Adams, Pamela Anderson sing duet
TORONTO (CP) – Bryan Adams has paired his famously raspy voice with Tina Turner, Sting and Rod Stewart.
But when he wanted to set up a duet with sexpot actress Pamela Anderson, the rocker ran into a roadblock.
“I must have called her five times before she even returned my call. When she finally returned the call it was like ‘Am I being Punk’d?’ ” recalled Adams from his home in London, England, referring to Ashton Kutcher’s MTV show.
They eventually recorded When You’re Gone – the 1998 song he sang with Spice Girl Mel C.
The new version appears on Adams’s Anthology, a two-disc retrospective released in October, 25 years after he put out his first album.
“I thought it would be fun to have her,” said the 46-year-old musician, who is embarking on his first comprehensive Canadian tour in more than a decade.
“She’s pretty rock ‘n’ roll.”
Anderson, who grew up in Ladysmith, B.C., was reluctant because she’d never tried her hand at singing, but Adams says the beauty of the song is that anybody can sing it.
“I take this song every night and I drag somebody from the audience on stage. Pretty much half the time someone comes up it sounds pretty decent. I figured if anybody can walk up on stage, certainly Pam can make it work in the studio.”
Born in Kingston, Ont., Adams launched his career in 1980 with a self-titled album. He became a household name a few years later thanks to a slew of catchy, arena anthems like Heaven, Straight for the Heart, Run to You and Summer of ’69.
Since then, he’s sold millions of records, toured the world and launched a successful photography career. His most recent visit to Canada saw him perform at last summer’s Live 8 bash in Barrie, Ont.
The two-disc Anthology begins with Remember, written in 1978 with his then songwriting partner, Jim Vallance. It concludes 35 songs later with So Far So Good, a new song written with Mutt Lange. The liner notes include some factual information culled from his personal diaries.
“I liked the idea of doing it as long as (the CD) was historical and wasn’t just slapped together,” explained Adams.
“I was able to go and dig up all my old diaries that I’d kept during the ’80s and late ’70s. I’d sort of forgotten when I’d done a lot of that.”
He also unearthed a batch of old photographs in which he’s wearing trademark white T-shirt and blue jeans.
After the Canadian dates, which will see him perform in towns big and small, Adams heads to South Africa and then to India and Pakistan.
“Because the songs have transcended boundaries and languages and borders, I can pretty much throw a dart at the map and play anywhere in the world now, which is fantastic because there’s a lot of places I want to go to,” he said with a hearty laugh.
So why not head to warmer climates instead of touring Canada in the dead of winter?
Adams says it was the best way for a true Canadian to cap off his 25th anniversary.
Besides, he says, winter doesn’t scare him.
“I’ve got everything ready,” he said. “I’m packing some longjohns, some down-filled stuff. I’m not going to be shovelling snow so I’ll be OK, although if we get stuck I might be. All right boys, forget the gig! We’re shovelling!”
On his latest Canadian tour, Bryan Adams will play cities large and small. They are:
Dec. 6: Quebec City, Colisee de Quebec
Dec. 7: Montreal, Bell Centre
Dec. 8: Ottawa, Corel Centre
Dec. 9: Peterborough, Ont., Memorial Centre
Dec. 10: London, Ont., John Labatt Centre
Dec. 11: Kitchener, Ont., Kitchener Auditorium
Dec. 14: Sudbury, Ont., Sudbury Arena
Dec. 15: Toronto, Air Canada Centre
Jan. 11: Winnipeg, MTS Centre
Jan. 12: Saskatoon, Credit Union Centre
Jan. 13: Lethbridge, Alta., Enmax Centre
Jan. 14: Red Deer, Alta., Westerner Park, ENMAX Centrium Arena
Jan. 15: Edmonton, Rexall Place
Jan. 16: Calgary, Pengrowth Saddledome
Jan. 18: Vancouver, General Motors Place
Jan. 19: Victoria, B.C., Save On Foods Centre
Jan. 20: Victoria, B.C. Save On Foods Centre
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