Into The Fire (1987) Review by Steven Stanley

The difficult 5th album after the 4th went supersonic was always going to be tough. Instead of retaining the fun vibe all previous albums had been known for, Bryan went all political and we saw a very different (and brilliant) side to his songwriting. It wasn't well received from the critics, who were perhaps unfairly expecting 'Reckless 2'... but Bryan doesn't write songs for the critics and his fans (myself included) lapped this up.

'Heat Of The Night' pretty much sets the tone for the album, it's a subdued rocker that grows in pace as it leads up to the chorus and a fantastic Bryan solo. 'Into The Fire', brilliant song and if you like it you NEED to get the 'Live! Live! Live!' CD because in my opinion the version on there is even better.

'Victim Of Love' deals with the story of a tough breakup... something many people can relate to. Truth is, thats what a lot of this album is about. Tough songs a lot of people can relate to. A lot of the songs are still very relevant today. 'Remembrance Day', about fallen war heroes during the Second World War.... "just lads from the farms and boys from the cities"... very poignant, touching and still hugely relevant.

For me though, the true gem on this album and maybe the most underated Adams song ever is 'Native Son'. A song that tried to speak out about the awful treatment of the native Indians by the early white settlers. Written largely by the brilliant Jim Vallance, who looked into the story of 'Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce ("nose pierced") tribe of Dakota' and made notes from his speeches... which became the foundations for the lyrics. It's an absolute masterpiece and probably Bryan's only true shot at epicness during a song. Keith's guitar sings at the end, why it's never been given a regular live slot since the late 80's I'll never know.

The more familar Adams returns with 'Hearts On Fire' & 'Only The Strong Survive', two toe tapping brilliant rockers that require the dial cranking up. The latter of which was written for the 'Top Gun' soundtrack but Bryan pulled it at the last minute because he felt the film glorified war.

It's a fantastic album (and many peoples favourite I know), but the reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because I have to be in the mood to listen to it. If I'm feelin' angry, melancholy, hard done by, or political I'll give it a spin. If I'm happy and want to stay that way or need cheering up then I'll pick something else. More than any other album it's the album that needs to be played from start to finish to appreciate the true sentiment of it. There's not really many songs on here ('Hearts' and 'Only The Strong' aside) that you can play in the car stereo on a nip to the shops for a quick Adams pick me up. It's an essential purchase though and more than worthy of 4 stars. Play it from start to finish and go on a great journey, you'll be glad you did.

Key Tracks:
Heat Of The Night
Native Son

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