Artist: RECKLESS
Album: RECKLESS REMASTERED (CD)

Year: 1979/ 2007
EAN/UPS: 0827565031627
Media type: CD

THERE MUST be something in the Canadian water that makes virtually every act from those parts sound special; and Toronto-based four-piece Reckless were no exception to that rule, brandishing a righteous and downright lethal brand of melodic hard rock that was both ready with the riffs and handy with the hooks.

Led by guitarist/composer Steve Madden and vocalist Jan Melanson (an item while this record was being recorded), the band’s roots lay in the sophisticated yet raw pop rock of ’70s outfits such as the Sweet, Cheap Trick and Blondie, but with an altogether heavier edge, reflecting a scene shift in metal dynamics that was beginning to take place the world over. For Reckless, the focus was always on thrusting razor-sharp guitar riffs shadowed by some decidedly un-ladylike female vocals.

Ignored by record labels in their native Canada, the group was eventually signed by EMI in Europe, who issued this ’79 debut – produced by Paul Gross (Saga) at Phase One Studios in Toronto – to great critical acclaim, especially in the UK, where magazines such as Sounds and later Kerrang! were quick to fly the flag.
Sadly, however, the long distance relationship with their label meant that progress was slow, and despite the help and support of some high-profile peers, plus a few influential rock scribes (take a bow Paul Suter!), the band’s tenure was short-lived.

Happily, Madden and Reckless would live to fight another day, but it is for this album that the group will forever be remembered – perhaps one of the greatest (unheralded) melodic hard rock releases of the late-’70s. A record with ferocious intent and silky precision. They definitely don’t make them like this any more…

24-bit remastering from original source tapes, 3 bonus tracks, 4,000 word story of the making of the album, previously unpublished photos, all spread out over a super 16 page full colour booklet.

TRACKLIST:

‘Victim Of Time’
'Givin’ It All Away’
'Ready For Action’
'Heartache Rock And Roll’
‘Too Much To Bear’
‘Reckless’
‘Child Of The Night’
‘All Night Woman’
‘Could This Be Love?’
‘Yesterday’s News’
‘Passion & Pain’
‘Searching For A Dream’

Bonus Tracks:

‘Can’t Loose Anymore (Unreleased demo)’
‘Midnight Reign (Unreleased demo)’
‘Tonight Tonight (Unreleased demo)’