Classic Rock Bottom

It took a while after I began playing Rock & Roll at the radio station for record companies to begin sending us CD's.
But they did- not too many- after all, I was the only one playing our music (still am), and only for one hour once a week- but enough to keep Engineer Ken Stanley and I fairly up to date with new releases.
We'd split them and take them home to listen.
Occasionally we would play one of these NEW albums all the way through on a show, not an old classic one, just for something different.
Well, Tom Petty's 3rd solo album Highway Companion in 2006, caught Engineer Ken's ear.
So he suggested we do that one.
As I recall, I hadn't even ever heard any of it, but I went along with it.
Hey it was an easy show, any dope can play an album straight through...not much thought goes into that, lol!
As things turned out, we took the chance and the CD was a successful one.
Produced excellently by Jeff Lynne from ELO & The Traveling Wilburys, etc., it topped out at # 4 on the Billboard charts.
It was different from Petty's previous releases, with songs about the road (as suggested by the title) and aging- they were darker but still rocked.
What we have here is a show from 2006, when this album was new, and we will be playing the songs in their arranged order.
Here is the opening half of what turned out to be a fun time for me, with a rather light-hearted, humorous presentation.
 
This is the link to Part One, at WLSO.FM:
 
 
Mike

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Comment by Mike Pell on January 27, 2012 at 4:53pm

Anyway, it was a great recolleciton and interesting to think about...


Hey Scott, it was a ROCKOLLECTION, LOL!

Comment by Mike Pell on January 27, 2012 at 4:51pm
Scott,
I was almost the opposite, took me a while to go from sorta liking him to REALLY liking his music.
You have a point about those Wilbury guys, but there were always at least a couple of good cuts on those albums.
Hey that's cool, I may have helped get you strapped in for a re-launch, lol!
And another conflict with RJ for the Golden Pell...hahahahaha!
The Foo Fighters may be among the few groups I would bother to see nowadays, so good for you on that concert.
And admit it, it can be real fun to go back through the vinyl and pull out some forgotten albums.
No better way to spend a LAZY day (that's a hint for next week).
Concerts, the Deluxe Edition of Damn The Torpedoes...sounds like you are rolling in dough, lol!
That was one cool art teacher you had- I went to Catholic school, and we would have an art teacher irregularly, and she'd always be this young hot babe just starting out.
Very fond memories of that- and I would actually dig the art, in later years I would pick up and chat up girls in museums with what I remembered about paintings, lol!
Of course I remember Reel-To-Reel tape recorders.
There is an old Akai about 15 feet from me!
The problem is the old tapes are brittle, and I have spray stuff on a cloth and fast forward the tape touching it with the cloth to get the oxide off.
Really is a lot of work, so I don't know if I will be playing them again.
So after decades, they do get worse with time.
Good to hear from you, and thanks especially for the great show comment,
Mike
Comment by Scott on January 27, 2012 at 1:46pm

You made me recall my art class and the more I think about it, the more I remember.  He was hippy for sure *my teacher that is), but thats beside the point, he played his music on Reel-To-Reel, remember those?  I thought it was so cool, no scrathes or augmented sounds from the needle and it never got worse with time.

 

Anyway, it was a great recolleciton and interesting to think about...

Comment by Scott on January 27, 2012 at 9:59am

Confession time.  When Petty first came out I really liked him, in fact my middle school art teacher played his debut album every damn day!  hahahaha, but Im serious, for a solid school year it was all we listened to.  To his credit, he was right, Petty's early work is really really good!  And so I followed him all the way Into The Great Wide Open, and then it started to sound the same...  It was the Traveling Wilbury effect I think...  Lynne, Dylan, Orbison, Harrison all started to drop records that sounded the same and so I lost interest.

Because of this show, this could be the re-launching point!  Thats your challenge Mike!  hahahaha...

Liked the opener - off to a good start with a catchy chorus.  Its still a very familiar production style and sound.  But the songs are solid...  Liked Flirtng With Time, Im still humming it, dammit!  But JACK was the star of side 1 (RJ is wrong on his Golden Pell), that track is really nice!

Two side notes: Just seen the Foo Fighters do Breakdown live, and it was spectacular!  Jon's probably jealous he wasnt there... and now Ive gotta go back through my vinyl and pull out some Petty!  This show's gonna cost me some money I think (At a minimum the Deluxe Edition of Damn The Topedoes)

Great show   as usual. ...

Comment by Mike Pell on January 27, 2012 at 1:25am

You're a good man RJ.

Thanks,

Mike

Comment by RJhog (Admin) on January 26, 2012 at 3:00pm

Comment copied to WLSO...I forgot the other day.

Comment by Mike Pell on January 25, 2012 at 11:28pm
Jon,
You are right, that Petty album kind of got lost somewhere, not much play on the radio.
But you have it, I can't find it, and now I am wondering what happened to it.
Guess Engineer Ken took it home with him, didn't even copy it for me.
Over the years, I have made a running joke about the prison talent show and other references to doing time, lol!
Wonder how many times I have done that...man, people may believe it!
Thanks for the listen & writing,
Mike
Comment by Mike Pell on January 25, 2012 at 11:21pm
RJ,
Yes I guess that feature can be interesting when you've never heard the album, or not in a long time.
But like I said, any dope can do that, lol!
Not much room for creativity, so I tried to ad lib some life into it.
Full Moon Fever is a dynamite album.
And another you got is hush hush eh, gonna make it onto the site so we can all hear it...nice!
The 2nd half will be here soon, and there is a song that sounds like the Traveling Wilburys did it.
We like the same songs so far, and The Golden Pell for Square One is a good choice.
All that talking between songs only serves to enhance the experience, lol!
Actually I was pretty damn funny on this show, I liked the line about my dreadlocks being caught in the headphones.
I don't have enough hair for dreadlocks!!!
Been so long since I put something worth while up, I see you forgot to post at WLSO, lol!
Thanks for the listen, my Highway Companion,
Mike
Comment by Jon on January 25, 2012 at 5:01pm

It's kinda funny..you didn't hear about Petty's new one back then and I forgot I even had it. Listening to this, I have to give it a spin again, it's actually a  pretty good album. 

And do I really want to know about the prison talent show?

Comment by RJhog (Admin) on January 25, 2012 at 11:25am

Mike,

I dig it when you feature a particular album for a show, especially one like this that I've never heard.  In my life before about 2 weeks ago, I had only owned one Petty studio album, and that would be Full Moon Fever.  Well, I lost that along the way somewhere, so I just re-purchased it a couple of weeks ago.

 

I also purchased an older album of his yesterday, but I won't say which one because it will make an appearance in the AOTW forum sometime this year.  One other of his that I'd like to have is Hard Promises.

 

As far as this one goes, it's definitely not bad.  Out of the first 6 songs, I have 2 okays 9 (Down South/Jack), 1 not bad (Flirting With Time), 2 nice (Saving Grace/Turn This Car Around) and 1 very nice (Square One). 

 

Of course, I might hear it totally different if not for all the talking between songs (I kid).

 

Golden Pell to Square One.

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