ALBUM OF THE WEEK # 103 TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS - TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS (DISCOVERING TOM PETTY PART 1)

[RJhog (Admin)]

Words Of Wisdom

 "Somethin' I saw in your eyes, told me right away

that you were gonna have to be mine"

-Tom Petty

 

Artist: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Genre: Rock

Country Of Origin: United States

Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Member: Yes

Album: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Released: November 9, 1976

Producer: Denny Cordell

Singles: Breakdown #40 U.S./Anything That's Rock 'n' Roll/American Girl

Song Of The Week: The Wild One, Forever

Cover Me: N/A

RIAA Certification: Gold

Album Cover: 2/10 (Pretty Lame)

 

Since Jon decided to introduce us all to Wishbone Ash last week and for the next few weeks, I decided to introduce everybody to Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers.  Obviously, most of you know their hits, but do you know the rest of their story?  I'm gonna take you through the whole catalog.  I'll cover every proper Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers studio album as well as the three Tom Petty solo albums.  I'll also throw in a couple of Tom Petty related albums.  However, I will not do this over consecutive weeks.  I'll split it up.   I just can't decide whether or not to go in chronological order.   Any suggestions? 

 

I will kick it off this week with the debut from 1976.   Although the album on climbed as high as #55 on the U.S. charts, it still managed a gold certification.  The album includes 2 very popular Petty songs (Breakdown and American Girl) and a few very nice hidden gems. You have to check out The Wild One, Forever and Strangered In The Night.  We've also heard Fooled Again (I Don't Like It) on an earlier edition of Scott's Hidden Treasures, which is another little hidden gem.   I don't think everything here is good.  I have no problem skipping Hometown Blues, Mystery Man or Luna.  

But look, it's an album worthy of a good listen.  After all, Tom Petty is Tom Petty.  You know exactly what you are getting with his stuff.  It's easy to find.  I picked up a remaster through Amazon Marketplace for about 9 bucks.  

Next Week:  Not sure, but something from a artist that hasn't yet been featured on AOTW.

 

1. Rockin' Around (With You) ***

2. Breakdown ***

3. Hometown Blues *

4. The Wild One, Forever ***

5. Anything That's Rock 'n' Roll **

6. Stangered In The Night ***

7. Fooled Again (I Don't Like It) ***

8. Mystery Man*

9. Luna *

10. American Girl ***

 

 

[Scott]

Great choice!  I think Mike Pell really started something with that Highway Companion post of his because I recall Jon, myself and now you all postged Petty purchases on here...  Then I posted Foole Again (I dont Like it) last month in SHT as well.

 

I really love this album and I'll say it again, one of the coolest concert moments I can recal was when the Foos covered Breakdown as part of their set!  What a blast !

 

Nice selection RJ, everyone should reconnect with this one!

[Mike Mills]

I'm excited to hear that you are going to cover Tom Petty! I've always been a fan! I don't really know how I would characterize his music or where he fits in my list of favorite bands, but I've just always liked his music. I remember hearing "Rufugee" on the radio for the first time & then going out & buying a cassette of "Damn The Torpedos". I wore it out, playing it so much! His entire catalog is pretty solid & straight forward Tom Petty.

I have a lot of respect for Petty! I consider him a survivor. I put him in the same catagory as Ozzy & Aerosmith, because they never quit making music. Even during the grunge error, when most rock bands were ducking & taking cover, these guys continued to produce quality music.

Besides being a great artist, Tom Petty is humble guy with a pretty charismatic personality, as can be seen in his interviews, videos & movie cameos. Loved his cameo appearance in "The Postman", where he played himself! 

Tom also did some work with Stevie Nicks & was a member of the star studded "Travelin' Wilbury's". His band "The Heartbreaker's" went on tour backing up Bob Dylan.

Just a few nuggets from my archive, curious to hear the rest of the story from RJ in the coming months. Great album, by the way!

[Mike Mills]

Ran across this & just noticed my freudian slip, grunge error! Obviously, I meant grunge era, but it brings up an interesting topic! How do you think grunge has affected Classic Rock as we know it? Do you think Grunge has had a negative or positive impact on Classic Rock?

[RJhog (Admin)]

That's a good question.  I don't think it's had an impact.  Classic Rock as an artform has definitely made a comeback, but only for people that truly love it for what it is.  You can still find Classic Rock stations on the radio, but you can't find Classic Rock bands or classic sounding bands that are making music today anywhere near the Top 40.  Obviously, there are a very few exceptions, but it's the same old thing.  Top 40 is driven by 10-20 year olds, and they like Justin Beiber and Katy Perry and such.  That's not gonna change.  In 20 years, those artists will be dinosaurs.  But people like you and me will still be listening to Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers (if we are still among the living).

 

Speaking of Tom Petty, we're about to go on overload.

[Jon]

For a first album, this is not too bad. Yiu can get a sense that they're trying to find the "real" them, a couple albums later they found it. I owned this a long time ago, and with this mad rush on TP, this is one album I'm probably still not going to pick up, except for a few songs nothing forces me to make this a must buy/replace. 

Good post though, I do like me some TP.

[Gordon Williams]

Not a bad listen at all. And I agree 100 percent with RJHog on "The Wild One, Forever"... awesome vocal melody in this tune. Great harmony vocals.

[Alan Christensen]

I only own Full Moon Fever. I think Into The Great Wide Open would be a great album to hear. I know the last song from this CD. Otherwise, I'll have to check it out! :)

[RJhog (Admin)]

Stay tuned, it will be covered. I love Full Moon Fever.