ALBUM OF THE WEEK #123 TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS - DAMN THE HARD PROMISES (FROM THE ELDER) (DISCOVERING TOM PETTY - PART 13)

[RJhog (Admin)]

Artist: Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers

Genre: Rock

Country Of Origin: United States

Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Member: Yes

Album: Damn The Hard Promises From The Elder 

Released:  Dec 32, 1995

Producer: Mutt Ezrin

Singles: N/A

Song Of Week: Waiting For Tonight

RIAA Certification: Certified Insane

Album Cover: 10/10

 

WTF?  Old man RJ has gone off the deep end this time.  When I started this series, I said that I would give you a couple of special treats.  This is one of those.  This week we have the lost Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers album that is so lost, I'm the only one who has it.  From the album art to the songs, this album is the bomb.  

 

It's obviously a made up album, but the music is real none the less.  Basically, I got all but one of the songs below from the Playback box set that came out in 1995.  It was 6 discs of Petty's studio tracks, B-sides and previously unreleased tracks.

 

 I went through all of the B-sides and  previously unreleased songs and picked what I thought would make a great "lost" Petty album.  I even made an attempt to put the tracks in an order that would sound good on an LP.  I also included two demos from the box set as bonus tracks.  Unless you have the Playback box, you may very well have only heard one of these songs.  That song is Mary Jane's Last Dance.  I included it because it was not released on a studio album.  It was only released on the greatest hits disc.

 

So below I'll give you the tracks and a small amount of info that I have gathered from the book that came with the Playback box and the biography that I have.  I hope you enjoy this.

 

1. Casa Dega - Petty says this was written about the same time as Refugee and Here Comes My Girl.  It was previously released as a b-side to Don't Do Me Like That from Damn The Torpedoes.  This sounds like classic Petty to me and should have been on a proper album.

 

2. Cracking Up - This song is a Nick Lowe cover.  It was also a b-side to Make It Better (Forget About Me) from Southern Accents.  According to Petty, this track was created one day in the studio when they didn't have much else to pay.

 

3. On The Street - This is from the Mudcrutch demo tape.  It was written by Benmont.  The band recorded it live in his parent's living room with no overdubs.  It was originally written as a slower song, but Petty said play it faster.  I love the drums and guitar solo on this one.

 

4. Waiting For Tonight - To me, this is the Holy Grail of previously unreleased TP songs.  It was recorded during the Full Moon Fever sessions and features The Bangles on backing vocals.  I know that Full Moon Fever is loaded with great tunes, but I just can't imagine why they would leave this off of the album.

 

5. Mary Jane's Last Dance - Everybody knows this one.  It was on the first greatest hits release as one of two new tracks.  I included it so I could get it on the Ultimate TP Playlist.

 

6. Can't Get Her Out - This was previously unreleased.  It comes from the Let Me Up I've Had Enough sessions and was just made up in the studio.

 

7. Keeping Me Alive - Another previously unreleased track.  It was written to give to the Everly Brothers, but they didn't want it.  

 

8. Depot Street - This was the only song released by Mudcrutch (pre-Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers).  Denny Cordell was really into reggae at the time, so they released it as a single and it bombed.

 

9. Up In Mississippi Tonight - Mudcrutch's first professional recording from 1973.  It features Petty (on bass), Mike Campbell, Tom Leadon (Bernie's brother) and Randall Marsh.  It was recorded in 2 takes.  It was put on a 45 but was previously unreleased.

 

10. Since You Said You Loved Me - According to the biography, this song is from Petty's first (unreleased) solo album.  It featured Emory Gordy on bass, Al Kooper on keys, Jim Gordon on drums and Mike Campbell on guitar.  That's all the info I have, although I'd like to have some more info on that unreleased solo album.  My best guess is that it was after the original Mudcrutch but before Tom Petty And The Hearbreakers.

 

Bonus Tracks

 

11. Peace In L.A. [Peace Mix] - The band released this in response to the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles.  Petty says he felt like the word "peace" needed to be at the forefront, so he quickly arranged a session, got everybody there (except Howie) and went in a room and wrote the song.  The voice on the telephone is Howie's.  It sounds like he's looking out of a hotel window at the riots, but he's actually talking about something on the stove where he is.  Petty says it really fit, so they kept it.  This is the B-side to the actual Peace In L.A. single, and all of the profits went to various causes in Los Angeles.

 

12. Don't Do Me Like That (Demo) - Previously unreleased demo from Mudcrutch.  I think everybody knows where this ended up.

 

13. Stop Draggin' My Heart Around (Demo) - Another previously unreleased demo.  Petty wrote it, Nicks wanted it, the rest is history.  

 

Next week:  No Clue

 

Ultimate Tom Petty Playlist (This Album):  Casa Dega/Waiting For Tonight/Mary Jane's Last Dance/Stop Draggin' My Heart Around (Demo)

 

Ultimate TP Playlist (Running List): Breakdown/The Wild One, Forever/Strangered In The Night/Fooled Again (I Don't Like It)/American Girl/Magnolia/I Need To Know/Refugee/Here Comes My Girl/Even The Losers/Shadow Of A Doubt (A Complex Kid)/Don't Do Me Like That/You Tell Me/What Are You Doin' In My Life?/Louisiana Rain/The Waiting/A Woman In Love (It's Not Me)/Nightwatchman/Something Big/You Got Lucky/Deliver Me/Finding Out/We Stand A Chance/Straight Into Darkness/The Same Old You/A Wasted Life/Rebels/It Ain't Nothin' To Me/Don't Come Around Here No More/So You Want To Be A Rock 'n' Roll Star/Insider/Southern Accents/Don't Bring Me Down/Jammin' Me/Runaway Trains/The Damage You've Done/Handle With Care/End Of The Line/Free Fallin'/I Won't Back Down/Love Is A Long Road/A Face In The Crowd/Runnin' Down A Dream/I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better/Yer So Bad/Depending On You/A Mind With A Heart Of It's Own/Learning To Fly/Into The Great Wide Open/All Or Nothin'/Out In The Cold/You Don't Know How It Feels/Time To Move On/Don't Fade On Me/Hard On Me/Casa Dega/Waiting For Tonight/Mary Jane's Last Dance/Stop Draggin' My Heart Around (Demo)

 

[Jon]

you had me at "The Elder"...

[Scott]

I had no expectations going into this because I wasn't sure what to think about it.  The Elder?  I wasn't sure where that fit in with this or if it was an indicator of the un-eveness and quality to come?

But...

What you posted was quite cool with some of that un-eveness in the form of Mudcrutch tunes. Up In Mississippi Tonight was really good and clearly the best of the Mudcrutch tunes you selected.  Th other two were not very good.

I dig the opener and agree that leaving this off the album at the time was a mistake.  The best tune is easily Waiting For Tonight, I need to go back and listen to Full Moon Fever...

Since You Said You Loved Me is also right up there.  What a cool track!

It was very interesting to ear Petty since without Nicks!  Glad she wanted to duet that one, cant imagine it without her.

So what was thought to be a mish-mash of throw away tunes turns out to be a very well put together  and well worth it listening experience!  Nice series ...

[RJhog (Admin)]

Thanks bro.

[Jon]

I was surprised how good this was. Most of the tracks could have been on an album. The "Peace IN L.A." track threw me for a loop, I was looking around to see who the hell was talking (that's what you get for reading the posts AFTER listening). 

However, I would have placed the trackes thusly:

7.

3.

2.

9.

1.

4.

10.

8.

5.

6.

I think it would have been smoother that way.

Really nice post, though. Like Scott I went into this not expecting much and got more than what I, um, expected.