles of all time.[8] The song was nominated for an Academy Award but won a Grammy Award for Best Song from a Motion Picture. Years later when the BBC asked Bryan (about the recent acoustic live version from his Bare Bones CD), “Do you ever get bored of hearing your record-breaking hit ‘Everything I Do’?” Bryan said “Of course not. What a silly question.”
“Can’t Stop This Thing We Started” was the second single from the album. A rock song in contrast to “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You”, it peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 behind Prince’s “Cream”. “Can’t Stop This Thing We Started” received two nominations at the Grammy Awards of 1992 for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance, Solo, winning none.
“There Will Never Be Another Tonight” was the third single from the album. The title came from a fragment Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance wrote in late 1980s. The phrase was written into the song in the end of 1990 and released on Adams’ album in 1991.
“Thought I’d Died and Gone to Heaven” was the fourth single released from Waking up the Neighbours. Written by Mutt Lange and Bryan Adams the song was the first song written for the album. “Thought I’d Died and Gone to Heaven” reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #14 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks. In the UK, it reached #8.
“All I Want Is You”, “Do I Have to Say the Words?” (#11 on the Billboard Hot 100) and “Touch the Hand” were also released as singles but didn’t get the heavy rotation as the first four singles released.
Waking Up the Neighbours was co-produced by Adams and Mutt Lange, and peaked at number six on the Billboard 200. The album was released in September 1991 and album and single topped the charts in many countries with “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” spending record-breaking 16 weeks at number one on UK Singles Chart and topped the charts in 17 countries. It also made record-breaking sales of 4 million copies in the US.[18] Canadian content regulations were revised in 1991 to allow radio stations to credit airplay of this album towards their legal requirements to play Canadian music. The album has become Adams second best-selling album worldwide. Adams won a Grammy Award in 1992 for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television for “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You”. (by wikipedia)
Although not as good as Reckless, Bryan Adams’ 1991 album, Waking up the Neighbours, signaled his commercial apex. Bridging the time gap between ’80s arena rock and ’90s angst-ridden grunge, the album also ushered in an era in which Adams became more known for his sweeping power ballads than his straight-ahead rock tunes. This album, filled with nearly 75 minutes of showstopping arena rockers and mid-tempo ballads, churned out no less than five hit singles, the most notable being the Robin Hood Prince of Thieves theme “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You.” That ballad spent seven weeks atop the U.S. pop charts, becoming the longest-reigning American chart-topper since Prince’s “When Doves Cry” seven years earlier. The song also became a phenomenon in Europe, becoming Adams’ biggest hit ever.
Other singles which followed included the joyous rocker “Can’t Stop This Thing We Started,” which became a number two hit, the mid-tempo ballads “Do I Have to Say the Words” and “Thought I’d Died and Gone to Heaven,” and the fun, straight-ahead rocker “There Will Never Be Another Tonight.” Waking up the Neighbours was co-produced by Robert Jon “Mutt” Lange, and as a result, many of these songs sound as though they could have easily been Def Leppard recordings, especially “All I Want Is You,” which sounds like “Pour Some Sugar on Me” part two. Nonetheless, Waking up the Neighbours is a fun album and perfect for those who expect nothing more than an old-fashioned good time from their rock & roll. (by Jose F. Promis)
Oh yes … Bryan Adams knows how to rock … listen and enjoy the power of Bryan Adams !
Personnel:
Bryan Adams (vocals. guitar)
Mickey Curry (drums)
Tommy Mandel (organ)
Keith Scott (guitar)
Dave Taylor (bass)
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Robbie King (organ)
Larry Klein (bass)
Phil Nicholas (keyboards, programming)
Bill Payne (keyboards)
Ed Shearmur (keyboards)
The Tuck Back Twins (background vocals)
Tracklist:
01. Is Your Mama Gonna Miss Ya? (Adams/Lange) 4.40
02. Hey Honey – I’m Packin’ You In (Adams/Lange/Russell/Scott 3.59
03. Can’t Stop This Thing We Started (Adams/Lange) 4.29
04. Thought I’d Died And Gone To Heaven (Adams/Lange) 5.48
05. Not Guilty (Adams/Lange) 4.12
06. Vanishing (Adams/Lange) 5.03
07. House Arrest (Adams/Lange/Vallance) 3.57
08. Do I Have To Say The Words? (Adams/Lange/Vallance) 6.11
09. There Will Never Be Another Tonight (Adams/Lange/Vallance) 4.40
10. All I Want Is You (Adams/Lange) 5.20
11. Depend On Me (Adams/Lange/Vallance) 5.07
12. (Everything I Do) I Do It for You (Adams/Lange/Kamen) 6.34
13. If You Wanna Leave Me (Can I Come Too?) (Adams/Lange) 4.43
14. Touch The Hand (Adams/Lange) 4.05
15. Don’t Drop That Bomb On Me (Adams/Lange) 6.02