You Want It, You Got It

With its crystal-clear production, courtesy of Bob Clearmountain, You Want It, You Got It is state-of-the-art rock & roll of the post-Bruce Springsteen era: the guitars rev up, the bass drum is deeper than a well, the vocals are nasal and punky. The songs don't have the craft or commitment of Brian Adams' peers/competitors — Springsteen, Tom Petty, John Mellencamp — but you may not know it for the first few spins, just because the sound is so hot and infectious, and by then it may not matter. Actually, this is a much more enjoyable record in many respects than the rock & roll assembly line products Adams constructed once he hit the arenas. As it was, with this one, he was on his way. All he did later was take this approach and make it slicker.