ALBUM OF THE WEEK #181 TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS - HIGHWAY COMPANION - 2006 (DISCOVERING TOM PETTY - PART 17)

[RJhog (Admin)]

Artist: Tom Petty 

Genre: Rock

Country Of Origin: United States

Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Member: Yes

Album: Highway Companion

Released: July 25,2006

Producer: Jeff Lynne/Tom Petty/Mike Campbell

Singles: Saving Grace/Flirting With Time/Big Weekend

Best Single: Flirting With Time

Hidden Gems: You pick 'em (I've never heard any of these on the radio)

Lyric Of The Week: "Can't sell your soul for peace of mind" - Square One

 

We take one more step toward completing our journey through the Tom Petty catalog this week.  I've listened to this album several times, and quite frankly, it's Petty's best work since Full Moon Fever.  The album sounds very cohesive to me, with most songs built on an acoustic foundation.  There are absolutely no bad songs on this album, but I'll just pick a few to add to the Ultimate Tom Petty Playlist.  Here are a few nuggets about the album:

• This is Petty's third solo album, fourteenth overall if you include The Heartbreakers.
• It charted at number 4 on the Billboard albums chart and has been certified Gold by the RIAA.
• It charted at number 1 on the Rock Albums chart.
• The album was later released in a Special Edition format that included two new songs and demos for the songs This Old Town and Big Weekend.
• The only three musicians credited in Wikipedia are Petty, Lynne and Campbell.

So, my official opinion is that this album as a whole may be a hidden gem in the Petty catalog.  And as a side note, the first time I heard anything from this album was when our buddy Mike Pell did a Rockollections show featuring it.  I liked what I heard then and I like it now.  I think I'll go look for that Special Edition.

Track Listing

 

1. Saving Grace

2. Square One

3. Flirting With Time

4. Down South

5. Jack

6. Turn This Car Around

7. Big Weekend

8. Night Driver

9. Damaged By Love

10. This Old Town

11. Ankle Deep

12. The Golden Rose

 

Ultimate Tom Petty Playlist (This Album): Saving Grace/Square One/Flirting With Time/Down South/Jack/Night Driver

 

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)/Walls (Circus)/Grew Up To Fast/Room At The Top/Counting On You/Free Girl Now/Swingin'/Echo/Won't Last Long/One More Day, One More Night/The Last DJ/Joe/Lost Children/Have Love Will Travel/Saving Grace/Square One/Flirting With Time/Down South/Jack/Night Driver

 

[Jon]

funny thing, this album here. When I first read about it, I didn't want it but bought it anyway. Then I didn't want to listen to it, but did anyway and liked it.

When Rjhog posted this, I didn't want to listen to it, but did. I didn't really remember anything on this album and didn't think I would like it, but do.

Nothing flashy here. It's a Tom Petty album. If you've heard other Tom Petty albums before, you know what you're getting into. It's different from other TP albums, but still the same. \

Now I'll forget I have this album. In a year or two I'll force myself to listen to it again, thinking I won't like it. But I will.

Good post!

[Scott]

[Scott]

I to recall this from a Mike Pell post and if memory serves me correct, I liked this one ...  But after listening to other the 70-ish Tom Petty posts on here since then I wonder if things have changed...

The opening track is nice, I like the vibe but its 100% Petty, not much variation in his style... Third track sounds familiar, maybe this is the one Pell played?  I like it...  Jack is kind of cool in a quirky way.  So far everything sounds good, problem is I've been tainted by listening to all of his work and its starting to blend in.  If you were to play me anything (that wasn't a smash hit) since Southern Accents I wouldn't have a clue what or when the track came from.  And here lies the problem I originally tried to overcome ...  He starts to sound the same.  Turn This Car Around would fit on any of his releases since 1987, in fact everything past the first 4 tracks really melt together and this ends up being nice, well put together, well written background music...