ALBUM OF THE WEEK #115 - TOM PETTY - FULL MOON FEVER (DISCOVERING TOM PETTY - PART 10)

[RJhog (Admin)]

Artist: Tom Petty

Genre: Rock

Country Of Origin: United States

Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Member: Yes

Album: Full Moon Fever

Released: April 24, 1989

Producer: Jeff Lynne/Tom Petty/Mike Campbell

Singles: I Won't Back Down/Running Down A Dream/Free Fallin'/A Face In The Crowd/Yer So Bad

Song Of Week: A Face In The Crowd

RIAA Certification: 5 X Platinum

Album Cover: 7/10

 

We have arrived in 1989.  Petty's first solo album was Full Moon Fever.  And for the record, I have a difficult time deciding between this album and Damn The Torpedoes as my overall favorite.  If you notice, Full Moon Fever was released 10 years after DTT.  This album is just packed full of great material.  It managed a number 3 ranking on the Billboard chart while piling up sales in excess of 5 million.  Jeff Lynn and Mike Campbell helped produce the album with Petty, while many of the Heartbreakers and even the Traveling Wilburys made appearances on the album.  The songs didn't "sound like Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers songs", so it ended up being a solo album.

 

Here are some tidbits about the album (some from Wikipedia, some from the book I'm reading):

 

---There is a song called Waiting For Tonight that was recorded with The Bangles for the album, but was eventually left off.  If you ask me, it should definitely have been on the album.  It's friggin' incredible.  I'm not including it as a bonus track here, but I do have future plans for it, so if you stay with me, you will hear it.  Travelin' is another song that was left off the album, and I've included it here as a bonus track.

 

---Mary Jane's Last Dance, originally titled Indiana Girl, was written during these sessions as well.  It was later released on the Greatest Hits album as one of two new tracks.  

 

---George Harrison helped Petty with some of the words for I Won't Back Down.  Petty had everything except the line "there ain't no easy way out".  He was singing "I'm standing on the edge of the world".  George heard it and said "what the hell is that?  That's sounds dumb".  That inspired Petty to come up with the right lyric, "there ain't no easy way out".

 

---Lynne asked Petty for another song, which ended up being the demo of The Apartment Song that he cut with Stevie Nicks.  It was originally written for Southern Accents.  Petty says the rhythm change after the second chorus is a nod to Buddy Holly.

 

---Del Shannon was hanging around at the time, which is why Petty threw the line "Me and Del were singing, little runaway".  Petty put it in specifically for Shannon, which was quite pleasing to Del.  

 

---The album was recorded in Mike Campbell's tiny home studio.  It was so small, you could barely get four people in it.  If anyone else came, the cars had to be moved out of the garage.

 

---The guitar solo at the end of Runnin' Down A Dream was totally improvised by Mike Campbell and cut in one take. There was only Campbell, Petty and Lynne around.  Mike was sitting with his head down when the solo came out.  He never stopped or even looked up.  That's why the song is long for a Petty track.  Petty didn't want to cut a bit of that out.

 

Did I mention that I love this album?  Hopefully you'll listen and tell me what you think, good or bad.  And by the way, I had this back when it was released and it was lost somewhere along the way.  However, a while back I noticed it in the 5 dollar bin at Walmart so I picked it up again.  

 

Ultimate Tom Petty Playlist (This Album): 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

 

1. Free Fallin'

2. I Won't Back Down

3. Love Is A Long Road

4. A Face In The Crowd 

5. Runnin' Down A Dream

6. I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better

7. Yer So Bad

8. Depending On You

9. The Apartment Song

10. Alright For Now

11. A Mind With A Heart Of It's Own

12. Zombie Zoo

 

Bonus Track (Taken from the 1995 Box Set Playback)

 

13. The Apartment Song (feat. Stevie Nicks)

14. Travelin'

 

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

 

[TageRyche]

I don't have to listen to the album. I have loved this CD since it was first released. I had a copy of it already when I called in on a radio station's 12 Discs of Christmas contest (Day 4) and Full Moon Fever was part of the package I won.

Totally kick ass record.

[RJhog (Admin)]

Yes, you do have to listen to it...just kiddin'.

[Alan Christensen]

Great album. I already listened to this one this year! :) I also found a Stevie Nicks boxset used this week with her version of the song Free Falling. The Stevie Nicks box enchanted is well worth it if you can find a good price.

[Scott]

So I'm probably the only person on this site that has never listened to this whole album.  I'm not ready to say its on par with Damn The Torpedoes, but I am ready to say I'm glad I finally got around to this one.

Some stand out moments (no comments on the radio tunes though)

Love Is A Long Road really stands out for a few reasons, 1) Its a great tune, 2)  it would fit nicely on DTT, and 3) Its production is much different than the rest of the album.  I'm sure it was a creative decision to do so, but it does create a little imbalance with the rest of the album.

I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better has a great late 60's Byrds-like vibe. Really cool tune!

Yer So Bad.  hahahahahahahaha.... Now She's a Swinger dating a Singer, I can't decide which is worse.  Sounds like this could either be a band  stuck on a bus for too long writing silly tunes, or something that has the ring of "real life experience" in it.  Either way its a fun tune!

Love the little Buddy Holly bits in The Apartment Song.  Cool tune!

I see this album in the Wal-Mart 5 dollar bin a lot but not a remastered version, so is this available remastered?  I ask because I think I would go for a purchase on this if it was a remastered edition.

Nice post and I am pleasantly surprised at how much I really liked this!

[Jon]

No remaster but the available version doesn't sound bad at all.

[RJhog (Admin)]

I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better is a Byrds cover.  That's the ear of a true music fan.  To hear a song for the first time and think of a particular band, then find out it's actually a cover of a song by that band.

It happened to me once.  A local Athens artist (John Berry) used to do a song called Thunder Road that I had never heard.  But I always thought of The Boss when I heard them do it, and sure enough, I later discovered that it was indeed a cover of a Springsteen song.

[Scott]

Cool. Now I got to check into the Byrds more.

[Jon]

Can you ever get tired of this album? I didn't have it on CD for the longest time and then found it around 6 months ago for cheap and gave it a listen. Still great!

Waited a few months after I listened to listen to this and...still great!

Did not like The Apartment Song, but did like Travelin'.